The Animal Sagas: A Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance

by Charles, Susan G

  But Sonya had other, more important, things on her mind. While the two ate supper Sonya carefully considered how she could seduce the big werewolf. Sonya knew it wouldn’t be easy. After over five months of chasing her around, Clay was savvy to most of her usual tricks, so tricking him would take coming up with something completely new.

  If she simply tried to slip into bed with him one night, he’d pitch a fit. Not to mention that her lack of bedroom experience made outright seduction a bad option for her. Getting him drunk wouldn’t work either. First off, Clay could easily drink her under the table, no doubt there. Plus her Yukonia magic worked far more easily when both partners were willing. And seducing a man in a drunken stupor wasn’t the best way to start a long lasting relationship.

  “Why are you staring at me like that?” Clay’s annoyed voice broke into her musings and brought Sonya’s attention back to the meal.

  Startled, Sonya gave him her most disarming smile. “No reason. Is the new episode of that hunting show you like on TV tonight? Or does that come on tomorrow?”

  Clay grunted at her as he continued to cut his steak into man-sized pieces and confirmed that it was, although he wasn’t sure how the reception would be. “Weather report says there is a big snow storm coming in tonight, maybe tomorrow.”

  She sighed appreciatively at his answer.

  “You may be a big pain in my ass she-cat, but you sure can cook. That was one fine steak. Great meal!” Clearing his plate, Clay then headed to the front door.

  “I’m gonna check in with Ben. You stay put, don’t go anywhere – and I will be right back. I mean it!”

  While Clay was gone, a plan began to form in Sonya’s head as she cleared the table. A few miles down the ridge line from their cabin was a small cave. She had found it one day on a hunt a few months after she moved in. Sometimes she used it as a place of refuge when she wanted to spend some time away from the pack. She had made a little den inside, and kept it stocked with lots of little necessities – some blankets, a few books, a lantern and a few other odds and ends too. Everything she would need to spend a few days away in relative privacy and comfort if she ever decided she needed a “vacation” from them all.

  The cave was not a secret though. Clay knew exactly where the cave was. As far as she knew though, none of the other pack members knew about the cave. Of this she was certain, but Clay did not ever go there without her already there. In fact, he had tracked her to the cave several times over the past few months during their daily outings.

  Maybe, just maybe, if she could lure him out there, right as the big storm hit, they would be marooned there together, in a small tight space. And then that might lead to… That should easily give Sonya ample time to convince him that their relationship needed to take course toward a new dimension.

  When Clay returned to the cabin, he was surprised to find Sonya already dozing on the couch. Carefully, he turned off the TV, picked up his charge and carried her to her bedroom. He groaned a bit when she reacted to his presence by cuddling into his arms. Sonya hid her half smile as she snuggled closer against him.

  Just as she’d thought, he wasn’t as immune to her charms as he pretended to be. She knew it! She felt him gently place her on the bed, and then carefully tuck the blankets in, all around her. She heard him slowly sigh as he left her bedroom, and Sonya smiled beneath the warm blankets. She felt he was already half way hers.

  Really drowsy herself from the previous days chase and all the cooking and cleaning she had just done, Sonya did allow herself several hours of “beauty” sleep before she woke up to continue along with her plan. When she did finally wake, it was the dead of night, and the cabin was nearly silent all around her. All she could hear was the sound of Clay’s breathing coming from his bedroom next door and the winds whistling from outside.

  Looking out the window, Sonya saw, to her satisfaction, that the snow was starting to fall heavily outside. There was a little wind too, but, as of yet, visibility was still good. The weather seemed to be perfectly following her plan!

  Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance (Chapter 8)

  Sonya stepped away from the window observing the snow storm, and butterflies began to flutter in her stomach. What if she was mistaken about the attraction she thought she had seen in him? What if Clay really didn’t like her in that way? What if she couldn’t get Clay to make love to her?

  What if something bad happened while they were out there, all by themselves during the storm? Sonya stood there for a second and finally shook off her apprehension. Now was not the time for doubt. Now was the time for action! And time was quickly running out!

