THEN:

The two monsters fighting lasted for seven minutes. After dodging the large sweep of the werewolf's claw from his right arm, the woman finally leaped on his back. She managed to latch her claws in the alpha werewolf's sides from behind. It roared in pain and tried to twist her away from his body. She maneuvered herself to move upward and twisted her neck so her fangs ripped into his throat. She felt her teeth sink into the flesh of the creature's carotid artery. At last, she twisted her face so her fangs tore the skin deeply and the alpha monster's blood was gushing out freely. The alpha werewolf still struggled as it gargled in extreme pain and shock. It fell face down on the ground with the shape shifting woman lying on top of its back. When it was dead she rose from him and took a few steps away to catch her breath.

Feeling disgusted by having it's blood on her she shifted back to her former human-like self. She dug into her pocket of her to remove a freshly red stained handkerchief to wipe the blood off her face. Squatting down on the ground, she spit several times trying to get rid of the remaining metallic taste of blood that was left in her mouth. Footsteps approached her and she looked up to see the man with green eyes coming fast towards her with a knife in his hand. The woman sputtered. "What the hell…."


NOW:

The woman stood up to face Dean as he walked with caution ready to fight.

"Thanks for helping us lady but we have to take you out too." He held a knife in each hand.

She positioned herself into a defensive stance and waited for his attack. Dean stepped quickly to her faking a swing toward her head with the left knife and attempting to plunge the right knife into her abdomen. Instantly, she moved away and leaped back a couple of feet from the man. Dean tried to attack again with his knives and his move was foiled by her counter moves. She let him run practically up to her as he aimed the knife at his right hand to swipe her throat. She pivoted to his left side and willow palmed the middle of his back projecting him forward. She squatted low to spin her leg and her ankle out in a ninety degree rotation toward his feet. Dean lost his footing and landing on his back knocking the wind out of him. His left knife flew out of his hand. Feeling angry now, he quickly rose up grunting in pain and ran to jab the knife into her chest. Getting tired of his feeble fighting moves she round house kicked the knife out of Dean's right hand. He yelled in pain from his hand stinging from her shoe smacking the weapon out of his hand.

"Can I get some help over here?" Dean snarled to the small group watching him.

Sam smirked in humor. "I think you got it covered bro. Show her a thing or two." He stood beside Kuryiel watching Dean's losing fight against this shape shifter.

Moments before he was about to jump in and help his brother until Kuryiel stopped him. "She will not harm him."

"How do you know?" Sam's eyebrows raised in question.

She placed a hand on his right shoulder. "I sense no evil intent from her. I pick up grief, loss and revenge but nothing else. Those feelings were directed toward him." She pointed at the dead alpha werewolf. Sam nodded and continued to watch his brother fighting petite woman.

Dean wrung his stinging hand to shake off the pain and glared at the lady with the wild wavy hair.

She stood in a defensive stance again waiting for his next move. "Sorry fella but this is not my day to die. So if you stand down I will leave peacefully."

"Not a chance. You are a shape shifter so it puts you on the danger list." Dean started to squat down to grab his knife. He heard fast movement toward him and the next thing Dean knew the woman had him pinned down on his back. His arms were held down to his sides from her straddling his hips and stomach. Dean tried in vain to twist and buck her off but it was no use. "Dammit Sam get her off of me! What the hell is wrong with you?" He heard a chuckle from the woman above him.

"Well, they don't seem to agree with you because they have not set one foot towards me. Two of them over there smell like angels and the guy with the shoulder length hair is your brother."

Kuryiel was impressed by the woman. "You are correct. Shape shifters normally do not have the ability to detect angels. Would you mind telling us your name?"

"Just to clarify things, I am a cross breed of a shape shifter and Mai. My name is Mara." She inclined her head to Kuryiel in greeting.

"Mara or who ever get off of me lady!" Dean growled as he tried to squirm away from her.

"Not yet. I want your word that you will not try to kill me." She looked down at him.

"You are a shape shifter and those kinds are not exactly on my friends list. You guys are nothing but trouble waiting to happen." He uttered a few cuss words.

