Instinctive (18 page)

Jaclyn palmed his face as a bone-deep warmth moved through her. Common sense would have dictated that she run. Run as far away from Serene as possible. But she was past the point of denial and needed for some unfathomable reason to see his panther. She murmured low, “Show me.” Jaclyn held her breath, preparing herself the best she could to witness the transformation for the first time.

Without his eyes ever leaving hers, Slyck broke their intimate connection, stepped back, and removed his clothes. His warm, earthy male scent reached her nostrils and curled around her. She inhaled, savoring his rich aroma, noting how his familiar smell helped ease the tension inside her.

As she studied his beautiful scarred body, she watched his skin stretch and darken. Wincing, she clasped her hands in her lap at the sound of his bones shifting and crackling as his body elongated. Even though she’d braced herself, when all was said and done, nothing could have prepared her for the pain that crossed over his eyes as he transformed. Nor could she have prepared herself for the sight of the beautiful black panther that now stood before her, or those magnificent green eyes that could surely see into the depths of her soul.

Too astonished to even breathe, Jaclyn let her jaw drop open, and she took a long minute to just stare at him. Her heart pounded
and her entire body broke into a sweat. A low, unfamiliar primal sound rose up from the depths of her throat.

When the panther before her—Slyck—heard the rumble from her animalist growl, it began pacing, purring, and brushing up against her legs.

She sucked in air. Her gaze slid over his panther form, and for a moment she felt like she was drowning, suddenly finding it harder and harder to breathe.

“You’re so beautiful,” she said with effort, tentatively stroking his shiny black fur. The room began spinning, her body tingling as her fingers slid over his smooth back. She blinked her eyes and tried to shake off the light-headed feeling. Something was happening to her, something she had no control over. Her heart began pounding as full-blown panic gripped her.

Before she knew it, Slyck had morphed back and nestled himself on the floor between her legs. His knuckles brushed her cheek, and the tremendous connection between them helped her nerves settle.

“I need you to concentrate, Jaclyn, to let go of all your fears and inhibitions. Just let the shift take place. It’s natural. Don’t fight it,” he coaxed.

She tried to follow his advice—she really did—but the more she worked at it, the more worked up she became. Completely dismayed, she blew a heavy breath and pounded her hands against the sofa in frustration.

Slyck moved in close and began kissing her, derailing her ability to concentrate. The warmth of his flesh ignited a fire in her.
He hastily began unzipping her jeans, bombarding her with heat and desire.

With her attention diverted, her breath caught on a gasp, and she shot him a smoldering glance. The look in his eyes reflected her desires. “What are you doing?” she asked, arousal replacing frustration as his fingers caressed her flesh.

He pulled her pants to her ankles and tossed them away. In one quick movement he roughly ripped her panties from her hips and discarded them. His eyes grew intense and the urgency in his voice both excited and frightened her. “Saving you from death, or the very least a life as a ‘damned’ dog.”

Jaclyn’s libido roared to life. Her head fell to the side, and her skin flushed hot. She was so consumed by need, she didn’t understand what he was talking about. “I guess neither one of us is a fan of the canine,” she murmured, her passion-drunk mind barely able to hold a coherent thought as he ripped the rest of her clothes from her aching body.

His voice came out in a heated whisper. “You’d be nothing more than a chew toy for Vall.” He tapped her thighs, nudging her legs apart. His nostrils flared as he lowered his head and brushed his tongue over her inflamed clit.

Oh good God, his mouth did the most delicious things to her.

As he devoured her, some small coherent part of her rattled brain realized he was talking about Vall. Why the hell was he talking about Vall at a time like this? And what was it he’d said she’d be to him? A chew toy?

She palmed his muscles, and without censor she asked, “And what am I to you?” She gyrated against his burning mouth as it pressed hungrily to her cunt.

His eyes, dark and needy, flashed to hers. “You’re everything to me. You know that.” The soft cadence of his voice caressed her all over and brought on a shudder. He slid a thick finger into her pussy while his thumb brushed her clit. Blistering heat exploded inside her and spiraled onward and outward until her entire flesh burned with pleasure.

