Shadow of Temptation (Asylums for Magical Threats #2.5) (17 page)

She grabbed his chin, turned his face toward hers, and kissed him gently. “I love you too, but if you think I’m going to reward you with sex right now, then you’re sadly mistaken.”

He grinned. “I’ll take your rain check. It gives me another reason not to screw this up.”

She gave him one more kiss and then turned his head back toward their target. “Good. Then go back to watching the plant.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She shook her head. She might love him, but there were still times when he tried her patience. Of course, she wouldn’t have it any other way. The last two weeks had been healing not just for him, but for her as well. Each day she seemed to realize more and more of who she was, and a large part of that was thanks to the man next to her.

“Sabrina, there’s the signal. Move into position.”

Her mind switched into work mode and she crawled over to the modified sniper rifle already loaded and ready for her. She gently moved behind it, peered through the scope and said, “Ready.”

She couldn’t see him, but she knew Jorge was giving the “We’re ready here” signal.

Sabrina had practiced for hours over the last week to brush up on her rifle training from her rookie days as a
Feiru
Liaison officer, but she still took in a few slow, deep breaths to calm her nerves. This was her first real mission for her new DEFEND/
Feiru
Liaison office position. This needed to go well, or it could damage the fragile partnership.

She watched as Cam and Marco flushed out the building, and the Fed League members started to flee into the streets. Due to the roadblocks and other DEFEND soldiers, the few who managed to escape were heading her way. When they were close enough, she fired one tranquilizer round, and then another, until she had four unconscious people down on the street.

She kept her mind in the zone until she heard Jorge whisper, “That’s it. It’s over.”

She moved away from the rifle and sat back on her legs. As she rotated her shoulders, Jorge took her chin in hand and lowered his face to kiss her. “The mission’s over. Does that mean I get sex now?”

She laughed, and any remaining tension she’d had from the operation eased. “I guess men really do only have one thing on their minds.”

Jorge grinned and pulled her flush up against him. “I can’t help it. Seeing you at that rifle, damn, Sabrina, you were sexy as hell.”

“I had to show you that I don’t need a strong, muscled
Feiru
boyfriend to take care of me. But...”

“Yes?”

She traced a finger along his collarbone and she could feel his body lean into her at the touch. “Cam and Marco will be busy tying things up for the next hour or so. If you can find a private room before then, I’ll let you cash in that rain check and you can take care of me any way you wish.”

He gave her a quick, rough kiss and tugged on her lower lip with his teeth before he released it and said, “I know of at least four places within walking distance.”

She shook her head. “Well, at least you always have an escape route.”

He stood up and tugged her to her feet. “Yeah, yeah, tease me later. The clock’s ticking and I plan on taking you at least three times before I check in with Marco Alvarez and company. Now, grab your gun and let’s go.”

She smiled, quickly disassembled her gun, and put it in the case before she followed him down the ladder on the side of the building and down the street.

As they walked hand-in-hand down the street, she couldn’t help thinking that just a few months ago, she never would’ve imagined being free not only to be herself, but to have someone love her true self in return.

It might be silly, but after so many years of loneliness, she yearned—no, needed—to hear the words again. Sabrina squeezed Jorge’s hand and said, “I love you.”

He looked down at her with a smile, tugged her to the side of the nearest building, and leaned his body against hers. His gaze was a mixture of hunger and tenderness, much like the man Jorge Salazar was slowly becoming.

When he spoke, she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. “I might’ve been flippant up on the roof, but I meant what I said. Without you, I would be lost, bitter, and maybe even dead. I’m going to prove to you every day that I’m worth your love. I never want to let you go, Sabrina, or I might become lost again. I love you.”

She knew it was silly, but she couldn’t help but blink back tears at his words. She raised her free hand to his face. “I’d be lost without you too, Jorge. Kiss me to remind me I won’t be alone again.”

He kissed her tenderly at first, before growing rough and demanding. The feel of Jorge surrounding her, his taste in her mouth, and the knowledge of his love reassured her that she wasn’t alone, and if she had any say in it all, she never would be again.

Dear Reader:

Thank you for reading
Shadow of Temptation
! I hope you enjoyed Sabrina and Jorge’s story. While the next full-length book will focus on Petra and Will, keep an eye out for the Sabrina and Jorge. They’ll be back, along with a lot of the other characters in future books.

Would you like to know when my next book is available? (And receive exclusive goodies and information too?) You can sign up for my newsletter at
www.jessiedonovan.com
. You can also get updates by following me on Twitter
@jessiedauthor
or by liking my Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/JessieDonovanAuthor
. If you have a question, you can always email me at
[email protected]
.

And finally, I need to ask you a favor. Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. Even if it's only a line or two, it would be a huge help!

Thank you for spending time with my characters. I hope you return to the world of the
Feiru
in Will and Petra’s book
(AMT#3,
Early 2015
).
While waiting for the next AMT book, you can check out
Convincing the Cougar
,
the first story in my erotic shifter series.
Make sure to turn the page for a short excerpt.

With Gratitude,

Jessie Donovan

Read an excerpt from
Convincing the Cougar
(Cascade Shifters #0.5)

Chapter One

Kian Murray, the alpha cougar leader of Clan DarkStalker, sat on a rock in his human form and stared out at the deep valley in front of him. Every inch of the surrounding thick forests and rugged mountains, the roaring waterfalls and dick-shriveling icy lakes, the best spots to hunt game or where to lounge in the warmth of the sun—after a quick fuck in the woods with his mate—were as natural to him as breathing. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but here, in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State.