"First of all, I don't like to be referred as you guys. Second, if you had run in with other shape shifters that's not my problem. I don't interact with those that do harm. Since I am a cross breed they would consider me an outsider." She gave Dean a fixed stare as she held him steady with her thighs.

"You guys are all the same to me so get off!"

"I will say one thing then I will let you go. As you noticed earlier, I am different from the others. I don't shed skin and nails when I shift. The part of me that is Mai prevents a long transformation to what shape replicate or change. My claws and fangs are my own and I don't attack people." Mara rose up to let Dean go.

He felt the tingling circulation return to his hands from being pressed to his sides for some time. He stood up and loomed over her. He was ready to attack again until Kuryiel walked up to Dean and tugged him by the shirt away from Mara. "Thanks for letting Dean go." Kuryiel introduced herself and the rest to Mara.

Kuryiel strolled up to the wild hair woman. "I have seen the Mai people many centuries ago. The race was almost extinct. Many of the women were sterile due to some illness that spread among your people."

Mara picked up her long handle hatchet and wiped it clean with her dirty handkerchief. "That is correct. The women ended up being sterile so the men had no choice but to mate with other species and cross breed to continue the blood line if possible. My father was Mai since he comes from an old family line. My mother was a half shape shifter and Mai. I can transform into Mai and my mixed blood makes it easier for me to shape shift without the messy process. My brother was a pure Mai and my twin younger sisters were part Mai like me. They were killed by this werewolf pack five years ago. I hunted them for years since they move around constantly. I finally got a tip from a hunter that is an old friend of mine. He directed me to the area this pack was traveling and I finally had my chance to take them out."

Sam picked up Dean's knife off the ground. "What exactly is the Mai? I never heard of it before."

She gave Sam a fixed look as she put her hair into a messy ponytail. "The Mai were around before 2600 B.C. We are descendants of Bastet feline species. I am from an ancient mixed race that is combined of cat and human. During the ancient Egyptian period, the Mai were considered demi gods and we were the protectors of the human race. At that time, we had a blood oath to protect all Pharaohs in line. The Mai helped built a strong society and governments in Egypt. We remained loyal to each Pharaoh until one of ruler's daughter fell in love with young man that was Mai. Her father would not accept him into the family. They married secretly and both were severely punished. The daughter was secluded in the temple and the Mai was executed. Our people were outraged by the Pharaoh's action and rebelled. All of Mai were cast out of Egypt. In the end we were hunted down to be exterminated. Our race was almost extinct by the assassins. In order to survive we were scattered all over the world. Centuries later a plague ravaged a generation of female Mai and rendered them sterile. That particular generation of females were devastated by not be able to procreate and had to help find mates for the male Mai. Now we have several female Mai that are pure race and sterile but the mixed breed like me can have children. It's a tragedy but Mai are great survivors. "

She walked right up to Dean's silhouette in the darken woods. "Do you still wish to kill me?" She stood there waiting for him to say or do something.

Dean grumbled. "No, but I am keeping my eye on you. Any funny business I am taking you down."

"Fair enough. Anyway, I don't know about you guys but I am dirty and hungry. I am going to stop by that diner to have a hot meal. If I don't see you guys there later, take care." Mara silently walked away.

Dean watched the woman leave feeling wishing he can see her form in better light besides a flashlight Sam was holding. "I agree with the lady. I am hungry so why don't we go by there and get a bite to eat."

Everyone agreed and walked out of the small woods to Dean's car. When they arrived at the diner, Kuryiel whispered to Castiel. "This was a very interesting evening. I think Dean was checking the woman out."

"What! No way I was not checking GI Jane out. I was the one fighting her while you guys were lounging around. Thanks for help by the way. You really got my back on that one." He said sarcastically to the folks getting out of his car.

Kuryiel chuckled. "You were not in danger. I read her thoughts and she was not going to hurt you. Don't be too hard on Sam since I stopped him from helping."

"Thanks for nothing. You could have said something." He sighed in frustration.

