Frozen Desires (Asylums for Magical Threats) (16 page)

anything unusual, in case someone was following them. If she’d been the one responsible for the arson

fires, she would’ve kept a watch on all of the surviving victims and reported back on any unknown or

unusual-looking visitors. Cam definitely fit that category with her pale skin and lack of Spanish.

She wanted to believe Marco was as aware of their surroundings as she was. But since she didn’t know all of his surveillance tricks yet, she had a hard time judging what he was doing. Especially since all she could think about was the man she’d seen in the picture that Maria had shown them.

If that man was the one responsible for the fires, then Cam had plenty to worry about. Quite frankly,

she was surprised the man with the scarred neck was still alive.

She was just about to ask Marco if they could go somewhere else when she noticed him put a hand to

the west, and the air on the outer edges of the park started to become solid. The ice ring slowly rose until the ice came together above them.

Marco had created an ice dome.

She couldn’t help but stare at him. Most of the first-borns she had met had weak, barely manageable

powers. Even most of the first-borns she’d met who’d never been inside an AMT compound had lacked

Marco’s control.

Everything pointed to him being a Talent, but he had denied it earlier, and for some reason, she believed

him. There was something he wasn’t telling her and she was curious to find out what it was.

A far-fetched story from her childhood came to mind, but she pushed it away. The special training

academies for elemental magic users had been disbanded decades ago. Like many aspects of
Feiru
history and culture, that information had been lost to time.

She looked up to study his creation better. The light reflecting off the ice was beautiful. Not only that, but the cloudiness of the dome would shield them from anyone who happened to walk past. Then she

realized Marco’s stupidity.

“Are you crazy?” she hissed. “Ice in southern Mexico is strange enough, but a dome over a park? Melt it

so we can leave.”

Marco shook his head. “No, beauty, we’re safe.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because a rainstorm is about to start, and no one’s going to come to a park in the middle of the night in a downpour.”

She listened, but she didn’t hear anything. “There’s no rain, Marco. And if you won’t melt the ice, I’ll

just break—” Rain started to patter against the ice dome. She looked up, and despite the streams of water

running down the sides of the dome, the ice stayed frozen. She looked back to Marco. “Did you do that?”

He shrugged. “Tell me about the man in the picture, and I’ll tell you about the rain.” He moved to the

nearest bench, sat down, and patted the empty space beside him.

Remember, you promised honesty and to treat him as an equal.
Cam moved toward the bench, but

hesitated to sit down. Anytime she was that close to Marco, she tended to forget important things and relive the kiss they’d shared earlier.

Then she remembered the man she’d seen in the picture and decided her hatred of him would

overpower anything her hormones threw her way.

Cam sat down and said, “The man in the picture Maria showed us is named Harry Watkins. He’s a

former co-member of the Fed League, and I want to be the one to bring him in.”

“Before we start making plans, you need to tell me more about him first.”

Even if she didn’t like it, if Cam had been in his position, she would’ve demanded the same thing, so

she said, “When I was still with the Fed League, Harry Watkins was the best assassin they had. He did what they asked, every time, without question.” She looked up at the dome and watched the water run down the

sides. “But in my opinion, he liked his job a little too much.

“He never worried about collateral damage. If he could hurt one person related to the AMT, he’d

dismiss ten innocents as part of the process.” Cam turned and looked Marco in the eye again. “He’s going to be difficult to catch, but I might know of a way to find him.”

Marco had been simultaneously listening to Cam’s information and staring at her profile. But while his

ears perked up at her saying she might know a way to find the man in the photo, he also noted the hatred in Cam’s eyes. “Who is Harry Watkins to you?”

She started. “Why would you ask me that?”

He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and was glad she didn’t flinch or bat away his hand. “I can see

you hate him, Camilla, and I want to know why, especially if it’s going to affect your performance.” She

opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. “This isn’t about you being a woman or me trying to be in charge.

We both know that during an operation, emotions can end up costing lives.”

Cam stared at him a few more seconds before she sighed and said, “You’re right. I hate him, but with

good reason. He’s the one who cut my cousin Adella, to force me to do assassin work.”

Marco gripped the edge of the stone bench. Just knowing the man had hurt Cam made him hate the man

even more, but he kept his tone even so Cam wouldn’t notice. “Tell me how you think we can catch him.”

“I have a contact here in Merida who still knows people from our time inside the Fed League.”

“Is this person trustworthy?”

“She’s been vetted by Neena, so I’d say yes.”

Interesting. Despite having worked for DEFEND for three years, Marco learned something new about

their leader just about every other day. “How soon can you get in contact with her?”

“Not until tomorrow. There’s a specific location this person likes to meet and it’s a shop that would be

closed by now. I can try to set it up for tomorrow morning.”

“That would be fantastic.” He noticed Cam was looking at him strangely. “What?”

Cam put her hands behind her on the bench and leaned back, her hair hanging behind her. Right now,

she didn’t look like a former coerced assassin—just a young woman sitting on a park bench, talking with a

friend.

When she rubbed her face against her shoulder to brush her hair out of the way, he started to wonder if

this was how she’d been before her life had turned upside down during her childhood. Part of him hoped it

was because she felt relaxed enough around him to let down her guard; but more than likely she was just

emotionally exhausted from what had happened with Maria Vega.

A corner of her mouth ticked up. “You’re starting to convince me that your reputation is unwarranted.”

He smiled. “I’d say the same about you.” Marco leaned in toward Cam, her scent surrounding him.

“And I’m also starting to doubt something else you said earlier.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

He leaned in a little more until only a few inches separated his face from hers. “That my touch disgusts

you.”

Cam’s cheeks flushed. “I—” she looked away for a second and then back. “I was mad at your rejection

of me. It hurt.”

