His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors 1)

As if they’d done it before.

That thought brought her to a jarring halt just as her hand was reaching for the door. Had they been lovers? Was that the answer to the bitterness that haunted his eyes when he looked at her?

She hesitated, her teeth nibbling at her lips as she contemplated that thought. Images of the two of them, naked, limbs entwined, flew behind her eyes, and she blinked rapidly, wondering if they were imagined or memories from her past.

Why can’t I remember?

“Guess we’ll have to see if Ana has any clothes she can lend you. Don’t think they’ll fit, though. She’s a little less endowed up top.”

Libby turned toward the swing, noticing, for the first time, Declan sitting there, drinking in her state of undress.

“What happened? Didn’t like the fashion choice Ana picked for you?”

Tears began to prick the backs of her eyes, and Libby struggled to maintain control of her emotions, her fingers desperately trying to keep the ends of the shirt held tight over her heaving breasts.

His eyes followed her movements, and humiliation was added to the host of emotions that ripped through her.

“You must love seeing me like this.” Her voice was tremulous, but she held on, fighting to remain steady. “Confused and pathetic.”

She shuffled over until she was a few feet from him, feeling as if the weight of a thousand lifetimes sat on her slight shoulders. The tears she’d tried to hold back burst through, coursing down her cheeks.

“Why can’t you people just tell me who I am and what I’ve done? Why these games? Why can’t I remember anything past the last two months of my life? And why is this ache inside of me getting bigger?”

Declan continued to study her in silence, his face unreadable.

“Why am I not totally freaked out by the fact that Ana appears to be a vampire? I mean, that can’t be possible, and Jaxon just…just…” She couldn’t finish the thought. She was so tired of being confused.

“We think someone has used a memory charm on you, a powerful one at that. It’s preventing you from remembering all the delicious little details that I would love nothing more than to pull from your brain.” He smiled coldly at her, his loathing barely contained. “And I would try, but you would most likely not live through it.”

He looked away, as if the sight of her made him sick. “It will eventually fade, as the originator of the spell is no longer with you. Once that happens, you will remember everything, whether you want to or not.”

Declan’s words were matter of fact, nonchalant even, but his body language told a different story. There was so much more to all of this, but one thing was clear: if she jumped in the lake and never resurfaced, he would not jump in to save her.

His dislike was thick and meaty.

“Why won’t you just tell me who the fuck I am?” Her voice came from deep inside her chest, shooting upward with an anger that hung in the air between them.

“Your name is Libby Jamieson, and once you were part of a military unit.” Ana’s voice was soft and floated on the wind, winding its way toward Libby, encircling her with its silky texture. “Our unit, actually.” Ana paused briefly, her eyes sweeping over Libby to land on Declan.

“We were antiterror and specialized in operations that our counterparts were ill-equipped to handle. It was a unique unit and one that you really didn’t belong in.”

Libby stared at her, not comprehending the meaning of her words.

Ana sighed impatiently. “You were human, and the rest of us…well, we’re not.”

Libby opened her mouth to speak and shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. But then, recalling Jaxon morphing from a wild animal into man, she stared at the other woman and remained silent.

“I know it’s a lot t

o comprehend,” Ana said. “Most humans don’t know any of us exist. It seems these days the only ones that do are looking to use our strengths and differences in order to do something illegal.”

Ana smiled hesitantly. “Yes, I’m a vampire. I’ve lived for over three hundred years, and no, I wasn’t made. It is forbidden for my kind to do so. I was born what I am.” She motioned toward Declan. “As was Dec, and Jaxon our resident jaguar.”

Ana motioned for her to follow her back inside the cabin, and Libby looked to Declan, but he had already turned away from her. She inhaled a deep, cleansing breath and squared her shoulders. She wasn’t sure what to believe anymore, and the pounding behind her eyes was slowly wearing her down.

She rubbed her temple wearily and joined Ana inside the cabin. The other woman gently grabbed her arm. The touch of Ana’s hand was bittersweet. It had been so long since anyone had touched her with compassion, but still, she could sense that the woman was holding back. As if it was a struggle for her to touch and to comfort.

Wild thoughts began to race through her mind. As she shook her head, they became louder, the pain building into a pounding migraine that set her teeth on edge as wave after wave crashed through her. So many thoughts and pictures.