by Cloe Cullen
The crowd nodded and murmured agreements about Darius' words.
"We'll take our newfound friendship at a steady pace so that it'll feel natural." A resounding approval swept through the crowd, and Darius smiled wide.
Torian breathed in, testing his vocal chords before speaking once again. "That's all we needed to announce today. Cat shifters, we'll be heading home tomorrow to the rest of our people who stayed behind. For now, mingle and relax, and don't get into any fights. The first brawl I come across will deal with me personally.” Darius and Amara chuckled at her father's seriousness as the crowd dispersed, leaving the trio alone with Gavriel and Sarai on the wooden platform.
Torian sighed and turned to Darius and Amara. "What will you do daughter? Will you come home with us or stay here?"
Amara blinked. "Stay here, obviously; Darius can't just go live in Red Rock."
Torian smiled. "That's what I thought." He turned to Gavriel and Sarai. "What about you two? I still can't believe after all these years you had a wolf lover, Sarai...though now it puts all the pieces together."
Sarai smiled sweetly. "I'm going to stay here...I want to make up time with my son."
Torian nodded as if he expected that answer too. "Right, well you're all welcome back in Red Rock. I'm sure there will still be some outrage against this new policy of friendship between our clans, but soon enough I think we'll experience true peace."
"I believe the same," Darius said. "I wish you well on your journey home, Torian."
Torian gave them both a knowing smile before hopping off the platform and leaving them alone.
Gavriel and Sarai stepped up to greet them both. "I still can't believe this is all happening," Sarai said. "It's so unreal."
"Oh, it's real alright," Gavriel said. "And you're witnessing it firsthand."
Both Amara and Darius laughed. "Take your time to get used to Gray Creek, mother," Darius said. "It's a little colder and mistier here, and a little denser."
Sarai nodded. "I'm sure I'll get used to it in no time."
In the distance, a blonde shifter walked towards them, and Darius stepped past his parents to greet his friend. "Remus!"
"Dare, how’d the speech go?"
Darius grinned. "As well as we expected it to go. What about you? How's Nyssa doing?"
Remus sighed. "She's alright. She was wounded in the battle, but she managed to find a hiding spot to ride out the chaos."
"Good...I'm glad she's alright." Darius leaned closer. "Do you have any news from Bronwen?"
Amara's eyes widened. That's right! Amara nearly forgot about the Vampire that helped her and Remus get to Orpheus' manor. The last time she saw the women, they had left her back in the Blackwood. As much as she hated to admit it, she was grateful to her. "That's right, how is she?"
Remus shrugged at them both. "Well...she's actually here, and she wants to meet with you both."
Amara exchanged glances with Darius. "She's here? Right now?" Darius asked skeptically. Remus nodded, motioning for them to follow.
Amara turned back to Gavriel and Sarai, giving them an apologetic look. "Sorry, but we need to go."
Sarai shook her head. "It's fine. Besides, I need to catch up with Gavriel…"
Gavriel gave her a knowing look, and they both laughed as they waved Darius and Amara off.
***
Bronwen stuffed her face with food as Remus, Darius, and Amara sat in the Alpha's lodgings. She ate from the cooked carcass of a rabbit, the juices running down her lip and throat, and her eyes darting between them all.
"Thanks for the food," was all she said for another five minutes.
Remus pinched his temple as Bronwen finally burped and put the bones down on the floor. She grinned as she sucked the juices from her fingers, making sure Remus was watching her innuendo. Remus blushed and glanced away.
"You know, for a Vampire, you don't eat very elegantly," Darius commented.
"For a mutt, you don't smell like you should," Bronwen countered. Darius frowned, causing Bronwen to chuckle. "Oh, calm down, I'm merely jesting. You know I'm growing very fond of you all!" Again, she glanced at Remus, who wouldn't look her way. She sighed when she finally realized he wouldn't turn to look at her.
"Are you now?" Amara asked. "You realize you were technically our prisoner for a while, right?"
