Instinctive - By Cathryn Fox Page 0,39
eyes were a strange color. That seemed to be a definable characteristic amongst everyone who’d come tonight—a definable characteristic that clumped them into a group of five. From the silver eyes of the group that loved the water, to the gorgeous green eyes of the group that didn’t. From the black eyes of the group that only surfaced at night, to the amber-yellow glow of the rowdy group that liked to create chaos. And of course she couldn’t forget the quiet group with the violet eyes and dark black hair.
She transferred her thoughts back to her friend when the sound of Vall’s rising voice echoed in the air.
“Why are they fighting?” she asked quietly.
“Because Sunray has a fetish for all things kitty.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning she’s not like the other wolves and she likes you. A lot. Even though I suspect she doesn’t quite know why yet.”
“I like her too.” She turned to see Vall grip Sunray’s upper arm tighter, forcing her compliance as they moved into the shadows.
“Even though she’s a lycan?” Slyck questioned.
Jaclyn gave Slyck a deadly glare. “She’s my friend, and she’s the only one in town who’s been nice to me.”
Slyck brought his lips close to hers, and despite a hard-fought battle, she could feel the heat rising in her. Her lips automatically parted.
“I’m nice to you,” he whispered into her mouth.
Her eyes slipped shut, and she waited for his kiss. What she got instead infuriated her.
With a light shove, Slyck threw her into the pool.
A moment later she surfaced, sputtering and cursing and wanting to kill the man. She finally found her footing and stood. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asked, pushing her wet hair off her forehead and madly blinking droplets from her eyes.
Instead of answering he let his eyes race over her wet dress, and the way it clung to her body. When his green eyes darkened with desire, her nipples hardened in response, alerting him to her arousal. Damn him.
“Are you insane?” she bit out.
“I thought you already established that I was.”
“What are you trying to do? Drown me?”
“Nope, trying to anger you.”
“Well, congratulations. Mission accomplished.” She shot him an indignant glare before making her way to the ladder. “Why the hell did you want to anger me?”
“So your panther will show.”
“Okay, Slyck, I’ve heard enough of this.” She climbed from the pool, but there was no ignoring the niggling in her stomach—a familiar intuitive reaction. She didn’t want to believe Slyck—she really didn’t—but she couldn’t ignore her gut feeling any more than she could ignore his blatant sexuality. As she ran over the events of the night, she couldn’t deny that there was something very unnatural about this town and the people in it, making it hard for her to cling to the belief they were merely fearful of outsiders. There was something more unnatural than just their eye color. Everything from the aloof way they treated outsiders to having no pets, no birds, insects, or elderly. And their skin, it was flawless. Eternal-looking, really.
Oh Jesus.
Her stomach knotted. She worried her bottom lip. Surely to God she was caught up in some bad nightmare. Maybe if she pinched herself . . .
With two easy steps Slyck closed the distance between them. “Still angry?”
“Yes,” she bit out, then challenged, “If anger causes one to shift, why haven’t I shifted before? Trust me, I’ve felt anger many times over.”
“I told you, you need male seed.”
“So you really expect me to believe your seed brings out the panther? Sounds like some kind of trick to get into a woman’s pants if you ask me. God, leave it to a man to come up with something so ludicrous.”
He ignored her comment and continued. “It also changes DNA in humans.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “I thought you said I wasn’t human.”
“You’re panther. And a female’s panther lies dormant until the male seed is introduced,” he reiterated.
Jaclyn’s head began swimming, and she tried to hold on to her anger. She nibbled her bottom lip as her body tightened. Christ, this was becoming all too much for her to comprehend. “Slyck—”
He brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. His familiar caress combined with his close proximity caused all her anger to evaporate, her resolve to crumble.
The heat from his body reached out to her and she grew moist, but that moisture had absolutely nothing to do with her unexpected dip in the pool. Oh God, she needed him again. There were no two