Howl And Growl Complete Collection

by Cloe Cullen

  All at once questions flooded the room, the constant voices making Remus’ ears twitch. The questions came so quickly Remus barely had time to spot who asked what.

  “What’s metal?”

  “Do we follow your orders now?”

  “Can you make Changelings?”

  “What’s the plan from now on?”

  “Easy, easy,” Bronwen said, holding up a hand. “We have more than enough time to answer each and every one of your questions, but I need you all to ask one at a time. But first, I want to explain something to you all.” She took a pause, glancing at each individually. “Now that I’m a Lord, or Lady if you wish to call me that instead, my responsibilities have grown. I’m no longer just any old Vampire, but a representative of not only my people but yours as well. I’m responsible for you all as long as you’re here, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep you all safe.” Her gaze brushed over Remus swiftly and then returned to the rest. “That being said, you’re all technically my subordinates now. You’ll all follow my orders...at least in the public eye when other Vampires are around. While we’re here in the manor, you can do whatever you want, but when I bring you all to the Commune as I did with Remus, you’ll need to pretend like you're my servants. It’s the best way to keep some of the other Lords from feeling the urge to massacre us all.”

  A wave of eerie silence rolled over the parlor as Bronwen took a breath, bringing her cup of tea back up to her lips. Remus eyed her, wondering what she would end off on.

  “We’ve already made an enemy, thanks to Remus…” She smiled, glancing at him. Finn sniggered, causing everyone to glance at him while Remus frowned.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Point is, we all need to be on our best behavior from now on. Be careful of what we say and where we step. Do you all understand?”

  It took a few moments, but every head in the room slowly nodded, their eyes all focused squarely on Bronwen.

  “Good,” Bronwen said, taking another sip of her tea. “Then let me answer your other questions.”

  Chapter Ten: Remus

  Remus didn’t think the questions would ever end.

  For what seemed like hours, the group questioned Bronwen about their future plans, wondering how dangerous the other Lords were, asking how often they would be ordered around, etc. Patient as she’d always been, Bronwen carefully answered every one, her Vampiric smile remaining intact all the while. And of course, through it all, Remus simmered, waiting for his chance to be with Bronwen alone. He did everything he could to calm himself down, trying to focus on something other than her lusciously soft skin, tapping his foot to the beat of her voice, trying to keep his body from jerking every time she glanced his way. He tried to listen, he really did, but at the end of the day his mind was so overblown with thoughts of Bronwen that all he could hear was the silkiness of her voice.

  Eventually, he needed to stand and walk out into the entrance hall to pace, Bronwen’s scarlet eyes on him the entire way out of the parlor. He took a few deep breaths, walking around in circles, looking up at his reflection in the plate armor that stood as silent guards along the walls. Under the candlelight, the slits in the helmets which Remus could only assume were for looking out of, appeared to glow with the glint of a shifter’s eyes. More than once Remus looked over his shoulder at the variety of armor lining the walls, making sure none were actually alive.

  A wave of homesickness overtook Remus as he pondered the armor, and he decided that he needed fresh air. In three big strides, Remus pushed open the front door and stepped outside. Taking in the air, which wasn’t as fresh as he had hoped, Remus was again plagued by the idea that he was in a foreign land. Nothing in the Blackwood was pleasant, even the air tasted of soot and ash. The sky, clouded and grayer than the mist in Gray Creek, spread out like a sheet over the barren landscape, it’s color darkening by the minute. The few trees left standing were blackened and smoldering in the distance, like dark sentinels that stood guard over absolutely nothing.

  As Remus stared out into the devastation of the Blackwood, his desire for Bronwen faded to the back of his mind. His limbs became heavy, and his eyelids began to close over his gaze. Feeling sleep weighing his body down, Remus crouched low and sat on the sandy earth, placing his back against the manor. The frilly clothes that still clung to his body would get dirty, but at the moment Remus didn’t care.

