Howl And Roar: Wolf and Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Howl And Growl Series Book 2)

by Cloe Cullen

  “He probably can’t,” Nyssa intervened, causing Jorah’s darkly luminous eyes to snap to her, the intensity of his gaze making her heart throb and telling her all she needed to know. Seeing the conviction behind his irises, she nodded. “I can probably carry him,” she whispered.

  Lowell flicked his gaze between the two of them. “Do you two know each other?”

  “Hey!” One of the guards yelled from the front. “Come on, enough with your whispering. Jorah, your time is up. Let’s go already.”

  Jorah grinned, his charm steeling Nyssa’s nerves for whatever came next. “I’ll give you a signal when it’s time to go, okay? Just wait for my mark.” Nyssa nodded, but Lowell gulped.

  “What does that mean?” He asked. “So, do you two know each other or not? Just what is happening right now?”

  “Jorah!” The guard said. “I said time’s up. Come on, Dallan won’t be pleased that we’ve let you in to speak to the wolves. So, hurry up.”

  Pretending to sigh loudly, Jorah rose to his feet. “Ugh, fine! Geez, you guys can be incredibly annoying sometimes, you know that?” Strolling towards them, Jorah opened his arms. “It’s not like we’re plotting to escape or anything, I just wanted to ask them a few things about their home.”

  The first guard grunted, scratching his chin. “Yeah, well, Dallan will still be pissed either-”

  Suddenly Jorah’s fist slammed into the guard’s jaw, jerking him back to his knees. The crack echoed around the cave’s walls, and the second guard was too stunned for words. “Now!” Jorah shouted, kicking the second guard in the stomach and nailing the first with another punch to the side of the head, causing him to collapse to the ground unconscious.

  Nyssa gawked at the signal, rolling her eyes at how simple it was, but ultimately didn’t hesitate to wrap Lowell’s arm around her and help him to his feet. The two stumbled to the entrance while Jorah chased off the second guard, who ran away into the snow drifts, becoming a speck in the darkness. Jorah came just as Nyssa and Lowell breached the exit. He clicked his tongue. “There’ll be more coming after us, so we need to hurry. If we can get to the edge of the mountains before that guard informs the Seers, we’ll be in the clear. No other bear shifters will go farther than maybe halfway down at most.”

  “I’m so confused,” Lowell moaned. Jorah began to strip off his clothes, which, if Nyssa’s mind currently wasn’t whirling with adrenaline and thoughts of Lowell’s terrible condition, would have been a beautiful sight to occupy herself with.

  “Why are you helping us?” She found herself asking, removing Lowell’s arm and temporarily placing him on the ground while she stripped herself.

  “Because this is no longer my home,” Jorah said hastily. “I’m sick of the laws the Seers create, and the ice and snow, and how every night I sleep on a cot on the hard, cold cave floor.” He finished, winking at Nyssa, causing her to blush. “And because I like you two. I think it’s time to make some new friends.”

  Jorah shifted into his bear from, growing into a huge, thick-furred beast that chuffed and padded the snow. Amazed at the sight, Nyssa had to shake her head in order to get herself focused on the task at hand. Turning to Lowell, who stared at Jorah in awe, she waved a hand in front of his gaze to get his attention. “When I shift, climb onto my back and hold on, okay? We’re getting off the mountains.”

  “We’re on the mountains? Since when?”

  Nyssa didn’t answer, instead shifting into her blonde wolf form and proceeding to kneel down next to Lowell, so that he could climb onto her back and grip her hair. It was slightly awkward, since Nyssa had never carried another on her back before, but as she picked up her clothes and began to lope after Jorah through the snow, she found she liked to be relied upon.

  ***

  The journey down the mountain had been much easier than Nyssa had expected, with Jorah leading them, they made considerable time, reaching the large stones that marked the edge of the Bear Clans’ territory, and easing their way down the trail.

  Nyssa tried to slow as much as possible to make the ride easier for Lowell, who still groaned and moaned from his wounds, but she also wanted to go as quickly as possible because of those wounds. Lowell had gone without any kind of healing for hours now, and that wasn’t healthy in the slightest. It made her worry, and she kept up the pace despite the stamina she was quickly losing.

