Instinctive (21 page)

As the two men made their way to the running track encircling the vacant dog park, Drake got right to the point. “What the hell is going on, Slyck? Your tension is palpable. I can even smell it on you. And believe me, others outside of our pack have noticed too.”

Slyck’s thoughts raced to Harmony, and her sudden need for herbs. Once again the disturbing feeling that she knew more than she was letting on worried the hell out of him.

“It’s Jaclyn,” he confessed, no longer able to hedge the truth.

Drake nodded. “I got that much.”

“She’s panther.”

That seemed to slow Drake’s steps. “What the fuck? You marked her?”

Needing to burn off his nervous energy, Slyck picked up the pace, forcing Drake to quicken his steps. He kept his voice low, barely audible over the sound of their sneakers hitting the pavement. “Yes and no. She had panther in her when she came here. I aided in her first transformation. She’s my mate, Drake.”

Slyck heard Drake draw in a sharp breath and then let it out
slowly. Christ, Slyck could practically hear the other man’s mind racing as he sorted through the information.

“How is that possible?” he finally questioned.

Slyck quickly went on to explain the rogue shifter, and how he’d covered up his actions because he thought it was the only way to keep peace in the community. He elaborated, clarifying that even though he was training Drake for his leadership role, and no other panther was as skilled or qualified, Drake still needed more training before he would be ready to take over the alpha role should the council deem Slyck unfit to keep his brethren under control.

“Jesus, Slyck, if anyone finds out, they’ll kill her.”

“It gets worse,” Slyck went on to explain. “Vall drew the short straw.”

“Oh fuck.”

Slyck’s breath was coming in ragged gasps; he stopped running and put his hands on his waist as he sucked in air. He wiped his brow and turned to his friend. “I need to know you’re with me, Drake. If anything happens to me, I need to know that you’re strong enough to take on the alpha position.”

Drake wiped the moisture from his own brow with the back of his hand and asked, “What are you planning?”

Truthfully, if Drake took his place on the council, the less his friend knew about his plans, the better. His plans to use Jaclyn as bait. As much as he fucking hated to put her in harm’s way, he had to trust that she could pull it off because they needed to buy time until the full moon. With the rest of the community on lockdown during the full moon—a precautionary measure for
their own protection—it was Slyck’s one and only opportunity to save her. It would take prudence and a timely plan for the three of them to pull this off.

“Just tell me you’re strong enough,” Slyck demanded.

In a move that took Slyck by surprise, and all the while controlling the animal inside him and maintaining his human form, the young panther pounced and knocked Slyck to the ground.

Drake grinned down at the other man and said, “You tell me.”

Jaclyn stood before the mirror and checked her eyes to make sure the new blue contacts covered all her green flecks. Satisfied with the results, she tried to keep her shaky fingers calm as she applied a light layer of pink lipstick to moisten her dry lips. With the knowledge that she needed to cover any traces of panther scent, she reached into her bag and retrieved the new bottle of jasmine-vanilla perfume that Slyck had given both her and Sunray earlier that day. She dabbed some on her neck, her wrists, and her breasts, putting an extra drop between her thighs before tucking the bottle back into her purse and exiting the washroom.

She glanced around Vibes, canvassing the patrons before sidling up to the bar and easing herself onto one of the padded stools. She ordered a fruity girly drink, all the while keeping her back to the door in a show of innocence, and also as a show of ignorance as to what was taking place in the town around her.

She ran her hands over the smooth oaken bar top and stole
another glace around the room. Padded booths lined the perimeter, while square wooden tables were positioned around the small dance floor. Truthfully it looked like any other nightclub in any other small town. The scent of stale beer, pine-scented floor cleaner, and lemon-scented Pledge reached her nostrils. The combination actually turned her stomach. Jaclyn wasn’t sure if she’d ever get used to her new, acute senses.

Since the sun had only recently set, the place was still fairly quiet, but she knew it wouldn’t be for long. In no time at all the nightclub would be bustling with fairy-tale creatures come to life. She shook her head, hardly able to believe she was one herself. But she could no longer ignore the truth of what Slyck had awoken in her.

