Howl And Growl Complete Collection

by Cloe Cullen

  Storming out of the Commune in rage, Bronwen smashed still standing dead trees with swings of her fists, throwing rocks into the distance as hard as she could, and cursing both Cadogan and Silvan’s name in anger while she stomped her way home. She needed this release of energy if she were to calm herself. Bronwen didn’t do well when her emotions boiled to the surface, and to strategize her plan to get Remus and the others out she’d need to be as calm as a rippling lake. But right now, it felt like she were a tidal wave, crashing against a shore full of pointed rocks, all aimed directly at her heart.

  She’d forgotten how different Vampires worked from the Clans. Despite what she preached, her experiences in the Oldwood had shaped her, just as Silvan had mentioned. She’d hated that he was right about that, but couldn’t deny the truth when it stared her in the face. When Finn vanished, Bronwen’s health began to suffer because of her constant worry; and now that Remus, Lenna, Keanu and Magnolia faced certain death she became like an inferno.

  She wondered how Nyx and Lowell would take the news. Just before following Cadogan out of her manor, she forbade the duo from leaving the manor, not only because she feared they would make the same mistake as Remus and the others had, but because she didn’t want to have to come up with a plan on her own. If there was anything she’d realized over the years, it was that being alone was no way to live; Remus had taught her that.

  Finally reaching her manor, Bronwen kicked open the door, shutting it and pacing, her footsteps echoing in the first-floor hallway. Nyx and Lowell raced towards Bronwen, concern in their eyes, but recoiled once they saw her huffing and fuming.

  “Are you okay?” Lowell asked. “What about the others? What happened at the Commune?”

  “Maybe you should sit down…” Nyx added.

  “Yes, I think I will…” Bronwen said, pinching the bridge of her nose and walking to her parlor. She staggered at the door, causing Lowell to inch forward and hold her arm as she walked inside. A strange dizziness came over her, the blowback from punching so many dead trees. Once she collapsed in a chair, she motioned for the other two to sit across from her.

  “We have a problem,” Bronwen began, knitting her brows. “A very big and dangerous problem.”

  Lowell gulped while Nyx edged forward in her seat, awaiting Bronwen’s next words.

  “It turns out that Remus and the others will be put to death in trial by combat. For now, they’re all waiting their turn in the holding cells below the Commune. I tried to stop it from happening...but it appears my words weren’t enough to sway the majority of the Lords.” Bronwen paused to swallow down some saliva in her mouth. She bit her lip, “Remus was voted to die first, fighting three Changelings. If he doesn’t die in the first bout, then he’ll be forced immediately into another, with more Changelings, over and over until he perishes.” Quivering, Bronwen forced herself to push his future death from her mind. It hadn’t been so long ago that Remus had asked whether she’d want to raise children with him...that dream was fading quickly, though she grasped it tightly. She’d make his dream come true, one way or another. If anyone deserved it, he did. “Keanu would be up next, and then Lenna, and finally Magnolia...there’s an especially brutal trial for her. Vampires do not take kindly to their own kind betraying each other.”

  “Oh hell,” Lowell said, throwing his head back. “Please tell me you have a plan.”

  Bronwen found her voice cracking as she spoke next, her mind in a jumble. “I...not yet. It’s difficult to think when -”

  “When all you can think about is Remus, right?” Nyx said, a sad smile on her lips. Glancing at the floor, Nyx tucked a curled lock of her ashen hair back behind her ear. “I went through something similar not too long ago...when I was sent to hunt Jorah in the Oldwood. It was like my thoughts were a river, rushing forward nonstop. I didn’t get a chance to really think about what I could do to help him, instead getting swallowed up by own my selfish need to get revenge.”

  Bronwen met Nyx’s sorrow with a gentle smile, her fears drifting away. Lowell placed a hand on Nyx’s shoulder, causing Nyx to reach up and interlock her fingers with his own.

  “Well, at least you have someone else now,” Bronwen said, eyeing Lowell as Nyx kissed his fingers in thanks.