  So, she first slipped out of her clothes, quietly snuck down the hall and then slipped out of the cabin and out into the snow. Shivering, Sonya snuck around the cabin until she reached her bodyguards window. She rapped loudly on the glass pane until she saw him start out of bed and face her. His sleepy, yet furious expression, told her that she did in fact have his attention. He was used to her antics but not in the middle of the night. She gave her guard a chipper little wave as she stood there in the snow absolutely nude.

  “Hi Clay! Isn’t the snow absolutely gorgeous? I’m going to go out for a run! Bye!” And just like that, she shifted into a mountain lion and ran off into the night.

  Sonya didn’t actually go very far. She wanted to make sure Clay followed her the right way of course. So she stopped – when she was hidden from sight in the nearby woods she listened closely for Clay. She could hear Clay bellowing furiously at her, first from inside the house at the window, and within a few moments, from just outside the door.

  With a final, “Damn it all you crazy she-cat!” he shifted form, and she could hear furry canine footsteps running in the direction she had fled. Then she was off in full force too, headed for the safety of the secret cave.

  The snow sprayed up from under her feet. The moonlight played across her dark fur. She loved having Clay chase her. Her was her best plaything of all time. It always gave her a thrill to know he was just a few feet behind her, and that he might catch her at any moment.

  A few times over the past several months she had even let him catch her, his massive bulk slamming into her and pinning her into the ground. It was those moments that had built up to the point that she could even consider him as a mate.

  And tonight would be no exception. So Sonya ran through the woods, not really trying too hard to out race him. She ran through the woods, the sounds of the night stilled by the falling snow. But back behind her she could hear Clay beginning to catch up, his heavy breaths, and the low growl deep within his throat. He chased her through the snow and trees, barking and whining, ever the annoyed little body guard, the white fluff outlining her tan body, making her easier to trail.

  They were getting close now. Ahead Sonya saw the ridge that her cave hideout was built into, she was almost there, but if he caught her before she reached it, her whole plan might not work out. She made a slight turn towards the cave, allowing her to make certain that Clay was still close behind her.

  When the werewolf realized her destination, he began to speed up, towards her flank. He was intent on cutting her off before she got to the safety of the cave. He was intent on cutting her off and making his opinion on after midnight snowy runs quite clear. That was a tactic of his Sonya knew all too well.

  Yes, she knew all his tricks too! So instead of letting him flank her right then and there, Sonya stopped short. She just stopped! Right in place. Clay blew past her at full speed – long before he realized his mistake and way too late to make a correction. His skidding paws kicked up a cloud of snow as he stopped.

  By the time he had turned around, Sonya was off again, this time sprinting towards the cave. She could see the small mouth of it calling to her. She closed her eyes and put her entire strength behind her languid strides. When she felt the cool of the stone against the bottom of her paw, she was flooded with a sense of victory. “Safe, made it – I’m safe,” she thought to herself.r />
  Once he caught up with her Sonya was already inside the dark cave, stretched out naked on her pile of blankets, playing with the lantern, looking a bit surprised at her “uninvited” guests arrival.

  “Oh, there you are, Clay. I was just wondering what took you so long. Nice night for a run don’t you think? I just love the snow.” Sonya told the werewolf as he shifted on the blankets in front of her, shaking the snow, leaves and branches off his coat.

  “What the hell, Sonya? Have you lost your furry, feline mind? What part of snow storm were you confused about? Didn’t you hear me talk about this earlier?” he demanded as he stared down at her. He was so angry that it seemed he didn’t notice the beauty sprawled out before him.

  Right on cue, the wind began to howl briskly outside the cave, blowing the snow into a nearly solid white sheet. Clay glanced over his shoulder at the angry weather outside with a look of complete aggravation on his chiseled face. His deep groan indicated he was in no mood to be stuck in the cave. Then he angrily threw the heavy wool blanket she had pegged up to act as a door down over the cave entrance. When he moved towards her, after finishing taking care of the door, Sonya realized he was favoring his left leg.

