His Darkest Hunger (7 page)

“Enough! Ana, leave at once.”

Libby’s eyes flew up and she felt immediate relief at the sight of the tall dark stranger who stood in the doorway. She jumped past Ana and flew into his arms, ignoring all the aches of her protesting limbs and the need for escape.

Her one and only thought was to get to him. For some reason, she knew he would not let harm come to her.

She buried her face into the hardness of his chest, and her limbs were shaking uncontrollably as she closed her eyes, trying to blot out the image of Ana’s fangs. What the hell was she? And who were these people?

“Please, I don’t know anything. I can’t remember anything. Can’t you let me go?”

Strength and warmth seeped from his pores into her body, and he hesitated before loosely encompassing her into the circle of his arms. He spoke then, and the rumble of his voice vibrated his chest against her cheeks. He smelled of the earth and of comfort. He held an undeniable male scent that even amidst all the turmoil awakened something inside her.

Libby felt heat begin to finger outward, caressing her breasts and winding down to her tummy. She was aware of every hard plane of his chest and abs, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the sensations. To just close her eyes and to pretend she was somewhere else.

With him.

“You need to leave now, Ana.”

Libby expected the woman to argue, but she walked past them, her voice insolent. “I was just welcoming your little pet back to the fold, Jaxon. I told her we were going to help her get her memory back.” Ana paused, her voice turning harsh as she left the room. “I’ve been waiting three long years to hear why she betrayed us all and murdered my lover.”

Libby’s eyes widened in disbelief at the absurd
accusations the woman had spat at her. She felt her blood begin to burn and she whispered hoarsely, “Liar.”

Ana’s eyebrows arched in perfect sync but she remained silent.

A third voice joined the discussion, and Libby’s eyes opened up to a tall, handsome man wiping sleep from features that seemed as if carved from stone.

“So nice to see the whole gang back together again.”

Libby felt the stranger—
Jaxon’s—
arms tense as they tightened around her.

“Declan, she’s had enough this morning.”

“Christ, Jax, I know that. I was going to make some breakfast and thought we could all sit down together and eat our eggs and bacon like normal people. Well, as normal as a human, which would be you,” the man called Declan said as he winked at her, smiling widely, though the warmth never quite reached his eyes, “a vampire, shapeshifter, and a practitioner of magick can have.”

V
ampire!”

Libby’s eyes opened in horror and she looked up at Jaxon. His face was blank but she noted the tick that throbbed at his temple, and the tense set of his mouth. He looked pissed, and the resignation that flickered in his eyes scared the crap out of her.

“Did you think these were fake?” Ana hissed at her from behind, and Libby’s body started to tremble. Her tummy roiled in protest and she tried to push away, but the arms that held her tightened to the point of pain.

“Who are you people?” The words were barely louder than a whisper and fell from her white lips as her brain tried to wrap around everything.

“We used to be your family Libby, but that was a long time ago.” Declan moved away, his posture a testament to the turmoil that lived inside him.

“I don’t remember any of you.”

Declan paused, his eyes sweeping over her dismissively, his voice dry when he finally spoke. “Oh, don’t worry, darlin’, it will all come back in time…one way or another.”

She watched from the corner of her eye as Declan put his arm around Ana, his fingers caressing her shoulders in a show of comfort. The two of them left quietly, disappearing around the corner.

Jaxon immediately pushed her away from him, as if the touch of her skin burned like acid. Her stomach grumbled loudly and she cradled her midsection, feeling both nauseous and hungry. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten, and her strength was waning fast. She knew she needed nourishment in order to regain some strength, and
maybe
have a slim chance at escape.

“I’ll bring you a plate of food,” Jaxon said, “and once you’ve eaten, a shower will be made available.”

Libby’s cheeks burned hot as she watched him turn to leave. He was so tall, yet moved with silence and deadly grace.

Like an animal.

“Wait!”

He angled his head back at her, his eyebrows arched questioningly.

Libby found herself frozen in place, her eyes lost in the dark depths of his own. They were incredibly expressive. With lashes so long she just knew they would whisper against her skin, if she were ever to get that close to him.

She watched his sensual lips compress into a tight line, and his eyes once more became aloof.

“Please, I…I’m really confused, and if you all know me, or know where I come from, why the hell can’t you just tell me?”

She became unnerved at his continued silence. His dark features studied her and she could see his brain at work, weighing his options.

“I won’t let you take me back to them.” Libby jutted her chin out in defiance, shuddering as his eyes narrowed. His voice was soft when he spoke, and it slid over her like hot liquid.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Libby.”

She swallowed thickly as he shook his head, and she waited for him to continue, not sure if his words were meant to intimidate or comfort.