  “Think of me as sloppy seconds,” Lowell said, the hint of a grin on his face and earning a laugh from Nyx. “After getting dumped by Nyssa, I didn’t think I’d be so ready to make such a big change in my life. But now I’m sure. Looks like it’s my turn to be the hero.”

  Bronwen shook her head in hilarious disbelief. Smiling, she began to chuckle so hard she nearly fell out of her seat. For once, as the tears streamed down her cheeks, she didn’t try to stop them. The Blackwood would always be something akin to being thrown into quicksand, slowly pulling one under until they struggled to breathe, but every once in a while a helping hand would drag her out of that quicksand, allow her to rest and shake off the weight of trying to keep her head above the surface. Right now, a good laugh was her helping hand. Once Bronwen calmed down she eyed the grins on the two shifters in front of her, thankful for their presence.

  “I like you two,” she said, smiling and massaging her own shoulders.

  “You aren’t too bad yourself,” Lowell said.

  “Anyway, I think we need to start planning a rescue,” Bronwen said, changing the subject. “We don’t have much time, since the trials will begin tomorrow for our friends in those holding cells.” She watched the smiles on their faces tighten, their expressions becoming stoic. “Though whatever we come up with, we need to keep in mind the potential for turning the whole Blackwood against us.”

  “I’m fine with that,” Nyx said.

  “If she can deal with it, then so can I,” Lowell agreed.

  “Good, so here’s my thoughts,” Bronwen said, gazing out her window. “First, Lowell, I’ll need you to sneak into the holding cells below the Commune. They’ll be heavily guarded, but you’re good enough to handle it, and it’ll be easier to slip in with only one person.”

  Without hesitating, Lowell nodded, “You don’t suppose Finn could be down there too?”

  “Sharp!” Bronwen said. “Yes, if he’s anywhere, it would either be in Cadogan’s manor, or possibly the cells. If he is down there, then he’ll be in some dark corner. Once you free the others, take them and look for Finn. Whether you find him or not, come and find me and Nyx after.” Eyeing the bear shifter, Nyx straightened. “You and I, in the meantime, will be heading over to Lord Cadogan’s manor, once again.”

  “Is that wise?” Nyx said. “I mean why would Cadogan give us an audience with him?”

  “Because we’ll be coming with back up...Lord Silvan will accompany us. We go first to ask him to come; he won’t refuse me in this, especially since I plan on feigning an apology to Cadogan. Silvan will act as my sponsor, so Cadogan will certainly invite us in. I’ll beg his forgiveness, then try and get him and Silvan to stop the trials by combat.”

  “And if that doesn’t work?” Nyx said, growing anxious.

  Bronwen frowned. “If it doesn’t, then we end Cadogan’s life once and for all. As long as he lives, he’ll be a threat to us. If a fight breaks out, even Silvan might join in; he did raise me, and he wouldn’t be able to stand by and watch Cadogan murder me.”

  “You’re cunning as hell, you know that?” Lowell said.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Bronwen cooed. Her thoughts drifted to the future, uncertain of whether her plan would truly work. It was risky, but one of the only ways she saw everything working out for her and her subordinates. But there was only one way to find out for certain how the next couple days would go, and that would be to put her plan into action. Rising steadily to her feet, a new vigor coursing through her veins, she looked at her two shifters. “So, you guys ready to start this little rescue mission?” Nodding, the two rose. “Good. Now, Lowell, if anything goes wrong during your venture into the cells, make sure to get everyone out and run for the Oldwood. You�
��ll all be safer there than trying to hide somewhere in this blasted wasteland.”

  “What about you two?” he asked, glancing at Nyx.

  Bronwen sighed. “If things go wrong on our end, I’ll make sure to get us both out quickly. We’ll run to the Oldwood and meet you all across the border. It’ll save us, but probably start another war, except this time all of the Vampire Lords would attack the Oldwood.”

  “This is escalating quite quickly,” Nyx murmured, following as Bronwen moved out into the entrance hall.”

  “Yes, it is,” Bronwen retorted. “But just focus on your tasks, and we’ll get through this in one piece.” She spun around to observe her two shifters one more time. “So, are we all ready?” Nodding each in turn, the shifters stepped forward. “Good, then we start now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two: Remus

  It was hard not to picture his whole life falling apart at the moment. As he lay on his back in his holding cell, his skin burning with the ice cold of the stone, he closed his eyes to imagine something to calm the nerves puncturing his body.