"My apologies. Let's get inside so we can order some food." She grabbed the door handle.

He put his hand on the door before Kuryiel opened it. "Could you do us a favor?" He pointed at his blood spotted shirt. "Please use your angel mogo to clean me and Sam up a bit. We don't want to attract unwanted attention."

A moment later the two brothers looked as thought no fight occured including their healed faces. "Done." She opened the diner door.

They saw Mara sitting in a large booth with a book in her hand. She looked up and waved them over to sit with her. Dean, Sam & Cas sat across from her while Kuryiel slid next to the auburn hair lady. He noticed she cleaned up a bit and changed back into the same clothes he seen her earlier.

Mara set the book down to glance at Dean with her amber eyes. "I see that you still look angry. Why don't you order a super cheddar burger you like before with the cheese fries. I guarantee you will feel much better."

"Hey, how did you know what I like?" He looked surprised.

She gave him a reserved smile. "I can smell it on your shirt when you ate it earlier. My species have a high sensory including night vision and smell."

Castiel glanced at Mara. "I remember watching your people prosper. I met many kind intelligent people." His face turned into a grim expression recalling what she said in the woods. "Unfortunately, I had orders to leave earth before witnessing the Mai's misfortune."

"Castiel, you would not want to see what happened after the disaster. Each generation slowly rebuilt their lives and kept everyone in hiding. We have a mixture of cross breeds that are unique depending what species the Mai males chooses. Most of them would not go near a certain species like werewolves, Amazons, Lamia and Kitsunes since they are too aggressive and would bring bad attention upon the Mai. They chose carefully so we can keep hidden and survive. You would be surprised to know there are several Mai people in government and law fighting justice in the major countries. We can't thrive on producing corruption to harm others. It goes against our bloodline code of honor."

"Interesting, I want to research about your people." Sam captivated with Mara's story. He planned to research the Men of Letters archives to see if the Mai people are documented when he returned to the bunker.

Dean was also fascinated with the woman even though he looked nonchalant. "Nice story lady. Now I am ready to order." He interjected rudely as he pretended to look at the menu.

Mara did not take offense since she already scanned his thoughts and feelings. A trait she did not mention to them at the moment. She silently thanked her mother's shape shifting genes for her ability. It has saved her more times she can count. Now she is using it to find out what character this attracted green eye man's has inside. She definitely picked up his thoughts when he sat down at the table moments before. His recent thought was his observation of her curves and feminine looks. She smiled to herself thinking he would probably have a fit if he knew she can read his mind. Mara decided she want to know this man that has her undivided attention. Easily, she can read his immediate thoughts but there are several layers of walls in his mind and heart that is heavily shielded. From observing his guarded attitude, he closes himself from the people he cared deeply for. She was curious of what is behind those shield layers. She finally concluded that Dean guards his emotions with a titanium gate. It will be hard to crack through but she considered him a great challenge. Her amber eyes drifted to each one at the table to detect any thoughts and Sam was the only one she can read besides Dean's. She figured the angels would be at outside the scope of her abilities. Mara was not worried about the angels since her intuition was giving her the impression they were good people. She noticed from their slight intimate gestures they were in love with each other. She turned her attention back to Dean. "I know what I am going to order." She flagged the waitress.

Dean was enjoying his burger and watched Mara eat with enthusiasm. She obviously was not a light weight eater. She was discussing about her interaction with other hunters until she felt Dean's stare. She turned her head to face him and his eyes immediately looked down at his plate as if he was engrossed in his food. Her eyes gazed steady at him while she picked up his feelings of awkwardness and slight embarrassment. Kuryiel stealthfully observed Mara since the moment they arrived at the diner. She was kind of intrigued with the auburn hair lady is attracted to Dean. She knew the woman had telepathic and empathic abilities while watching Mara steadily scan Dean thoughts and feelings.

Kuryiel set her napkin down. "I am going to the ladies room. Mara do you need to go to the ladies room too?" The angel tapped her foot against the other woman's.