Bronwen blinked at her. "So? I couldn't care less about any of that anymore. Orpheus is dead, and so is Ambrosia. There's reason to celebrate."
"Then why are you back here?" Darius asked. "Remus said you wanted to speak with us."
Bronwen smiled slyly. "I do. I want to talk about our relationship."
Darius eyed her. "What do you mean, ‘relationship'?"
Bronwen cocked her head. "To put it simply, since Orpheus is no longer living in this world, there is a vacant spot in the thirteen Vampire lord ranks. Considering I'm the only survivor of Orpheus' little group, I might be able to become the thirteenth lord. The other lords never really liked Orpheus anyway, they thought he was mad."
"He was mad," Amara agreed.
"And so, because you three helped me out, I want to pay you back in full." Bronwen's red eyes lit up. "Once I become the thirteenth lord, I can help relations between your two clans and the Vampires improve, put in a few good words for you, so to speak."
"Seriously?" Remus asked. "What are you planning on telling them?"
"That you are peaceful clans that just want to be left alone, but are willing to look past the destruction of the Bear Clan...and that you are all very capable of killing Vampires, if there happen to be any others that wish to meddle in your affairs." All three stared at her blankly. "Sounds good, right?"
"But you don't think they'll be wary of you now that you've been in our care? You clearly turned against Orpheus, so there's no way they would be able to trust you," Remus commented.
"Aw," Bronwen cooed. "Are you worrying about my well-being? I'm touched, Remus."
Remus frowned. "I'm just saying…"
"I think he's right," Amara said. "They could just as easily turn on you if you come across as their enemy. You need to be careful, Bronwen."
Waving her away, Bronwen smiled. "I've been alive longer than any of you can possibly imagine. I know what I'm doing. If the Pack and the Pride can become best friends now, then why can't us Vampires atone for our sins as well?"
"Then we appreciate it," Darius said. "Seriously, Bronwen, thank you."
Bronwen nodded. "It's my pleasure, Alpha of the Pack. Though there is one more thing I want to ask of you."
Darius raised an eyebrow.
"As a token of good gesture, I thought it would be good to bring along someone from the Oldwood, to speak to the thirteen lords along with me. To show that you all truly mean peace."
Darius frowned, but Amara glanced over at Remus. Remus blinked at her.
"Obviously it's up to you, but…" Bronwen gazed at all three but rested on Remus. "I thought that maybe Remus might want to come along as your representative."
Remus' face twitched for a moment, but he looked at Bronwen as if she had ripped his lungs out. "...you want me to come with you back to Orpheus' Manor?"
"Well, I kind of burned his manor down, so I would have my own home as the thirteenth lord that you could stay at." Bronwen fiddle with her fingers. "You don't need to come back with me now, either. You can come whenever. I don't really mind when."
Remus looked to Darius and Amara for support, but neither said a word. Remus sighed. "Okay...but I definitely won't be coming now. Maybe sometime in the future. I need to look after some things here."
Darius nodded. "Is that all you needed, Bronwen?"
Bronwen's expression brightened. "Sure is! I'll take my leave of you now and trudge back to the Blackwood, I think."
Bronwen stood, and the others stood with her. "Are you sure?" Darius asked. "You're still welcome here, Bronwen."
"Thanks, but I'm good. Besides, I think I might be homesick!"
***
Outside, the trio watched as Bronwen waved and disappeared into the Oldwood, making her way south.
Darius turned to Remus. "So, neither of us will have wolf mates, it looks like."
Remus frowned at him. "Like hell I won't."
"You're lucky to have a Vampire after you."
"When you put it like that, it sounds pretty sinister."
Amara laughed. "My, my, you're incredibly popular with the ladies now, aren't you Remus?"
Remus rolled his eyes but actually smiled. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm gonna go check on Nyssa."
Amara and Darius watched as Remus left.
"I know I've asked this before, but what now?" Amara said as she turned back to Darius.
Darius grinned wide. "What else?"