Slyck cast her a sidelong glance, which Jaclyn avoided by toying with her straw while she sipped her fruity drink and tried to make it look like she was uncomfortable, like she didn’t belong in the establishment—an easy task for sure, since her insides rattled more than dice in a Yahtzee cup.

As she neared the bottom of her strawberry daiquiri, the door behind her swung open, and the sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden floor heralded Vall’s arrival. She’d recognize the thunder of those combat boots anywhere. She worked to relax her tense body and keep her heart rate steady.

As he sailed past her, his long golden mane shimmered under the mosaic of dance floor lights. Jaclyn’s nostrils flared as the pungent scent of him washed over her. He smelled like wet fur, alcohol, cigarettes, and sex. Jesus, who would have thought a lycan would smoke? Then again, it wasn’t like he had to worry about dying from lung cancer.

She used her feelings of restlessness and anxiety to her advantage. Vall lit a cigarette and stepped up to the counter. She sipped her drink, shifted uncomfortably on her stool, and met his steely gaze.

Through the thick fog of smoke billowing around his head, she regarded him with wide eyes, taking in the hard lines of his profile and his cold calculating eyes as he grabbed a drink from the barkeep and stretched out in the corner booth, his back to the wall like a true predator. He drummed his fingers on the table and took stock of the room. From over the wide rim of his whiskey glass—yes, thanks to her new heightened senses, she could smell it from where she sat—he stared at her and scrutinized her every small move.

She swallowed hard, and despite her efforts not to, her gaze automatically went to Slyck as he came out from the back room, a rack of clean glasses in his hands. Their eyes locked in a silent message and the strength of their bond helped bolster her confidence. It also gave her the courage she needed to confront the big bad wolf, face on. She schooled her nerves and took another sip of her icy drink.

Ever determined to carry out the first part of their plan, and force the lycan to make his move on her tonight, she shot him an innocent smile and blinked her long lashes flirtatiously. Thanks to Sunray, she now knew exactly how much Vall liked corrupting young, innocent females and turning them into his obedient, submissive lycans. Just like he planned to do to her once he turned her. The mere thoughts of submitting to him made her skin crawl.

Jaclyn smoothed down the waist of the floral sundress that Slyck had also picked up for her earlier that day. Her actions were twofold. One she wanted to wipe the moisture from her hands, and two—since lycans were primal beings ruled by lust—she wanted to draw extra attention to her cleavage. As Vall watched her he swallowed half his drink in one gulp and swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand.

With the way she was currently dressed—the way she’d been dressing since her arrival, in fact—she sure as hell fit the descriptive requirements as a sweet, innocent woman, his for the taking.

His half-empty whiskey glass gave her an opening. She pointed to his glass and raised a questioning eyebrow. When he nodded, she put in her order for two fresh drinks. After they arrived, she sashayed across the floor. Fortunately the loud music helped drown out the pounding of her heart.

As she approached Vall’s table, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck began to tingle. “Mind if I join you?” She held his drink in her left hand and hers in the right while she gave a dismayed shrug and pouted. “Folks around here don’t seem too friendly toward me, and since we briefly met the other night, I just thought—” She purposely stopped speaking and waited for his invitation.

When an offer didn’t come, she made a move to turn. “Of course, I understand. Sunray—”

That seemed to trigger a reaction from him. His expression hardened; his hand clenched around his glass so hard she was certain it was going to break. He leaned forward and questioned in a deceptively calm voice, “What about Sunray?”

“I know she has to work late tonight,” she rushed out. “And since I saw you sitting here all alone, I thought we could just talk or dance or something. I’m not trying to cut in on her guy, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She put on her best innocent face. “Goodness, I would never do anything like that.”

She spent a long moment standing there, trying not to fidget under his interrogating glare, before he gave a predatory smile, opened his large hand, and gestured to the empty seat across from him. “Have a seat.”

