The Animal Sagas: A Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance Page 5
If it all kept going as it was right now she was thinking of adding a few flock guardians of some kind, maybe a Great Pyrenees or perhaps a Kuvasz, to the family as well to stop the animals going MIA. It might be a few more mouths to feed, but at least that, and maybe a few pats on the head from time to time, would be the only salary these farm hands would expect. Good enough for her!
As it turned out, the night time bartender job she had now was good for tips most weekends even if many of the customers really pushed her buttons. And that money had come in handy many times over, the past few weeks especially, in helping Lynda keep everything above water. There were a few good customers that she loved seeing every weekend – but they were sorely outnumbered by all the butt-heads who loved to show up and aggravate the hell out of her!
She often just wanted to yell, “Chill the hell out!” to all the patrons at the bar – but she just kept it all to herself so she could keep the job. She didn’t want her temper and an ill-fated comment to blow it for her now. Most days she really missed her corporate job though. They still sent her some projects to do as freelance work as often as they could since they really hoped she would come back one day. And that was a miracle as far as she was concerned.
Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance (Chapter 3)
The Seron sisters, as they were known about town, were about as different as two sisters could be. Lynda, the oldest by only six years, was a very to-the-point kind of person. She said what was on her mind and was not afraid to get her hands “dirty” if necessary in the midst of any under taking in which she became a part of. She was a doer – not a talker, and had a hot temper if crossed.
But she was also loyal to her friends and family, super intelligent, brave and, invariably, somewhat of a loner too. Most people just annoyed her to no end so she grew accustomed to spending a lot of time by herself. And that was fine with her – must be due to her catamount alter ego, she often mused.
As far as Sonya, the baby Seron sister, was concerned, she was much more of a “girly” girl. Just the opposite of Lynda in so many ways. Lynda’s younger sister was much more of a free spirit with a happy-go-lucky kind of personality. She had lots of friends and loved to talk on the phone or type whatever on Facebook.
As the baby in the family she had been doted on her entire life and had almost come to expect things to be handled for her with very little work on her end. The act of having her parents pass on suddenly like they did had definitely slapped her with the reality paddle! Unfortunately the effects of said paddle didn’t last very long.
No longer did she have Mom and Dad to give her everything she asked for, or take her everywhere she wanted to go or buy her everything she so desperately desired. She did not know how to do much of anything either really, and poor Lynda found that out the hard way immediately after moving back. Expecting Sonya to know how to do, and then to actually complete even the most mundane of chores, was met with an instant, and negative, acknowledgement by Lynda.
Sonya was simply oblivious to reality and refused to do anything at first. Why should she mop the floors, fold clothes or wash the dishes? And don’t even try to discuss her doing any thing at all outside because that was definitely below her!
Since Sonya had been such a miracle to their parents, they had spoiled her in ways they never did Lynda. Lynda was never exactly jealous, she was just annoyed every time she would talk to her younger sister and Sonya would gush on and on about what new gift her parents had given her, what new thing she wanted next, and so on and so on. Lynda was very deeply independent and liked to do things for herself. She had hoped that Sonya would soon grow out of her needy stage and be the same way.
In the beginning, when both sisters were forced to fend for themselves, two things began to happen. First, Sonya had an expectation that Lynda was going to take care of her much the way their parents had. This expectation was quickly dashed when Lynda made it clear that she would not be taking Sonya on shopping sprees, and that no, she could not have the newest pair of fur trimmed boots that she spotted in one of the shop windows, or that cute top over in her favorite boutique.
Secondly, once this reality settled in on Sonya, she was none too pleased. She became determined to get exactly what she wanted and not be limited by the fact that she had to get it for herself. She certainly did not want to work for a living. So she decided she would do the next best thing, she would get men to buy her what she wanted.
As a result she gained a bit of a reputation for being very flirtatious. But flirting was all it ever was. Sonya took great caution to make sure of that. Because when she mated, she knew the magic within her would bend her to the desires and pleasures of the man she mated with. That was something she was not ready for.
So Lynda had to “train” Sonya how to do so many things on top of all her other tasks that now needed to be done. “Thanks Mom and Dad!”, she often thought to herself in their first six months together after the accident. Fun times – no, you couldn’t say that even on the best of days the first few months after the accident – but now they had come to an agreement of sorts with Sonya finally agreeing to help her sister out while big sis did all the other heavy lifting.
In the midst of it all Sonya did lose her cell phone privileges – because if she couldn’t pay the cell bill, she wouldn’t have a cell phone – Lynda’s Rule #1. It was the least she could do to help bill-wise around here – but Lynda was happy with the progress they were making over all.
So, for now at least, she left all the house keeping chores to Sonya since she wasn’t much help to her otherwise. Hell, she wasn’t a lot of help to her indoors either but Sonya had learned not to push her sister too hard when all she was trying to do was keep a roof over their heads.