Marco blinked. He hadn’t expected her honesty. He’d been right to worry about what Cam would think

of him, and knowing she’d been hurt by his actions stung a little.

But he quickly pushed the feeling aside—he’d only been doing his job—and traced a finger down her

cheek, her skin softer than he remembered. “So does that mean you had wanted to keep kissing me back at

that club?”

Cam’s breathing was fast against his cheek, but she didn’t try to push him away or tell him to stop. He

took that as a yes, and he leaned in until his lips were a hairbreadth from hers. “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He moved to her ear as he cupped her cheek. “I silently cursed that waitress’s interruption. And do you know why?”

She let out a breathless, “Why?”

Marco moved to her lips again. The look in her eyes went straight to his cock, and all he could think

about was tasting her again.

He pushed his luck further, and nuzzled her cheek. When she placed her hand on his chest and ran her finger against his skin where his shirt met his neck, he took that as the encouragement he needed to say,

“Because all I wanted to do was this.”

And he kissed her.

Chapter Nineteen

The more Cam saw of Marco in work-mode, the more she started to like him. He was not only

intelligent and a more dedicated soldier than she’d originally thought, but he also possessed some powerful elemental magic. She had no doubt he’d created the sudden rain, even if he had yet to admit it.

So when he’d started asking her about Harry Watkins, she’d found herself telling him the truth. By the

time she’d told him how his rejection had stung and he’d started tracing a finger down her cheek, she’d

wondered if his interest in her was genuine.

However, before she could make up her mind, Marco had whispered in her ear and then kissed her.

His lips touched hers, and the awareness she’d been battling all day came back in full force, sending

heat through her body.

Cam decided to stop fighting this pull she felt; the sooner she got it out of her system, the sooner she

could focus on other things.

Marco traced the seam of her lips, and Cam decided to accept his tongue. His first stroke only made her

hotter, and she wanted to touch him. She shifted her body so she could thread her fingers through his hair as she met him stroke for stroke.

Marco growled as her claws scratched his scalp. Then he gripped her waist and moved her to his lap.

She let out a squeak of shock as he bunched her skirt up to mid-thigh, but Marco only took the kiss deeper as he pulled her close enough that she could feel his erection between her legs. He grabbed her ass and

rocked her forward. Cam groaned. The combination of her sensitive nipples brushing against his chest as

his cock pressed against the thin fabric of her underwear was almost too much.

And yet, she wanted more.

She tugged his head to the side, giving her better access to his mouth. Any hesitation she’d had earlier

vanished, and she nibbled and sucked his lower lip. She couldn’t get enough of his taste, his heat, his scent.

He pulled her tighter up against him, and she loved how his hard body reminded her that she was more than

a soldier. She was also a woman.

Cam ran her other hand up his shirt and scraped up his back with her claws, marking him. For now,

Marco was hers, and she wasn’t about to let him forget it.

As she gripped his shoulder, he rocked her against him again. Hard. Cam cried out, but not wanting to

let him control everything, she started moving on her own.

Marco broke the kiss for a second to hiss at the friction before he pressed his lips against her neck. A

second later, he started nibbling at the sensitive juncture where her neck met her shoulder.

When he bit hard and then soothed the sting with his tongue, she shivered, wanting him to do it again.

Instead, he pulled away and she instantly felt the loss of his heat. But then he ran his hands down her

sides and up to cup her breasts. He started to thrum her nipples with his thumb, using his nail to tease her, and she let out a cry.

So close.
If he’d just move his lower body again, she’d come.

He squeezed her right breast and then pulled down her tank top, exposing her taut nipple. He simply

stared at her for a moment, making her ache from the tip of her nipple down to her swollen core.

No man had ever treated her like this, as is she were a treasure to be savored. She didn’t care if Marco

had given the same look to countless others. Right here, right now, it was for her.

He nipped her skin and all thoughts fled her head. She clung to his shoulders as he gave her nipple a

slow lick. He continued doing wicked things until he finally sucked her deep and bit down.

She dug her claws into his back, not caring if she drew blood, and groaned. “Marco.”

“Camilla,” he purred before moving to her other breast. When he bit her harder this time, she wondered

if she could come this way.

But then he pulled away and Cam only just prevented herself from whimpering. “Stop teasing me.”

Marco ran his hands up her back, under her tank top, before moving them to the front, under her built-

in bra. He started playing with her nipples again before he pinched them. The brief flash of pain that

followed sent a rush of wetness between her thighs.

She closed her eyes to concentrate on his touch, and he said, “Look at me.”

She didn’t want to obey him, but he pinched harder and repeated his words. Once Cam met his heavy-

lidded gaze he said, “Take what you want from me, Camilla, but let me watch you come.”

Marco’s accent was thicker now, filled with desire, and his words were less of a command and more of

a request.

She grabbed his shoulders under his shirt and maintained eye contact as she moved. He pinched her

nipples with each movement, building the pressure to a bursting point. As pleasure started to shoot through her body, she cried out and closed her eyes, but Marco lightly twisted her nipples and said, “Open your

eyes.”

Somehow, she felt compelled to obey. Cam opened her eyes just as the spasms took over her body. She

met Marco’s dark gaze filled with desire, the pull too strong to look away.
I think he wants me.

When her last spasm finished, she went boneless and Marco’s hands moved to her back. He kissed her

gently on the mouth and forced her head to his shoulder. Even if it wasn’t real, Cam wanted to believe for just a moment that she was cradled in the arms of a strong man who accepted her, and didn’t want to

change her. She nuzzled her head into the side of his neck and wrapped her arms around his torso.

Marco’s scent surrounded her, and the image of him naked against her back, warm and protective,