Undying Hunger

by Jessica Lee

  “Shut up and get some clothes on,” she spat, and proceeded to march down the stairs, doing her best to keep her shoulders squared and her pride intact. God, why did she let him get to her? Or an even better question was: when it came to him, why the hell did her hormones always kick into high gear?

  Her heart pounded inside her head with each step, and she didn’t miss Markus’s chuckle when she made her hasty exit. Which just pissed her off even more. How the other males in the house were going to keep from killing that smart-aleck asshole was beyond her. Because it was all she could do not to storm back up there and personally remove the grin from his face with her bare hands. But murder before breakfast was probably in poor taste.

  …

  “You owed me that much, Kenric,” Arran barked from where he stood by the fireplace, facing the commander. Kenric’s mate, Emily, the second female after Alex’s sister to become part of their dysfunctional family, sat nearby on the love seat. Her apprehensive expression and body language relayed her concern over the tension and anger vibrating around them like a plucked guitar string.

  On the other side of the room, Guerin slowly paced the floor, the thud of his boots on the hardwood resonating like a metronome in the room.

  “Christ!” Arran swiped a hand over his face, then added, “He kidnapped and assaulted my mate. Don’t you think I’d want to know you were going to release him?”

  “It was my decision to make,” Kenric said, his voice low and steady. “Mine alone. Besides, it was only few hours ago that I decided today was the right time for him to join the rest of the house.”

  Guerin drew to a halt and spun, facing the other two males. “Today was the right time?” His expression twisted. “Are you saying that you’ve been considering this for a while now, and you didn’t discuss it with me?”

  “There was nothing more to be said. You knew from the beginning that I hoped Markus would be able to recover from Marguerite’s brainwashing and return to the Enclave.”

  “But at the time, it was more like a fantasy of yours,” Guerin snarled, “and not one I shared.”

  Elle strode into the room from the kitchen and stopped at Alex’s side. “What’s all the shouting about?” Elle glanced at her sister.

  “Me.” Markus stepped down from the last stair behind them.

  “Shit!” Elle whipped around, clamped onto Alex’s wrist, jerking her closer as if attempting to shield Alex from the intruder with her body. Alex stumbled forward, but managed to grab on to Elle’s arm.

  “Elle…” Alex protested. “What are you doing?”

  “What am I doing?” Elle’s perplexed gaze flickered between her and Markus. “What the hell is he doing here?”

  “Well, that’s the question of the evening, isn’t it?” Arran inserted himself between Alex and Elle, his mate, and Markus, his former partner.

  Markus released a short crack of laughter as if amused with Arran’s protective move. “You worried about me getting too close to your mate, partner?”

  “You lost the right to call me that the moment you sank your fangs, and other various parts of your anatomy, into Marguerite,” Arran spat.

  “That was a long time ago, Arran.” Markus shook his head and proceeded farther into the room toward the master of the Enclave. “If Kenric can let go of the past, don’t you think you should give it the old Boy Scout try?” At the commander’s side, he faced the others in the room. “After all, Kenric was the one betrayed the most, yet he’s willing to give me a second chance.” Markus tapped first Guerin, then Arran with his gaze. “Your numbers are down, warriors. You need me. And hey.” Markus smiled. “I’m willing to let bygones be bygones.”

  Arran roared and launched at the grinning male.

  “You arrogant son of a bitch.” Guerin also surged toward Markus.

  “That’s enough,” Kenric bellowed and appeared in front of their new team member, blocking their attack. Yet Alex never saw him move. The warriors froze in their steps, their wills seized. A powerful feat only a master such as Kenric could accomplish. Alex’s breath hitched and her pulse quickened at the sight.

  “Now…” Kenric said, ratcheting his tone back down into the range of civil conversation. “Do we think we can keep from killing one another long enough for me to speak?” As if the master vampire had reeled his power back down a measure or two, the males managed slight nods. “Good.” Kenric inhaled deeply and released them.

  “Damn, I hate when you do that.” Arran rubbed his nape. “I always end up with a bad case of fucking whiplash when you let go.”

  “Then stop giving me reasons to do it,” Kenric drily stated.

