by Cloe Cullen
“Oh, arnica and goldenrod, right?” Jorah commented, sniffing the air around him. “And yarrow...yeah, that stuff does wonders for closing wounds.”
Lowell stared at Jorah as it he’d just spit in his face. “So, you know a few things about herbs, do you?”
Shrugging, Jorah smiled. “Comes with trying to survive the frigid storms up top. It’s easy to misplace a foot and cut it wide open on a sharp rock hiding beneath the snow. Or it’s even easier to take a fall, poke a few holes in your body. Herbal healing has saved me more than once.”
“You just become more interesting by the minute, don’t you?” Nyssa said, teasing.
Jorah chuckled, nodding. “I do try my best.”
Snarling, Lowell got in front of Jorah, blocking Nyssa from his dark eyes. “You two seem to be getting along well enough, aren’t you?”
Making no attempt to hide his hostility, he stopped the three of them from following the group ahead. Jorah must have noticed the hate radiating from Lowell’s body, because his smile was gone, and replaced with a hard stone-like exterior. Half a head taller than Lowell, Jorah appeared to tower over him, his muscles beginning to strain the thick tunic that clothed his torso. “Yeah, is that a problem? If you haven’t noticed, I’m in need of some new friends.”
“Maybe you’re getting a little too friendly with Nyssa?” Lowell said, unwilling to back down. “If you don’t remember, you’re the one that brought her up the mountain in the first place.”
“To save her life, and yeah, I remember. I remember how you couldn’t, though I am grateful you helped me.”
“I wasn’t trying to help you!” Lowell said, his voice rising. “I was trying to take Nyssa back from you. The Changelings still got in my way.”
Stunned by the sudden hostility from her friend, Nyssa marched forward, grabbing his arm, making him wince. “Enough, Lowell! What’s gotten into you?”
“Me? What’s gotten into you!” He retorted, leveling a twisted look at her. “He brought you up there, brought us both straight to those leaders of his to lock us up.”
“That wasn’t his fault, Lowell,” Nyssa tried again. “Please just stop.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Nyssa spied Remus jogging back to them. The rest of their group waited up ahead, watching and waiting from a distance. In particular, Magnolia’s shrewd red gaze latched onto Jorah and her, unnerving her more than Lowell’s rant. “What’s going on back here? Why did you three stop?”
“Lowell here has decided to pick a bone with me,” Jorah said, stepping closer to Lowell. “Apparently he thinks he can take me in that withered state of his.”
Growling and snapping his teeth together, Lowell leaned forward. “Of course, I can take you, you fuzzy fat bear. You wouldn’t even be able to catch me!”
“Enough!” Remus shouted. Everyone snapped their attention to him. “I’m losing my patience really quick, so both of you shut up and get moving already.” Lowell, hurt, grunted but shuffled forward at Remus’ command, glancing at Nyssa. Jorah grunted, but made to move forward as well, until Remus stopped him. “You, I get that Lowell might have been antagonizing you, but you need to ignore him, alright? It helps no one if you two get into a scuffle.”
Sighing, Jorah nodded, and made to move on.
“One more thing, Jorah,” Remus said, giving them both pause. “If you do anything to put my sister in harm’s way, your life in the Oldwood won’t be as nice as you think.”
“Remus!” Nyssa said, ready to slap her brother across the cheek.
Jorah simply chuckled and nodded again. “You have my word, wolf.”
Grinning, Remus pushed past them both, gesturing for them to catch up. Falling back in line, Nyssa remained by Jorah’s side the rest of the trip.
Chapter Sixteen: Jorah
G ray Creek was nothing like Jorah thought it was going to be. In truth he hadn’t a clue as to what he thought would be. At least he didn’t need to speculate anymore.
The walk from edge of the Oldwood to the main hub of the Pack was much shorter than he expected. Looking just like the wooden shacks up on the Northern Mountains, Gray Creek was littered with houses, ranging from small to large to elongated. There were so many homes his eyes stung after going wide at the sight. And not only that, but hundreds of shifters were continually bounding up steps or down small slopes and walking into and then out of these homes. This much traffic boggled Jorah’s mind; he wanted to watch every single shifter as they want about their day, carrying bushels of herbs and plants, and baskets of fresh fish that still wiggled in the containers. A few shifters even went to work on various game, skinning and cutting up the hunted animals.