***
Leading Amara into the Oldwood, Darius stopped under a shaded, massive tree. The old thing was so wide Amara was sure it had to have grown for thousands of years.
Without even waiting, Darius grabbed hold of Amara and pressed his body to hers, their lips touching and caressing each other. His ripped torso put pressure on her as he braced her against the bark of the tree. Amara's head went light as she traced her hands up from his waist to his chest, feeling his beating heart beneath.
He was warm, so hot to the touch.
Amara helped as Darius ripped off his tunic and flung it to the ground, leaving his torso bare to the chilly breeze. Darius shivered as he dragged his lips down from Amara' mouth to her neck, kissing her, listening to Amara's moaning.
Pushing him back a little, Amara made enough room to pull her own tunic above her head, leaving herself just as bare as Darius. They both watched each other, building lust, and when neither could hold themselves back, they smashed their lips back together again, Darius grabbing her hands and pushing them high above, against the tree.
Their lovemaking continued on until they huffed and puffed, collapsing against the tree and breathing hard, their warm breaths cascading over each other. Amara grinned at Darius as they laid down on the ground, staring at each other.
"You know, I think I could get used to this," Amara said.
Darius grinned wide. "That makes two of us."
Placing her hand back against his chest, she stared at his muscles, feeling her very soul warm. "Remember when you joked about how many children we might have?"
Darius cocked a brow, supporting his head with her arm. "Yeah."
"I think we'll probably have a litter."
Darius chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. "Yeah, well, we can take our time with that. For once, I'm actually excited about my future."
Amara giggled. "You mean our future."
Darius smiled. "Yeah, our future."
Darius embraced her once again, and they fell asleep right there, under the great tree, dreaming of the future they fought to get.
Howl and Roar
Howl and Growl Series: Book 2
Cloe Cullen
© Copyright 2018 - All rights reserved.
It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental.
Chapter One: Nyssa
T he Oldwood forest still smelled of frightened rabbits and lilac flowers.
Nyssa lived and hunted in the Oldwood every single day, and she never got tired of these smells. They calmed her, made her feel right at home prowling among the trees, just like the rest of her kin. Normally wolves that ventured away from Gray Creek would hunt, forming tiny packs to chase down deer or other meaty animals. But this wasn’t the case for Nyssa. Not yet, anyway.
In her beautiful blonde wolf body, she drifted through the tall, thick trees dodging falling crisp fall leaves and gliding over the earth. A chill crept up on her skinny, thin hair, causing her to shiver and sneeze.
Remus always pointed out how adorable her sneezes had been, ever since they were children. The comments always embarrassed her, especially since his inhibition to keep quiet around others failed more often than not. Her brother had even told Darius on occasion, pointing at her with a finger she wanted to twist and break; but there was an up-side to her brother’s teasing, he got Darius to look her way.
What was Darius doing right now? Nyssa wondered. Was he patrolling Gray Creek? Letting young wolf shifters challenge him to duels over Alpha status? Spending time with Amara, his cat shifter mate?
That last thought created angry butterflies in her belly, so Nyssa shook her head and moved on from her spot in the forest.
Darius...even after two years of him owning Alpha status within the Pack, Nyssa still loved him. More so than she would ever admit to anyone, save maybe her idiot brother. Nyssa had never been a woman to simply go after what she wanted, not before the events of two years ago, she supposed. Now that she actually had the confidence to speak up for herself, the opportunity to grab the shifter she’d had a crush on most of her life finally slipped away. It hurt, beyond what words could describe; that combined with the fact that she’d lost her stubborn father. It had been an endless well of seething emotions since Orpheus the Vampire was killed two years prior.
She didn’t blame Darius for what he did, killing her father in the duel that ended up being the moment their future changed for the better. Her father probably would have gotten them all killed, or worse. If Remus had had a backbone, maybe he could have dueled their father...but Remus was unprepared and frightened like a rabbit when Gavriel had forced the issue. Whatever the case, Nyssa couldn’t shake Darius from her mind, and that annoyed her.
