“Right,” she nodded a little as if she could care less about her own freedom. “But don’t you think they could visit me here?” she suggested with a bit more of a pout. “I mean, I only ever have you to play with.”
He looked up at her sharply and she hid a smile.
“I mean spend time with.” Her bright blue eyes were full of pleading as she fixed them on him. “What would be the harm? At least you would get a little relief from my teasing,” she pointed out.
Clay sat back in his chair. He really wasn’t sure if he could agree to the visit. “I’ll have to check with Ben,” he said with a frown.
“Ben, Ben, Ben,” Sonya rolled her eyes a little. “Can’t you make a decision for yourself?”
Clay nearly choked on his next bite of venison steak. “Uh, of course I can,” he growled. “I always ask Ben’s permission out of respect for him, as the Alpha of our pack.”
Sonya sighed as she heard his usual speech. She was used to Clay being such a goody two shoes, she had just hoped to avoid the scenario.
“We’re talking about my friends visiting, not anything terrible,” she reminded him. “We can meet out in the woods, so they won’t be anywhere near the pack, okay?” she asked as if he had already agreed to it.
“Sonya I don’t know,” he hesitated.
“Well then I’m going into town,” she said flatly. She stood up abruptly and was ready to walk right out the door when she felt Clay’s strong grasp on the crook of her elbow.
“No,” he barked out, nearly choking on his steak, and she jumped a little at the intensity of his voice. She very rarely saw Clay behave so aggressively. It spoke to her own animal nature and stirred thoughts in her that she knew that she should not be having about Clay. With his hand still around her arm he pulled her gently back toward him. “Please, don’t make me bring this issue to Ben,” Clay said sternly. He was already embarrassed that he was always being run around by Sonya.
“I won’t, just let me get together with a few friends,” she shrugged and pulled her arm out of his grip. “You’ll be there, so you can keep me safe,” she smirked.
Clay hesitated. He knew that making a choice about Sonya without Ben’s approval might get him into a bit of trouble. But that was a risk he was going to take, not just to avoid embarrassment, but because he could understand Sonya’s need. Her entire life had changed, and she had left behind her old friends.
“Okay, we’ll meet with them in the woods, but no running off,” he growled and met her gaze.
“Of course not,” she smiled innocently.
Sonya made the arrangements for the next day with her friends. She knew that they would be excited to meet Clay. He was a bit of a superstar in the were world for being second to an Alpha and as handsome as he was. When it was time to meet up with them, Clay reminded her once more.
“No running off, I mean it,” he said arching a brow high into the air.
“Sure,” she nodded and headed out the front door. When they met up in the woods, Sonya could tell that Clay was a little distracted by the beauty of her friends. Two women, both weres themselves, with striking dark eyes. One had rich chocolate brown hair, and the other was a redhead. She knew that Clay would like them. After she had introduced them, she winked at her friends. She had promised them a show they would not soon forget.
“Why don’t we get more comfortable?” she suggested and began to shift into her were form.
“Sonya,” Clay warned, but it was too late. She was already a mountain lion, ready to run. Her friends had transformed too. They were both werewolves with shiny coats and sharp bared teeth. Clay stared at the three and then sighed with defeat. He knew he would not be able to convince them not to do this. He shifted into wolf form as well and began running with them. When Sonya began running faster than the others, Clay broke free of the other two and tried to keep up with her. Of course, she found the nearest high limb and jumped right up into it.
Clay snarled and barked at her to come down, but she ignored him. The two other wolves began to catch up. Clay was so frustrated that Sonya would not obey him that he transformed into human form without even thinking about what he was doing. Soon he had two wolves ogling him in his completely nude form.
“See,” Sonya purred to them as if she had planned out the whole thing. This only seemed to upset Clay more, and he shifted back into his wolf form. He sat down on his haunches and growled at Sonya.
“Maybe we should go,” one of her friends said. The other nodded quickly. They knew when a strong male wolf was angry it was not the best place to be.
“But wait!” Sonya called after her friends, but they would not stop. Her plan had not worked the way she had expected at all. When she looked down at Clay he was still growling.
“You have to come down sometime, Sonya,” he stood and began pacing back and forth patiently. Sonya waited until he was facing the opposite direction and then leaped down from the high branch. She sprinted as fast as she could back toward the cabin. But it was no use, all of Clay’s anger was fueling him. He pounced on her from behind, and when she felt his body slam against hers, something deep within her burned with need. He shifted into human form, with her still pinned beneath him, and she did as well. He turned her over to face him. When she saw his light green eyes she expected them to be full of anger, but instead they possessed a large amount of hurt.
