Uncertain about what? He’d never hurt her, unless she was an actual threat to his life. He was here to help her.
However, she didn’t know that, did she? Hell of a way to convince a woman you’re on her side, Marco.
While he understood that Cam respected strength, her taunting had stoked his temper, and he’d displayed more of his power than he ever should have let someone see. Despite his childhood vow and all of the years of training with his grandfather, he’d let this woman get to him. In short, he’d fucked up big time.
He couldn’t let it happen again.
Few elemental water first-borns could do what he was doing with the rings. But while he couldn’t change what he’d shown her in terms of his powers, he could at least wipe the uncertain look from Cam’s eyes. If he didn’t get in her good graces, he’d never be able to complete the first part of his mission.
And DEFEND needed to be the first to find the Talents.
Determined not to fail, he stepped back and melted the ice before allowing the water to fall to the ground. “I wouldn’t have hurt you. I just wanted to make my point. Things will go a whole lot smoother if you just forget my reputation and start taking me seriously.”
Even though Cam was now free of his ice cage, she remained in place, watching him with piercing brown eyes. Marco’s mother or sisters would be yelling at him by now, or at least they’d be lecturing him on manners, but apparently not this woman. Her look alone said he was nothing but a hotheaded young recruit, unworthy of her time.
Her opinion of him shouldn’t matter, but he barely prevented himself from clenching his fis
t and saying something he’d regret later. Jaxton had trusted Marco enough to send him here, and he wouldn’t let his friend and former boss down.
Just as he opened his mouth to try to smooth things over, Cam turned away and started walking. I don’t think so, Camilla. Marco reached for her, but she tossed her pack at him, throwing him off-balance. She rushed low and tackled him to the ground. She was faster than he’d anticipated, and between one blink and the next, she’d managed to wrestle herself on top of him, the tips of her claws pressed against his neck.
Cam leaned down and her braid brushed his chest as her claws dug a little deeper into his skin. “I don’t trust you, and your parlor tricks won’t change that.” A drop of warm blood trickled down his neck. “Your bullshit is a waste of my time. This is me being lenient, so unless you want me to take off the kid gloves and show you what I can really do, stay away from me and mine. You’ll just slow us down.”
Marco wasn’t afraid of her threats, or even her claws. He knew an offensive scare tactic when he saw it, and overkill-mode Cam was nothing he couldn’t handle. She was going to accept his help one way or another.
If he wiggled his right hand a little, it would face west and allow him to draw on his elemental water. Cam would notice the movement, so he needed to distract her.
She’d accused him of being a man-whore, so he decided to act the part. He had a feeling his attentions would make her uncomfortable long enough to call on his elemental water.
He gazed down at the opening of her tank top and stared at her breasts. They were sheathed in a plain cotton bra, but were full and round, big enough to fill his palms. His hand itched to cup one and feel her nipple bead at his touch, but he pushed that thought away, knowing full well he’d never get the chance.
No, best to stick to his plan of making her uncomfortable, so he growled in appreciation, “At least I’d die a happy man.”
Her breath hitched and he took advantage, moving his hand to the west and drawing the elemental energy he needed to hit Cam with enough water to push her off his chest. He rolled on top of her and used his weight to pin her lower body to the ground while he pinned her hands over her head. He then secured them in place with bands of ice.
Cam tugged her arms, her muscles straining in an attempt to break free. She tried to buck her legs to throw him off, but all she succeeded in doing was rubbing her lean body against his. A picture of her naked, toned thighs wrapped around his waist flashed into his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. He wouldn’t let this woman use her body to distract him and regain the upper hand.
Marco let his full weight pin her down, the scent of earth and female filling his nose as he whispered into her ear, “If I were really out to get you, you’d be dead by now, Camilla.” She moved again, and between the friction and the musky female scent of her skin, it took every bit of control he had to prevent his cock from hardening.
He leaned in closer, hoping the proximity would make her feel more uncomfortable, and said, “You don’t trust me? Fine. But you will.”
Cam lay restrained on the ground, the ice around her wrists like cold steel. She tried not to think of how Marco had bested her. It’d been nearly four years since anyone had managed it, and Neena had only succeeded because of her foresight ability.
She needed to concentrate and find an opening to make a move, but she was finding it hard to notice anything apart from the one-hundred-and-eighty pounds of hard muscle cradled between her thighs. She remembered how he’d rubbed up against her when she’d first struggled, and combined with his heat currently surrounding her, she felt feminine in a way she hadn’t in a long time.
What am I doing? Marco Alvarez was known for his way with women. And somehow, he’d managed to weave his spell over her.
Thankfully, he stood up, and with Marco’s heavy male body no longer touching hers, the rational part of Cam’s mind was back in control. She needed to find a way to shift the situation back into her favor. If she could break his concentration, he might not be able to keep the ice around her wrists in place, and she could get free.
She looked up at him, and waited. The man liked to talk, and whether it was the silence or something else, he finally said, “Whether you accept my help or not, I’ll be watching you, Camilla, just as you should be watching out for the shifter.” He gave a mock bow, and she prevented herself from striking—it wasn’t the right moment. “I know you’re going to the ruins tomorrow, beauty, so keep an eye out for me. I’ll let you know if I see or hear anything that could help you.”
Even though she wanted to yell at him for dismissing her wishes and intelligence yet again, she stayed still and said nothing. She would stick to her plan.
Marco frowned down at her. “While I’m happy you’ve stopped resisting my help, I find it hard to believe you have nothing to say.”
She remained silent, and as he shrugged and turned away, she knew her tactic had worked. She tugged at her ice restraints to maximize her range, and then she lifted her leg back and kicked him with everything she had. As her foot made contact with the back of his knee, she felt a sense of satisfaction at surprising the bastard.
He cursed as he lost his balance. But even as he tumbled to the ground, he must have maintained his concentration, because no matter how hard she tugged, the ice restraints stayed in place.