  His heart thrummed to the beat of old memories flooding his mind, mixing with his yearning for something familiar, for fresh misty air and the smell of pine trees just before slipping off to dreams of the next day. He longed to speak with Darius and Amara, to make fond memories with Flora as she grew up, to hunt with Nyssa and their father, to create a brotherly bond with Jorah. But instead, he was in the Blackwood, waiting to bed the most beautiful Vampire he’d ever seen. It seemed, to Remus at least, that the world was so much bigger than he had ever imagined and so much more complicated.

  The rise and fall of his emotions had tuckered out the last bits of his energy, and as he closed his eyes he drifted off just as the sun finally disappeared beneath the horizon.

  Remus awoke sometime later, his eyes adjusting to the all-encompassing darkness that spread out around him. As he rose from the ground upon which he lay, he fluttered his lashes as he groaned and gazed up at the crescent moon in the sky. The moon, its bright shine lighting up the earth, seemed to be observing him, standing guard as he rose to his feet and wiped off the sandy dirt that caked his shoulders and arms. After stretching, and realizing that he’d been sleeping in the open outside, Remus made his way back to the entrance hall, slipping inside quietly and clicking shut the front door. The candles were all still lit, but in the darkness of the night shadows stretched out over the entire hall, covering every nook and cranny.

  He heard what sounded like echoes of excited voices bouncing off the walls of the hallway in front of him, and as he came forward Finn creeped out from the shadows, grinning and giggling as he looked every which way.

  “Where are you, Lenna?” he called softly. Cautiously, Finn placed his steps as he made his way over to the stairs, somehow missing Remus completely. “I’m going to find you!”

  “Uh, Finn?” Remus said, stepping forward.

  Swiveling on his heels, Finn gawked at Remus, his eyes widening, and then he let out a relieved sigh as he recognized Remus.

  “Remus!” he exclaimed. “How about we don’t startle each other like that from now on?”

  Ignoring his question, Remus kept coming forward. “What are you doing? Are you looking for Lenna? Want me to help?”

  “Oh, uh, well we’re kind of playing a game right now. She’s hiding, and I’m trying to find her.”

  Frowning at Finn’s explanation, Remus clutched at his head, running a hand through his sandy hair. “How long was I out?”

  “Outside?” Finn said, cocking his head. “Oh, it’s been hours since then. After you left and didn’t come back, Bronwen ordered us to find you. Her first real command...which is weird to think about. Keanu found you in a deep sleep outside, so he just left you there.” Finn grinned, “Keanu said you were sleeping like a baby.”

  Waving away Finn’s teasing, Remus made to ask about Bronwen, but Finn foresaw his question. “She’s up in her room, waiting for you,” he said quickly, gazing around and beginning to creep away. “So, uh, if you don’t mind, I’m going to keep looking for...well, you know who.”

  Nodding, Remus watched as Finn crept up the stairs and disappeared around the corner, and then made his way up the opposite side of the stairs. Even though this was only his second day in the Blackwood and living in the manor, he was already having an easier time finding his way around. Or maybe it was just the remnants of Bronwen’s scent that spurred him on to find the next staircase and up to the landing jutting out from the wall. Her door was left partially ajar, inviting him in, so Remus eased himself inside, but found no Bronwen at first glance.

  Just as he remembered, her room was littered wi
th all sorts of chairs and furniture and wardrobes, all made from a mix of darkwood and lightwood. Bronwen’s fancy clothes were left draped over the end of her bed, the source of her scent that remained in the manor. And yet there was no Bronwen in sight. Growing concerned, Remus stepped further inside until he noticed two doors on the left that were left open.

  Doors? Since when were there more doors in her bedroom? How many doors did a Vampire need?

  Cautiously stepping closer, Remus eventually spied the woman he was looking for, standing out on another balcony, though this one overlooked the Blackwood. Bronwen leaned against the railing, her lithe arms supporting her curvaceous figure as she gazed into the darkness. Her once curled dirty brown hair was damp, clumped together as it was wrapped into a ball behind her head, and her pale skin glistened from the dampness. Instead of the heavy clothes she wore earlier, a simple, thin dress clung to her body, drawing all the way down to the ankles, and revealing much of her hips.