He opened his mouth once more, his eyes boring into hers, but then turned abruptly and silently left the room.

Slowly, her fingers wound their way up to her face, and she pushed back the straggly tendrils of hair that had fallen forward.

Her fingers trembled as they traced the lines of her cheek, following the sharp curve until they came to rest on her lips. Her eyes were drawn to her reflection in the window of the door, and she stared at herself in shame. As if she
knew
that at one time there had been so much more than the gaunt, filthy, weak person who stared back at her.

“Who are you?”

She watched as her mouth moved, letting the words slip from between pale lips. The woman,
vampire
, Ana, had said she was a murderer.

That just couldn’t be possible. Could it?

Everything seemed so overwhelming all of a sudden. She collapsed back onto the bed as her
strength fled in a rush. Her head began to ache, dull throbs that splintered through her skull, and she groaned as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened to her in the past twenty-four hours.

Jaxon had been ruthless in his pursuit of her, but if he had wanted her dead, then surely he would have left her to slip below the water to die. Wouldn’t he?

His dark eyes burned behind her own as she closed them tightly. He was so large, intimidating and angry, but she somehow knew he wouldn’t harm her. When he had first pulled her from the water, she was terrified—terrified of going back to the nameless monsters that chased her dreams every night.

She’d truly believed that he was one of them, and if she’d had the chance, she would have jumped back into the water and let its gentle caress take her into oblivion.

But she hadn’t jumped back in, and for that she could be grateful.

A spark had been stoked and was slowly growing into a heated desire to live. For the first time in many weeks, Libby had the urge to look at herself.
Really look at herself
.

She no longer wanted to be the victim.

Her first memories were so very new, only months old.

She had heard all the whispers from the towns-people of Winterhaven. Some were incredibly hurtful, while others had just been truthful. She’d been the poor little Raggedy Ann who showed up at the diner in Winterhaven two months earlier; a socially inept female with sad eyes and a broken mind. Pete
took her under his wing, and for that she would always be thankful, but each day had been torture, and truthfully, most of the time she had no concern or thought for the future.

But now, suddenly, it became vital that she survive.
That she remember
. Not only to lay to rest the demons that stalked her, but to answer the haunted look she’d glimpsed in Jaxon’s eyes when he brought her here only a few hours ago.

Declan had said they were family once.

Ana had said she was a murderer.

Jaxon had said nothing.

It was up to her to find the answers.

Libby’s eyes flew open as the door creaked and slowly inched forward. She held her breath, feeling a small tug of disappointment when Declan returned with a tray of food. She sat up, wincing at the pain in her side and the shards of glass that seemed to be breaking inside her head. It felt as if tiny pieces of her brain were slipping away and hitting the side of her skull.

The smell of food had her mouth watering, and spittle began to pool inside her cheeks as a tray of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast was set on the table beside her bed.

Libby kept her eyes averted, not wanting to see the dislike Declan made no attempt to hide. She willed him to walk away, but as her luck would have it, the tall man had other things on his mind.

“So, Libby, I’m curious. How much do you remember exactly? Can you at least share that with us? Can you tell me how far back your addled brain lets you wander?”

The insult stung, and she swallowed thickly, wanting only to eat in peace.

She paused for a moment and hoped if she answered his questions truthfully, Declan would leave her alone. Her eyes wandered toward the plate of food, set just out of reach, and she realized he was trying his own form of torture.

She sighed, having no desire to play this game.

“I remember riding on a bus. It was dark, and had rained recently. I could smell it in the air when I got off…the rain and the grass.” She closed her eyes, picturing the stormy night she’d arrived in Winterhaven.

“Someone had just cut their lawn and it lingered. It smelled nice…the grass.”

She paused, drinking in details that only now her mind was allowing her to see. The pain began to sharpen inside her skull, but she ignored it, clenching her teeth and willing the pictures to come.

“I had to get off in Winterhaven because I had no more money left. It was as far as I could go.”

“Where did you get money? Who gave it to you?” Declan’s hard words rained down on her, and she flinched at the heaviness of his anger. It was obvious he didn’t believe a word she was saying.

“I don’t know. I mean, I had none with me. I just woke up on the bus and the driver told me to get off.”

“Did anyone else get off with you?”

“No. At least I don’t think so.” Her mind whirled into a vortex of images, and she pressed her hands against her head as the ripples of pain became much more intense. A blurred image ran across her memory. A man? Had someone gotten off with her?

“There might have been someone, I just…I’m
sorry. I remember the rain and being soaked, and the feeling of panic that came over me because I had no clue where I was, or why I was out in a storm in the dark.” She paused, whispering. “And the noise was so terrifying.”

“What noise?”