  First, he imagined his time in the Oldwood, growing up alongside Nyssa under Ulrick’s teachings, running through the glades as he took in the smells of pines and freshly dropped leaves. He remembered one moment in particular, where he sat talking with Nyssa while they watched a lone deer graze a hundred yards away. Remus had been just in the beginning of turning into a man, his body going through a growth spurt, Nyssa still too young and naive. But as they continued to watch she had shrieked, pointing at a tiny wolf creeping close to the deer, trying to angle itself to get a better pounce on the ignorant creature. Nyssa’s shriek had alerted the deer, sending it scampering off, and the lone gray-haired wolf had tripped in his efforts to race after it. He shifted back, tears in his eyes as he rose to glare at them both. Darius had been the boy’s name; a friend Remus would know for years to come.

  He relied on Darius from that moment on, making time to visit him and Gavriel where other pups wouldn’t. But now Darius was a thousand leagues away, his focus squarely on his daughter Flora, where he should have been. And Remus was stuck in some dingy stone cell, bound by chains and growing more depressed by the second.

  Grunting, Remus turned, gazing at Lenna across the way; they’d each been forced into their own cells after being brought back down. Lenna continued scratching at the wall, using her sharp nails to make little drawings. Her back was to him, and as he watched her draw he couldn’t help but think of his dream of having a child. Would that dream never come to pass, now? Darius had beaten him to the punch; his daughter, Flora, a sight to behold, was one of the few pure joys in life. Would his child like to draw? He wondered if it was even a good idea anymore to bring a child into the nightmare that was the Blackwood. He was already committed to Bronwen, and Bronwen was now a Lord, meaning they would both be staying in the Blackwood for good, maybe only traveling into the Oldwood once every blue moon. No child deserved to go through the things he was going through.

  There was nothing Remus wanted more than to speak with Bronwen one last time, to feel her soft lips against his own. If he was going to go down fighting, he’d at least want that one last moment in her arms...but the more he thought about her, the deeper his frown became. If he was going to fight anyway, then why should he resign himself to just giving up? Remus would brawl with the Changelings, find a means to escape in the midst of the battle, and then surprise everyone.

  Yeah, that’s what he’d do...though the others would still be chained up. He’d be leaving them behind. No, he couldn’t do that. First, he’d come back to free them all.

  “Why do you brood so much?” Magnolia said, her voice snapping his head over to the cell next to him. The cells they’d been thrown into were built with strange vertical, metal bars rising from the top to the bottom, rather unbreakable from Remus’ point of view. The bars allowed Remus to peer at his friends, though, without having a slab of thick stone in the way.

  Glaring at Magnolia, Remus sat up, sighing, “I don’t brood that much.”

  “You do,” she insisted. “Back in the Oldwood, for two years, and even still here in the Blackwood.” Magnolia smiled, her cheek bruised and blonde hair messier than he’d ever seen it. “Not that it’s unattractive or anything, but you just do it so often. Do you truly have so much to think about?”

  “If you haven’t noticed, Magnolia, we’re kind of in a bad situation here,” Remus retorted. He pointed at the metal bars. “We’re not exactly in a position to be happy.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” she said, her smile fading as she peered across to Keanu. He sat silently, watching her back. Remus wondered how much of a spark there was between the two. He hoped he wouldn’t be the only one attracted to a Vampire. “I mean, our course should be clear. Obviously, no one here wishes to let the embers of their life drift away, right? So, we have to find a way out of here.”

  “Wow, you’re a genius, Magnolia.” Remus rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you came to that conclusion.”

  “I’d rather you not mock me, wolf,” she said, throwing a dangerous look at him. “Someone needs to voice our thoughts. And you’ve been just as quiet as the rest of us.”

  Remus frowned. “Okay, then how do you suggest we get out of here? Break the bars? None of us can since we’re all bound behind our backs. Besides even if we break out, there are Vampire guards patrolling every hall.”