Jaclyn shimmied in across from him. The ice in his refill glass clinked against the side, and a few drops of the amber liquid sloshed over the rim as she slid the drink across the tabletop.

His features soured after he took a huge swig, nearly draining the glass. “What the hell is in this?”

“It’s a whiskey blitz.” She blinked up at him with wide-eyed innocence. “I asked the bartender to make it special for me.” She offered him a flirty smile and neglected to tell him the lemon juice was to mask the taste and smell of the Tylenol. “I thought you looked like the kind of guy who would appreciate a little blitz in his drink.” She waved her hand and the movement stirred the smoke from his cigarette. “They’re a favorite back home. Very strong,” she added for good measure. When he frowned at her, she reached for his glass. “Sorry. I just thought—”

He crushed his cigarette and reached for another. “It’s fine.”

She didn’t have to fake her smile of relief. He brought the glass to his lips again.

When he found the bottom of the glass, he wiped his mouth
again and leered at her. Her skin crawled as his lecherous eyes went to her breasts.

The music blaring from a nearby speaker caught her attention. Praying the Tylenol would kick in quickly and dull his sharp senses, she gestured toward the nearly empty dance floor.

“Dance?” she asked, and climbed to her feet.

Vall pinched the bridge of his nose, blinked his eyes back into focus, and shook his head. “No.”

Mind racing, Jaclyn bent down and fussed with the buckle on her sandals. Damn. She needed to arouse him, to entice him, to rattle him, to leave no question in his mind that tonight would be the night he
had
to mark her.

As he watched her adjust the leather strap, she offered, “Clasp trouble.” She then straightened and caught a glimpse of two demons prowling restlessly through the room—the mischief that danced in their amber eyes gave their species away. She concentrated on her purpose and said, “Maybe I’ll ask—”

He snatched her hand and she resisted the urge to pull it back. She could feel his sheer strength through his fingers. She instinctively understood this lycan would never exhibit gentleness or kindness toward others. Unlike Slyck. Her throat tightened painfully.

When he slipped his arm around her waist, pulled her close, and then led her to the dance floor, she forced a smile. As her body pressed against his, she could feel his mounting arousal through his pants. The pleasure resonating through his body sickened her. He turned on his puppy charm, and even though it was lost on her, she pretended otherwise. She longed to let her panther off its
leash as the fierce, primal urge to claw at his eyes kicked in. She worked valiantly to suppress a shiver and fight down her primitive fight-or-flight instinct.

Shifting on her feet, she severed the lewd connection, but he simply pulled her in closer. Time seemed to stand still as one song ended and another began. She soon lost track of how long they’d been dancing as Vall continued to press his body against her.

Much to her relief, he began to wobble. His grip on her hips increased as he strove for balance. The Tylenol was kicking in. Thank God. Based on his size and weight they’d given him just enough to disorient him and make him nauseous, but not enough to kill him.

She tried for small talk and inched back. “It sure is warm in here tonight.” She toyed with the top button on her sundress and added, “I think I might have to jump in the pool when I get home.”

Vall’s hands slid around her body and rested on the small of her back as he pulled her to him, joining them hip to hip. He gripped her hard, his eyes darkening. “What the fuck was in that drink?” he asked.

Jaclyn tried to keep her heartbeat steady. “You’re supposed to sip it. It’s quite strong. I’ve seen full-grown men go down after only two of those.” She played up to him. “But I’m sure they weren’t a real man like you, Vall.”

“Yeah . . . ,” he responded absently, his voice dubious.

Thinking quick she added, “Oh, and it has chocolate in it to help sweeten it.” She licked her lips. “That’s my own addition, just because I love chocolate so much.”

Vall cursed under his breath. His feet seemed to move a little slower, his tongue a bit thicker as he continued to mumble a few more unsavory expletives.

It was time to make her move.

She feigned a yawn and staged her exit. “I guess I’d better get home. It’s late and I have an early morning tomorrow.” She offered him a bright smile. “Thanks for the dance.” Jaclyn made a move to go, wondering if he’d try to stop her. When he didn’t object she said, “I’ll see you around later?”