  “Pfft.” Arran lowered his arm and drew his mate to his side once more.

  “I knew my decision to release Markus and invite him to return to the Enclave would be met with a great deal of reservation,” Kenric began, taking a stand beside the fireplace. He leaned his shoulder against the mantel and crossed a leg over his booted ankle. Standing at more than six foot four with short, thick black hair and eyes the color of the sea, Eve’s father emitted power—confidence. The dark warrior was an impressive sight, and Alex could easily see why Emily was so enamored with her mate.

  Yet as captivating as Kenric was, Alex found her attention wandering. Drawn to the darker male to his right, the one the others in the room tossed daggers at with their eyes, as if he had a target painted on his chest.

  And it was disturbing.

  Not the part where the warriors and their mates wanted to kill him. Nope. That she understood. She’d wanted to do the same not five minutes ago. But the part where every time his gaze brushed hers, a fire kindled low in her pelvis.

  What’s wrong with me?

  Maybe when a male turned a female it wasn’t uncommon for a lingering attraction? Except no one had ever mentioned she should expect that type of physical reaction to Markus. Elle didn’t seem to have the same problem, and Markus had also been her sire. But she’d also said he hadn’t been the one to feed her during the change. A Calyx by the name of Christian had been sent to take care of her need for blood. Perhaps that had made the difference?

  There was only one problem with her theory, though: confirmation. She couldn’t just walk up to anyone in the house and say, “I’ve got the hots for Markus. Do you think my body’s reaction to him has to do with the fact he’s my sire and he exclusively fed me for so many weeks?”

  Alex mentally shook herself. Nope. No way was she dropping that bit of news on anyone.

  “I can’t imagine why,” Guerin uttered, jerking her back into the moment.

  Shit! Had she spoken out loud? A cool sheen of sweat beaded from her pores, and her heart raced.

  “I understand you’re pissed off, Guerin,” Kenric said.

  Oh, thank God. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her pulse.

  “I didn’t discuss my decision with any of you beforehand because I knew this would be your response,” the commander added. Restless grumbling resumed around the room.

  “Are you okay, Alex?” Elle whispered, her sister’s hand brushing her arm. “You look pale.” She stepped in closer. “And you’re sweating.”

  “I’m fine.” Alex frowned, shrugging off her touch.

  “It’s your proximity to Markus, seeing him again, isn’t it?” Elle shook her head, scowling.

  Yes. But not in the way you’re thinking.

  “God…why did he have to ever let that bastard out?” Elle mumbled. “Go back upstairs for a little while and lie down.”

  Alex clenched her fist, holding on for patience. “You don’t have to mother me,” she bit out as quietly as possible. “I said I’m fine.”

  “What’s wrong with Alexandria?” Markus’s deep voice sliced through the other conversations in the room, sending a spark of electricity down her spine. Alex jerked.

  Elle whipped around. “That’s none of your business,” she replied, her tone razor sharp. “And I would highly suggest the more distance you keep between my sister an
d yourself, the better for your health.”

  “Elle,” Alex hissed and attempted to tug her back. This was only going to make the situation worse. The room was already so thick and heavy with tension, all it needed was one strike of a match for it to blow.

  “Alexandria…” Despite Elle’s warning, Markus strode forward.

  And the fuse sparked.

  “You’re either deaf or a dumbass.” Arran charged the offending male, reared his arm back, and swung, connecting with Markus’s face in a loud crack of bone against bone.

  “Holy crap!” Alex gasped and jumped out of the way.

  Guerin surged toward the fight, but Alex wasn’t sure if he meant to break them apart or get his own piece of Markus. Either way, the moment he came within striking distance, the prodigal vampire rotated onto one leg, then struck with the heel of one boot straight into Guerin’s midsection.

  Alex grimaced as air burst from the male’s lungs on a humpf. He stumbled back, clutching his gut. Damn, that had to hurt.

  “You son of a bitch,” Arran shouted, then swung once more. This time, the blow landed near Markus’s diaphragm. Markus doubled over from the impact. A second later, wheezing, Markus straightened and eyed the snarling vampires.