As they moved further in the trees began to vanish, creating an open area where shifters crisscrossed everywhere. A wide, lengthy pond sat dead center, it’s water rippling from a few rocks some little kids were trying to skip across.
The amount of smells that crossed his nose was overwhelming as well. From burning meat to fresh lilac to the salty scent of fish and the strong sweat of the shifters as they went about their work.
It was safe to say this was all new to Jorah, the sheer amount of people working and living in the same area. He wanted to stroll around, talk to them all, learn how they felt about living in the Oldwood. Maybe he’d get his wish, as many of the shifters strolling about began to look his way...no, their way. The whole group was being noticed. At first, he thought some would glare at him, since he wasn’t native, but he realized quickly that everyone was looking not at him, but rather at the two Vampires and Nyssa’s brother. Remus, Bronwen and Magnolia marched along quickly, not even appearing to care about the stares and spit flying from some mouths.
Well, Jorah supposed that if the Bear Clan and Pack shared any traits, it would be their distrust of Vampires. Apparently after two years, the Vampires still hadn’t been entirely accepted.
So Jorah followed after Remus, Nyssa at his side, continuing on until Remus had them stop by the pond. There he let the other remaining shifters go on home for a good day off. He ordered Lowell to go to the healers once again, to make sure his wounds were truly closing and that his mind wasn’t muddled by any of the after effects; of course, he argued, glared at Jorah once or twice, but ultimately grunted and left, ignoring Nyssa as she tried to wave him a goodbye.
Honestly, as much as Lowell had come to put Jorah on edge, he knew the look on his face well. It was the same as Nyx’s when he first parted ways with her years ago; she’d been so angry with him about their ended relationship, and she spit at and ignored him for the better part of a few months. This wasn’t exactly the same, but it was enough to make Jorah feel sorry for the guy.
“And you two,” Remus continued. “Nyssa, take Jorah back to our house and stay there until I tell you otherwise. I don’t want people to get into a panic if they realize Jorah is a bear shifter. For now, he just smells slightly sweaty, but other than that there’s no indication.” A few female shifters brushed by the group, all eyeing Jorah with grins and giggling gestures. As they walked away, they all looked back over their shoulders at him and winked, making his cheeks burn and Nyssa frown. “Just stay low for a while, that’s all I’m asking,” Remus said. “I’m going to bring this to Darius’ attention for the time being, so I’ll probably bring him back to speak to you, Jorah.”
“Darius…he’s the Alpha, right?” Jorah asked.
Narrowing his eyes, Remus nodded. “He is, and he makes most of the decisions around here. So, he’ll be seeing you soon.” With that, Remus spun on his heel and stalked off, Bronwen hot on his heels and Magnolia following close behind. As he and Nyssa turned to leave themselves, Jorah caught Magnolia glancing back at him again. Something about her constant gazing unnerved him, but wasn’t that just because she was a Vampire? If so, then why did she look at him so much? It’s not like she fell in love with him or anything like that, right? That couldn’t be.
Tugging on his arm, Nyssa gestured forward. “Come on, let’s not stay here l
onger than necessary.” So, he let her drag him along, noticing the curious stares from others around the main hub. Were they finally catching on that Jorah was different from the rest of them?
Nyssa led him past a few houses and further back into the trees once again. When they were finally clear of prying eyes, Nyssa let go of his arm and kept marching ahead, nodding for Jorah to keep pace with her. The loud bustling of the town died quickly, instead his ears rapidly picking up on the chirps of bluebirds and rush of a stream nearby.