She pushed against him and said, “I know. I guess I just needed to hear you say it. So it could help me make sense of all this.”

A second finger joined the mix, and she could no longer think. Oh God, she desperately needed him. Desperately needed to feel his cock inside her. Hungering for him with an intensity that made her shake, she asked, “So you’re saying you can save me by having sex with me?”

“Yes, kitten. That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” she asked, her hips coming off the sofa. “Save me.” Her aroused voice came out sounding shaky and unstable.

Need pumped through her veins, and her mouth watered as she took in his beautiful body and rock-hard cock.

He captured her hands and hauled her off the sofa. “Wrap your legs around me,” he rasped.

When Jaclyn pounced onto him, he backed her up until she hit the wall and crushed his chest to her breast. His lips crashed down on hers, his tongue thrashing against the inside of her mouth. A low growl crawled out of his throat as fierce need burned in his
eyes. In one quick thrust, he impaled her and began pounding into her hot, wet pussy. Each powerful thrust drove her harder and harder against the wall.

Her breasts pressed into his skin, her nipples rubbing sensuously against his hard muscles. She rocked her hips, taking every inch of him inside her. Her body blazed with lust, and she’d never felt so wild or frenzied before.

He burrowed deep, making her delirious with need. As hunger clawed at her insides, soft quakes began at her core, making her crazed, frantic. Slyck continued to drive deeper and harder as she burned with need. She could feel his cock swell and pulse as he filled her with his seed. Panting, and clawing at him, she gave herself over to her orgasm as he released high inside her.

A long while later, when the tremors had fully subsided, his gaze met hers. A mixture of emotions passed over his eyes when he lowered her to her feet and stepped back. Before she could reach for him, to haul him back, pain overtook her, and her body collapsed to the carpeted floor. It was happening. Slyck dropped down beside her and put his mouth close to her ear.

“Stay strong and ride it out, kitten. I’m here for you.” His hand touched her shoulder in a comforting manner.

Jaclyn could hear her bones shift, feel her mouth and limbs elongate. She swallowed down the fear and watched her skin stretch and darken, her nails extend to razorlike claws. She shot Slyck a quick glance and could hear the thunder of his heart as he watched her with concerned, loving eyes.

She let out a low moan and tried not to concentrate on the pain. Her nerves began tingling, her body convulsing. Minutes felt
like hours as her final transformation took place. Summoning all her bravado, she dropped her head and called out to him.

“Slyck—”

“I’m here, sweetheart.”

When she looked up again, she saw pride and possessiveness burning in Slyck’s beautiful green eyes as she took her next breath as panther.

“Look at you. Jesus, just look at you,” he whispered. “I’ve never seen such strength and beauty.”

He too morphed, joining her in his animalistic form as he began rubbing up against her. Silence ensued while he offered her time to get used to the change.

“Oh God, this is so—” She stopped midsentence, and with surprise ringing in her voice, she said, “We can communicate.”

“Of course,” he responded. “But we can only communicate with other panthers in this form.”

Her knees wobbled slightly, and she drew a steadying breath. “It feels so—I don’t know—weird but amazing at the same time.” In fact, it felt a little erotic, stimulating. Jaclyn went down on her haunches and lifted one palm to examine it. She brushed it over her face, grooming herself. “I can’t imagine ever getting used to this.”

Slyck nudged her head with his own, and she could feel the passion rising in him, reaching out to her. His primal essence completely overwhelmed her. When she caught his glance, she could feel his primitive urges as baser instincts kicked in. His control was weakening, his need to take her strengthening. Everything from the heat in his eyes to the sensuous way he moved instinctively
told her he needed to lay claim to her—a final marking that would bind her to him forever.

His scent aroused the animal in her, and her entire body responded with need, spasming with pleasure. Fire and heat curled through her.

Understanding the implications of her actions, she stretched her paws out in front of herself and gifted him with her body in panther form. As she submitted to her alpha, offering herself up to him, he growled low and deep. Her uninhibited responses urged him on.