  Descending should always be the easy part, and yet she found going down the mountain to be quite difficult. There were many sharp-edged pebbles and rocks littered along the paths that could cut open tiny wounds in her paws, or plants that made her itch upon touching them, or the very idea of the sheer drops off cliff faces that would spell certain death for both her and Lowell. Lowell might have survived one fall, but there was no way in hell he’d survive another.

  The whole time, Jorah kept looking over his back, sniffing the air and watching to make sure none of his fellow bear shifters followed. Nyssa was certain the Seers would have known what was happening by now, but she chose not to think about it all for the moment, instead opting to focus on foot placement and watching the dangerous road ahead.

  But her attention quickly shifted when Jorah roared at her to run faster, and the scents of multiple bears filled her nose. Glancing back up, she saw a small group of five bears racing down the slopes after them, all sprinting all full speed to catch up to them. Feeling the rush of adrenaline kick back in, Nyssa let her worries go and bolted down the slope, slipping and sliding and following Jorah’s lead. Bears were much faster than she realized, and by the time the foot of the mountains was in sight, the bears behind had caught up to them, all roaring and chuffing to swipe at Nyssa as they broke the trail and slid to a stop on the forest floor.

  Nyssa didn’t get a chance to recover her speed, though, as one of the bears behind her slammed into her, sending both her and Lowell sprawling into the ground. Jorah roared and made to stand in front of Nyssa, swiping to keep the other five back.

  But then Nyssa spied movement in the trees up ahead, something blonde and quick-footed racing towards her.

  Remus!

  As her blonde wolf brother burst onto the scene, howling a war cry, a myriad of other wolves and cougars arrived as well, battering into the bears and causing a panic. Jorah backed up, eyed by many of the other shifters, but Remus howled to focus on the others. Nyssa cackled dryly as she rose to her feet, Lowell still clinging on for dear life. That was her brother alright, noticing Jorah was no threat to them. Soon, Bronwen appeared by her side, the pale, red-eyed beauty smiling freely down at her.

  “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” Bronwen said. “Well, actually it’s only been a day, and it only felt like a few minutes to me, but hey, still awhile!” Strangely enough, a second Vampire appeared at Nyssa’s side. Blonde and wearing that same, plastered smile, she made no move to help, but merely watched as the wolf and cat shifters drove the bears back up the mountain. The bears, overwhelmed and panicking, frantically ran back up the slope, roaring back down in contempt and annoyance, but didn’t attempt to come back down.

  Nyssa shifted forms causing Lowell to fall, Jorah followed suit, and all three of them collapsed into each other on the warm, dirt ground.

  Jorah laughed, scooping up some dirt with his hands and letting it spill between his fingers. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so in love with dirt.”

  With the two Vampires standing watch beside the trio, none of the other wolves or cats ventured any closer, though they all watched and remained in their animal forms. Remus padded over, shifting forms and practically coming to a sliding stop next to Nyssa. She nearly cried at the sight of him, and he smiled at her warmly, though that smile quickly faded upon glancing at Jorah.

  “Nyssa, we need to talk, right now.”

  Chapter Fourteen: Jorah

  H e’d really done it, Jorah had finally opposed the Seers. For years the idea had crossed his mind, but he’d never gotten farther than a few heated arguments and simply descending halfway down t
he mountain. Honestly Jorah had never had an opportunity as good as this one, saving the pretty girl and her friend from the cave prisons back on top of the Northern Mountains. But now he’d gone the full stretch, and he realized there was no turning back.

  He hoped Nyx, Finn and Keanu would be able to forgive him for his drastic decision. Leaving Nyssa cooped up in that cave, to be the Seers’ plaything when it came down to what to do with her and Lowell...that irked him, set his mind on fire. It hadn’t even been a full day yet, and he already had the urge to watch over her, to always keep her in his sight. Was it because she was from another world from his, or maybe it was because he fancied her?

  Even now as Jorah sat with his back to a tree, the soft dirt allowing his rump to actually relax, his legs spread out and his arms crossed, he looked on at Nyssa and her brother while they spoke in private a few yards away. They were whispering to each other energetically, with her brother frowning and constantly glancing his way. His eyes sparkled with something...suspicion maybe? Or maybe a thankfulness for saving his sister? Jorah supposed soon enough the guy would march over, crouch, and search his eyes for answers.