  Newly alarmed she sat up swiftly, forgetting her seduction for the moment. “What did you do to your leg? What happened, Clay? Why… are you limping?” Sonya asked him.

  “What do you care? Aw, it’s fine” he grumbled at her under his breath, angrily. “I just strained my ankle a bit on that last turn thanks to YOU!”, he yelled at her, turning away before he got even madder.

  “You really need to stop doing this, she-cat. It’s way too hard on my body. I’m not a pup anymore you know?! A guy has his limits!” Clay then sat down next to her on the pile of blankets looking defeated and rubbed his ankle absent-mindedly as he looked away.

  “What are you running from Sonya? Why do you do this all the time? Is it me? Do you want me to ask Ben to assign you a new guard? Because I will do it if you want me too.”

  “What?! No… ” Sonya gasped, horrified, and completely caught off guard by all Clay’s new questions. Now that she had her heart set on Clay as her mate, she was intent that she was going to get exactly what she wanted.

  “No, of course I don’t want a new guard. Really. I was just playing! I thought you liked it too! This is just our thing – this is just what we do. And I’m not running from anything. Really – I promise! I just want… I want…,” she stammered not knowing what to say, and hesitated, her voice fading beneath the howl of the snow storm..

  Clay turned and looked straight into her eyes again in the dimly lit cave and sighed. The lantern gave off some light, but even in this small space it wasn’t powerful enough to illuminate the whole cave.

  “What are you after Sonya? What do you really want? Can’t you just tell me? It’d make things so much easier – for me especially. I realize these last few months have been hard on you. I know you didn’t ask to become a pack member or anything but all of us are trying our best to help you fit in and feel a part of the clan. If there is something you need, just say so. I’m a wolf, not a mind reader, you know!” he sighed with frustration. He had been doing his very best to follow Ben’s instructions and be a good bodyguard to Sonya, but he had also tried to be her friend. He had hoped they might be able to get along, instead of constantly fighting.

  Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance (Chapter 9)

  Right then Sonya just stared at Clay with a small tear forming in her left eye. She hadn’t realized that her thoughtless, naughty behavior had been so hard on him. Now what she thought was cute and teasing tricks, looked a bit more like harsh and cruel behavior.

  “I’m so sorry, Clay. Really, I am. I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble. I was just having some fun but I had no idea you disliked it so much.”

  She rubbed his cold cheek with a gentle hand. She couldn’t help but wonder if she had tortured him to such a point that he would flat out refuse her advances. “I thought you enjoyed chasing me. I enjoy it so much. And I have a lot of fun with you!” She could feel his cheek heat as he flushed, hearing her words.

  “Well, I can’t say these chases don’t have their moments…” Clay admitted and looked down, and from the flicker in his eyes she suspected that he was recalling those amazing times when his body collided with hers, and they got to know each other more intimately than they intended to.

  Sonya slowly leaned in closer to him, her breath warming his skin as it traced along it. “Do you want me to ask Ben to assign me a new guard?” Sonya asked him quietly, her heart pounding slowly as she worried he would say yes.

  Clay shook his head as he looked up. “No, I don’t. Not if you don’t.” He said as their eyes met, but his normally confident voice wavered slightly as their eyes met.

  “Good.” Sonya answered quietly, and quickly brushed her lips tenderly against his. Sonya was certain he was going to bark at her, to demand that she stop, or to generally be offended by the assumption that he was interested in her. For a moment, Clay froze under the soft kiss. He didn’t move a muscle.

  Aware of his rank in the pack and the charge which he was guarding, he had never really considered anything outside of their current arrangement. As second in command he did not want to do anything against his pack leader Ben, but even more importantly, he did not want to make Ben’s new wife, Lynda, angry. As a cougaress herself, he was immensely aware of her own power and temper and did not want to ever be on the wrong side of that fence.