Libby blinked up at Declan and felt a small moment of triumph wash through her. She smiled. Her lips were tremulous and eyes shadowed. “There were heavy footsteps. They were following me. I remember running and the only warm place to go to was the diner.”

She paused, trying not to let the emotions overwhelm her.

“I was so scared it was them. All I wanted to do was disappear, and I wanted the pain to stop.”

A single, solitary tear escaped, slowly sliding down her cheek until it disappeared. “I must have fainted, I guess, because the next thing I remember is Pete. It was two full days later.” Her voice became hoarse with emotion as she continued. “I got away from the footsteps but the pain was still there.” Her voice dropped, “I don’t think it will ever go away. It’s inside of me to stay.”

Declan moved back, allowing her access to the food. Her violet eyes were shadowed, heavy with tears, and something slithered across his features and was gone just as quick. He stood there, staring down at her intently, and then turned abruptly, leaving her to the quiet.

She grabbed at the food, greedily stuffing the bacon into her mouth, closing her eyes to savor the taste and aroma as it awakened a ravenous hunger.

Not more than five minutes later she was licking the last of the grease from her fingers—she’d already licked every last bit from the plate—when Jaxon appeared suddenly in her room.

The entire area seemed to shrink and fall in upon itself. The man was huge, dangerous, and incredible to look at. He was fresh from the shower, his blue black hair waving thickly atop his closely cropped head. The dark beard that had graced the sharp, chiseled features was gone, and his clothes were much more casual.

And way too sexy.

That thought wove its way through her brain, and Libby felt the heat of a blush ride her cheeks once more. What was it about this man that affected her so?

Yeah, so he was tall, muscled with a ripped six pack, and he looked amazing in a tight T-shirt and faded jeans. So what? He was also the man who’d taken her from Pete and brought her here for an undetermined reason. She didn’t wholly believe it was all about regaining her memory. That seemed a little too cut-and-dried.

He had an ulterior motive, of that Libby was sure.

She just hoped that she lived through whatever the hell it was they were after.

“The shower is down the hall. I’ll show you.”

He waited for her, his face closed, distant. Libby arose from the bed, her movements stiff and forced. It seemed that every bone and muscle in her body ached, and the thought of a warm shower seemed too good to be true.

“After your shower, Ana will examine you.”

Yup, too good to be true.

“I am not letting that…that
deranged woman
near me. Can’t you see that she wants to kill me?”

“We all want to kill you, Libby, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. I’ve talked to Ana and she knows not to cross me. She has given me her word that no harm will come to you.”

With that he turned on his heel and walked out the door, obviously expecting her to follow in his footsteps like a little puppy dog.

“You have got to be joking.”

Libby inhaled softly as Jaxon paused. He was so tense, his body hummed like an energy field. When he spoke, is voice was low, deadly, and the hairs rose on her neck at its the menace.

“I don’t joke. About anything. You will have a shower and then Ana will examine you. It’s the only way we can hope to gather evidence of where you’ve been for the past three years.”

He turned then and nailed her with a look that told Libby they were done. She sighed, overwhelmed, and adopted the submissive posture she’d only recently begun to fight.

She followed him quietly, stopping only to take two large white towels that he’d procured. A cold knot of fear began to tighten deep in her gut, and the food she had all but inhaled moments before left her feeling sickly.

She opened the door that he indicated with a quick nod and disappeared inside, closing it quickly behind her.

Libby felt like she’d just come off the world’s craziest roller coaster. And she hated roller coast
ers. She knew that as surely as she knew she was screwed. She was frazzled, sore, sick to her stomach, and wished more then anything that she was somewhere else.

That she was someone else.

Like a normal person with a family and people to love her. What did she have? Who did she have?

She pushed herself away from the door and tried to banish the thoughts that were trying to crowd her too tired brain. Stripping the dirty clothes from her back, she walked toward the welcoming hot spray and hoped it would wash her troubles down the drain.

Better yet, wash
her
down the drain. Stepping under the hot water, Libby closed her eyes and let everything out. Her tears mingled with the water that fell upon her body, the pathetic sounds she made muffled by the hard spray.

Her eyes fell to the drain at her feet and she watched the water slip away. There was no escape for her. She knew that now. With deep resignation, she reached for the soap and began to scrub the grime and exhaustion from her limbs.

Outside the shower room, Jaxon leaned his tall frame against the cold cement wall. Her scent lingered deep in his nostrils. She’d been dirty, unwashed, and it still called to the primal part of him that wanted her. The animal inside him grumbled at being denied the chance to taste its woman.

He clenched his hands tightly, trying to fight the wave of desire that rushed through him. Visions of her naked and wet form began to dance in front
of his eyes. He pictured her hands flowing across the milky white of her breasts and then down her tummy, to rest at the juncture between her legs.