Mara turned her head to her left to answer Kuryiel. "Sure. Excuse us."

The ladies got up and walked to restroom area at the back of the diner. Dean took a swig of his beer. "Women always go in pairs don't they? Most likely they are going to talk junk about us. Hey Cas, why don't you go in there in angel stealth mode to get the scoop on what they are up to."

Castiel shamelessly shook his head. "I am not going to do that. Kuryiel will spot me if I try and I don't want her to get on my case."

"Damn. I wish there was a way to hear what they have to say." He took another bite of his burger.

Kuryiel walked toward the sink to turn the faucets on to wash her hands. "I know you were checking Dean out. Here's a piece of advice. Don't make it to obvious that you are scanning his thoughts and feelings. Take it slow with him since he is not an open hearted guy. The more you get to know him, you will understand why he keeps his feelings so contained. I know his total history so if you have any questions I will be happy to answer with the condition that it only stays with you."

Mara stood next to Kuryiel and held out her right hand. "It's a deal. There's something about him that is pulling me towards him. I felt it when he first walked in this diner a few hours before. It's not common for women Mai to become attracted to human men but I sense he is different from all the others. I feel a kinship with him as well since we have a common goal to protect humans. My only concern is that he likes what he sees but he may reject me because we are different species."

Kuryiel shook the woman's hand to seal their agreement. "Don't worry about Dean. He is attracted to you and I have a feeling that he will not reject you. Take your time getting to know him. I have solution. You can come with us back to Kansas. We have plenty of room and I don't think it will be a big issue with him."

"Thank you for inviting me. My long hunt is now over and I'm still on vacation from my job." They walked toward the bathroom door.

Sam nudged Dean. "Hey their girl talk must be over."

The two women sat down. Kuryiel reached over and grabbed Castiel's hand. "Hey guys I invited Mara to stay with us in Kansas for a while."

Dean started to cough on his beer when he heard the angel telling everyone what she did. "What! You can't invite her to our place."

Kuryiel looked startled by his abrupt comment. "Why not?"

"Because she is a shape shifter mutt, whatever. What if she directs other shape shifters to our place to ambush us later?" He crossed his arms with a scowl on his face in disapproval.

Mara was taken aback from his comment. "Really! You still think the worse of me after I told you what I am. I thought I gain a little trust sitting with you and having a meal with your family here." She glared at Dean in disappointment feeling his uneasiness and mistrust. "You don't have to worry about seeing me again." She turned to Kuryiel and put an arm around her to give her a half hug. "Thank you for your kindness of inviting me. I hope to see you again one day and hang out sometime." Mara motioned for Kuryiel to slide out of the booth so she can get out.

Kuryiel refused to move and gave the Dean a dour expression. "I invited Mara to hang out with us for a while. If something happens I will take full responsibility. I can even erase her memory if she conducts herself in a unfavorable manner."

Dean sighed in resignation. "Alright she is invited to join us." He looked wary at the woman hoping she was a good guy. "Listen I am sorry if I am being a jerk about this but our place is not a public residence. We stay in a bunker that has sigils on it to keep demons away. Only three people beside me and my brother knows this place existed. I want your word that you will not tell anyone; not even your closest friends about my place."

"You have my word Dean. Thank you for putting an ounce of trust in me. I mentioned to Kuryiel that I am actually on vacation. I do work for a living." She sat back finally let herself relax after feeling dejected earlier.

Sam curiously pushed his plate aside and asked. "Are you hunter? You mentioned knowing an old friend that is a hunter."

Mara chuckled to Sam's question knowing he was way off the mark. "No, I am not a hunter. You may be surprised but I work for a government agency."

Everyone's eyes widen in surprise and interest. Castiel asked in everyone's behalf. "What agency do you work for if you don't mind sharing?"

Dean sat straight up waiting to her Mara's answer. She glanced at the man with the green eyes with a brilliant smile on her face. "I work for the FBI and I also assisted in various Department of Justice agencies when needed for my special talents."

To Be Continued... on Chapter 11

In two weeks