At least Sonya was good at feeding the hungry dishwasher now and heating up frozen dinners. And if it was a good day, and Sonya really felt on top of things, she would even cook something as complex as a meatloaf and maybe mashed potatoes and green beans right out of the can. Lynda could only remember having had that meal twice so far since she moved back home, though.
Lynda decided that an additional hand around the farm was needed – but she wasn’t sure how successful she’d be in finding someone good, reliable and trust worthy – who would be willing to work in return for food and board only. There were only so many things Lynda could do by herself, in her mind she knew that, but it hurt like hell to acknowledge that she just might not be as resilient and resourceful as she needed to be to save the farm – and her and Sonya too.
But she decided she’d wait on that decision until having the time to talk to Sonya about it – not so much for her approval, but just to see what thoughts she might have about potentially having a third person around the farm full time. So much to do and so little time – but wasn’t that always the way?
Big sis hoped now that Sonya was out of school for the semester that she might get a part time job too and maybe chip in on a few things – heck, even a bag of groceries here or there or a utility bill once a month would be a huge help to her right now. As far as Lynda could see, most days the sisters were swimming, just treading water, and Sonya just seemed a dead weight. But not one that Lynda wanted to cut off if there were anyway possible.
So she would mention that idea to her later on and maybe they could have an adult discussion without too much yelling, drama or crying. In fact, on second thought, Sonya was old enough to come to the bar now - in fact, Lynda remembered, the owner had mentioned a job opening up in passing to her the other night. Maybe Sonya might want to try that – at least then Lynda could keep an eye on her on the weekends too.
And as for the magic gift they both shared, as far as Lynda knew, Sonya really didn’t shift. In fact, Sonya had hardly ever practiced her magic – maybe just on a few rare occasions. Lynda, by this time, was a master at it. Hell, she’d been able to shift she she was about six, so she had a little over twenty years practice honing her skills and letting her “inner pussy” roam.
Who would have ever thought that things could change again for the sisters in just the blink of an eye? Certainly not Lynda.
Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance (Chapter 4)
Present Day ———–
Sonya Seron was a shapeshifter. She had been most of her young life. In fact, she had an older sister named Lynda who could also transform, or shift, whichever you liked, and her mother could too. Literally, over half her extended family also had this rare gift – aunts and uncles, cousins, you name it, and 99.9% of them were women!
In fact, her clan, or pack, again, whichever you prefer, the Yukonia line, an old and once great clan of were-people, all shared this incredible gift. It was normally passed on from mother to daughter, though she had heard tales of a few men in the clan who also were shifters.
In fact, usually the true Yukonia men, fathered by pure Yukonia parents, carried the gene as a recessive too. Then if they were to marry another possessing the Yukonia gene, then they too could bear shifter offspring. It was really quite amazing when you think about it.
As for Sonya, well, she too had the incredible gift to shift into the shape of a cougar, puma, panther or mountain lion – whichever you preferred. In fact, she enjoyed the name catamount herself. To her it sounded more royal, unique and strong – exactly as she envisioned her she-cat alter ego.
But today she simply stared at the angry werewolf below her from her safe perch high in a pine tree. For the last half hour, Clay, a shifter himself, he was a werewolf, had been sitting in the snow at the base of the pine. At first he had been patient, but that patience had worn very thin. He had been growling and yapping at her to come down from her perch and return home with him immediately for a while now.
Sonya, still in cougar form, daintily licked a blond paw and stretched out her toes, carefully inspecting her fur and pads. She pretended to be unconcerned by all the noise her bodyguard was making. Which only infuriated Clay more. Surely, everyone in a five mile radius could hear all the fuss he was making, no doubt! She half expected other members of the pack to arrive at any moment to see what all the fuss was about.
As it turned out, especially since she had no cell phone or internet connection anymore, “Thanks big sister!”, she thought to herself, annoying Clay was Sonya’s latest joy in life. And, turns out, she was really good at it too – it was a great way for her to find amusement in a pack of way too serious wolves! After all, she hadn’t asked to become part of a werewolf pack, or to be given a bodyguard, all of that had happened as a consequence of her recent abduction. Her freedom had still been stolen, even though, at least with the werewolf pack, she was safe.
So he must pay the price to be in her presence as far as she was concerned. He didn’t even have to be here as far as she was concerned – she would really prefer just being left alone to explore the new wilderness on her own. But Clay would have none of that. So if he were going to have to hang around all the time he would just have to do what she wanted to do. Easy enough, right?! At least that’s what SHE thought.
As it turns out just over five months ago, Sonya had been abducted from her home by a local thug named Jonathan Anderson. Turns out, he was a shifter too and just happened to be a werewolf who had been intent on forcing her to become his mate. And she had met Jonathan at the bar the two sisters worked at on the weekends. Sonya had been terrified that he would make good on his threats, and was certain that her life had come to a miserable end.
