defenseless, vulnerable, and overwhelmed.
'No,I should go. You came to see your mother. I know she is looking forward to you being here.' Blair tried unsuccessfully to hide her bitter disappointment. She didn't think she could stand to be in the same room as Cam and feel the great distance between them. It was like a physical blow. 'It was good to see you again, too, Commander. Please know I'll never forget you.'
And with that, she was gone.
**********
Marcea kissed her daughter on both cheeks, then grasped both her hands and leaned back, surveying her fondly. 'I'm so glad you came, Cameron. I know these aren't your favorite events.'
Cam tried to smile, still shaken by her encounter with Blair. 'I'm sorry it's been so long. I'm so happy for you.'
Marcea detected the turmoil in her daughter's eyes, and glanced briefly around the room. She did not see Blair. She hesitated for a moment, and then spoke gently. 'I know that Blair was hoping to see you here, too.'
Cam swallowed, replying softly, 'We just spoke.'
Marcea remained silent, sensing Cameron's struggle for composure. Instinctively, she continued, 'I'm sure no one told you, Cameron, but Blair stayed by your side for almost 48 hours after you were injured. She refused to leave until the doctors told us that you were out of danger.'
Cam gasped, and her eyes closed briefly. 'Itwas her,' she whispered.
'Yes,' her mother said simply.
Cameron at looked her mother intently, a great weight suddenly lifting from her heart. She smiled, her eyes flickering with a light that had been absent for more than a year. 'Thank you, mother. Thank you.'
Marcea had no time to answer before Cam turned and swiftly made her way through the crowd and out the door.
'I need to see her, Mac,' Cam said much more calmly than she felt. 'I've been leaving messages for hours.'
Mac didn't even consider not telling her. 'She's downtown. We know where she is, but it's awkward to make contact at the present time.'
Cam didn't need an interpreter. 'Okay, so she's in a bar.' She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sinking sensation in her stomach. 'Or is it that she's gone home with someone she picked up?'
'No,' Mac hastened to add clarify. 'She didnt. Shes still at the bar.' He didn't think it was his place to tell her that this was the first time in months that Blair had been out to a bar, or that she seemed to have given up her penchant for one night stands.
'I'd appreciate it if youd tell me which one,' Cam stated quietly.
'The Hudson Arms,' Mac said, indicating one of the seedier bars deep in the village. 'Stark is inside somewhere.'
Meaning Stark will recognize me if I show up, and he's worried about my reputation'Thanks, Mac,' Cam said, not caring in the least what anyone thought.
**********
Thirty-five minutes later Cam was standing at the bar, surreptitiously scanning the room. It was Friday night, after midnight, and crowded with women of all ages, mostly in denim and leather. She didn't see her immediately, but she did see Stark. Stark saw her too, although Stark did not acknowledge her in any way. A slight raise of the eyebrow was all that indicated she had been spotted.
She's getting good, Cam thought with approval. She stopped searching faces, and allowed all of her senses to engage the room, feeling the damp heat of many bodies brushing against her skin; smelling the mixture of alcohol, cologne, and sex in the air; and hearing the murmur of the hunt swirling around her. She sensed rather than saw the ultimate huntress in the crowd.
Tawny blond hair, taut golden body, and a piercing, searching gaze that evaluated, then discarded, possible partners. Finally Blair's focus settled on a dark, lean warrior in tight blue jeans and a sleeveless black T-shirt. The young stud must have felt Blair's appraising glance, because she looked up and moved automatically closer to Blair. Cam didn't need to see any more. She knew exactly what would happen, and how quickly the capture would be consummated.
Not this time
Cam moved quickly, reaching Blair just as the dark-haired youth stretched out a hand to brush Blair's cheek.
Cam grasped the woman's wrist, firmly but not harshly. 'Sorry, she's not available.'
The younger woman attempted a show of bravado, stiffening as she turned to face Cam. 'Oh yeah? Since when?' she said with a sneer.
Cam's voice was low, but steely. 'Since right now.'