  Remus gulped as he looked her up and down, his mind and body going wild at the sight of her. His wolf nature growled and boiled on the inside, urging him on to pick her up and carry her to her bed right this very moment, but before he could even take a step towards her, Bronwen looked over her shoulder, her thin lips widening into a smile.

  “So, how comfortable is it to sleep upon the earth in the Blackwood?” she asked casually, turning slightly and moving her arms from her chest. She leaned back, puffing out her chest, practically begging him to drool over the way her gown fit her shapely chest. “I know you’re used to the ground in the Oldwood, but is it much different here?”

  Remus shook his head, more to regain his composure instead of in answer to her query. “I wasn’t really thinking about it.”

  Cocking her head, she shifted her body, making enough room for someone to squeeze in next to her on the balcony. “Then what were you thinking about?”

  She motioned for him to join her, and as Remus came forward and placed a hand on the cold stone of the balcony, he stared into her eyes. “You know...this and that.”

  Bronwen giggled, tapping her finger on the stone railing as she lowered herself over the railing once again. Her gaze trailed from his eyes to the stone. “I saw how antsy you were during the meeting...the others asked a lot of questions.”

  “That they did,” Remus repeated, staring at Bronwen.

  Silence passed between them, with Bronwen’s eyes lingering on the moon up above. After a while, Bronwen glanced up at Remus and her smile faded. “You realize you never actually answered me.”

  Cocking a brow, Remus grunted. “What do you mean?”

  “I asked if you had fallen in love with me.”

  That startled him. He’d completely forgotten about her question after he’d fallen asleep outside the manor. What was he going to say the first time? As he thought, Bronwen stared him down, her expression more stoic than he’d ever seen. No sound escaped her while she waited. No breath, no tapping from her finger, none of the subtle sounds of her gown shifting on her body. Her ability to go as still as stone unnerved him somewhat, but at the same time his blood surged in anticipation of hearing himself finally speak the words Bronwen had been waiting to see cross his lips for years.

  “Have I ever told you how Vampires became what they are?” Bronwen suddenly said, breaking his thoughts off. Shaking his head, Remus watched as Bronwen resumed her finger tapping, her red eyes unblinking as she spoke. “No one is born a Vampire. Not a single one of us were conceived in a Vampire’s womb. To become a Vampire, another Vampire must bite someone who is completely free of Vampire genes. After the bite, the person bitten slowly loses the pigment in their skin, their blood colors their eyes, their body lengthens, yet grows stronger and more durable. And then they become immune to all manner of disease and body deterioration.”

  “Meaning you live forever,” Remus concluded, watching Bronwen stiffen and her gaze drop. This information was startling and suddenly Remus found himself wondering about Bronwen herself. “Were you bitten by someone?”

  Nodding, Bronwen smiled. “By Lord Silvan, fifty years ago...just before we came to the Blackwood.”

  “Seriously?” Remus touched Bronwen’s arm. “I had no idea.”

  “Of course, you wouldn’t. It’s not as if we Vampires have had much contact with the Clans of the Oldwood until very recently,” Bronwen snapped, her anger shocking Remus. Taking a deep breath, Bronwen straightened and peered into Remus’ eyes. “I ask, because if it's what you so desire, I can bite you too…”

  Remus went ice cold, his body freezing on the spot. Become a Vampire...was she really suggesting he become the very thing he and the rest of his kind feared for decades? He recoiled slightly, causing Bronwen to wince and slump on the railing, her pained expression ripping his heart in half. As his mind began its usual descent into a maddening whirl of thoughts of what it would be like to become a Vampire, he realized something.

  “Bronwen,” Remus said, clutching onto her shoulders and spinning her round to face him straight on. His strength must have surprised her because she stared at him wide-eyed while he spoke. “I can’t say whether or not I’d want to become a Vampire yet...I need time to think about that, but there is something I’m certain I can answer. I do love you. I loved you before, I love you now, and I’ll love you in the future. For right now, that’s all the answer I can give you.”