  “Is that all you got?” With the back of his hand, Markus wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth. Growls rumbled off the warriors. “Come on then.” He lifted his chin, beckoning them. “You know you’ve been waiting for this day. Don’t hold back.” Markus opened his arms, his fingers splayed.

  What was he doing? Then it dawned on her. Where was Kenric? Why hadn’t he put a stop to this? Alex did a quick search of the room and found the commander standing with his arms crossed, intently watching the events unfold. Emily stood near her mate, one hand covering her mouth. Her expression matched exactly what Alex was primed and ready to do: she was a half second from jumping between the males and putting a stop to the madness.

  “Don’t play that shit,” Arran bit out.

  Guerin fisted the front of Markus’s shirt. “Since when the hell have you ever been a martyr? Fight, you asshole. Where are your damn balls?”

  “But isn’t this what you both wanted, a pound of my flesh?” Markus looked between the two males. “I thought I’d give you your opportunity. Let you get it out your system. Because after today”—his upper lip curled off his fangs—“you won’t get another chance.”

  “Fuck you,” Guerin spat, and shoved the other vampire. Markus stumbled but quickly regained his footing.

  Arran turned around, flexing his fingers open and closed, his brows drawn, lips in a taut line. Elle crossed the room to her mate’s side.

  “Okay,” Kenric finally spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. “Now that we’ve appeased our beasts, maybe we can at least try to tolerate one another’s presence. Because like it or not”—Kenric scanned the room, connecting his gaze for a moment with each person—“this is the Enclave. The men and women in this room are all we’ve got, and dammit, we have one another’s back.”

  Chapter Six

  “What do you mean Seth Keller is dead?” Enrique hissed, and pitched the glass tumbler in his hand at the wall of his apartment. It shattered against the brick, spraying jagged shards onto the wood floor.

  With a firm grip on the cell phone at his ear, Enrique jerked the straight-backed chair out from his desk with his free hand and plopped onto the seat. “This can’t be true,” he continued. “How do you know this?”

  “From what I hear¸” his contact on the other end of the receiver said, “Seth, his lover, plus several of his colony were slaughtered several months ago…maybe even a year now.”

  What the fuck? Seth had been obsessed with tracking the alleged born-vampire, one who was rumored to walk in daylight. Seth was his best prospect for the kind of wealth and connections he needed in order to get his hands on this female. Many thought the German master had been crazy—that he was on some kind of bigfoot hunt, searching for something that didn’t exist.

  Luckily for Enrique, having been in Marguerite’s service for many years before her untimely demise, he’d once or twice, when she hadn’t thought he’d been within earshot, overheard her boasting about a very special child she herself had carried. But because Enrique had valued his continued existence, he’d never asked Marguerite any questions on the subject. Besides, she’d been a master of deception, and the idea of a vampire female conceiving was implausible.

  Thusly, he’d never dug around for any further details. The risk would have been too high if any word traveled back that he’d been snooping into his Mistress’s business. If Markus had learned of any indiscretion on Enrique’s part, he wouldn’t have blinked at the opportunity to toss Enrique’s ass at Marguerite’s feet for sacrifice.

  Not that Enrique wouldn’t have done the same.

  With Markus, though, he would have taken a different route. He’d have used the info, as he had with the male’s feelings for Alexandria, to further blackmail the gorgeous vampire for yet another fuck. He sighed. Like all good things, he and Markus had eventually come to an end.

  “A master traveling with another vampire from the States,” his contact replied, snagging his attention and yanking him back to the present.

  “Repeat that,” Enrique demanded. “Who did you say killed Seth?”

  “I said I had heard that a new master, along with another vampire, had entered the area unannounced. Word is…” The informant paused for effect. “He, his partner, along with a couple of others, raided Seth’s home, eliminating him, in order to rescue someone the crazy bastard had been holding.”

  “Is that so…” Enrique stood, his mind racing. Kenric St. James and one of his Enclave. It had to be.

  “That’s the rumor. Whether it’s true or not, I have no way to verify. But I haven’t seen Seth in a very long time. Neither has anyone else I know.”

