Frozen Desires (Asylums for Magical Threats 2)

Cam had been about to tell Marco to go fuck himself when the solid door in front of them had swung open, revealing a man who could have been an ex-Marine. Marco seemed to know him, said something to him in Spanish she couldn’t understand, and then pulled her inside the building. When he stopped again in the middle of a room to look around, she let her eyes roam over her new surroundings to determine where Marco had brought her.

Men and women were playing poker off to the side, a rowdy bunch of men in soccer jerseys were arguing near the bar, and various couples were necking in the shadows of the booths against the wall. Her eyes stopped on one couple in particular, where the woman was rocking on the man’s lap, and Cam swore she saw the undone buckle of his belt glinting off to the side. Would people really have sex like that, out in th

e open, where anyone could see them?

At first, the thought of doing something like that had mortified her, but as she watched the couple, their exhibitionism started to intrigue her.

While she knew her way around a sniper rifle blindfolded, or could break into most high-security compounds without getting caught, Cam was naive when it came to relationships and sex. She’d focused solely on her work for the last four years, determined to be the best. And before that, she had spent most of her time running from the authorities with the Fed League. She’d missed the experimental years of her early twenties. Instead, she had spent them with her ex, and she couldn’t remember him ever looking at her like the man in the corner was looking at the woman rocking against him—like the woman above him was the most desirable woman in the world.

Marco tugged her along again, and she came back to the present. She’d had enough of him always trying to take control.

She barely resisted a growl, and said, “Just because I let you lead me around earlier doesn’t mean you have permission to do it whenever you want. From now on, ask me first.”

Someone barked something in Spanish, and Marco replied with a grin before he drew her against his side. The other person laughed, and Cam wondered what the hell was going on.

Before she could ask, a damp chill brushed against her neck, and Marco gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. In the blink of an eye, his face softened and he looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. “I thought we’d settled our spat, beauty.” Marco slid into the most isolated booth, one partially hidden behind a column, and pulled her onto his lap. She squeaked in surprise as she landed, and Marco put his arms around her. “It’s time to make up.”

She narrowed her eyes. Aware that people were probably watching them, she lowered her head to his ear and hissed, “What do you think you’re doing? Something is going on that you’re not telling me.”

His arms tightened around her and she felt his cheek against hers. She tried to ignore the warmth of his skin and the pleasant smell of his male scent mixed with aftershave, but failed. Marco whispered into her ear, “I’m making sure you stay put long enough to tell me who that man was back there.”

She tried to lean back, but Marco’s arms didn’t budge. “I said I’d tell you, and I will. Now, let me go.”

She felt his head shake against hers. “I get a lot of information here, and if I don’t keep up my reputation, they’ll lose their trust in me. I need you to pretend to be my woman for the night.”

His answer surprised her. She’d thought he’d just wanted to cop a feel, not worry about a cover ID. For all she knew, he could be lying. “Out of all the places you could’ve taken me, you took me to a bar where people are having sex in front of everyone?”

“This is one of the last places that man would look for you, am I right?”

Cam stilled and forced herself to say, “Yes.”

Marco chuckled and the vibrations tickled against her skin. “Stop acting so surprised, beauty, and you might finally notice some of my talents.”

Maybe she’d judged him too harshly. She still thought he was a flirtatious man-whore, but he seemed to be a man-whore with a brain. “I’m big enough to admit that bringing me here was a smart move. And I can understand hiding your cleverness from strangers, but why do you continue to act as you do around others in DEFEND?”

Marco leaned back and looked her in the eye, his voice low. “Because when you act as people expect you to act, Camilla, it makes you forgettable.”

Her brows knitted. “And that’s a good thing?”

“It is for someone like me.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Marco’s eyes darted to something behind her and back. “Sorry to ambush you, but I need you to play along.”

Before she could reply, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her.

Chapter Twelve

Giovanni Sinclair exited the Austin MTR station in Hong Kong, and headed toward the tallest building in the city—the International Commerce Centre. That was where they were keeping the elemental earth first-born he was here to investigate.

Back in the UK, Dr. Ty Adams had made this visit possible. Even now, Gio was surprised that his adopted father, James Sinclair, had allowed him to come. With Millie Ward pronounced dead and his older sister Kiarra now free and on the run, anyone would question his effectiveness. Gio would just have to be more careful whilst in Hong Kong, especially if he wanted to continue having access to the confidential records of the Asylums for Magical Threats.

While his assignment was to observe and study a particular elemental earth first-born and report the scientists’ findings back to his father, Gio had additional goals. From what little research he had done on the subject, he knew that there was a large pediatrics facility hidden in the mountains of mainland China, and he intended to earn access to it. He knew the AMT scientists were breeding first-borns inside their compounds and subsequently shipping off the children to special pediatrics facilities.

However, the records were quiet about how they treated the children once they arrived. He was determined to find out what happened.

The tricky part would be keeping the information from his father. James Sinclair hadn’t become powerful and influential with the Feiru High Council without being careful and overly cautious. No doubt, his father had someone watching his every move. He would have to find a time in private to call his old friend from university and ask him how to lose a tail.