Free Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) by Nancy Straight

white sedan in line with the others; everyone was home.  I did a quick count and realized there were s ix white sedans instead of the normal five – Gretchen must normally keep hers in the garage , because I hadn’t noticed it when we left for the store . 
    As we stepped out of Brent’s car, Will came up with a key in his hand.  “It’s about time!”  
    I was confused since we’d been gone less than twenty minutes.  Brent answered, “ Geeze Dad, it’s not like we caught a movie ; we just went to get a soda .”
    Will ignored Brent’s defense and said, “Never let it be said that I treat any of my children differently.  The dealership just delivered it.”  Will handed me the key to a brand new, Snowy White BMW sedan, identical to the other five parked right beside it. 
    I was embarrassed to hear myself squeal like a little girl.  This couldn’t be happening.  I had a father and a stepmother who were two of the most amazing people I’d ever met, five brothers who were about as cool as Batman , and a brand new car.  I wasn’t sure about the whole Centaur thing, but this was better than winning the lottery.
    I believed Gretchen, that she really was talking to my mother.  I had been on the fence about whether I whole-heartedly believed until Gretchen told me about my second grade play .  I had completely dismantled the stage props while I was dancing around like a butterfly.  The only way she could have known about it was to hear about it from either my mother or me.   In that moment, I knew she was on the level , at least about being able to communicate with my mom.   I hadn’t thought about that play since I was seven .  T he only logical explanation was that my mother’s spirit had shared the event with her.
    Just two days ago I had felt consumed by my grief for my mother .  That grief was replaced with a new hopefulness that I ’d soon be able to talk to her again , and I had a brand new car .   I hoped that I wasn’t somehow caught in a dream world , or if I w ere , I wished never to wake up .
    I stammered, “Will, I don’t know what to say.”
    “Say you’ll stay here.  Say that you want to be a part of our family.”
    I noticed it wasn’t just Will standing in front of me with anticipation .  Beau, Bruce, Bart, Ben, Brent and Gretchen were all waiting for me to answer.  The joy that I felt in that moment rivaled other momentous occasions in my life, like hitting my first homerun when I played softball in high school, seeing a dolphin for the first time in the ocean , and one of my most cherished memories – tasting my very first mint chocolate chip ice cream shake. True, none of these memories could top being accepted into such a tight-knit family, but each memory was one that I loved.   Without any apprehension, I answered, “I’m in.”    
    Will scooped me up in a tight hug, “Camille, you’ve just made me the happiest father in the world.”  While in his embrace , he whispered in my ear, “I’ll take care of everything.  Don’t worry about your grand mother .”
    I could feel my muscles stiffen .  Gretchen must have told him about our conver sation about the blood debt.  Even though he told me not to worry, the fact that he was whispering to me, out of earshot of everyone else – definitely made me worry .  C ould someone really want to kill me because my mom had broken off an engagement?  I had no reason to doubt Gretchen , but it was all a little hard to swallow .
    Things began moving even faster once I had committed to stay .  Gretchen took me shopping.  In her words, “Your closet is lonely ; let ’ s get it some friends.”
    I noticed that Will and Gretchen were the only people in the house who went anywhere alone.  It wasn’t anything overt, but it seemed odd that of the eight adults in the house , six of us always went on errands in pairs or better.  Having been an only child until this week , by Saturday I was actually craving some alone