Slyck mounted her from behind and in one quick thrust pushed into her. Jaclyn moaned, fully comprehending the importance in what they were doing. “You are mine, Jaclyn,” he announced, his voice low, firm, savage.

Something deeply intimate and animalistic passed between them as he sank into her heat and left his final mark on her. Warmth moved through her as he branded her as his for eternity, and for the first time in her life, she truly understood what it meant to feel safe, cherished, and loved. Understood what it meant to belong.

He spent a long time inside her, their bodies joining as one while they moved in perfect rhythm. When she felt him throb, she knew he was close.

“Tell me you are mine, Jaclyn.”

“I’m yours,” she murmured. “And only yours.”

She shook and pulsed beneath him as he filled her with his seed and brought on her release. With that final mating, her mind cleared, and it was as if her entire life now had a purpose.

His breath came in a low rush.
“We-Sa . . . ,”
he whispered and held her to him as she rode out the waves.

Minutes later, with their mating ritual complete, Slyck lay down beside her. She nuzzled in close. “How do I shift back?” she asked, perplexed.

“By visualization. Relax, push your panther away, and visualize yourself in your human form.”

Jaclyn did what he told her to, and a moment later, they both morphed back to their human forms. She glanced at her hands. “Shifting back didn’t hurt near as much.”

“It’ll get easier, and shifting will come naturally, especially when presented with strong emotions. But over time, and through guidance, you’ll learn to control it and use your panther and our bond as strength.”

Jaclyn fell silent for a long time and tried to take it all in.

“Hey,” Slyck whispered, breaking the quiet. When she met his eyes, he smiled at her and warm familiarity moved between them.

“Hey, yourself,” she said back as a shiver raced through her. He pulled her in tighter and her naked body soaked in his warmth.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, unable to vocalize exactly what she was feeling.

“Let’s get you off this floor, sweetheart.” He climbed to his feet, helped her up, and gestured toward the sofa. His tender concern made her womb clench.

Slyck gathered up her clothes. When his hands connected with her jeans, her bottle of medicine fell out of the pocket and rolled across the floor. Slyck snatched it off the carpet and turned it over in his hands.

His eyes narrowed. “Did you take one of these?”

“Yes.” Jaclyn shifted on the sofa, laying herself out, and patted the empty spot beside her. She felt a need for his intimate contact at all times.

Slyck sat down and brushed her damp bangs from her forehead. His distinctive, familiar aroma teased her senses. “Do you take them often?”

She gave a quick shake of her head. “No, I never get sick. At first I thought I was getting the flu, so I took one for fever, but it actually made me feel worse.”

“That’s because cats don’t tolerate Tylenol very well, kitten. Especially if you’ve never had it before.” His eyes softened when he added, “It could kill you.”

She shook her head, flabbergasted. “I had no idea. I guess I still have so much to learn.”

She saw possessiveness in his eyes when he said, “I’ll teach you everything, Jaclyn. I’ll protect you and teach you how to use your panther and our bond as a strength.”

Slyck stretched out beside her, and she gently touched his scars. As their bodies melded together, she thought more about the panther species and what it might actually mean to be one. “I thought all fairy-tale creatures had special healing abilities. What about these?”

He ran his lips over her forehead while his strong, comforting arms circled her and pulled her in tighter. “We all have different abilities. Regenerative healing isn’t one of ours.”

“And the others?”

“Demons, vampires, and lycans can all regenerate. Witches and panthers are the only ones who can’t.”

She crinkled her nose and gave that more thought, suddenly remembering what he had said before he made love to her. “Speaking of the others, why did you say I’d be a chew toy for Vall?”

He blew out a heavy breath and shifted restlessly, and she sensed he was trying to hide the truth. His hair brushed her cheek when she tilted her head to see him.

“Slyck?” she questioned.

He took a moment as though weighing his words carefully before he delivered the cold, hard truth. “I didn’t tell you this before because I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to it, but our council has decided to make your stay permanent.”