Urban Mythic: Thirteen Novels of Adventure and Romance, featuring Norse and Greek Gods, Demons and Djinn, Angels, Fairies, Vampires, and Werewolves in the Modern World

by C. Gockel

  Will nodded, “Gretchen agrees with you; it’s only a matter of time.”

  My eyes darted to Gretchen. She bowed her head slowly, and I blurted out, “I thought if you told someone their future, you jinxed it or something?”

  Gretchen stepped closer to Drake and me, in a tone that left nothing to interpretation, “Camille, your destiny has been fluid. I’ve seen so many different outcomes for you in the last two months, I’m still not certain. What I do know: If you choose a Centaur, Drake is the Centaur you’ll choose — when you’re ready. Your heart has already made the choice. You just need to give your mind time to accept your heart’s decision.”

  Drake was standing behind me when Gretchen said he was my future. I felt his arms wrap around me as he lovingly kissed the top of my head. Drake whispered, “There’s no rush, Camille. Take your time, but know that I won’t allow anyone to separate us.”

  I crossed both arms over Drake’s arms that were wrapped around me and leaned back fully into his warm embrace. It felt like things were going to be okay, even if I only got to savor that feeling for a couple minutes. I didn’t miss Gretchen’s words, “If you choose a Centaur.” I’d said from the beginning that I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to do with being a Centaur – but that was before I knew how I felt about Drake.

  Drake spoke to my father, “It’s only a matter of time before Zandra catches up to us.”

  Will nodded, “Get some rest. I can forbid her entry into my home. You’ll be safe here. Welcome to our family, Drake. Thank you for bringing Camille home.”

  We climbed the steps to my room. So much had happened; I hardly knew where to begin. With all the weird rules and strange traditions, I half expected someone to jump in front of us and send us to separate rooms. No one did. While we walked into my room, Drake said, “You know she’ll be here soon.”

  “Uniting the bloodlines is no more than a pipe dream for her now. Gage and Bianca are going to make it official – he’s off the market. Once he’s chosen, officially, by Bianca, my blood debt is paid.”

  “Gage has a brother, Camille.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t believe he never told you. Brandon is eighteen, and if Gage is out of the picture, Zandra could do the whole thing over again. Gage’s dad and your grandmother are serious about uniting their two bloodlines.”

  “What’s the big deal?”

  “I think they’re trying to find immortality.”

  “Immortality?”

  “Chiron was an immortal who willingly gave up his immortality. Unice was made a human before Chiron, and had immortal blood in her veins, as well. I think Kyle and Zandra are trying to make Centaurs immortal again or at least their bloodlines. They aren’t going to give up just because Gage and Bianca are together; in fact, Bianca is probably in as much danger as we are.”

  “Does she know?”

  “The three of us talked about it while we were all at Zandra’s estate. They know to go into hiding. They can use Aphrodite’s magic to hide if they need to. We already know that works.”

  I thought of what Gage told me, how his dad was really in love with my mom, how he hid her and protected her. Gage could do the same thing for Bianca, and I might never see them again. “I need to talk to Bianca.”

  “They’ve already left.”

  “Do you know where they went?”

  “I have an idea, but nothing specific.”

  “How do we get in contact with them?”

  “That’s the point, Camille. We don’t.”

  “Gage won’t break contact with his family, will he?” Growing up with just Mom and me, it was hard to imagine willingly giving her up, let alone a whole family.

  “He’s not sure how far his dad’ll go. He’s not taking any more chances with Bianca.”

  “Maybe Mr. Richardson isn’t so bad. Maybe it’s just he and Zandra together that are the problem.”

  “She’s power mad, Camille. She’ll hunt us down with or without Gage’s dad.”

  “She’s an old woman, Drake. I doubt she’d stand a chance against us.”

  “You are still unfamiliar with our ways. Don’t confuse age with power or strength. The only reason you and your mother were safe for all those years was Aphrodite’s magic protected you both. That protection is no longer there. Zandra is a Centauride scorned: she will seek her revenge.”

  “So what are you saying? We need to go into hiding?”