  “Thank you for the information, Stefan. You’ve been very helpful.” Enrique tapped end call on his cell and dropped it to the table.

  “My bet is”—Enrique stroked his chin, eyeing his lover who rested on his side, watching him from the bed—“Markus ran his mouth to Kenric about the possibility of a long-lost daughter, and they jumped on a plane to Europe.” Enrique unbuckled his belt, pulled it free, then shed his pants before climbing onto the bed with the redheaded man. He stroked the Calyx’s cheek and grinned. “I wonder if Seth finally got his clutches on his precious born vamp, and the Enclave came to her rescue?”

  “Sounds logical,” the human replied.

  “I wonder if she knows her daddy’s Enclave is responsible for her mother’s demise?” The excitement of the topic, in addition to the naked man in his bed, had his cock pulsating and rock hard. He nudged his lover’s thigh with his shaft.

  “She’d have to know, since she’s living with them,” the other man said and smiled, returning the thrust.

  “True. Very true, Christian.” Enrique lowered his hand and traced the dark pink circle around the human’s nipple.

  Christian’s eyelids lowered. “Still, I don’t understand why she would’ve stayed after what they did.”

  “I do,” Enrique said, thinking back to how protective Guerin had been of the female. “Kenric’s second-in-command, Guerin.” He lifted his brows at the other male.

  “Ah.” Christian smirked. “She’s found someone in the Enclave whose bed she doesn’t want to leave.” He trailed his fingertips lightly down Enrique’s arm. “I can…understand the appeal.” He glanced up, meeting Enrique’s gaze, his green eyes bright with mischief.

  “Exactly,” Enrique said. “The good thing is, she’s not going anywhere. Bad thing, she’s in the heart of the Enclave, which makes the act of extracting her nearly impossible.”

  Christian grinned. “You said ‘nearly.’”

  Enrique lifted the corners of his mouth, exposing his fangs. “That’s where you come in.”

  Chapter Seven

  “It’s been a week now.” Eve circled
behind Alex. “How is it to have your sire freely roaming the house?”

  Alex spun, sensing Eve’s strike, and blocked the female’s incoming arm aimed at her throat. “You give him too much credit,” Alex retorted, swiping her brow with her forearm. Training with Eve three times a week in the Enclave’s gym was tough, but so far it hadn’t been nearly enough. No one needed to tell her that her sparring skills weren’t even close to being considered eligible as an active member of the Enclave. The bruises, sore ribs, and joints relayed that message loud and clear.

  “What do you mean?” Eve matched Alex move for move, making sure to keep herself at Alex’s back.

  Tightening her fists, Alex mentally checked her fighting stance. Concentrate. She couldn’t allow Eve to gain the upper hand. Her attempt to distract her with conversation about Markus wasn’t going to work. Yet despite her best efforts, images flashed across her mind’s eye of when she’d first seen him after his release. The way his muscles had glistened and bunched while he’d pulled up on the bar in his room. The way the swirls of red and black along his arms appeared to be alive, moving with each flex and release of his biceps. Her pulse notched a little higher.

  Stop it! she chided herself.

  Alex tossed her head, attempting to shake the memory from her mind as well as a few stray tendrils of hair from her eyes. “‘Sire’ is too kind of a word. You mean what’s it been like to have the male responsible for attacking me and then holding me prisoner walking around free?”

  “Yeah. That.” Eve suddenly appeared in front of her.

  Faster than Alex could visually follow, Eve leaped, gaining some air time, twisted, and landed a blow with her heel to Alex’s gut.

  Oxygen punched from Alex’s lungs, the force of the impact knocking her back a couple of feet. Spots swirled in front of her eyes. Damn. With a tight hold on her midsection, Alex focused on the bright blue mat covering the floor. Breathe. She blinked, trying to chase away the stars. In and out.

  “Are you okay?” Eve’s Nikes appeared in her line of sight. But Alex couldn’t quite get her vocal cords to respond yet. “Alex?” Eve dropped to a crouch and glanced up at her. Alex closed her eyes and nodded. Yeah. She would live. Her pride? Not so much.