Instinctive - By Cathryn Fox Page 0,50

eyes flashing in excitement.

Harmony turned to Slyck. “Slyck?”

Slyck kept his face blank and remained emotionless as he looked around the room, disliking his odds. He had a twenty percent chance of winning, which also meant he had an eighty percent chance of losing. Winning could solve Jaclyn’s and his problems, but losing would only multiply the ones they already had. Fuck, he didn’t like this. He didn’t like this at all.

“Will her family be suspicious if she doesn’t return?” Slyck studied the reaction of those before him as he anguished over the odds. He couldn’t risk it. Not with Jaclyn. There had to be a better way. Christ, he really needed to buy time until he figured this mess out. “After all, Jaclyn is a rich, pampered city girl who is here simply to raise cosmetics sales,” he answered, knowing she was anything but. “And it might look suspicious to her family if she suddenly decides to take up permanent residence here.”

As everyone absorbed his statement, the room seemed to grow exceptionally quiet, save for the drone of the fluorescent lights overhead, which suddenly seemed to have grown exceptionally loud in the hall.

“That’s a valid point,” Harmony finally said, breaking the quiet, her knowledgeable violet eyes studying Slyck as she went on to say, “but she certainly doesn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to go home. And she is asking some very insightful questions, don’t you think?”

“It’s not like we haven’t changed rich, pampered city folk before,” Devon pointed out. “And she’s single. Always the perfect candidate. Besides, once we turn her, she’ll become loyal to her pack—we all know that.”

“What’s the problem, Slyck? She’s just another ordinary girl,” Quinn volunteered.

Slyck bit the inside of his mouth. The circumstances surrounding her were far from ordinary, nor were his feelings for her. Slyck remained silent, cautious as he bartered with Jaclyn’s future. The last thing he needed was for the council to learn she was the offspring of a rogue; otherwise she was as good as dead. Vall would demand her termination, per mandate rules, and then challenge Slyck’s leadership.

Slyck could feel Vall’s suspicious eyes on him, his pewter glare cutting though his shield as easily as Quinn’s razor-sharp incisors sliced through ripe flesh.

“What’s the matter, Slyck? You sweet on her or something?” Vall asked.

Slyck fisted his hands and worked to control his anger. “I’m looking at all the angles, Vall, trying to be smart about this, to think about the town’s best interest.”

As though taking personal offense at Slyck’s words, Vall sprang to his feet so fast his chair went flying backward. Slyck remained seated. Shifting during a meeting or challenging one’s dominance was strictly prohibited when all the members sat around the oaken table and closed the circle.

Eyes taunting, Vall baited him. “What’s the matter, kitty, afraid of the big, bad wolf?”

Slyck’s fingers twitched, but once again he refused to take the bait. He wouldn’t stoop to Vall’s level.

Suddenly, Vall’s face began to elongate and the sound of his bones crackling was like music to Slyck’s ears. Vall’s sharp fangs extended, and a long golden mane covered his flesh. The fierce, violent energy swirling through the long hall called out to both the demon and the vampire, which had Devon and Quinn on their feet in record time.

Digging deep to keep his panther in check and show his unwavering control, as it itched to claw at Vall, Slyck slowly stood and turned to the lycan. He met his gaze unflinchingly and put his face close, nudging the beast’s temper. He watched the lycan let his anger control the animal inside him, and knew it was one of his nemesis’s greatest weaknesses. Irreverent fool that he was. During the change, the man became most vulnerable. At that moment, while still in his human form, Slyck could have easily taken out the wolf, but chose not to.

Harmony banged her hand on the table. Reproof in her tone, she snapped, “Enough.”

Devon and Quinn resumed their seats, but Slyck wouldn’t budge, not until Vall backed down.

“Slyck, Vall,” Harmony said, anger in her usually calm voice. “Enough.”

With that, Vall snarled and shook off the call of the beast. After giving Slyck one last warning glare, Vall took his seat.

“Let’s get back to the matter at hand, shall we?” Harmony said, quickly getting everyone back on track. “So a show of hands, then.”

Slyck had no choice but to go with the majority; otherwise he’d raise suspicions, and after that little battle