Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) by Nancy Straight

doing well.  He sends his regrets that he couldn’t be here . ”   I didn’t know what to think .  T his Drake guy had caught me in mid-air but refused to accept my hand or allow me to thank him properly.  Instead he pretended as if I weren’t there.  After the welcoming I’d received from Gus and Chris earlier, this guy’s response to me had me dumbfounded. 
    Will was all smiles when he said, “I’ll make sure to catch up with him soon .  Thank you, Drake, for your quick action.”   Will’s eyes darted in my direction, making it clear that he was appreciative of Drake for not letting me swan dive into the cement.  Will placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me forward , away from Drake .  Once we were several strides away, he leaned down and whispered to me, “I should have warned you.  Betrothed m en will not address you directly and under no circumstances will they physically come in contact with you.”
    “ But he caught me in mid-air .  I was just trying to say thanks.”
    “ It’s okay .  H e’s not offended.  He knows you aren’t familiar with our customs.  I am sorry I wasn’t paying closer attention.  I didn’t realize you’d lost your footing until Drake had already caught you.”
    “I didn’t even see him near us until he caught me.”
    Will smiled and nodded, “Centaur men are very fast.”
    “Like Superman fast?”
    “Pshaw . . . Superman was a comic strip character . . . But I guess that’s pretty accurate.  Most Centaurs can sprint short distances at the s peed of sound.”
    My mouth opened and my eyes widened .  H e couldn’t be serious.   “The speed of sound?”
    “Well, I could say ‘faster than a speeding bullet,’ but depending on the caliber and weapon the bullet is shot from, some bullets travel several times faster than the speed of sound.”
    “You’re serious?”
    “Camille, I know this is all new to you.  I rather hoped we would have been able to slowly immerse you into our ways, but now I wonder if we shouldn’t have assembled a handbook of some kind.”  Will’s smile never wavered , but there must have been something else he desperately wanted me to know.  Just as he opened his mouth, he stopped and his posture abruptly changed – his hand still resting on the small of my back was now rigid . 
    “William, it’s so nice to see you again.”  A tall, thin man, somewhere in his late forties or early fifties was walking directly toward us.  He stopped directly in front of Will with what I could only describe as a forced smile .  “I’m happy that one of your sons is finally taking his place in the kingdom.  I genuinely hope your other four are not forced to settle for a human. ”
    William ignored the snide comment and graciously said, “ W e’re very happy for Bruce, too.”
    “ One is enough for your blood line , so you have my heartfelt congratulations.”
    “ Thank you . ”   Will was looking around the yard and out to the grove .  I recognized the look :  he was planning a getaway from this guy.  
    “I heard the bride’s father required a handsome dowry be paid .  I hope that ’ s an ugly rumor?”
    “Kyle, the negotiations of the heart are not for any of us to speculate on.”
    “The heart, or the wallet?”   Kyle gave a hearty laugh and slapped Will on the back.
    I looked at Will , wondering if he had really bribed the bride’s father.  If it were a lie, he would be screaming right now, defending the honor of the bride and her father.  At least I thought so .  I didn’t know him all that well, but he didn’t strike me as someone who would let a verbal assault go unanswered. 
    The man’s eyes roved in my direction.  I felt the weight of his stare ; I wasn’t frightened , but definitely uncomfortable.  “So this is Camille Chiron.  It is lovely to meet you .  You look just like your mother .” 
    I looked at Will, silently asking if I was supposed to shake his hand or not.  I didn’t