only that, he’d lucked out—she should be alone, which meant that he could finally talk with her one-on-one.
She’d claimed to have found something inside the observatory, and he wanted to know what.
He entered the main plaza. Music was coming from near the town hall on the west edge of the square.
The glow of twilight gave the maze of food stalls and handicraft vendors in the square an almost magical
quality. But he didn’t give the scenery more than a cursory glance so that he could keep an eye out for
anything suspicious—shadow-shifter or otherwise. While there’d been one fire here already, this city had
one of the largest F eiru populations in the area, and if he were the one wanting to make a statement, then Merida would be the perfect place to do it.
While he didn’t know exactly where in the plaza Cam might be, he headed toward the salmon-colored
town hall. There was a big crowd in front of a group of musicians. That was as good as any place to start
looking.
Zalika had been the last person he’d talked to, and she was the one who’d told him about Cam going
out to listen to some live music. While he was grateful that Cam’s team was starting to trust him, he
wondered yet again about Zalika’s odd request. Show Cam a good time. She deserves it. Sure, Marco had a reputation for doing just that, but after what had happened between him and Cam in the jungle the day
before yesterday, Zalika had to know what Cam thought of him. He wasn’t exactly high on her list of people she admired.
But whatever she thought of him with her mind, Cam’s body had reacted to his touch at the observatory
when he’d climbed over the wall and ended up hauling her against his side. She’d leaned into him at first, before pulling away. When she’d tickled him and escaped his grip, he’d wanted to haul her back and tickle
her in return. But his chances with Camilla Melini were about as good as him learning Chinese in the span
of a week. In other words, it wasn’t going to happen.
He’d tease and challenge her as long as they were working together, but then he’d just have to forget her
and move on. He couldn’t afford to allow anyone to get close to him. Too many other people’s lives
depended on his ability to keep mum about the Elemental Masters, and he couldn’t risk a relationship, no
matter how much he might want one.
As he got closer to the crowd, he spotted an open section in front of the building set aside for dancing,
with the musicians set up under the ground-floor veranda. People packed the outer edges of the dancing
space. Some bobbed their heads while others swayed in place. If Cam had told her team members the truth,
and she’d gone out to enjoy some music, this would be the place to go.
He scanned the crowds, looking for Cam’s braid and lighter skin tone. Since she had her fair share of
experience with blending in—a necessary trait when it came to working for DEFEND—she wouldn’t stand
at the front of the crowd. He moved to get a better look at the people standing in the middle or toward the back. He’d nearly reached the veranda before he spotted her.
She was wearing a tight black tank top and a flowing dark blue skirt that swayed as she moved her
body to the music. Her braid swung back and forth across her breasts in time with her hips. The harsh look she always had on her face, daring people to cross her, was gone. It had been replaced with a dimple-filled smile and crinkles near the corner of her eyes.
This version of Cam was softer, younger, and almost vulnerable. This was the woman who would tickle
people to try to escape their hold.
A man approached her and motioned toward the dancing square, but Cam shook her head as she said
something to him. The man nodded and left her, probably to find another woman willing to dance with him.
She resumed swaying to the music. Marco watched her another minute, mesmerized by her movements.
He suspected she had a weapon
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