  Despite her brother’s handsome, windswept blonde hair and daring blue eyes, he didn’t find the guy all too intimidating just yet. Nor the group of wary shifters that communed off to the side. They too, continually glanced at him, wondering whether he would make a move to escape them. Some furrowed their brows while others simply gazed with curious, wide eyes.

  The misty air of the Oldwood made it hard to focus on them, though, as even from this distance their images were slightly frayed.

  But the two people that concerned Jorah the most were the two pale women standing close to Nyssa and her brother. Tall and lanky and deathly pale, the two women stood perfectly still, both watching Nyssa and her brother speak. Both adorned with blood red eyes that appeared to glide seamlessly to lock onto their targets. The brown-haired one, who stood closest to Nyssa’s brother, kept an almost emotionless small smile plastered to her lips at all times, her eyes never leaving Nyssa’s brother. The other, platinum blonde and pink-lipped, didn’t smile, but there was an odd, uncaring sensation emitting from her, like the aura of a grown adult watching annoying children come up with rules for an imaginary game. It wasn’t difficult to admit the two unnerved him, and when the blonde one snapped her eyes to him, he jerked back into the tree, putting on a nervous smile, one that apparently amused the blonde woman, as her own lips curled up wickedly.

  What the hell were they? They couldn’t have been shifters, with their complexions, and they clearly weren’t Changelings...so that only left...Vampires. The name turned to salt on his tongue and burned the inside of his throat. Nyssa hadn’t been telling any tall tales, the Vampires really did come to the Oldwood in seeming peace...though they still sent shivers playing across his arms.

  Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Nyssa’s brother began to march over to Jorah and crouch before him, glaring at him with an intensity Jorah expected. Nyssa quickly followed, throwing Jorah a sweet, heart throbbing smile, and he had to force his eyes back to her brother in order to stop staring.

  “First, I want to thank you for saving both my sister and Lowell,” her brother said quickly. “My sister’s been growing bolder and more reckless by the day, and she needs guardian angels like you in order to survive.” Furious at his description of her, Nyssa smacked her brother in the shoulder, though her brother didn’t seem to notice. “I’m Remus, by the way. Who are you?”

  “Jorah,” Jorah said, extending his hand with a smile. Remus didn’t take up the offer, which Jorah retracted with a nervous laugh. “Uh, I’m from up the mountains, from the Bear Clan. I’m sorry I dragged your sister up there, but I didn’t really have another choice. She was hurt, and about to be killed, and I had the means to save her life, so I did…” Quickly realizing that every pair of eyes was now upon him, especially those of the two Vampires, Jorah’s voice faded, unsure of how to proceed. He looked to Nyssa for support, who nodded at him. “Uh, I’m under the impression that none of you believed the Bear Clan was still alive. Well, I can assure you we are! We drink, we participate in merry commune, even dance with goats up top.”

  That last joke got a shriek of laughter out of Nyssa, but only deepened Remus’ frown. “Yeah, I got that part. You dance with goats.” Hearing her brother say it must have been too much for, Nyssa, because she burst out laughing once more. Remus sighed and ignored her, though the brown-haired Vampire stifled a laugh as well. “Look, I’m not exactly in the greatest of moods right now, Jorah, so you’re going to need to tell me everything you know about your clan, okay?”

  Jorah nearly broke out into a cold sweat when the two Vampires moved closer. “Yes, I would like to know more as well, I thought we exterminated your kind,” the blonde Vampire said eagerly. If she weren't so tall and lanky, Jorah would have sworn she was Nyssa and Remus’ oldest sibling. Jorah’s hair bristled the closer she stepped, though only two of her steps were enough to draw her close enough to be within arm’s reach of him. He must have been glaring at her, because her smile deepened. “Come now, don’t be so grumpy, my little bear. I meant no disrespect.”

  It was clear to Jorah that he wasn’t the only shifter put off by her presence, as even the group off to the side naturally leaned away, though neither Nyssa or Remus made any move to move away from her.

