Undying Hunger Read Online Free PDF Page B

to be a simple matter of give and take. The giving…well, she’d done more than her share. Now to receive what he’d promised.
    Sighing, she plucked the soap container from the porcelain ledge. She pumped the top, dispensing a generous amount of foam onto her trembling fingers. I need to pull myself together. I can’t let him see how much he got to me. He’ll smell my weakness to his allure and use it like a weapon. Remember what he did to Kenric, to his own partner, my sister, hell, the whole Enclave.
    “I could have done that for you,” Markus said.
    Lost in her thoughts, she jumped at the sound. “I can handle washing my hands.”
    “I’m sure you can,” he said, his voice a deep vibration along her spine. “But as the one who sank his fangs into you, I should have at least sealed the wound.”
    “I would think vampire etiquette would be the least of your worries.” Alex grabbed a paper towel and brushed past him.
    “Just because I can be an ass doesn’t mean I’ve lost all my manners.”
    “Well then, Mr. Post, how about fulfilling your end of our agreement.” She spun around and faced him. Wearing a loose pair of black sweats and a white T-shirt that had to be at least two sizes too big, Markus stood with his arms crossed. His dark hair hung in thick long strands around his face and brushed his shoulders. The color was a stark contrast against skin that she remembered had once possessed a rich olive tone, but now was a ghostly white. Yet thanks to her feeding, she could already detect a bit of color returning to his cheeks.
    Damn, even in his anorexic state he had the power to make her legs wobble. And the ability had nothing to do with his wicked reputation. Unlike any other male, something about him drew her in, as if she were a ship adrift in a dense fog and he was the seductive beacon coaxing her to shore. Except in this case, a part of her would rather crash into the rocks than allow the devil to be her savior.
    “What do you want to know?” Markus eased back onto his bed and shoved himself up against the wall, facing her. Bending one of his legs, he draped an arm across his knee, then cocked a brow.
    “I want to know what happened to me while you and Marguerite held me captive.”
    “You were brought in by a few of our DEADs along with several others. Instead of killing you”—he sighed—“I decided to turn you.” He waved a dismissive hand, as if he were done.
    No way in hell. He was playing with her.
    “I remember that much. My memory isn’t completely blank. Tell me about the stuff I don’t know. All of it,” she spat.
    “All of what? What more can I tell you?” His upper lip curled. “I stole your life. Your humanity. I destroyed you. At least that’s what you would incessantly rant, day after day!” He lunged from the bed and into her face. But Alex held her ground. She’d never been a shrinking violet, and she wasn’t about to start now. “Does that bring back a few memories for you?”
    “Sounds like me,” she quipped. “What else?”
    “There’s not much more to tell. I fed you when necessary. Kept you safe. Made sure no one could touch you.”
    “You touched me,” she muttered.
    “Not like they wanted to. Not like that.”
    “Did you want to?” Why am I playing cat-and-mouse with this guy?
    His mouth formed a grim line, and he turned, giving her his back. “And then the cavalry came to your rescue,” he continued on, as if she’d never asked the question. Thank God. Did she really want to know the answer to that one? “End of story.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “Believe what you want, Vixen. That’s all I got.”
    “What about Enrique?” She braced her hands on her hips.
    “What about him?”
    “Something tells me he has a story to tell. Maybe I’ll find him and see if he can fill me in on a few more details.” She whipped around toward the exit, but before she could take a step, Markus captured her arm and swung her back around.
    “Stay away from