Her sister Lynda had gotten her a part time job at the bar on the weekends to help pay the family bills and then one day in comes this big, pushy, greasy looking guy named Jon who did his best to get in her pants. Yuck! There was no way that was ever going to happen unless she was absolutely unconscious and she was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen in her lifetime. Still, Sonya was more than happy to accept his $50 tips every time he came in – but that was all – otherwise he was really not her type.
Her big sister, Lynda, had made a huge sacrifice to save her from Jonathan and his stinky buddies. Not only had Lynda worked out a plan to get her back, but she had also given herself to the new pack leader, Ben, in return for all his help by becoming his mate. Turns out, Ben was also Jonathan’s rival pack’s alpha male which pretty much ruined all Jonathan’s plans before they could actually happen.
She had actually met Ben, her new brother-in-law, just briefly before the abduction, by chance, but had no idea Lynda would go to such levels to get her back. In fact, as much as they had fought in the past few months before the kidnapping, Sonya half expected Lynda to let the bad guys keep her. She now realized what a pain in the rear she had been to Lynda and was truly sorry for all of it.
Now Sonya was the new sister-in-law of Ben Wilder, pack leader, and a new member of the Strongheart werewolf pack. Not that she had asked to be. Not that she had a choice whether she wanted to be or not. Lynda, who was pregnant with Ben’s twins, was settling into pack life fairly easily. It was fairly surprising to Sonya how easy the transition for Lynda was actually. That was thanks, in large part, to the magic of their Yukonia bloodline, which allowed them to quickly adapt to their mate’s needs and lifestyle.
Sonya however, chafed under the werewolf lifestyle and all the rules that now held her. An un-mated Yukonia cougar was not meant to live alone in a pack. She was meant to roam, to hunt, and most importantly, to be free. She thought she was trying to fit in, but did every thing in her power, it seemed, to show her defiance. And poor Clay, since he was around her pretty much 24/7, he got the bulk of it now.
Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance (Chapter 5)
Sonya was grateful for what her sister had done for her. She had made a great sacrifice by offering herself to Ben, however in the end, it had turned out to be a good romantic match. After her previous abduction, she realized that she was far safer living within the pack’s protection, than she ever had been when she and Lynda lived alone back at their family’s old cabin.
In that sense it did give her some sense of comfort, since her parents had passed away, leaving the sisters with only each other. She even appreciated the necessity of Clay’s presence. She understood it, she really did, but it didn’t make her have to like it!
Scouts had reported to Ben on more than one occasion that Jonathan had been seen sniffing around the edges of Strongheart territory since her return to her sister and the Strongheart clan. He still wanted her even after all the drama of a few months back! Just the thought of it made her shiver. He was one nasty dude!
But Sonya didn’t want to be caught alone with that man ever again. Still, she longed to hunt the new mountainous woods of the pack’s territory by herself. To feel the grass beneath her feet, and to feel the breeze rush through her fur as she encountered the new territory all on her own terms, now that is something she longed for.
Big cats were meant to roam by themselves – didn’t these dogs understand that? She wasn’t worried at all about being alone out here… as long as she had shifted that is. And Sonya was tired of her relentless babysitter. He was a nice enough guy, but boring to a fault, and always following Ben’s commands like a little puppy.
Today was no different. They had just finished their run today and Clay was up and pacing slowly back and forth, the haunches beneath his snug fur shifting lithely with every gesture of his paw. “Damn it Sonya! Get your furry red rear out of that tree right now, or I am coming up there after you! Again! You know I mean it!”
Apparently, Clay had gotten tired of waiting for her to come down of her own accord while she day dreamed atop the tree. But as loud as Clay could growl, he was always very cautious with her, and had never actuall
y hurt her.
When she glanced down with a smug glare, she found him as she expected to. He stood there, shivering in the snow, just as nude as the day he was born. Sonya took a good long look at his muscular frame – and from her vantage point she could see everything, her eyes lingering for a moment on his light green gaze.
She had to admit, if she was going to have to have a babysitter, Clay Rhodes was definitely a fine looking man – were or otherwise. With the blonde hair that topped his features, he was certainly nothing to turn her nose up at. Even if he was a bit tedious to be around, he was not hard to look at, at all. She always considered it a good day when she could force the handsome werewolf to shift back out of his wolf form, and face her down naked. Yep, a really good day.
Deciding she had played hard to get long enough, Sonya stood up, stretched, and lithely jumped down from the tree. Stretching, once she landed back on solid earth, she taunted him, still in cougar form, by lightly swatting at him with a large snowy mitten.
Still, she didn’t want to have to repeat her last hunting time with him. She had been caught up in the desire to obtain her prey, and in doing so, Clay had been torn through the woods at such high speeds that he did not even have time to slow down and avoid the treacherous pines.
That time he did climb up the tree to get her down. She could still see him clearly in her mind trying his best to climb that tree. And as a general rule, wolves are not known for their tree climbing skills. Sonya had been forced to pluck pine slivers from Clay’s legs for hours, while Lynda lectured her about not mistreating her bodyguard.