Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance (The Animal Sagas) (2 page)

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 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 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 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. Outside of her family though, no one knew of her feline magic  and she wanted to keep it that way. Maybe Sonya’s gift was just a weaker version. But as it was, her were line, the Yukonia line, was now a rare and highly prized commodity and she’d just as soon keep a low profile, just to make sure somebody didn’t try and take advantage of their highly sought after gift.

Who would have ever thought that things could ever change again for the sisters in just the blink of an eye? Certainly not Lynda.

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 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.

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 there 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, 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.

Chapter 5

Present day -

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.

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.

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. As loud as Clay could growl, he was always very cautious with her, and had never actually 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.