crouch while she waited.
“You slept with his best friend?” Liz asked, more than a little satisfied by the amount of blood. What a mind fuck. That explained so much of the subtext, why Blair seemed interested in Bridget one moment and angry the next. “I’m amazed he still speaks to you.”
Bridget struggled to her feet, the terrible wounds healing almost instantly. Her ruined throat knitted itself back together as she slipped into the shadows.
“So am I,” Bridget agreed, sounding embarrassed as she circled Liz. “I don’t deserve it. I cheated on him. The worst part is that when he came to the dig…I abandoned Steve. We’d been on the rocks for a while, but that’s no excuse. He was dying from radiation sickness, and I ran to Blair for comfort. I didn’t deserve either of them. I still don’t.”
“But you’re pursuing him anyway?” Liz asked. She kept her tone even, but was willing to bet that Bridget sensed her disapproval.
“I shouldn’t, but Liz, I can’t help it. I love him. I always have. Even when I was with Steve I never stopped loving Blair. If he told me to leave him alone I would, but he hasn’t. You can’t blame me for trying,” she said, voice still moving as she continued to circle. Liz got the sense that she was looking for some sort of absolution, but she wasn’t the one who could offer that. “I know it’s wrong. I know I should just let him go, but I feel like I have a second chance. To be a better person. The woman he deserves. He’s an amazing man.”
"A man you don't deserve," Liz growled, flexing her claws. "If you hurt him again, there will be hell to pay. I promise you that."
Chapter 8- Mother's Return
“You are a very stupid man, Blair Smith,” Cyntia said, nose slightly upturned like some South American parody of a Valley girl. The statement was made while she filled a battered pot with water, then set it gently on top of the Coleman camp stove they’d liberated from the installation outside. The Mohn Corp soldiers who'd occupied it were all dead, slaughtered by the Mother in her seemingly infinite fury.
“You won’t get an argument from me,” he agreed, opening the dented cabinet that they’d used to store their dwindling supply of food. Well, processed food anyway. They could always go hunting, but that still felt incredibly odd despite the fact that Blair enjoyed it. “How about beef stroganoff tonight?”
Blair picked up a large packet and tore the seal. He set it on the marble next to the camp stove, marveling at the veins of gold that shot through the rock. Its value was incalculable and it could be found throughout the Ark.
The powdery substance inside the packet smelled like preservatives, but at least it was better than the smell of his own sweat. He would have made time for that shower, except that he had a feeling Cyntia would have insisted on joining him. She had an odd idea about what constituted boundaries.
“Do you know why you are a very stupid man?” Cyntia asked, unperturbed by his attempt to change the subject.
“I have a feeling you’re about to tell me,” Blair said, suppressing the sigh. It was like a bad anime show, one male character surrounded by women. There was Jordan of course, but somehow he managed to sidestep this crap. Blair missed Trevor.
“You are a fool because Liz desires you. She is a much better match than that little vixen with the shifty eyes. Liz is strong. You need a strong woman, Blair Smith,” Cyntia explained, lowering the temperature on the camp stove as the water came to a boil.
“I’d love to hear you call Bridget weak to her face,” Blair retorted, pulling the mouth of the packet wide so that Cyntia could pour in the water. Once it was full, he used the strip at the top to reseal it. It would cook for the next few minutes, but the others would arrive long before then. Their enhanced senses allowed them to smell cooking anywhere in the Ark.
“You dance about with words. Do not
“You slept with his best friend?” Liz asked, more than a little satisfied by the amount of blood. What a mind fuck. That explained so much of the subtext, why Blair seemed interested in Bridget one moment and angry the next. “I’m amazed he still speaks to you.”
Bridget struggled to her feet, the terrible wounds healing almost instantly. Her ruined throat knitted itself back together as she slipped into the shadows.
“So am I,” Bridget agreed, sounding embarrassed as she circled Liz. “I don’t deserve it. I cheated on him. The worst part is that when he came to the dig…I abandoned Steve. We’d been on the rocks for a while, but that’s no excuse. He was dying from radiation sickness, and I ran to Blair for comfort. I didn’t deserve either of them. I still don’t.”
“But you’re pursuing him anyway?” Liz asked. She kept her tone even, but was willing to bet that Bridget sensed her disapproval.
“I shouldn’t, but Liz, I can’t help it. I love him. I always have. Even when I was with Steve I never stopped loving Blair. If he told me to leave him alone I would, but he hasn’t. You can’t blame me for trying,” she said, voice still moving as she continued to circle. Liz got the sense that she was looking for some sort of absolution, but she wasn’t the one who could offer that. “I know it’s wrong. I know I should just let him go, but I feel like I have a second chance. To be a better person. The woman he deserves. He’s an amazing man.”
"A man you don't deserve," Liz growled, flexing her claws. "If you hurt him again, there will be hell to pay. I promise you that."
Chapter 8- Mother's Return
“You are a very stupid man, Blair Smith,” Cyntia said, nose slightly upturned like some South American parody of a Valley girl. The statement was made while she filled a battered pot with water, then set it gently on top of the Coleman camp stove they’d liberated from the installation outside. The Mohn Corp soldiers who'd occupied it were all dead, slaughtered by the Mother in her seemingly infinite fury.
“You won’t get an argument from me,” he agreed, opening the dented cabinet that they’d used to store their dwindling supply of food. Well, processed food anyway. They could always go hunting, but that still felt incredibly odd despite the fact that Blair enjoyed it. “How about beef stroganoff tonight?”
Blair picked up a large packet and tore the seal. He set it on the marble next to the camp stove, marveling at the veins of gold that shot through the rock. Its value was incalculable and it could be found throughout the Ark.
The powdery substance inside the packet smelled like preservatives, but at least it was better than the smell of his own sweat. He would have made time for that shower, except that he had a feeling Cyntia would have insisted on joining him. She had an odd idea about what constituted boundaries.
“Do you know why you are a very stupid man?” Cyntia asked, unperturbed by his attempt to change the subject.
“I have a feeling you’re about to tell me,” Blair said, suppressing the sigh. It was like a bad anime show, one male character surrounded by women. There was Jordan of course, but somehow he managed to sidestep this crap. Blair missed Trevor.
“You are a fool because Liz desires you. She is a much better match than that little vixen with the shifty eyes. Liz is strong. You need a strong woman, Blair Smith,” Cyntia explained, lowering the temperature on the camp stove as the water came to a boil.
“I’d love to hear you call Bridget weak to her face,” Blair retorted, pulling the mouth of the packet wide so that Cyntia could pour in the water. Once it was full, he used the strip at the top to reseal it. It would cook for the next few minutes, but the others would arrive long before then. Their enhanced senses allowed them to smell cooking anywhere in the Ark.
“You dance about with words. Do not
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