Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

feel if at the first sign of trouble, we tucked tail and headed home?”
    Drake held up his palms, “Easy, Bianca, that’s not what Gage is saying.”
    “We are not leaving you.  End of discussion.”
    Gage turned his attention back to the window.  “I don't want to let Zandra have a second bite at the apple.”  He squeezed Bianca's leg a second time, without looking at her, "She could kill you for real this time."
     
     
     
     

Chapter 3
    (Gage Richardson – Over the Atlantic Ocean)
     
    The scene was all too real, again.  It was bad enough when I woke up in a cold sweat, but my nightmares had now invaded my conscious thought.  In a matter of hours I would be face to face with the woman who tore my world apart.  She was deceitful and treacherous; she had stolen Bianca from me before, and I couldn’t stand the thought that if given the chance, she might really send Bianca to the pasture this time.
    I had always thought Dad a hypocrite, giving his betrothal vow to Angela, then allowing her to slip away in the night.  He married my mother to keep our blood line going, but there was no love between them.  From the moment I could understand his words, he told me never to settle for anything less than love.  He said it was in our blood:  Aphrodite had put magic inside us, and we would never find happiness if we didn’t find our true love.  Dad was kind to Mom, but he never loved her, and no matter how hard she tried, she was never Angela.
    I didn’t believe the notion that anyone could possibly feel that much for another, choosing instead to believe he was a heartless bastard who didn’t deserve Mom.  That was until I met Bianca.  She wasn’t like all the other Centaurides I knew.  I hated that part of our society:  the Centaur always waiting, hoping against hope that a Centauride would choose him.  Odds were stacked against us guys – one Centauride for every five Centaurs.  There were no dates, no trips to the movies or school dances – courtship was similar to a job interview.  Which original family do you belong to?  Where did you go to school?  What skills does your mother have?  Choosing a mate was cold and calculated on the part of nearly every Centauride I had ever known.
    When I was only sixteen, Bianca challenged me to a foot race.  An absurd challenge – I could run like the wind and she knew it.  I trotted along beside her at a decent clip as she made a sharp right turn and headed into the endless swampy pine forest just on the back side of our high school.  After nearly ten minutes of running, she accused, “You’re not even trying to win.”
    “Of course, I am.  You run like a gazelle.”
    Bianca’s face turned into a mischievous grin.  “Let’s sweeten the pot.  If I win, you’ll take me dancing on the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach this weekend.” 
    I laughed:  if that were my price to pay for losing, I’d find a stump to trip on.  “Do you have an escort in mind?  I feel a cramp coming on.”
    That’s when she lowered the boom, “Oh, yes, if I win I’ll choose the escort.  If you win, we go without one.”
    We both lied to our parents that weekend and nearly every weekend after.  After we sneaked around for years and came close to being caught I don't know how many times, I began hinting around that she should choose me.  Each time I brought up the mere idea of a betrothal, Bianca changed the subject as if it were the furthest thought from her mind.  I loved her.  I craved the feel of her skin, the warmth of her breath, the neediness of her lips.  I wanted to give her my pledge, tying our souls together for all time, but I couldn’t give her the pledge until she chose me.
    We had just graduated from college when word spread through town that she had selected my best friend Drake.  He was the one Centaur I had confided in; Drake knew our secret.  Bianca called sobbing after I had already heard of her proposal to Drake, “Mom won’t hear of a