“Why did you do that to me?” he asked her. For the first time Sonya realized he had not been as enraged as he was embarrassed. She had treated him very cruelly.
“Oh Clay, I’m sorry,” she said quickly. She had never meant to hurt him. He just shook his head and climbed off of her. He pointed toward the door of the cabin.
“Inside, and go to bed, please, I need some rest,” he said sharply.
Sonya nodded, feeling very disappointed in how the evening had turned out. She had only wanted to set him up with a mate, not cause him to be mortified. As she sulked in her room, she could hear him growling in the next room. As she fell asleep, she could not ignore the strange sensations that kept flooding her body and the repetitive way the memory of his body slamming into hers kept filling her mind.
The next day she was determined to make it up to Clay. She didn’t like him very much, but she didn’t need to treat him with disrespect either. When she wandered through the woods, she was careful not to wander too far off. When it was time to head in for dinner, she was waiting and ready to go. Clay eyed her suspiciously as if he thought she might have something up her sleeve.
“Ready to go already?” he asked with confusion.
“I want to make you dinner,” she said.
“Really? Can it be venison steak again?” he asked hopefully.
“Sure,” she laughed and they headed back to the cabin. As she cooked the meal, Clay took a shower, and she found herself thinking back to the day before. She was sure her friends would not be interested in Clay now that they had seen him get so angry. But she still wanted her freedom. But how to get it…
Chapter 7
Her new life would be so much easier if she could just… Just then Sonya stopped and blinked a few times, as a stunning realization hit her right in the face, fork still in her hand. If she were to take a mate, all her problems would be solved. She wouldn’t need a body guard anymore. “Woohoo!”, she cheered in her head!
Nasty old Jonathan would have no use at all for a mated were – not even a mated Yukonia. Even he wouldn’t attempt something like that. Once mated to another he would not attempt to own her again. She brightened at the thought of that problem being crossed off her mental list. Life would be so much simpler, she could come and go as she pleased, even to town if she wanted, without the threat of abduction. And that suited her just fine.
Plus, her Yukonia magic would help her adjust to her lover’s lifestyle and she figured that that would be lots of fun too. Plus, plus, she wouldn’t feel like such a stranger in the midst of her sister’s new adopted family. “So,” she wondered to hers
elf, “who will the lucky wolf be? Hmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm?”
She mulled over her options, looking over all of the single members in the pack in her minds eye as she pulled the steaks off of the frying pan. She turned the skillet over and scraped the vegetables out onto two plates already positioned on the table, making sure to give Clay the larger portion of the two. And it was at that moment that she heard Clay come out of the bathroom and call down the hall to ask if the food was done. A devilish smile spread across Sonya’s pretty face. Perfect, she could get rid of both of their problems in one fell swoop.
“Dinner’s ready!” she called down the hall in her best fifties housewife voice. Let the show begin!
Clay ambled into the kitchen, hair still wet and pointing in all directions, and sat down in front of his plate piled high with vegetables and a nice deer steak too. It was clear he hadn’t taken the time to fully groom himself after his shower but at least he had fresh clothes on and didn’t smell like a wet dog anymore. He smiled at her as he sat down and jumped right in, chomping on a few juicy mushrooms as he cut up his steak. He was really hungry after the afternoons newest excursion and jabbed at another potato with his fork, before pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Clay loved to eat – he was definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy. And he was fairly easy to please overall which helped. Even if he could be a major grouch from time to time. But he was fit and trim and in the best shape of his life, Sonya admired to herself. Thanks to her too, if only in part to their constant chases out in the forest! Plus, he always enjoyed the way Sonya put a meal together for them. She wasn’t the best cook in the world, she knew that, but she was fairly inventive and knew food combinations enough to satisfy him pretty much every meal.
“She hasn’t poisoned me yet”, he thought to himself as he grinned, shoving another piece of potato into his mouth. “Good food”, he said to her without looking up from his meal.
“You’re welcome”, Sonya said almost as an after thought and just being polite.
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!
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, careful that she veered slowly enough to allow her to make certain Clay was still close.
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.
Animal Nature: A Paranormal Romance (The Animal Sagas) Page 3