But this week, in the best interests of his clan, he was going to give it all up.

His heart squeezed at the thought of never seeing his friends or clan members again. He stared down at his right leg and resisted the urge to massage the aching limb through his jeans. The injury he’d received four months ago was the reason he could no longer protect himself, let alone take care of his clan or his mate.

He could still remember the eight-hundred-pound feral bear-shifter stepping on his leg and shattering his bone into who knew how many pieces. The pain had been so overwhelming, he’d passed out, and only because his clan members had managed to kill the bear was Kian still alive today.

While he would never regret fighting that bear to protect a group of DarkStalker cubs, not even his clan’s most skilled healer, let alone the strong healing capabilities of a shifter, had been able to repair the damage. He would limp for the rest of his life.

His mate had tried for months to convince him that his limp was no big deal, but cougars relied on grace to stalk and attack their prey. Without it, he was a liability. His people deserved someone who could protect them and he was no longer that person. Today, he was finally going to acknowledge that in public and pass on his leadership role to someone more qualified.

Kian ran a hand through his hair. He knew what needed to be done, but he didn’t look forward to sharing his decision with his mate, Trinity. The woman was the clan’s lead huntress for a reason, and no doubt she’d fight him on this. Especially since this was the first issue he hadn’t discussed with her since their mating ceremony nearly ten years ago.

He had given this a lot of thought over the last few months, but a good clan leader knew to push away personal desires if it could weaken or harm the clan in any way; his staying here would do both.

He had to go.

The newly fallen leaves crackled behind him, signaling someone's approach. He stilled for a second, but once the wind blew, he caught the wild scent of leaves and earth mixed with a unique female accent that he'd know anywhere.

His mate, Trinity, had found him.

He ignored her because if she talked to him, he would have to tell her of his plan to let her go, too. Just the thought of never seeing her again caused a dull ache in his heart. But his entire adult life, Kian had weighed the pros and cons of any decisions, like any clan leader would do. Trinity would probably follow him anywhere, if he let her. Except he knew how much being surrounded by her fellow cougar-shifters meant to her. She was not a shifter who could survive without a clan.

She would fight him because he believed she still loved him. However, Kian wasn't about to let her throw away her life. He didn't relish doing anything that might hurt her, but the last thing the strong woman needed was being saddled with a lame cougar for the rest of her life.

Trinity Perez-Murray watched her mate, Kian, and tried to find any signs of improvement. Every day he came to this ledge and spent the hours alone, doing nothing. It looked like today was no different.

He sat on a rock, staring across the valley into nothingness. Tall, with dark hair, green eyes, and broad shoulders, he was the desire of every female in the region.

Or, at least, he used to be. After the fight with the feral bear-shifter, the once charming and intimidating cougar had become a self-pitying recluse. Wild cougars thrived alone, but cougar-shifters had adapted to clans in order to survive and fend off humans.

The fight with the bear had left Kian with a lame right leg. She had never thought any less of him for it. He'd earned his injury protecting a group of cubs playing in the forest. The bear-shifter had lost any signs of humanity and had been a hairbreadth away from insanity. Kian had injured the bear enough to allow his clan members to deliver the killing bite to the back of the bear's head. The clan thought of him as a hero. Unfortunately, her mate only saw himself as a liability.

Trinity was at a loss of what to do. She had tried being supportive and patient, but that had only pushed Kian away further. Then she'd resorted to trying to provoke him to argue with her—one of the trademarks of their relationship before the fight with the bear—and all she'd received in return were a few frowns. Her latest attempt had been to leave him alone, hoping he would notice her absence. That, too, had failed.

There was only one card she had left to play.

She adjusted the lacy bra cupping her breasts before she sat down on a rock about ten feet behind her mate. The rock was cold on her bare ass and she shivered, her nipples tightening and poking proudly through the lace. She pinched them a few times, and the slight pain sent a rush of wetness between her thighs.

Her mate had a keen sense of smell, but he showed no sign of noticing her arousal. She decided to fix that.

She spread her legs wide, allowing the single, long strip of fabric she had brought to hang down and cover her pussy. Her hand itched to go lower and wrestle out an orgasm, but Trinity resisted. She was tired of taking care of herself. Kian hadn't fucked her in the last four months, and she wanted more than her fingers—she wanted his cock pounding into her.

Trying not to think about what she would do if her latest idea failed, she picked up a branch next to the rock and threw it at her mate. The branch landed to his left as she'd intended, and Kian turned around. His eyes widened before he frowned and said, "What the hell are you doing? You're mostly naked, and my brother will be stopping by any minute."

Trinity spread her legs as wide as she could and used one hand to caress and fondle her breasts. She'd never had to be direct with her lusty mate before—he'd simply taken what he wanted—but the hungry look in his eyes gave her the courage to say, "I'm going to sit out here until someone fucks me. I want it to be you, but if not, Sylas or his second-in-command can do it when they arrive."

She expected him to argue with her, but Kian simply moved his gaze from her face to her breasts. "Maybe you should go to them." He looked back up to her eyes. "I can no longer give you what you need, Trin."

Her heart plummeted. Kian was deeper into his self-pitying victim mentality than she'd realized, but she refused to give up. The strong, alpha male she'd mated was inside of Kian. She was determined to bring him out again.