Free His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone Page A

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 herstrength 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