Howl And Growl Complete Collection

by Cloe Cullen

  He couldn’t stay away any longer, and found his feet carrying him forward to walk by her side.

  Her eyes widened slightly when she spied him, her smile growing as he pretended that nothing was out of the ordinary. He knew she wanted to say something, but remained silent. Remus thought of what say to her, but good icebreakers slipped his mind, so his lips spoke the first words that came to mind.

  “So, what will our new life be like in the Blackwood?” he asked, running a hand through his hair as nonchalantly as possible.

  Bronwen turned around, interlocking her fingers behind her back as she walked backward, her front facing him. When she spoke, her voice teetered on the edge of sarcasm. “Are you asking what our life as a collective group will be like when we all take up residence in our new home? Or are you asking what our life, just the two of us, will be like when we settle down together? Or are you -”

  Furiously shaking his head, Remus’ sighed. “No, I meant...the first one. What’ll it be like to live surrounded by Vampires?”

  Bronwen cackled with laughter, though she remained walking backward. “What is it like to live being surrounded by wolves and cougars?”

  “They’re not the same beast, Bronwen. Vampires -”

  “Are unpredictable,” Bronwen finished. It had become a habit of theirs over the past couple of years. They’d been so close each could finish the other’s sentence at times, with Bronwen being the best at it. “Yes. But if they’re so unpredictable, why would I know what it would be like to have a group of outsiders live amongst them in their makeshift homeland? I’m a Vampire and have been among them most of my long life. They’re used to me, and I’m used to them. If anything, I’m the completely wrong person to ask.”

  Remus wasn’t fond of the logic Bronwen often brought into the casual conversations he tried to start with her, but he supposed it was just another Vampire trait to deal with. “So you’re saying we won’t know how we’ll be received until we actually begin living there?”

  “Correct.”

  “So, if the other Vampires decide that we’re all just useless worms taking up space and are in need of being exterminated, we won’t know until they attack us directly.”

  Bronwen bellowed in laughter once again. “That’s certainly one way to look at it.”

  “It’s not the only one?” Remus asked curiously, gauging Bronwen’s shrug as the most he’d get out of her for the time being.

  “Only time will tell how this venture will go,” Bronwen continued. “We won’t know until we can have you all gathered before the other Lords and begin our peace and trade talks. Vampires have much to share, but little reason to care about actually making the effort to share it. If the majority of the Lords don’t try to rip off all of your heads, then I’d say we’re in good luck.”

  Remus breathed out. “Good luck, huh?”

  Spinning around to walk facing forward once again, Bronwen’s gaze leaped to a distant spot in the forest. “Good luck indeed! Would you be up to eat our midday meals?”

  Blinking, Remus gazed in the direction Bronwen pointed, spying a wild boar grazing, it’s flimsy tail jerking around as it stuffed its mouth full of tall grass. It was plump enough to feed a small army, Remus thought, or enough to last them days if they planned their meals well. “I can catch it,” Remus found himself saying suddenly, moving forward and slipping off his bag. Before he could undress, though, Bronwen’s strong hand slapped to his chest, pushing him back.

  “No, let me,” she said, eyeing the wild boar. “It’s the least I could do. Besides, we’re getting closer to the cliffs overlooking the Blackwood. You don’t know the area as well as I do and you could fall.”

  Grunting, Remus picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder once more. “That’s a weak argument, Bronwen. You know how good of a hunter I am. Even this far out I’d know to be careful.”

  Bronwen still shook her head and glided off. “Just wait, okay? I won’t be long.” Moments later, she disappeared into the thickets, her scent lingering in the air next to him.

  “Where’s she going?” Lowell asked from behind him.

  “Hunting,” Remus said. “Don’t worry, she won’t be long. But let’s stop here for right now.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Nyx said through the cracking of her knuckles.

  “Food!” Finn exclaimed.