  To Remus’ surprise, Bronwen smiled, her face brightening like a bonfire, her pale cheeks warming at his words. Remus was unable to take waiting anymore, and so he cupped Bronwen’s heated cheeks in his strong hands, staring into her eyes. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”

  Pressing his lips to hers, a wave of ecstasy rolled over him, his body quivering as he pulled her to him, his mind drifting away in the pleasure.

  Breaking away, Bronwen took hold of his hands. “How about we take this a step further,” she said quickly, backing into her bedroom and pulling him along. Remus allowed Bronwen to lead him to her bed; she spun him around and shoved him onto the soft sheets, ignoring the clothes that popped up and floated to the floor at his impact. Bronwen panted as she jumped on top of him, pulling his hands up to caress her hips and waist, leaning down to continue to peck his lips.

  As she kissed him, Remus’ hands worked mindlessly, pulling off her gown to reveal the naked Vampire beneath. Soon he was naked as well, though he was so lost in Bronwen’s lips he didn’t realize when his clothes were taken off. As he growled and grunted, rolling Bronwen onto her back and connecting himself to her, his thoughts of Bronwen’s luscious, sexy body consumed him. Bronwen moaned as they shook her bed, not caring as their voices pierced the walls and echoed into the rest of the manor.

  For all of two years, this perfect female mate had been waiting for him, for this moment, to feel his flesh against hers. Remus couldn’t believe he’d put this off for so long.

  Chapter Eleven: Bronwen

  Bronwen awoke the next morning refreshed and beaming.

  In was the first time in a long while that she had woken up with a smile. Not a fake one plastered to her face like the ones on every other Vampire; no, it was a genuine smile. The previous night had been like nothing Bronwen had ever experienced. She’d finally made love to Remus, the shifter she’d been drooling over for years now, waiting for him to come around and fall for her.

  She had thought his touch would be rough and forceful, expecting him to dominate the bed, yet she’d found him gentle and compassionate, leading her on in their lovemaking, but not forcing her body to twist in any way without her approval first. More than once she found herself wondering who had sculpted his rock-hard body. How had he become so perfect, so unbelievably heart thumping? It was amazing to Bronwen, that someone born so long after her could have driven her so wild with pleasure.

  As she sat in her bed, watching Remus soundly sleep in the sheets next to her, his body sprawled across the bed, she traced his muscles with her eyes, taking in the breadth of his figure, the very memory
of his quivering body above hers making her shiver in delight.

  He was hers now, she realized. Hers to love, hers to protect, hers to nurture. Remus was by no means a blank slate, but he was certainly a shifter that was pulled in so many directions. He had pronounced his love for her, yet denied her an answer as to whether or not he’d let her bite him. His reaction was understandable, given the fact that he still had ties to the Oldwood and beyond. No creature would be able to decide so quickly on a decision like that. Even so, her excitement remained, as well as a selfish disappointment. Bronwen hadn’t felt such a wide array of emotions in ages. Remus certainly was the answer to her many problems.

  A knock at her door roused her from her bed, causing her to stand and slip into the nightgown that Remus had so adorably and sweetly taken off the night before. It didn’t cover a lot, but it covered the important bits, and so Bronwen strode to the door, unsure of who to expect.

  Sliding the door open, she spied the ashen-haired Nyx, her brows raising at the sight of a partially naked Bronwen and she whistled. “Wow, even I might just fall for that Vampire charm of yours. Fun night?” she asked nonchalantly. Bronwen’s grin was enough of an answer for Nyx, so she continued on. “You have a guest...another Vampire. Magnolia, actually.”

  “Oh?”

  “She wants to speak with you right away,” Nyx said, blinking. “Not that she would tell me what about.”

  “It’s fine,” Bronwen said, glancing back at her bed frame, where Remus’ chest continued to gently rise and fall. When she turned back, she found Nyx’s gaze lingering on Remus’ sleeping form as well. “Go tell Magnolia to meet me in the parlor. I need to dress first.”