  “Don't antagonize him, Magnolia,” Remus responded. “We don’t need our new guest to feel threatened.”

  “To be fair I already feel threatened,” Jorah interjected. He glanced between the two, his confidence growing. “It’s not like Vampires invaded my clan’s homeland, slaughtered our elderly, men, women, and children, destroyed our homes, and drove us to a life of solitude atop the Northern Mountains...oh wait, they did.”

  Leveling a stare at Magnolia, she remained composed, though not emotionless. A flicker of her eyes sent a wave of regret down his spine; whether it was his regret or hers, he couldn’t quite tell. “I despise bloodshed, little bear. Don’t mistake me for one of the monsters that took your home from you...though you’re much too young to remember those days anyway.”

  Shrugging, Jorah eyed her. “I guess you got me there.”

  “Bronwen, take Magnolia elsewhere, okay?” Remus ordered.

  The brown-haired Vampire nodded, grabbing Magnolia by the arm and forcibly dragging her away. “Bronwen, let go of your senior,” Magnolia said as she was led away. “You shouldn’t drag a fragile old lady like me around. Bronwen!”

  “Senior?” Jorah said, his brow raised. “But she doesn’t a look a day over twenty.”

  “She’s one hundred and eighty-nine years old,” Remus said casually, causing Jorah to gawk in surprise. “Vampires live indefinitely until an outside source kills them. Don’t your Seers know anything about them...well, I guess we didn’t either until a few years ago.”

  “I don’t believe it!” Jorah said.

  “Well, you better,” Remus said. “There’s a lot you and your people don’t know about.”

  “Wait...how did you know about our Seers?” Jorah asked quizzically.

  “Because I told him,” Nyssa replied, plopping down next to him, her bare shoulder brushing his, sending shivers down his arm. Her light blue eyes washed over him, warming his skin more than the sun ever could. “I only mentioned what I saw, so obviously I don’t know everything about your clan just yet.”

  “Well, I guess you’ll stick close to me if you want to learn,” Jorah said, earning a shy smile.

  Groaning, Remus snapped his fingers to get their attention. “Hey, focus, please. And don’t ogle my sister right in front of me. It’s annoying.”

  Jorah shrugged once again, so Remus continued. “How about you tell me everything now.”

  “Alright fine,” Jorah said. “Don’t get too comfortable, though, as this story won’t be too long.”

  So Jorah proceeded to tell Remus all he knew about his own clan, from the day the last remnants, lik
e Dallan, left for the Northern Mountains, to the formation of their new home atop the mountains, how they lived in caves, how there was a never ending snow drift, how their Seers demanded complete isolation in fear of another tragedy like that of what had occurred in the Blackwood. He opted to leave out his own personal story, since he didn’t feel like reminiscing about his vanished parents. When he got to the moment where he spotted Nyssa about to be killed by Changelings, Remus shot a look at his sister, Nyssa curling up, bracing for his anger.

  “I told you to howl for us before giving chase,” Remus growled.

  “We did! Lowell called for you, but it was going to get away, so we followed it. No one expected an ambush like that,” Nyssa retorted. Her pouting face only made her that more attractive. “Besides, we survived.”

  “Only barely, you were too reckless,” Remus said. “Lowell was nearly fatally wounded, and you’re almost succumbed to the cold, according to him.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Remus rose to standing. “Either way, we need to report this to both Darius and Torian. If there’s a whole new clan that’s about to become part of our lives, then they should be informed ahead of time.”

  Darius? That name sounded familiar to Jorah. Didn’t Nyssa mention it once? He looked to her, but she gave no indication of how she felt about the situation.

  So both she and Jorah rose to their feet as Remus gave orders to the other shifters. “Three of you break off and run to Red Rock and inform Torian of this new development. Be sure to tell him to come to Gray Creek as soon as possible to discuss it with Darius, alright?” Three shifters nodded and took off into the forest, leaving the rest behind to follow Remus and them.

  “Can I ask what happened to the other Changelings?” Jorah said as he and Nyssa began to follow Remus deeper into the forest. By now the dawn was breaching the world, the morning sunlight just now crawling its way through the many branches and treetops.