  “We need more than a good hiding spot. We need magic of our own.”

  I could see Drake was just as exhausted as I was. We slipped into my bed, his arms wound around my body, and I felt tingles all over my skin. I didn’t want to talk about Zandra, going into hiding, or finding our own magic. I only wanted to feel Drake’s body against mine, savor the rhythm of his heart beating against me and listen to his breathing. We melted into each other and drifted off together. It felt like I’d only just blinked my eyes when an arm shook me.

  “Camille,” Will’s voice was an urgent whisper, “wake up. Quickly, wake up.”

  I wiped the sleep from my eyes, squinting into the darkness. I felt the warmth of Drake’s body against mine as his muscles flexed beside me. “What’s wrong, Will?”

  “Camille, Zandra is on her way. It’s worse than we thought. You need to get up. We need to get you out of here.”

  “I thought you said we’d be safe here?”

  “You’ve got an hour, two at best and her forces will be upon us. You’ll be safe inside my walls, but I can’t offer you protection outside the house, and you couldn’t stay inside forever.”

  “Where will we go?”

  “I’ve chartered a plane. You’ll need to get to the Monck’s Corner Airport where a plane is waiting. Go now, Sweetheart. It’s your only chance.”

  Drake tugged me hard. He didn’t need to hear anything else. “Camille, I’m not losing you again, let’s go.”

  I turned to Drake, “But where? Won’t she find us wherever we go?”

  “I’ve got an idea.” Drake turned to Will and asked, “How big of a plane is it?”

  “It’s a jet, son. Go. Everything you need is waiting on the plane.” Will pulled me into a tight embrace. “Be careful. If you need us, we’re a phone call away. I’ll stay here long enough to throw her off of your trail. Don’t go near San Diego.”

  Drake nearly pulled me out of Will’s arms. “I’m sorry, Love, we need to go.” I started to struggle against him when he murmured, “I can’t lose you again.” That was all it took. I knew if I lost him a second time, I wouldn’t survive – I couldn’t fault him for feeling the same. “I’m going to give my parents a call. We need to go in five minutes.”

  I looked around the room. There wasn’t much of me here. As I packed clothes, I saw my cell phone by the night stand, exactly where I’d left it several months before. Neither Will nor Gretchen bothered to unplug it while I was gone. My voicemail box was full. I saw the call log. Daniel had called every day for the last two months. I needed to call him and let him know I was okay. But what would I tell him?

  Drake peeked in through my bedroom door, “Ready, love?”

  “I guess so, but I need to know where we’re going.”

  “Ireland, at least that’s where we’ll start.”

  “Ireland?”

  “Ireland’s our first stop. Our history is unreliable; too many fables are mixed in with truths, so I’m not a hundred percent certain where we’ll end up. Do you have a passport?”

  “Well, yeah, but not here. It’s at my apartment in California.” Spring break of my senior year was in Cabo San Lucas. I had only that single stamp in my passport, although I had fantasies of traveling the world. Not in my darkest nightmares could I have imagined a deranged grandmother coming into my life then chasing me around the planet.

  “Looks like we’ll need to make a detour.”

  “A detour, for a passport? Drake, did anything happen to you that I should know about while you were captive in Zandra’s guest hous
e? A big knock on the head or something?”

  Drake stepped through the door, was in front of me in four strides and looked into my eyes, “Yes. Something did happen. I fell hopelessly in love with a woman with a death sentence on her head. Now grab your backpack. Let’s go.”

  “I think this is great and everything, but what kind of magic are we looking for? I mean, is it bigger than a breadbox? Are we going to need a crane?”

  “I’ll tell you everything once we’re in the air.”

  We didn’t go to the airport I’d flown into. We went up to a sleepy runway in Moncks Corner. I hated the idea of leaving my beautiful sedan in the lonely little parking lot. The car had fewer than three hundred miles on it, and it seemed like a huge waste of money considering how much I’d been able to use it.

  As I shut the trunk, I looked at the small control tower in front of us. It was only two stories, with open-ended hangers spread out along the outskirts of the runway. It looked like maybe twenty small planes called this airport their home.