  The hairs on Remus’ body stood on end as he watched the wild boar from a distance, the animal still unaware of how close he and the others were. Wetting his finger with his tongue, Remus stuck his hand in the air, feeling the wind coming towards him. At least the boar wouldn’t smell Bronwen before she could snap its neck. As the others sat down, using their packs as makeshift seats, Remus remained standing, his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on Bronwen as she snuck out from behind a bush, gingerly approaching the wild boar. At first, her focus was beyond perfect, almost god-like as she seemed to float over the forest floor, but one glance in his direction and she accidentally kicked a pebble, sending the creature into a frenzy. Bronwen lurched forward to grab it, but her grip wasn’t strong enough as the boar kicked back, slipping from Bronwen’s touch. Soon enough the boar was crying out as it spirited itself away deeper into the forest.

  Bronwen rose to her feet quickly, dabbing at a drop of blood where the boar’s hooves had scraped her on the cheek and raced after it.

  On instinct, Remus shot off after her, his blood pumping and his mind overthinking the blood he’d seen on her face. Some of the others began to rise to follow, but Remus quickly motioned for them to stay back. Too many people would corner the beast, causing it to go crazy, making it more difficult to catch.

  As he closed in on Bronwen and the boar, he saw how she struggled to catch the beast. Time after time, Bronwen dove after it, grabbing onto its back, but its hide was slippery from the dew on the grass and trees. It kept dodging and ducking into small, tight spaces Bronwen couldn’t have easily slipped into at a full run. Remus would have just stayed back, if not for the downdraft he felt. Through the treeline Remus saw open air and no land; just as he did, Bronwen leaped onto the wild boar, pinning it down and digging her nails in to keep it from slipping her grasp. Quickly, she snapped its neck, its squealing voice vanishing as quickly as the hunt had begun. Bronwen rose in triumph, noticing how only a few feet separated her from the edge. Wiping her brow, she glanced back at Remus with a smile.

  Remus returned her smile, enjoying their little moment...until the ground beneath her cracked and gave way, crumbling and leaving Bronwen to fall down. With one push of Remus’ legs, he shot forward, stretching out his hand to catch Bronwen’s wrist just as she reached out for him.

  It all happened so quickly that before Remus knew it, he was the only force keeping Bronwen from plummeting to her death a thousand feet below. As he looked past her, he saw the long drop was blanketed by a number of sharp rocks, not unlike the type adorning the Northern Mountains. Remus shook as he held her, her face betraying her usual calm exterior. Fright creased her brows and left her mouth agape as she swung in the open air, her other arm reaching up to grip onto Remus’ forearm. With one pull, Remus lugged Bronwen up the new cliff face, wrapping his other arm around her waist and pulling her into his arms as they both released their held breaths.

  Bronwen’s embrace tightened around him so hard he thought his skin would never recover from the marks.

  “Thank you…” she whispered in his ear, leaning back to reveal sudden tears. Remus’ heart nearly broke in half at the fear etched into her face, and he pulled her to him once again.

  “Maybe let me handle the hunting next time, yeah?” he said, his voice cracking.

  Bronwen laughed nervously, nodding. “Sure thing. Just...it looks like we’ll need to find another animal to hunt.”

  “No kidding. Are you okay to walk back?”

  Both rising to their feet, Bronwen nodded once again, starting off in the direction they had come. “Yeah, we don’t want to worry the others.”

  As
Remus followed Bronwen, his instinctive nature keeping him nearly shoulder to shoulder with her, he realized something.

  There were very few creatures Remus truly cared for, fewer still that actually made him sick with worry whenever something happened to them. Only two had frozen his heart in icy fear as he witnessed them fall into the jaws of danger. But now there was a third.

  No other woman beside Bronwen could make Remus’s heart stop that way.

  Chapter Four: Bronwen

  Bronwen knew she still should have been shocked at her ghastly blunder while hunting the boar. She’d been so close to death, something of a foreign concept to Vampires. Unless a Vampire was seeking death out, it was generally forgotten about. Vampires were immortal after all.