  As if on cue, a pair of guards walked into their line of sight, casually strolling until they stopped in front of the cells. Each grinned at them all in turn, with one crouching to get on Remus’ eye level. “You all enjoying your stay in this dump of a prison?” he asked, sneering. The other guard, a female Vampire, sniggered. “My, you beasts are tamer than I thought you would be. I don’t suppose you’d give me and my friend a little show before you all go up to die tomorrow?”

  Remus growled but otherwise didn’t make any moves. Lenna glared at the two, while Keanu sighed heavily. Magnolia stared at the other Vampires blankly, her expression screaming that she couldn’t care less for these two. The male Vampire caught Magnolia’s blank stare and shuffled over to crouch in front of her cell. “I know you...Magnolia, right? You serve Lady Bronwen now…” He looked her up and down, grinning. “You’re a looker. Maybe you and I could go at it before, well, you know…”

  At his suggestion, Keanu rammed his head against the bars, startling the two Vampires. Keanu glared at them and snorted, growling low. Remus burst out in laughter, with Lenna following suit, and Magnolia smiling at the two Vampires. “I’d tear you in half before anything like that would happen between us,” Magnolia cooed at the now steaming male Vampire.

  “Gah! You little…” the Vampire said, clutching onto the bars and glaring down. “I can’t wait to see whatever the Lords have in store for you...no Vampire would get it as easy as these mutts over here.”

  Magnolia grimaced, causing the guard to smile and whistle. “Now that you understand, I think we’ll be on our way. Be sure to die painfully, yeah?”

  Remus watched quietly as the two guards walked away, vanishing down the corridor. He waited until he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore before turning to Magnolia. “You did well, not letting that moron get to you.”

  “Who said he didn’t?” she said, spitting on the floor. With her brows knitted, Remus now saw the sour mood draped over her. “I’m fond of how some of my kind can so easily be vicious, and yet Vampire cruelty scares me just like it would anyone else.”

  Across the way, Keanu leaned against his bars. “We’ll get out of here,” he said coolly. “Mark my words.” His voice made Magnolia smile.

  “Yeah, and here’s your ticket out!”

  Remus whirled at the sound of Lowell’s voice, peering into the darkness and finding two determined eyes peering back. Stepping into the light, Lowell threw up a finger to his lips. With his heart pounding with joy, Remus shuffled closer, doing a double take to make sure he wasn’t just delirious.

  “
Lowell…” Lenna breathed, finding her voice once again.

  “That’s my name,” he said, rising to his feet and glancing up and down the hallway. “I’m breaking you all out now, but you need to be quiet. It was difficult enough just sneaking in here...there are way too many Vampires in the Blackwood, I swear!”

  Reaching around his back, Lowell brought out what looked like a copper key fastened to a copper ring. He spun it around on his finger fumbling with Magnolia’s lock first. Carefully sliding the key in, Remus heard a click as it turned, and Magnolia’s door swung open. “Easy enough.”

  “Is that some sort key that works on everything?” Remus breathed, his fascination growing as Lowell stepped inside to unlock Magnolia’s hands and legs. Wringing her newly free wrists, Magnolia nodded to Lowell in thanks, standing and stretching. Lowell moved quickly, hopping over to Keanu’s cell.

  “I heard some guards talk about it when I first snuck in, so I grabbed it and bolted. So far they haven’t noticed it’s gone, or else they’d be stampeding down here this very second,” the wolf shifter said quietly. Moments later sharp footfalls down the hallway sounded, causing them all to freeze. Voices spoke, and then faded, the footsteps with them. A heavy sigh of relief escaped them all, with Lowell focusing back on his task once again. “We don’t have a whole lot of time. Once I break you all out, we’re going to search this place for Finn.”

  “Finn?” Lenna squeaked. “You think Finn is down here?”

  Lowell shushed her sudden outburst, listening for any sounds of Vampires approaching. When he heard none, he nodded at Lenna. “Bronwen does. Once we find him, we bolt out of here and go to find her and Nyx.”

  “And where are they at?” Remus asked as Lowell moved on to Lenna’s cell.