Shadow of Temptation (Asylums for Magical Threats 2.50)

Over the last year, Sabrina had passed information over to Yolanda, who would in turn hand it over to Sabrina’s boss inside the Feiru Liaison section of the Mexican central government. Like all stable governments around the world, certain humans were aware of the existence of the Feiru and their first-born children’s ability to control the elements. The primary function of the Feiru Liaison offices was to prevent worldwide paranoia, no matter the cost.

So far, thanks in large part to the Asylums for Magical Threats prison system, the Feiru had kept their elemental magic a secret from the general human population. Sabrina was one of the few privileged humans who knew about the Feiru, but she was also part of a growing number of Feiru liaison officers who wondered how much longer the secret of elemental magic would last, especially as discord continued to grow between the pro-AMT prison and anti-AMT prison factions amongst the Feiru.

And when—not if—the secret got out, Sabrina had no idea what would happen. Humans finding out that magic was real might cause worldwide chaos, or worse, persecution of those deemed “different” from them.

That was why it was imperative she finish this assignment and take down the Fed League. Fringe Feiru terrorist groups would only give humans more reason to hate and/or fear the Feiru.

She reached the small restaurant a few blocks from the central main plaza and went inside. The hostess greeted her with a smile. After Sabrina sat down at a table near the back of the room, she pretended to look at the menu until Yolanda came up and asked, “Do you want to hear about the specials today or will you have one of your usuals?”

Sabrina looked up at Yolanda. “I think I’ll just have my favorite light snack today before I go to work.”

Yolanda nodded. A “light snack before work” was code for Sabrina having important information to pass on with the bill. “I’ll make sure to put a rush on the order. Did you also want some Chaya juice?”

“Yes, thank you.” Sabrina said as she handed the menu over.

The waitress left and Sabrina tried to decide what she’d say in her message. She wanted a team of people she trusted, but getting her boss to agree to that was going to be difficult. Especially since one of those trusted colleagues—Karla Torres—always seemed to be on some kind of probation. But they had worked together on Sabrina’s previous assignment and Karla was one of the few people she trusted at her back.

There had been one man inside the Fed League she’d learned to trust nearly as much as Karla, but Sabrina had burned that bridge. It was for the best that she’d never see him again.

Thinking about his humor during their long runs on their days off, or how she’d been determined to beat him at least once in a swimming contest, made her heart ache. She’d always been careful to keep her true self separate from her cover ID, but she’d failed utterly with him.

Still, she’d done what she’d had to do to keep him safe. Dwelling on what she wished could’ve happened would just create more cracks in her delicate psyche. After this assignment was finished, Sabrina was going to take a long vacation and visit her sister down in her home country of Brazil, to re-discover who she truly was.

Her glass of green Chaya juice was placed in front of her and she mumbled her thanks, but the tanned hand around her glass didn’t move. She looked up and her heart skipped a beat. She had to be seeing things. There was no way he could be back in Merida, not with the out she’d given him.

But there was no mistaking the long, black hair pulled back from his face, the broad, powerful shoulders, or the scar running through his left eyebrow. The man she’d betrayed all those months ago was back.

She managed to get her voice working again and said, “Why are you here?”

Jorge Salazar sat down in the seat across from her and stared intently with an expression she couldn’t read.

Jorge hadn’t known what to expect when he saw Sabrina Ono face-to-face again, but as she stared at him from across the table with her almond-shaped, dark brown eyes, an unexpected mixture of lust and longing shot through his body.

At one time, even just the faintest hint of her scent would’ve gotten him hard as a rock.

But considering what she’d done to him nine months ago—in addition to the secret he’d learned about her since then—he never would’ve expected the sight of her smooth skin or her short, sleek black hair tucked behind her ears to send blood to his groin. Shit, he knew it had been a long time, but this was ridiculous. Hadn’t he spent months planning his revenge against this woman?

Remembering his imprisonment and sister’s torture sobered him up again. He had a job to do. The woman in front of him couldn’t be trusted and their past together wouldn’t get in the way, no matter what his dick might want.

Jorge raised an eyebrow in nonchalance. “You really want me to answer that here, in a crowded restaurant?”

She whispered, “You shouldn’t be here at all.”

“That’s what you had wanted, wasn’t it?” He leaned forward on his arms. “Too bad, because you have information I need, and you fucking owe me. Big time.”

Sabrina narrowed her eyes a second before returning to her practiced neutral expression. That was the bitch of working with someone who had the same training as you—they had all the same tricks.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and it took everything he had not to glance down at her breasts as she said, “Stop with the ‘I’m such a badass’ attitude. Tell me why you’re here, and make it quick, unless you want me to call in your little appearance to your former employer.”

“You go ahead and do that, backstabber, and I promise you’re not going to like what happens next.” He swore he saw something flash in her eyes—regret, maybe?—but he quickly brushed it aside. He pushed on. “I told you, I’m here to see you. I saw you scouting that school, and I want all the details.”

If she was surprised to learn he’d tailed her, she didn’t show it. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

He studied her for a second and couldn’t help but notice the circles under her eyes, or how her cheekbones were more pronounced than the last time he’d seen her. She clearly wasn’t taking care of herself. For a second, he wondered what was going on in her life, but then he clenched his fist and told himself that he didn’t care. No, make that he couldn’t care.

Remember, you need to succeed in order to protect Alejandra.

He leaned back in his chair. “Well, I’m not leaving you alone until you agree to answer some questions. We can either do it here, in full view of whoever might be watching. Or, I can go wait outside and you can wait a few minutes before joining me. Which way will it be, Ms. Saito?”