“We once lived in the Alpha’s house that resides in the main hub,” Nyssa said as they walked, her voice sweet and light. Clasping her hands behind her back, she continued on. “But after Darius killed our father and won the title of Alpha, we were essentially kicked out, so instead he and Remus built a house for us, just far enough away to have our privacy…”
Jorah liked the sound of that. Getting some alone time with Nyssa didn’t seem to be such a bad idea, not in the slightest. He could tell she felt the same, with a dumb grin plastered to her pink lips. Yet something still nagged at Jorah, so he opted to put this newfound privacy topic on hold. “So those Vampires that are sticking by your brother’s side...Bronwen and Magnolia, right? Who exactly are they? I know you mentioned Bronwen briefly back up on the mountain, but…”
Nyssa rolled her eyes, sighing. “Of course, you’d be interested in them, it’s only natural. Yeah, Bronwen is the one that switched sides and helped us win against Orpheus. Currently she’s negotiating with the other Vampire Lords to establish a better, more trusting peace between us and them.”
“Huh, and it’s been taking two years to do that?”
Shrugging, Nyssa glanced away. “Maybe longer, if there’s one thing most Vampires are experts at, it’s patience. Two years to them could feel like two months...or at least that’s how Bronwen explained it to me.”
Feeling the sweat drip down his forehead, Jorah imagined seeing those Vampires every day. If he ended up living down here, he’d have to get used to the idea of them, wouldn’t he? “And what about that Magnolia? You never mentioned her before.”
“That’s because I didn’t know about her until just now. I know just as much about her as you do. She must have come with Bronwen while we were gone...or maybe she’s come before and I just never noticed. Remus isn’t exactly loose-lipped when it comes to our dealings with the Vampires. Typically, he talks with our leader, Darius and his mate Amara, since those three have had much more experience with the Vampires.”
“And you haven’t?” Jorah raised a curious brow. “You speak about Bronwen like you’ve had plenty of experience.”
Nyssa’s gaze dropped, her body slumping slightly. “I have...just not the same kind as my brother...or Darius. I didn’t venture down into the Blackwood like my brother did two years ago, or cross into Red Rock like Darius did when the border river was still a strict border. Or fight off Changelings for the first time to save a group of cubs like Amara did.” Maybe it was Jorah’s imagination, but when Nyssa spoke about this Amara woman, a hint of spite layered her tone.
Jorah let out a breath, smiling. “Sounds like me and my people have really been left out of all the fun! Your life sounds so much more exciting than mine has been.”
Letting the serious stress of those tales leave her, Nyssa forced herself to match Jorah’s smile. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t exactly call those experiences fun, but I guess they’re more enriching than anything else.”
As they followed a winding dirt trail through the trees, the duo finally came upon a lone shack hiding under a great oak tree. Sunlight streamed through the branches overhead and leaves continually broke from the branches of the oak tree and fell in a swirl around the house. Along with a slight breeze, the house was nothing short of breathtaking, in a simple kind of way.
“Well, this is it,” Nyssa proclaimed. “This is my home.” She glanced back at him, her sparkling blue eyes pulling him further down the rabbit hole.
Grinning, he walked forward. “It’s amazing, already loads better than that smelly cave I used to live in.”
Giggling, Nyssa jogged to catch up, bounding up the steps to the front door and pushing it open. It banged against the side of an interior wall, the sound echoing inside. “So, how about it, want to see the inside?”
Jorah didn’t respond, instead jumping up and scooching past Nyssa, their bodies brushing against each other. The inside was beautiful and cozy, scented of bark and cooked meat. Nyssa led him down to one of the many rooms that lined the front hallway, pulling him inside. The room was large, with two cots lining either side. “Well, this is where we’ll have to wait for Remus to come back with the others...I don’t suppose you have any ideas of things we could do to pass the time?”
The longing look in her bubbling eyes drew Jorah in again, this time causing such compulsion as to make him saunter forward, stopping just before the fair-skinned beauty, and using his hand to draw a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. Touching her cheek with his meaty fingers sent shivers down his spine, her skin warm and soft. Nyssa stared up at him, naturally leaning forward at his touch, placing her own hand directly on his chest.
All else faded from his mind, only the thumping of his heart and the anticipation of Nyssa’s lips brushing his own. “You know, I’ve been learning a lot these past few days,” he began. Nyssa’s hand traced his pecs over his tunic, drawing lines while he talked. Jorah gulped at the sensation of her teasing finger. Her lips parted as she watched his reaction, waiting for him to continue.
