His Darkest Hunger (Jaguar Warriors 1)

She would no longer show weakness.

If she was to survive these next few days, she would have to toughen up and look after herself.

Screw Jaxon and his crew.

She turned toward the cupboards then and opened the nearest ones. They were empty, save for a few pots and pans and several boxes of cereal. She grabbed the first box, but as she lifted it, realized it was empty.

Figures.

The cheese!

She slammed the cupboard closed, maybe too loudly, but by now she didn’t give a shit. She was starving, and if there was nothing left but cheese again, well, that sure as hell beat sucking back a cup of blood.

Her hopes were once more dashed by the pitiful lump of cheese that had been left in place of the large block she had seen earlier. She grabbed the measly leftover and turned back toward the far cupboard, wanting to grab the box of crackers she’d spotted before.

As luck would have it, the box had been stowed away on a shelf just out of her reach. Blind anger shot through her, and she hissed as she tried to grab it with the tips of her fingers. Her side ached as the muscles pulled, but she ignored the twinge and focused on getting the box down.

The room was still silent, and knowing that all five of them were watching her struggle, her body was flushed with heat. She pictured the smirks that were likely on their faces and gritted her teeth.

She couldn’t get to the box and hung her head in defeat. Her stomach growled loudly, echoing into the silence that surrounded her, and she turned abruptly, ignoring the faces to her left, and walked toward a large chair that overlooked the magnificent view.

Libby fell into its softness with a thump, a small gasp escaping her as the impact jarred her already aching ribs. She held her head proudly as she began to gnaw on the cheese.

A chair was scraped back loudly, and then she heard footsteps banging across the tiles. It was followed by grumbling, cursing, and cupboards slamming, and she paused, chewing her food softly while trying to appear uninterested.

She heard the spray of water and cringed, turning her head to avoid whoever was making a bee-line for her.

A hand at her shoulder startled her. It was the old man, and he offered her a plate of crackers that also held a bunch of freshly washed grapes.

Libby was touched. She took the plate from him, nodding in thanks, not trusting her voice.

“We’re not all animals here. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t think to leave you a plate myself.”

The man turned around and headed toward the front door. “I’m going for a smoke, and don’t want no company.”

The door slammed behind him, and Libby smiled at his grumbling words. Yep, screw Jaxon and his crew.

She hungrily attacked the cheese and crackers, thinking they tasted even better than earlier in the day. The grapes were large, green, and incredibly sweet. She enjoyed every single one immensely, and when she was done, licked her fingers slowly, savoring the last sweet taste.

Movement in the window drew her eyes, and she was startled at the clear picture reflected in the large panes. She could observe the table behind her unnoticed, and she sank farther into the comfort of the chair as she settled back to look.

Conversation had resumed, but the words were soft, muted, and even though she strained her ears, she couldn’t catch anything.

She could see them all clearly, and found herself searching for Jaxon. He was sitting at the end of the table, deep in serious conversation with Declan. To his right sat a man who leaned back carelessly in his chair, long legs sprawled out in front of him. He was massive, and as her eyes met his in the window, she gasped loudly.

He was Jaxon’s double, and a slow grin fell across the handsome face, illuminating the similarities but also highlighting the differences.

His eyes were incredible, not the dark black of his brother’s, but even through the glass she could see the electric green. It was a devastating combination when paired with his dark hair and deeply tanned skin. She could also see the beginnings of a similar tatto

o that graced the left side of his neck, but it disappeared beneath his tight black T-shirt.

A low growl grabbed her attention, and her eyes slammed into the furious gaze that Jaxon directed at her. He said something to the man with the green eyes, and Green Eyes laughed outright. This seemed to piss Jaxon off even more and he jumped to his feet.

The table erupted into chaos, with everyone standing and shouting, but not the green-eyed devil. His eyes pulled at hers and she found herself smiling back at him.

“Enough!”

Jaxon’s deep voice rang out, and silence once more reigned supreme.