  “So which one of these are we taking?”

  “None of those. Your father sent a jet. It should be here somewhere.”

  We walked the fifty feet from the parking lot to the airport’s terminal – I use that term loosely. I didn’t know airports existed that didn’t have TSA. No x-ray inspection, no displays announcing arrival and departure flights: this looked closer to a car rental agency than a real airport. A man looked over a counter with a headset on. “You Mr. and Mrs. Nash?”

  I froze, but Drake didn’t miss a beat, “Yes. We’re here for a pickup.”

  “Your pilot just radioed in, should be on the ground in about five minutes. He’s already filed his flight plan and says he doesn’t need fuel. Once he’s on the ground, you can go out to the tarmac. You’re all set.”

  We saw a sleek, black jet making its approach to the airport. When it touched down, it looked seriously out of place with the privately owned Cessnas and crop dusters that hid under the open bay canopies. After it landed, we stepped out onto the runway. The aircraft’s engines were whining quietly as we walked out toward it. The hatch opened, and a set of stairs materialized from its fuselage. Drake led me by the hand to the stairs as a man wearing a headset, loud surfer shorts, and Oakley’s yelled down to us, “Drake and Camille Nash?”

  Drake answered, “That’s us.”

  “Come on up. Sorry we’re late.” Once we were inside the cabin, the man said, “We were fixing the passenger manifest. For today’s flight to New York, you’re “Fred and Wilma Rubble.”

  I smirked at the man, “A little obvious, don’t you think?”

  “Naw, obvious would have been Fred and Wilma Flintstone. When we fly international, our manifest will have to match your passports.”

  “My passport’s in California.”

  “Already taken care of.” I cocked my head to the side, wondering how they’d had a chance to get my passport. Before I could ask, the man lifted the stairs behind us and closed the door. It was remarkably quiet inside and not like the commercial airplanes I’d been on. “I’m Chip. The bar is there, under the television. There should be some snacks in the cabinet under it. If you’re really hungry, there are some frozen meals in the freezer. There’s a bedroom in the back. Help yourself to anything you want.”

  “You’re the pilot and the steward?”

  “Co-pilot, and this is more self-service, if you know what I mean.” The engines began throttling up and Chip smiled, “Sounds like that’s my cue. The pilot must be ready to go. We shouldn’t be stopping along the way. FAA says I have to give you a safety briefing. If we lose cabin pressure during the flight, there are oxygen masks in the storage compartment over your seats. If we have an emergency landing, you can open either of the two doors by pressing and pulling the handle up. If the captain and I become incapacitated during the flight, pucker up and kiss your asses goodbye.”

  My eye muscles flexed and Chip laughed, “Just making sure you were paying attention. Sit back, relax, watch a movie or do whatever you like. If you need anything, just hit the intercom on one of the seats.”

  “Thanks, Chip. How long a flight will it be?”

  “We’re going up to New York. We’ll get a full tank of fuel there and head to Dublin straight away. Mr. Strayer had us stop in North Carolina to pick something up for you. It’s in that envelope on the seat.”

  Chapter 37

  (Camille Benning – Charleston, SC)

  Drake opened the envelope. Inside were two passports, two credit cards and a stack of Euros. I opened the passport and saw myself staring back. It said my name was “Angela Chiron.” I looked at the other and it was “Gage Chiron.”

  “He couldn’t have chosen less conspicuous names?”

  Drake smiled, “He’s helping us out a great deal. Nash is a well-known bloodline from the original pasture, but it doesn’t carry the same weight as the Chiron name.”

  We felt the plane lift up off the ground, and I watched us climb higher and higher, “The original pasture?”

  “Right, we’re going back to Thessaly.”

  “Thessaly? You’re serious?”

  “Of course, I’m serious.”

  “Thessaly is in Ireland?”

  “I think so. So much myth is rolled up with legend, we may find out it’s somewhere else.”

  “So we’re flying halfway around the world, and we aren’t even sure we are flying to the right country?”

  Drake gathered my hands in his and brought them to his lips, “Think of it as a honeymoon.”

