Blood Debt

by Nancy Straight

Touched Series, Book One

Book Description

Her whole life, it had just been the two of them. Before her mother’s last breath, she gave Camille the information she had craved her entire life: the identity of her father. Daring to contact him, Camille was welcomed by an entire family she never knew existed. But nothing comes without a price, as she discovers when her family claims a legendary heritage tracing back to a Centaur touched by Zeus.

As she learns the secrets of her Centaur bloodline, she is drawn into a forbidden love with Drake. Her family acknowledges her life may be the blood debt required to pay for her mother’s transgressions. The same person who once held her mother captive, and forced her into decades of hiding, now controls Camille. Her only chance is to seek a piece of her mother’s past that will win her freedom and the life she desperately desires.

A Guest Post from Nancy Straight

WHY CENTAURS ARE BADASS
Thanks so much for having me today, Carrie! I’m thrilled to be here, and have to confess, I laughed out loud when your topic was emailed to me.
As you know, anyone, human or non-human, can be a badass. I tried to take a systematic approach as to why Centaurs are badasses. Normally it has something to do with size, skills, experience and or attitude.

A traditional Centaur (half horse and half person) would definitely have size on their size. Most horses weigh in at better than eight hundred pounds and stand well over seven feet tall. But the Centaurs in Blood Debt are no longer in that form, they look human. So size may not be on their side.

A traditional Centaur’s sole purpose in life was to wage war. Much of the mythological lore described Centaurs as barbaric, more beast than man, and quick tempered warriors. But the Centaurs in Blood Debt are living among humans and have been undetected for over a millennia. With this knowledge I’d have to say that the warrior skills of the Centaurs in Blood Debt aren’t as sharp as they were a few hundred years ago when the Greeks first wrote about them.

So what makes the Centaurs in Blood Debt badass? Would you believe it’s actually the Centaurides who are badass? Centaurides, you ask? Yes, the female Centaurs.

The male Centaurs kept many of the warrior characteristics from the past, but it is the Centaurides who hold all the magic. Depending on their bloodline they are: telepathic (able to listen in on others thoughts), telekinetic (able to move objects with their minds), psychic (able to see the future), mediums (able to communicate with spirits), or subversive (able to plant false memories in others).

The Centaur Society in Blood Debt is a Matriarchy, where the Centaurides make the decisions and are the heads of their families. They are the leaders and revered by the population. Centaurides are outnumbered five to one, so there are a shortage of Centaurides to carry on the bloodlines. If a Centaur isn’t chosen by a Centauride by the time he’s thirty, he’s banished from the Centaur society and forced to make a life as a human. Can you imagine the power these Centaurides possess?

Centaurs are a dime a dozen, it’s the Centaurides who are badass!! Thanks again for having me today, Carrie!

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