  But her little sister had many powers of her own. He was aware of the tales of the Yukonia line. He had heard them since he was a boy, but had never witnessed them himself until just a few months back when Lynda and Sonya first joined the pack. They had been eyeing each other for months without really thinking about it.

  But Sonya’s magic was beginning to work on Clay. He found in her a mystique and a playfulness too that no other woman possessed. It made him happy when he thought of her and aggravated him to no end at the same time. At first, he tried to resist her charms. But slowly, day by day and week by week, he began to move from curious at a distance, to intrigued, and finally to exploding with desire. It hit him like a tsunami here inside the cave.

  Sonya really didn’t know exactly what to expect next. She had long heard tales of the Yukonia magic but had never really felt the magic personally. It was obvious Clay knew what to do but she began to worry whether or not the tales were true for her part. Sonya then turned to move and fell in the darkness. He instantly caught her.

  One minute, she was standing beside him. But as she turned to walk away, her foot caught his and she stumbled. To her dismay, he caught her. Not to worry. She soon found out the tales were all valid as the Yukonia magic stormed through her body letting her meet his growing passion with a wild abandon all her own.

  Then, as if a mighty storm had been brewing inside him, and had finally broken, he struck. Before she knew what had happened, she found herself lying with her back on the floor and Clay on top of her, his lips pressed tightly against hers. His tongue slithered between her lips and attacked hers like a Marine squad taking a hill.

  To her knowledge she had never been kissed before. Not quite like that. Definitely not like that. Boys had been interested in Sonya since grade school. She had gone on chaperone dates and had pecked a few over the years. At some time, she probably had even French kissed one or two, but Clay’s kiss made her forget all about them.

  While the storm was raging outside, the couple’s wild passions raged inside the darkness of the cave. She felt a sudden bolt of energy surge inside her, from her lips to her feet. Her entire body rose in temperature. Outside, the storm raged. The wind roared. And trees swaying in the storm sent shocks of moonlight across the forest floor.

  Inside, Clay and Sonya created their own storm. Something took over Sonya’s body – her lips, her hands, her tongue. Even her brain seemed not to work in the same way as before. She pressed back, wrapping her legs around his waist
and sucking on his lower lip, flitting her tongue inside his mouth like a tease.

  His hands and legs fumbled as they got all tangled up in the pile of blankets they were laying on. Before he could get his legs completely untangled, she had pulled the blanket free and tossed it aside. A few pillows soon joined it by the cave door. It took her quite by surprise when his lips wrapped themselves around her breast. She was not expecting it. The kiss was a welcome moment of license, an indulgence.

  Going further was unfamiliar to her and, until then, seemed out of reach. But with her nipple now in his mouth she could no longer deny what was going to happen. She hardly had time to prepare herself for it, mentally or physically. It all happened so fast.

  The blankets shifted and again tried to capture their legs in the heat of this new struggle. Clay’s blankets were tied in what seemed like an endless array of knots around his legs, knees, and feet. Even so he was inside her faster than she ever imagined it could happen.

  Their lovemaking was fed by Sonya’s magic and a mutual longing by each which had been building for the last five months unbeknownst to either of them. Sonya hardly felt any pain at all when Clay claimed her virginity, the tiny wave of pain lost to the greater pleasure that washed over the two of them as they lost themselves in each other.

  Their lovemaking lasted for hours but it seemed to Sonya like only minutes. When they had finished, they both collapsed from exhaustion. Clay rolled onto his back on the cave floor and reached for a pillow just a few feet out of reach, pulled it over and propped up his head. Sonya curled up next to him and nestled her chin up to his neck. She knew he loved her when he wrapped his arm around her body and caressed her arms in a tender and careful swirling motion.

  At long last, hours into the encounter, more from sheer exhaustion than a lack of desire to continue, the pair fell fast asleep, curled up together in their tiny cave refuge. Wrapped warmly in the blankets and comforters that Sonya had filled the caves with months back, those very blankets that fought so hard to keep them apart hours ago, they hugged each other tightly as the winds howled out in the night, and both fell asleep. The pair remained that way until well into the next morning.