  “A honeymoon? Just because the pilots think we’re Mr. and Mrs., I’m still single. If it were our honeymoon, you would not be getting away with taking me to Ireland in search of a pasture where ancient Centaurs used to breed.”

  “It was more than a breeding ground, Camille. It was where our race was born. It’s sacred, and it has a magic all its own.”

  “So we’re going to do what, dig up some soil or something?”

  “It won’t be that easy. We need to find your great uncle Zethus.”

  “My great uncle? I’ve never heard of him.”

  “He’s Zandra’s brother. The stories I’ve heard say that he lives at Thessaly. He’s as much a direct descendant of Chiron as Zandra – but he was favored by the gods and has something that we need.”

  “What?”

  It wouldn’t have been possible for the pilot or co-pilot to hear us, but Drake whispered anyway, “Hercules’ arrow.”

  “You’re not serious!”

  “I am serious. We need the arrow. Having it will be enough of a deterrent. The tip still has the blood of a Hydra.”

  No one could be more surprised than me that after everything she’d put me through, I didn’t want her dead, “But that’ll kill her.”

  “We aren’t going to shoot it through her heart. If we can get the arrow from Zethus, the tip of the arrow pricking her skin will drain her of her magic. She’ll live out her life, but we won’t have to look over our shoulders.”

  “Are Zethus and Zandra close?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t have any other ideas, Love.”

  Once we had started the second leg of our trip, New York to Dublin, I stood up and held my hand out to Drake, “Come with me.” I led him to the rear of the aircraft and found the bedroom that Chip had pointed out. I didn’t want to think about her chasing us, where her brother’s loyalties might lie, if we could find the pasture, or even if the arrow existed.

  I was exhausted and hoped this flight would take three days. I was sure I could spend that long in bed — longer, knowing Drake was not only alive but with me. Drake snuggled in close, and it only took minutes for his breathing to slow down. All those conversations I’d had with his spirit, or so I thought, I’d confessed everything. I swore if there was any chance ever to tell him how I felt, I wouldn’t hold anything back. “Drake?”

  His eyes were closed, his lips turned up in a content grin. He looked like he was seconds from dri
fting off to sleep, “Hmmm?”

  “I love you.” I’d never said those words to anyone but Mom, and I knew I’d never feel them for anyone else.

  Drake’s eyes snapped open and his grin morphed into a wide smile. He leaned toward me on one shoulder as his free hand caressed my arm and his lips crushed onto mine. When he pulled his lips away, his ice blue eyes were staring directly into mine. “Say it again, Camille.”

  I couldn’t help beaming back at him, “I said, I love you, Drake.”

  He wrapped both his arms around me, pressing himself into me and whispered in my ear, “For how long?”

  I cocked my head to the side, “What do you mean: for how long?”

  “How long do you promise to love me?”

  “Always, Drake.”

  Before I could blink an eye, Drake had pulled me up to a sitting position on the bed. My legs were draped over the side of the bed and he was kneeling in front of me. “Camille, I promise to protect you. I promise to always put your needs before mine. I promise I’ll never let you go to bed angry, and you’ll never wake up alone. I promise to love you the rest of my life, and when this life is over, I’ll spend my eternity in the pasture with you.”

  I was speechless. Luckily, Drake didn’t wait for any kind of a response from me. He pulled me into his chest, “I’ve never wanted anything more than you to love me back.” He crushed his mouth onto mine again. I didn’t have to say the words. He knew I’d made my choice.

  We both gave ourselves over to the exhaustion. Hours later I awoke from the deepest sleep I’d had in months. My hands traced the chiseled lines of his chest, his arms stayed wrapped around me. I knew Zandra wouldn’t fade into the background. Before I came to South Carolina, I’d never given much thought to my future; I caught myself now thinking of the possibilities. Somewhere between awake and asleep I smelled my mother’s perfume. My eyes snapped open. I saw her sitting on the edge of the bed; she was so beautiful — her skin almost glowed. She held her finger to her lips, silencing me, pointing at the sleeping Drake beside me. “Be careful, Camille. Centaurs are not what they seem. Most are like Rupert, more beast than man.”