Instinctive - By Cathryn Fox Page 0,62

inside her.

Once he had completely released himself inside her, Slyck crawled in next to her and pulled the blankets up. All three snuggled in tight, one against the other. When Jaclyn began to drift off, she heard Sunray and Slyck whispering, Slyck asking her if she really knew what she was getting into, and if she truly understood the consequences of her actions if she got caught. After Sunray’s assurances that she was in all the way, they both climbed from her bed and left the room. A moment later Jaclyn heard her back door open and close as the two carefully made their way home before sunrise.

After their long, thoughtful conversation with Sunray, and an evening of lovemaking, Slyck had cautiously returned home and spent the rest of the night all alone at his kitchen table, strategizing and fine-tuning the details of his timely yet risky plan.

It was fortunate for both Jaclyn and him that Sunray had been harboring a deep hatred for Vall for decades now. The strong female lycan had also bonded with Jaclyn over the last few weeks, which made her a very willing partner in his scheme. And her participation was critical for success. They needed her full cooperation if they had any chance of pulling off such a dangerous mission.

After a sleepless night, Slyck had made his way to his club to put things into motion. As midmorning neared, he hurried around Vibes and emptied every bottle of grenadine. After pouring the liquid down the drain, he dropped the bottles into the Dumpster in the alleyway next to his club, and then hopped into his SUV.

He rarely left the community, had no reason to really. Until today. Of course, going outside the gate during the day wasn’t prohibited, provided the inhabitant had a purpose. And since it was Friday night, his busiest night at the club, Slyck had, after emptying the grenadine, given himself a perfect excuse, especially since it was a crucial ingredient in the guard’s favorite drink.

Slyck eased his SUV up to the security gate and tipped his head at the demon cowboy on duty. Yeah, that’s right: a demon cowboy. It was one of the strange personae the demon had taken on over his lifetime. Why he continued to stick with it, Slyck would never know.

And speaking of cowboys, it was too bad Slyck and Jaclyn couldn’t just ride out of town and disappear into the sunset, like Slyck used to do when he lived in the Old West. Talk about a surefire way to send his community, and his people in particular, into a tailspin. Sure Vall would love to see him gone—but he’d prefer to see them dead. That, and the overseers would classify them as rogues and undoubtedly hunt them both down. The only way Jaclyn and he were going to make it out of Serene alive was for the townsfolk to think they were dead.

“Morning, Jake.”

Jake angled his head, his amber gaze narrowing in curiosity as his leather Stetson shaded the sun from his eyes. “Where are you off to this morning, Slyck?” he asked in a slow, practiced Southern drawl that would have made Clint Eastwood proud.

Slyck clicked his tongue. “Off to get some grenadine,” he offered. “Got stiffed on my last shipment.” Slyck gave him a knowing wink. “And I know you wouldn’t want to miss out on your tequila sunrise tonight.”

Slyck gauged the guard’s reaction as he looked him over. Christ, if the guy wanted to maintain his tough cowboy appearance, then perhaps he should opt for a drink that went along with the image. Tequila sunrises hardly fit the reputation of a rough-and-ready cowboy.

Crooked teeth flashed in a devious smile. “No, we wouldn’t want that to happen, now, would we?” Jake commented and quickly lifted the gate.

Slyck grinned. Sometimes bartending really paid off.

“Harmony left here earlier,” Jake began. “She was mumbling something about needing herbs, and how her garden had gotten drowned out in the thunderstorm last week.” Rubbing his palms together, he gave Slyck a wicked grin as mischief danced in his golden eyes. “I wonder what she’s got cooking up.”

So did Slyck.

With the strange, flirty way Harmony had been acting around Vall lately, always taking his side in a dispute, he worried whether her sudden need for herbs had something to do with her feelings for him. Love spells were strictly forbidden. She knew that. Hell, everyone knew that. Lessons learned long ago taught them all that such magick caused nothing