“And what exactly have you learned?” She asked calmly, her lower lip quivering.
“Well,” Jorah began. “I’ve learned that Changelings are real, and not just Seer myths to get children to stay put in their home caves. I’ve learned that the world has been moving on without my people while we hid away on the mountain peaks.” Nyssa hung on his every word. The words he spoke resonated within the room, striking the aching quiet like hot embers from a bonfire. “I’ve learned that not only are you Oldwood natives friendly with each other, but also the Vampires...something I never thought possible. And, most of all…” Jorah stared directly into Nyssa’s watery orbs. “I’ve learned that I simply cannot hold myself back from you any longer. I can’t seem to resist your beauty, nymph of the Oldwood forest.”
With that, Jorah used his free hand to lift Nyssa’s chin so he could gently press his lips to hers. Immediately it was like his whole world changed, grew brighter. Nyssa’s lips tasted of salt and honey. His arms wrapped around her waist, pressing her slender body to his, letting her own hands wrap around his head, run through his pulled back hair. For the first time in years, Jorah was able to get lost in something other than the snow drifts, his mind, heart and soul being lit inside of a swirling inferno. They both shuddered as they kissed again and again, their kisses becoming frantic, wilder, their breaths growing less frequent and harsher when they broke away. Time slowed, the world stopped moving all around them, the noises outside vanished. All that mattered was the female shifter before him, her body seeming to latch on his.
He hadn’t felt so alive since he first met Nyx when he was a teenager, caught up in a simple lust, just like any other boy would have. But Nyssa...she was different. She was strong, but also needed someone by her side; feisty, but willing to be open about her emotions; quiet, but also incredibly wild and loud when she wanted to be.
As their make out session continued, they began to rip at each other’s clothes, pulling off their tunics and fumbling with their pants. Her hands sizzled on his abs as they felt their way down. Only one thing could ruin the moment right now, but Jorah didn’t expect Remus or the others to come back any time soon.
“My, my, it’s a little steamy in here, isn’t it?”
The sudden, sarcastic voice startled them both to the point where they jerked away from each other and both began to voice their excuses at the figure standing in the doorway. But upon closer inspection, Jorah saw the figure was too tall to be Remus, and too
red-eyed to be any regular shifter. Instead of a snarling wolf, a Vampire smiled at them both, as if walking in on a touching moment was the most natural thing in the world.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Bronwen said cocking her head and placing a hand ot her cheek. “Embracing the one you love is the most natural thing in the world. Please, don’t let me stop you.”
Both Jorah and Nyssa breathed heavily, but it was Jorah who spoke first. “What the hell are you doing here? I thought you followed around Remus everywhere.”
Bronwen chuckled, the unnatural din to her laugh startling him. “Well I wanted to come check up on Nyssa, I wanted to talk with her. But if you two want to finish what you started, I’ll happily wait in the next room.”
“No!” Nyssa said, pinching her temple, groaning. “No, Bronwen...just no. I’ll talk to you now.” She glanced at Jorah. “Sorry...we’ll, uh, continue this little session of ours later, okay?”
Adrenaline still coursed through Jorah’s veins, and his whole entire being ached to hold Nyssa again, but he sighed and threw up his hands. “Alright, alright, what can I do when a Vampire comes knocking? I guess I’ll just be outside, or something.” So, Jorah grabbed his tunic off the ground and hurried out of the room, Bronwen moving to allow him to pass. She giggled as he left, leaving Jorah to feel the most awkward he had in a long time.
Chapter Seventeen: Nyssa
“ Would you like me to pour you some tea?” Bronwen asked as she came back into the room where Nyssa waited. Carrying a tray holding a steaming kettle and two cups, Bronwen smiled and stalked over, dropped down to a cross legged position and began to pour them both cups of her Vampire tea all in one smooth motion. For as long as Nyssa had known Bronwen, she always envied how smoothly and intently she moved, as if every action she made was carefully planned and set into motion beforehand.