Mated By The Panther

And then there was Rex Mathews; a mistake just waiting to happen and Sonya had been like a moth to a flame. Ember green eyes, a scar cutting through his thick eyebrows, a prominent jaw and a smile as feral as they came; how could Sonya not fall for him?

And now she was on the run.

Welcome to Shifter Grove

Population 437

‘438,’ Sonya thought and cruised around looking for 14 Maple Road. It was all woods, glades and open country as far as she could see and Sonya had spent about a week of her life out of New York, and that had been at a beach resort in Bali. The woods thinned out a bit and what looked like the market center of Shifter Grove came in to sight.

Sonya parked outside The Pig Out Spot, a two story diner which looked cheerful and busy. The wind was vicious and blew Sonya’s hair in her face. Sonya could hear the noise of the Kennebec river gushing past on its way to Merry meeting Bay.

‘It’s in a mighty rush,’ she thought and stepped in to the cool comfort of the diner, tripped on a crack in the tiles and steadied herself with some difficulty. The walls were painted a cool red, the tables and booths were nearly all occupied; the bar that also functioned as brunch station was well polished and the large French windows opening to the patio overlooked the Kennebec River that roared and rolled only a few hundred feet away.

‘All eyes on me,’ Sonya smiled at the people who were all staring at her. It was obvious they didn’t get many tourists or out of town visitors and she must be something of an oddity. But Sonya was more than that she turned heads wherever she went.

Larger than most women Sonya had natural big breasts and loved to wear bright colored low cut dresses and tank tops to accentuate her assets rather than bind them up, throw them in a closet and ditch the key. Even when on the run from a blood mad ex-boyfriend Sonya looked stunning, her lips painted a ruby red to go with her floral printed wrap around top and jeans that hugged her hips and really brought out the curve of her butt.

“Howdy,” she said raising a hand and the occupants of the diner either looked away, smiled back at her or called out there on greetings. The awkward situation averted Sonya headed for the bar. “I’d like some breakfast and directions to Maple Road, please,” she said giving the man her sweetest smile.

“Sure thing,” the man said, he had a red beard, curly red tufts spilling out of his open collar and a shining bald head. “Are you visiting someone?” he asked.

“Yup,” Sonya said smacking her lips.

The man eyed her breasts and Sonya smiled wickedly.

‘Sleazy McGee.’

“Eggs, sunny side up, please,” Sonya said tapping the table to get the man’s attention and pointing to her eyes. The man blushed crimson and headed to the kitchen to get her order sorted. Sonya didn’t have to wait long before a man sidled on to the stool beside her at the bar. ‘I’m a jerk magnet.’

“So what’s a pretty girl like you doing in Shifter Grove?” he asked, he smelled of sweat, grease and dirt. “Got any claws I should be afraid of?”

“Nope,” Sonya said smiling in to his pimpled face, “But I bite.”

The man laughed and Sonya saw the yellowed stumps of his bottom teeth. ‘Charming and handsome; my lucky day,’ she thought and rolled her eyes.

“I think I’ll buy you breakfast,” the man said.

“That’s nice of you,” Sonya said biting her tongue on the ‘thank you.’

“Larry Leibowitz,” the man said extending a clean hand, “I’m the mechanic in this town so if you ever have any car trouble you just bring it down to my shop down the road there,” he pointed out the diner door.

“Sonya Blackpaw,” she said squeezing his hand once then letting go. She stopped herself from wiping her hand on a napkin. “I’m a vet.”

And she was too. She was great with animals, just not her human peers.

“Well you’ve come to the right place,” he grinned, “lots of animals around here. Some tame, but mostly wild,” he placed his hand on her knee.

Sleazy McGee leered at Sonya and placed her eggs on the table. Sonya crossed her legs, displacing Larry’s hands from her knee and stuck in to her breakfast. She shoveled it down real quick.