Free Centaur Rivalry (Touched Series Book 3) by Nancy Straight Page A

alive.
    If I told Daniel, he’d try to find an angle on why D rake would do it, never accepting that he did it out of love for me.  Daniel had been my best friend for as long as I had known what a best friend was, but this was too much, even for him.
    “It’s not up to me to tell.  You’ll have to ask him yourself, but it was the most selfless action I’ve ever known.”
    We were still walking about twenty paces behind Katherine and Brent.  Daniel leaned over and awkwardly kissed my temple, “You’re blind, Cami.”
    My voice came out stiff, “You don’t have all the facts, Daniel.”
    “Look.  I don’t wan na argue.  I get that you’ve claimed him – it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
    “No.  But it’d be nice if you could be happy for me.”
    “Yeah?  That’s not going to happen.  Not unless you dump him.  If you do, I’ll throw you a party – then I’ll be happy for you.”
    I was readying my sharp response to Daniel when Katherine raised her voice to Brent.  “Be mindful of yer laws.  There are only seven; it shouldn’t be that hard ta remember ‘em!”  They were far enough in front of us that I couldn’t see what had just happened.
    Brent’s voice went low , but we heard him clearly, “Do not touch me.  You are but a woman, and I am a Centaur.”  Damn, Brent!  Who talks like that?  That human was our only shot at making it out safely, and he had to start antagonizing her.
    I jogged up between the two of them with Daniel on my heels.  “ Katherine, don’t mind Brent.  None of the tenants require Centaurs to have manners – so he left his in South Carolina.”
    Brent’s eyes were fierce when he snapped at me, “Stay out of this.”
    Equal contempt shot back at him when I answered, “Stop being a jerk.  Katherine has been extremely accommodating.  You forget, Bianca and Gage are coming to pick us up and Katherine’s helping us to safety.  Don’t be rude.”
    “Rude?  She tried to accost me.”
    Daniel snickered behind me, and I did everything in my power to hold a straight face.  Katherine’s shoulder-length fire red hair swung around clipping me in the eye, “I did no such thing!”
    Brent shouted, “You did!  You touched my arm and asked why I’d not yet been chosen.  Just because you are aware of our ways, does not give you the right to mock them.”
    “I wasn’t mocking anything.  Some Centaurs may have considered my words a compliment.”
    “On what planet?  And what makes you think I haven’t been chosen?”
    All three of us stood, mouths agape.  Had Brent been chosen?  Why wouldn’t Brent have told us the minute he arrived?  Having been chosen by a Centauride would explain his reaction to Katherine.  It might even explain his reaction to Daniel around Jessica.
    I was the first to recover, “Brent, wow.  Congratulations.  Why didn’t you tell us?”
    His words were nearly inaudible, “I’m not sure. . . I mean. . . never mind.  You wouldn’t understand.”
    “You were chosen, but she changed her mind?” I questioned.
    “No!”  Brent’s angry stare cooled as his eyes darted to the floor, “Maybe.”
    “You don’t know if you’re betrothed?”
    Brent pursed his lips together tight ly and shook his head.
    Confused, I could only manage, “I don’t understand.”  I eased over toward Brent, but he put his back to me.
    I was surprised when it was Daniel who took two steps forward, laid his hand on Brent’s shoulder, and said, “Because of the Lost Herd?”
    Brent’s eyes went glossy , as he nodded.  Daniel reached his arm around Brent’s neck, and brought their heads together in a hard head-butt, “It’ll work out.”
    Brent shoved his hands in his pockets.  His gaze went to the floor as the words started flowing out of him.  “Cassie’s father called and talked to Mom.  Dad wasn’t home.  It wasn’t like Bruce and Hannah, I mean, Cassie chose me, no money was exchanged.  She’s beautiful, and smart, and