  Even so, when the first crack carved itself out of the ground and Bronwen realized there was nothing but air to her left, her stomach somersaulted and lurched to either side. She could feel the howling winds surging below her, rising up to wrench her down. Her skin had gone colder than it had ever been before. She had locked eyes with Remus and saw her long life flash before her eyes as she fell back, reaching out, hoping beyond hope that he would somehow reach her before the world swallowed up her life.

  And then, just as quickly, she’d jerked to a stop, her body hanging in the air. It had taken her a moment to realize that Remus really had been able to dive forward and grip her wrist, preventing her from falling to an early grave. And the way he looked at her as he hauled her up, his brows creased and the few stress lines tightening in his face; it was a look of desperation, and then relief when he finally placed her back on solid land and embraced her.

  He really did care, Bronwen thought as she held Remus’ beating chest to her own, letting the warmth in his skin flood into her. At that moment she’d wanted to just keep holding him, to whisper in his ear how much she loved him, to let the steam in her voice carry them both to some remote part of the forest and just have at each other. But as she held Remus she felt him tremble, a sign that maybe he wouldn’t quite appreciate the sudden change in mood. So, they had gone back to the others, staying silent and never leaving each other’s side...or at least, she wasn’t about to leave his.

  “Wait, wait, wait…” Nyx said as they resumed their trek through the Oldwood. “Are you telling me that you guys lost the boar you were going after? The animal either one of you could have easily snatched up and killed?” her smoky eyes flicked between them. “Am I the only one that finds that strange?”

  Remus had shrugged, clearly not wanting to reveal the truth of what had happened, but Bronwen knew the second that her grin pierced her face that she wouldn’t be able to hold back. “Well, you can actually blame me!” Bronwen said.

  “Why are you excited about that?” Nyx retorted.

  “Because, while I did snatch up the wild boar,” Bronwen began, glancing knowingly at Remus, “I did so too close to the edge of the cliffs we are currently descending. Unluckily for me, the ground gave way and sent me flying into the air.” Remus frowned at her, making to step away, but Bronwen shot out a hand and caught him, reining him in. “Remus saved me like the hero he always is, but alas, the boar was lost to the forest below us.”

  As if to prove her point, powerful ascending winds raced by the group as they climbed down a grassy, rocky hill to the landscape below. In the distance, the woodland began to char and the air turned smokey. From this angle, Bronwen could even make out the hard line where the Blackwood began, stretching out from the green of the Oldwood and darkening. Even the skies above appeared to swirl and converge, as it the whole of the Blackwood anticipated their arrival.

  “Really?” Lowell said, eyeing Nyx with a grin. “Remus saved you, huh?”

  “How romantic!” Nyx said, causing Bronwen to smile and flash her sparkling eyes at Remus, who’s face flamed like a bonfire.

  Behind them, so no one could hear, Finn leaned over to Lenna, the two shortest members hiding behind Keanu. “I could be even more romantic, you know.”

  Bronwen giggled as Finn’s voice echoed around them. He’d clearly meant to whisper, but his voice carried all around them. The young shifter looked up, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head. Lenna’s cheeks had burned like Remus’, and she glanced away as all eyes landed on them both.

  “What?” Finn asked. “It’s true! I could do whatever that wolf did.”

  A rumble of laughter rolled through the group, with even Remus letting a small chuckle go as Finn scratched his chin next and whistled away the sudden embarrassment.

  “Ah, but still, old Remus here did good, saving our leader like that!” Lowell interjected, walking forward and throwing an arm around his neck. Bronwen still hung on Remus’ arm, and now with Lowell pulling in the other direction, Remus looked like he was being pulled apart. “Without Bronwen, I think we’d all be screwed, right?” A round of nodding passed through the others. “So, good job!”

  Grunting, Remus tried to shake them both off, but couldn’t, causing his frown to deepen. “Don’t call me old, Lowell. I’m younger than you.” Another round of laughter and Remus and Lowell were growling at each other.

  Bronwen had to admit it, she hadn’t had this much fun for years, decades even! The last time she’d even come close was when she was but a young woman, so many frighteningly long years ago. Despite the decades she still remembered it all so clearly, though she supposed it was best not to dwell on the past. Right now, all she wanted to think about was the future, a future with Remus and the rest of this little group. It was finally time to start her own story, after seventy-seven years of life.

