Instinctive (22 page)

He turned and stalked back to his table, but not before she caught the calculating look on his face, a look that told her “around” would definitely be a lot sooner than later.

She kept the triumphant smirk from her face when Slyck caught her eyes. She pushed through the front door and made her way out into the night.

After feeling the lycan’s reactions to her body, and sensing that he wanted to stop her before she caused any more havoc around town with her love of chocolate, she suspected he wouldn’t be too far behind. She didn’t have to worry about him losing her trail, not with the way she’d drenched herself in perfume. He’d easily be able to follow her scent and track her into the alleyway, where Sunray awaited her arrival.

Her shoes tapped a steady rhythm as she hustled between the buildings. Jaclyn slipped deeper into the darkness and nodded in passing to Sunray, who now donned a dark wig, the same dress as Jaclyn, and smelled like she’d just taken a bath in jasmine-vanilla perfume.

Jaclyn hunkered down behind the large Dumpster and waited,
all the while trying to calm her ragged breathing. When the stench of the garbage bursting out of the trash bin beside her reached her nose, she resisted the urge to retch. She glanced around, trying not to concentrate on the foul smell, when another scent reached her. Slyck. She could feel him close by, ready to jump in if anything went wrong.

She wondered if he had Sunray’s gun. As a last resort he’d probably kill Vall before he let anything happened to either of them. But by killing Vall they’d also be giving themselves a death sentence. Christ, they were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t. Which was exactly why this crazy, harebrained plan had to work.

Jaclyn cleared her head and trained her focus on Sunray. With her back to the street entrance, Sunray bent down, pretending to fiddle with her broken clasp the same way Jaclyn had earlier, all part of their risky plan. Her dark hair covered her features and she mumbled low under her breath for effect.

Suddenly the air in the narrow alleyway charged, and a dark shadow prowled closer to her. The deep growl that emanated from the dark figure sliced through the stillness in the air and made Jaclyn shudder. She covered her ears and watched him quickly close the distance, praying he couldn’t taste her fear as it hung heavily in the air.

Looking feral and predatory, he advanced with purpose, quietly coming up from behind, so as not to bring alarm to his victim. His stealthy actions surprised Jaclyn, since she took him for a man who would appreciate a struggle. Another time perhaps. Another day, when his system wasn’t flooded with poison.

As he loomed over Sunray, he clasped her waist from behind. A primitive growl rumbled deep in his throat, and his lips peeled back to expose razor-sharp teeth. Wasting no time at all, he clamped down on her shoulder, diving hungrily through her dress to reach her delicate skin. The slurping, flesh-tearing sounds turned Jaclyn’s stomach. She put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from making a sound, and all the while trying to ignore the bile rising up from her throat, Jaclyn forced herself to watch, to see exactly where he’d broken through her flesh.

Survival instincts kicking in, Jaclyn reached into her purse and pulled out a sack of deer blood, compliments of the town’s blood bank. She worked quickly and poured it over her shoulder before ripping her dress. The pungent coppery scent assaulted her senses and made her eyes water. Thanks to a lycan’s regenerative healing abilities, Jaclyn didn’t have to worry about Vall searching for teeth marks. Come tomorrow morning, she’d be as good as new.

Sunray covered her shoulder with her hand. A loud thud sounded as she dropped to the ground and let her hair fall forward to cover her face. Blood dripped from Vall’s mouth and spread across his shirt. He blinked his eyes and looked around, disoriented. Suddenly, he clutched his stomach and sank to his knees. A loud wrenching noise pierced the dark alley as he violently threw up. The two women took that opportunity to switch places. It was fortunate the opportunity had presented itself; otherwise, they would have had to hope and pray that Vall, in his current condition, did not notice that it was Sunray he’d marked.

After a long time, Vall finally managed to pull himself up. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and mumbled something about
chocolate under his breath. Still confused and unstable, he gathered Jaclyn into his arms, carried her to her house, and deposited her on her bed.

