Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) by Nancy Straight Read Free Book Online

closer inspection; the view from the window behind it was hypnotic.  The window looked over a private lagoon with bright blue umbrellas peppered around the sides. 
    I could get lost here.  I’d never stayed anywhere so lavish.  A fantasy began playing in my head, where Drake and I were able to escape the Centaur Council’s reach behind the tall fences of this resort.  If that fantasy could come true, I would never ask to leave.  I knew better.  No matter the draw I felt to this place, my family had death warrants on their heads.  We could be killed without warning.  Beautiful or not, our stay here would be short. 
    Drake motioned toward the bed.  It was our first moment alone in a full day.  He lay stretched out and patted the pillow beside him.  “Are you tired?  Do you want to rest before we eat?”
    Seeing Drake stretched out on the bed, rest wasn’t my first thought.  I snuggled in next to him, my back to his chest, spooned in tight enough that I could feel every inch of his body.  We lay wrapped in each other’s arms long enough that Drake succumbed to the jet lag.  I could feel Drake’s chest rise and fall against my back.  I watched as tender moments between the two of us played brilliantly in his dreams.  I lay still, enjoying them.  It was strange to see myself through his eyes; every image of me that played through his mind was flawless.
    It was an odd sensation to see myself as he saw me.  No one could possibly smile that brilliantly, stare that earnestly, or run as adeptly as his memories remembered.  He was dreaming, that explained it.  Surely, if it were really memories of me, there would be more looks of worry and fear etched into my features, a scared girl doing the best she could.
    I jerked as my phone rang across the room.  I moved swiftly to get out of the bed and answer it, but Drake’s arms gripped me more tightly.  His voice echoed behind me, “No.  Not yet.”
    I leaned back against him heavily, countering, “It could be important.”
    His arms didn’t slack.  “If it was important, Bianca or Gretchen, or one of the other Centaurides would have contacted you telepathically.  Let it go to voicemail.  Stay here with me.”
    He was right.  Everyone but Katherine could contact me telepathically.  I acted as a relay if any of them had a message they needed to send to the other Centaurs in our group.  We had all learned that every Centaur, Centauride and Lapith could hear the thoughts I broadcast to them.  We’d tested it on the plane before we arrived.  We had all agreed that no one would leave the resort area.  The confines of the Lost City Resort would ensure that we remained close enough to communicate with one another.  Cancun had taught us that there was strength in numbers. 
    By Katherine and Brent staying in a room in our same hallway, she was sure she was close enough to mask my “signature” so long as I stayed in my room.  My phone rang again.
    I squeezed Drake’s arm that still wound around me.  “It could be Katherine.  Maybe she wants to go downstairs to eat?  Or maybe she hasn’t recovered from the airport and Brent needs us.”
    Drake’s arms reluctantly slacked.  He was as indebted to Katherine as I was.  I leaped to my feet and caught it on the third ring.  I eyed the display to see who it was before I answered.  “Hi, Will.  What’s up?”
    His voice answered solemnly, “We have a problem.”
    My heart sank.  My father, Will, went out of his way to try to paint a rosy picture every time he opened his mouth.  Hearing that he believed we had a problem was. . . well, a problem.  “Okay.  What is it?”
    “Cameron just arrived with the enforcer you set free yesterday.”
    Giddily, I answered, “Cameron?  My brother?  That’s great!”  I ran for my bag and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tee, and flicked on a light to find my flops.  “Where is he?”
    “Camille, he’s with an enforcer.”
    His words sank in.