  ***

  The rest of their journey saw the group continually switch off between teasing Remus and Finn, each trying their best to take it in stride. Remus stoically kept pace at the front of the group, shrugging when Bronwen thanked him for the dozenth time for saving her. More than once she whispered into his ear that she’d thank him with a nice surprise when they finally reached the manor they would all call home, which would get him to gaze at her like no other man had ever done before. It was safe to say, Bronwen was enjoying the journey.

  Eventually, when the group finally reached the bottom of the cliffs, they slowed their pace as they were so near the border now. The air grew tense in the group, with each and every member besides Bronwen and Remus tightening their grips on their packs and sticking close together. Bronwen noticed the three bear shifters focused straight ahead, a single bead of sweat slowly dripping down Nyx’s ghostly skin. Even Lenna, who had the shallowest connection to the Blackwood out of all of them, had her head on a swivel, gazing around at the growing silence and eerie lack of life.

  “Where are all the animals?” Keanu suddenly asked, causing Finn to jerk forward to his friend’s side. “This isn’t the Blackwood, is it?”

  “You’ll know when we cross the border,” Remus said, narrowing his eyes as they looked ahead.

  “There probably won’t be any game from here on out, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Bronwen followed up. “That can be blamed on the Changelings, I suppose.”

  At hearing ‘Changelings’ the whole group went silent, with the three bear shifters glancing every which way. “What are Changelings like?” Nyx asked quietly. “I’ve been hearing about them from our Seers...and from Jorah and Nyssa, but none of us three have actually ever seen one up close.”

  “Changelings are monsters,” Lenna interjected, surprising everyone. Her voice had an edge to it, one of hatred, Bronwen thought. “They don’t think, they don’t feel, they don’t care about anything other than their master’s orders.”

  Bronwen looked the shifter up and down, noticing a small scar on her lower leg, something no one else had noticed. “Correct, Changelings are tainted shifters, caught up in the power of us Vampires. Our natural abilities can cause corruption, or worse, so most of us try not to use our powers too often. Orpheus was one Vampire that simply didn’t care, and so he went on a rampage trying to conquer the Oldwood using Changelings as his army.
They’re dangerous creatures, and can very rarely be saved. I advise caution for those of you who haven’t experienced them yet.”

  Both Finn and Keanu gulped as they crested another hill, while Nyx made to stare at her feet as they walked. Bronwen hadn’t meant to dishearten them, but they had asked, and they needed to know.

  Vampires.

  Just the idea of Changelings was enough to give even Bronwen pause. Why did Vampires have the power to create them? She supposed she’d never truly know.

  “Indeed, I’d suggest you all very much stay away from those ghastly creatures,” a strange yet very familiar voice said in front of her.

  Suddenly, the entire group stopped, an intense aura of danger spiking around them. Remus’ muscles tensed and his teeth flashed as he took a step in front of Bronwen, nearly blocking her gaze from the handsome, somewhat pale Vampire standing comfortably in front of them. Bronwen could feel the menacing glares coming over her shoulders, and the hairs standing on everyone’s arms. As the group huddled together, ready to shift forms to fight for their lives, the Vampire cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. “Ah, yes, yes, you all are wary of a strange Vampire like me. I understand. It’s not every day that you meet one of my kind...oh wait, actually, you do see one every day.” The Vampire peered at Bronwen, smiling wide, and Bronwen’s heart warmed once again.

  “Who are you?” Remus breathed. “What’s a Vampire doing this far out of the Blackwood?”

  The Vampire clicked his tongue three times, wagging a finger in Remus’ face. “Is that the way you treat your new neighbors? Honestly, Bronwen, where did you pick this pup up?”

  Stepping forward, Bronwen answered while Remus strained to hold himself back. “This pup is called Remus, Lord Silvan. And he’s very dear to me, so please try not to mock him.”

  Lord Silvan grinned wide, letting a chuckle escape as he moved forward. “Come here!”