She dropped to her mattress like dead weight and remained motionless until he rounded the corner and disappeared from her line of sight. She heard her back door open and close, and listened to the hard pounding of his boots on her walkway. It was then and only then that she dared to gasp and suck air into her lungs.

As she tried to calm her shaking hands, she concentrated on her breathing, amazed that everything had come together. Now if only everything else went so easily.

She paused to consider the rest of the plan. Here she’d come to Serene to bury her provocative ways and play the part of the good girl. Who would have thought she’d have to draw on her feminine wiles to get her out of suburbia alive? Good thing her parents weren’t here to witness what they’d consider an act of rebellion. After all, it wasn’t like she could tell them that she had to release her wild sexy side because she was a were-cat trying to trick an entire town.

And one lycan in particular.

Jaclyn slept in late, which, she’d quickly come to learn, was exactly what was expected of any human after surviving a lycan bite or, rather, a lycan “marking.” From what Sunray had explained to her, a human needed rest and nourishment while adjusting to the radical changes that would take place inside the body.

She used the quiet time wisely, reading, researching, and learning everything she could about the lycan species, and about canines in general. She’d also come to learn that silver really was the only thing that could kill a lycan, and during their shift, as they morphed from man to wolf, they were defenseless, which made them especially vulnerable to an attack.

Forty-eight hours later, after having studied all things werewolf, she left her house and stepped out into the bright morning sunshine. And once again, as she ventured into the town, she found herself having to masquerade as something she wasn’t.

The first thing Jaclyn did upon her “awakening” was make
her way to the department store for a new wardrobe. Since lycans were as libidinous as panthers, maybe even more so, she couldn’t go around dressed in her staid attire.

With Sunray’s help she went on a shopping spree, refilling her closet with an assortment of sexy clothing, similar to the ones she’d left behind when she’d first begun her quest to mend her wicked ways.

Feeling much more comfortable and at home in a short flirty miniskirt and sexy top that exposed her midriff, Jaclyn made her way with Sunray to the hairdresser in search of a hot new look for Jaclyn. She asked the stylist to cut off all her long hair, then give her a short, wild, curly bob and light blond highlights that matched the color of a wheat field. The shade looked pretty next to her new silver contacts, even though she couldn’t wait to get rid of them so she could proudly display her new green flecks to her alpha mate.

She couldn’t afford to slip from her role for one minute, so she paraded herself around town to make sure everyone witnessed the changes taking place in her. She strived to leave no question in anyone’s mind that Vall had indeed marked her.

Later that day, during their lunch break, Jaclyn and Sunray stopped by the body-piercing boutique to get belly rings, completing their sexy, sultry look before they headed back to work.

Back at the department store, now that Jaclyn had been marked, she’d suddenly become accepted by the community. The town’s women had begun to step up to the counter—an effort to welcome her into their secret society, she supposed. Even the lady whose daughter she’d nearly killed with chocolate had suddenly turned friendly.

They bought skin-care products that they didn’t need, and would probably never use, as well as an abundance of makeup supplies. Much to her surprise and delight, Vasenty Cosmetics began to fly off the shelf. After all, wasn’t that one of the main reasons she’d moved to Serene in the first place?

Later that night at Vibes, she learned that since Jaclyn and Sunray had been growing tighter by the day, Vall had tasked Sunray with the responsibility of initiating Jaclyn into the brethren. It was Sunray’s job to guide Jaclyn through all the changes taking place inside her body and mind. To teach the new “cub” exactly what she’d become before the first full moon and to school her in the ways of the wolf. Sunray was required to stay with her day and night, to help ease her into her first full shift before she handed Jaclyn over to Vall. He’d then take her for a run in the outskirts, and come morning he’d expect her to submit to her alpha and bond with him sexually, in animal form, before he offered her body to the rest of the pack. Jaclyn shivered just thinking about such a horrendous thing.