A tingle down her spine alerted her to the presence of something coming up on her from the south. As the thing came closer, she realized it was another wolf. A dark tawny colored wolf bounded through the foliage, coming to a sliding, happy stop before Nyssa, his mouth open and tongue hanging out, panting.
Nyssa rolled her eyes. Lowell. Of course, he had followed her into the forest. The man followed her everywhere after they unexpectedly saved each other from Changelings during Orpheus’ battle at Gray Creek two years prior. She never meant to find him, cornered by three Changelings, nor had she meant to snap a twig that caused those black-furred Changelings to spin on her, their teeth frothing with a feral wildness.
And yet that’s how it’s turned out. There was nothing she could do about it.
Turning from Lowell, Nyssa pranced off down a slope, her paws kicking up tiny pebbles and pressing into the soft grass. Lowell gleefully shadowed her, watching her the whole way while they descended the slope. Finding the thin river where she had begun her exploring that morning, Nyssa growled at Lowell to stay put behind a wide-trunked tree while she shifted back to her human form and grabbed the satchel filled with her clothes from under the cover of a robust boulder by the side of the river. A few insects crawled over the bag as she pulled it out into the bright midday sunlight, and she swatted them off, twitching at the creepy crawling sensation that rippled through her hand. Standing up straight, Nyssa elegantly pulled on her undergarments, leather trousers and light brown tunic, leaving her feet bare so that she could feel the lush grass and dirt on the soles of her feet. She often found the tickling to be refreshing, almost therapeutic, as she trudged through her world. When she was finished, the only skin left showing when her slender arms, and fair, nymph-like face.
“Alright, Lowell, you can come out now,” Nyssa called reluctantly. The once-wolf stalked out as a spiky-haired, handsome man, his broad shoulder filling out the thin shirt, his muscles clearly defined, his light blue eyes stark against his pale skin. She looked him up and down. If Lowell was anything, eye-candy would probably be his role for her at the moment. There was no denying his good looks, as much as she
didn’t want to mate with him.
Lowell grinned at her, his sharp teeth on display. “Like what you see?”
Scoffing, Nyssa went and crouched by the tiny river, the sound of the flowing water soothing her mind. “If I said yes, what would you do?”
Light-footed, Lowell snuck up and leaned over her shoulder, his scent overpowering her nose. He smelled like a bonfire, hot and raging. “I’d ask for you to become my mate once again. What’s the point in letting this-” he gestured to himself “- go to someone else? Besides, you’re still mateless.”
“And in no rush to find one,” Nyssa retorted. It was true; her feelings for Darius made it difficult to see any other male in a positive light. Darius was simply larger than life now, almost untouchable, even for her. Lowell, as handsome and as charming as he could be on a good day, simply couldn’t live up to the image of a man like Darius. She didn’t want to admit that to him, though her expression betrayed her in the water’s surface.
Sighing at her response, Lowell sat cross-legged next to her. “What is that, my hundredth attempt at trying to mate you?”
“Ninety-eighth.”
“Oh, so you’re counting now, are you, Nyssa?”
“Only because it helps me pass the time. I’m hoping you’ll stop at a hundred attempts.”
Lowell bellowed in laughter, his voice echoing over the water and bouncing off the swaying trees all around them. “Does a songbird stop singing simply because it’s sung a hundred times? I think not! Just like a songbird, I’ll keep singing until you cave. You’ll be mine eventually, Nyssa.”
Despite her stance, his sentiment made her smile. “If you could actually sing, I might seriously consider it.”
A stunned look crossed Lowell’s face, and it became clear to Nyssa that he took her words very seriously. He stood moments later, clearing his throat, Nyssa simply staring up at him. Then he began to sing, his voice carrying out all around them...except his voice cracked, causing his tempo and pitch to mess up. A flock of cardinal birds broke from the treetops and raced away into the air, and a couple of squirrels darted away into the underbrush across the stream. Nyssa broke out into laughter at the twisted look on her friend’s face as his disturbing song came to a standstill. She slapped the ground, unable to control herself.