It truth, it seemed odd that Vall would trust his rebellious alpha female with such a huge task, seeing as how little control he had over her. Then again, perhaps in some way, it was a small offering, a little tit for tat. Vall knew how close Jaclyn and Sunray had grown over the last few weeks. If Vall offered Sunray a new plaything, maybe in return she’d be grateful enough to submit to him—like she adamantly refused to do, but should have done so many years ago.

The two women began spending all their time together, which seemed to please Vall immensely. From working together
at the department store, to meeting up at Vibes for after-hours drinks, to ending the night at Jaclyn’s place, where a night of real female bonding ensued. They talked about Sunray’s past and the man she’d loved and lost, as well as the reason Jaclyn had come to Serene in the first place.

Even though Jaclyn enjoyed Sunray’s company, her body craved Slyck intensely. She felt so desperate for his company, her insides hurt. Just knowing he was across the street and she was unable to go to him filled her with turmoil. That turmoil had her panther pacing, urging her to answer the demands of her body.

She ached to be with him,
needed
to be with him more than she needed her next breath, but it was far too risky to blatantly cross the street and go to him. Everyone around town knew how Slyck felt about lycans, and if she and he were spotted together, even briefly, it would raise Vall’s hackles.

After many days into her “change,” and with the full moon merely three nights away, Jaclyn continued with her daily routine. She’d left the department store and taken a quick lunch break at the neighborhood café. Apparently, before one’s first shift, one had a ravenous appetite until their metabolism stabilized, so Jaclyn made sure the townsfolk watched her gorge. While she was sitting near the window, enjoying a sandwich, salad, coffee and blueberry pie, her cell phone rang. She dug into her purse and hauled it out. Her heart lodged somewhere in her throat when she saw the number.

She swallowed her last bite of flaky crust and flipped her phone open. “Hello,” she said, feigning enthusiasm. She loved her parents—she truly did—but this was so not what she needed right now.

“Jaclyn, darling, how are you?” her mother asked, in her usual cheerful voice.

“Fine, Mom. Just been busy. I meant to call earlier—”

Her father’s voice boomed in on the other extension. “No worries, Jaclyn. I know you’ve been working hard. I have the sales figures in my hands to prove it.”

Jaclyn smiled. She missed them both, and even though they were only a few states over, it felt as if they were a million miles away. “I guess that will make the board happy.”

“More like thrilled,” he corrected and Jaclyn could just picture the boisterous smile on his robust face. “This will finally prove to them that Jaclyn Vasenty, brilliant, hardworking daughter of Benjamin Vasenty, is just the woman to take over the reins when I retire,” he boomed out.

Oh God, her father was counting on her to run his empire, and she owed him that. He’d put all his faith in her, and she didn’t want to disappoint him or let him down, not again.

“Which might be sooner rather than later,” her mother piped in. “Isn’t that right, Benji?”

Benji? She’d never heard her mother call her father Benji before. What the hell was that all about?

Jaclyn crinkled her nose and nodded her thanks to Lily when she stepped up to the table and refilled her coffee mug. Was it just her imagination, or did her mother suddenly sound giddy and a bit flirty with her father? Her parents had always loved each other—that much she knew—but her father was a workaholic who never really made a lot of time for his wife, nor had her mother ever acted like a love-struck teenager before.

Jaclyn took a small sip of coffee and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “What’s going on?”

“Oh your father and I just purchased a retirement home in Florida, honey.”

“I’ve spent a lot of years working and building this company, Jaclyn. And now that everyone knows my business is in good hands, I plan on making up for all the lost time I’ve been away from your mother.”

Her mother giggled again and Jaclyn’s smile widened. She loved that the two of them were finding each other again after all these years.

“After a few more weeks with these sales numbers, there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind just how dedicated and serious you are about running the business. Then you’ll be able to come home.”

Oh, if it were only so easy . . .

Suddenly her mind raced to Slyck, and how she’d only just found him. Oh God, what would happen to the both of them when the full moon peaked in a mere three days? Would they ever be able to walk out of suburbia alive?

Her stomach knotted and she worked to keep her voice steady. “I am serious about the business. I always have been.”