by Cloe Cullen
“Alright, I think I get the gist of it all. So, this Dallan, a Seer, right? He and the other leaders decided that simply because we know you and your people exist that we could become a threat to them?” He sighed. “I don’t blame them, really, but to actually think they would attack us because of it…”
“Were there any injuries?” Nyssa quickly asked, looking over at the giant Keanu, who remained hogtied on the ground. “Where’s Amara?”
Darius smiled, the smile that made her fall for him all those years ago. “She’s fine, actually on her way to meet with her father in Red Rock. It was about her mother’s birthday...though I guess I might have to ruin the celebration now. You!” Darius nodded at the cougar standing guard. “Run to Red Rock, let Amara and Torian know to watch out for bear shifters. They might not believe it at first, but insist this is serious, alright?” The cougar growled its response and took off.
“But the big question is what to do now?” Darius said. He looked to Jorah. “Jorah, right? You think your people will try to attack us again?”
Jorah now gripped Nyssa’s hand instead of wrist, his tough fingers squeezing at the question. “I’m not exactly sure, though they probably will eventually. Living in isolation in those frigid conditions have definitely warped many of the Seers’ minds. I don’t see why Dallan wouldn’t come after me, or Finn, or Keanu over there.”
Darius glanced behind himself at Keanu. “So that’s his name...he wouldn’t say a word for the longest time.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t say much.” Jorah said, chuckling to himself. “If you would consider letting him go…” Jorah asked. “I know him, going back many years. Keanu wouldn’t have done what he did if it wasn’t to try and minimize the damage, and find me safe and sound. The woman who led the band of bears that charged down here is someone we all know, and I’m sure he was just trying to protect her as well.”
Darius eyed Jorah, but shrugged. “I guess I have no objections to that, so long as he understands if he tries anything, he’ll be slaughtered by our warriors.”
In the distance, Keanu nodded, wriggling on the ground, a sight that caused many in the group to laugh or chuckle. Darius nodded at one of the wolves to go untie him.
“Thank you, Darius,” Jorah said.
“No, honestly after all I’ve heard, I should be thanking you for saving our Nyssa,” Darius said, throwing Nyssa another smile. She blushed causing another chorus of laughs. “I’m serious, though. We’re trying to build something big here in the Oldwood and beyond. I don’t always have time to look after every shifter I care about, so having another by her side is a great help.” Lowell winced at Darius’ statement, but only Nyssa saw. “With that, I think we can all go on home. I’ll set up patrols to comb the northern forest for any more bear attacks. In the meantime, Nyssa and Remus, why don’t you two show our three new bear shifters around Gray Creek, their new home for the time being.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Remus said.
So with that, they all rose to their feet. Darius waving his goodbye as he and the remaining shifters left with him to head on back to Gray Creek. Remus and Lowell stayed, and Keanu lumbered over to stand next to Finn.
Helping Jorah rise to his feet, due to his limp, Nyssa was surprised to find Lowell coming towards them.
“Listen, I…” He began, scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry about how I may have acted before. I was delirious from my wounds and just frustrated that I was such a burden on the way down the mountains. So, if you’ll forgive me…”
Both Nyssa and Jorah smiled in unison. “It’s fine,” Nyssa said. “I don’t blame you at all. It’s been a wild ride the past couple days.”
“Same here,” Jorah said. “Honestly, I’m used to people getting angry at me. So, it’s all good.”
Lowell gave Nyssa one last longing look before smiling and turning to leave. He trailed behind Remus, with Bronwen striding next to him. Keanu and Finn bantered ahead.
Hand in hand, Nyssa and Jorah followed, glad the worst was finally over.
Chapter Twenty: Jorah
G ray Creek still amazed Jorah. As Nyssa, Remus and Bronwen began to show him, Finn and Keanu around, he started to realize how massive Gray Creek truly was.
The Bear Clan was confined to a small plateau atop the Northern Mountains, ringed by sharp rocks, covered in snow and very few trees. But Gray Creek couldn’t have been more opposite even if it tried.
Every way he looked tall, thick trees filled his vision, and the wooden houses built from them littered the land everywhere they went. First, the group went back to the main hub, where Remus showed off the pond and main bustle of the Gray Creek to Finn and Keanu, who, just as Jorah had, gazed around as if in a daze.
“This place can’t be real, can it?” Finn asked at one point. “There’s so much space, so many trees and people! Am I dreaming? Someone pinch me!” So Keanu did, using his massive fingers to pinch Finn’s stick like arm, causing Finn to jerk around in pain after that. “I didn’t mean you, you giant monster!”
“I see Gray Creek will only get louder,” Bronwen observed, earning a smile from Remus and the rest.
“So, this is where every shifter, and Vampire, on this side of the Forest meets when our Alpha calls for a gathering,” Remus announced. “The reason, as you can see, is there’s a lot of space here, and our voices carry more naturally. The ground slopes up in that direction slightly too…”
Remus continued to speak, but Jorah found himself staring at the pond, watching the waters ebb and flow, and ripple violently when a cat shifter child was pushed into the pond by two wolf children. The cat shifter child rose from the water steadily, tears stinging his eyes, while the two wolf children laughed and pointed.
“Hey!” Nyssa called suddenly. “Stop that, you twerps!” The wolf children caught her frown and scurried away, dashing into the crowds. The cat shifter boy began to full on wail, with a few other shifters looking on in confusion, looking around for the parents. Jorah watched as Nyssa jogged over and waded into the water, putting both arms under the boy’s armpits and lifting him out of the water. He continued to cry, and Nyssa started to undress him, not wanting to let his damp clothes cling to this growing body. She motioned for Jorah to come over, and he did, eventually, after finding he couldn’t quite tear his eyes away from her.
It was such a simple thing to pull a crying child out of the water, and yet she did it so naturally, so gracefully. With the fringes of her sparkling blonde hair dampening at the water’s touch, and her own clothes soaked just above the waist, sticking to her slender figure. The sight of her calming the child made his heart thud like crazy, and before he even knew it he fell in line next to her, pulling off the new tunic he’d only just received from Remus and helping Nyssa to fit it over the boy’s head. Nyssa wore a gentle smile the whole time, one befitting a queen or angelic creature. Heat swarmed his cheeks when their hands touched as he helped tuck in the oversized tunic and Nyssa rubbed the wet tears from the child’s face.
“And as you can see,” Remus said behind them, sighing heavily. “Many of us clearly still have trouble living with the cat shifters who moved in from Red Rock. Don’t worry, though, I’m sure you three will fit in just fine without any complaints. If anything, you’ll all be a marvel to pretty much everyone else who thought the Bear Clan was gone for good.”
“Red Rock?” Finn asked. “Where’s that?”
“On the eastern side of the large river that doubles as our border,” Jorah heard Lowell say. “We were at war with them for a long time, but that ended two years ago and now we’re in a time of peace, though many are having trouble moving past that.”
Images of Nyx’s frustrated weeping in the Oldwood flashed through his mind. Oh, how she cried at the thought of Jorah leaving her, and the rest of the Bear Clan, forever. He could easily picture the Seers’ chewing her out at this very moment, Dallan’s anger at her failing to bring Jorah back and kill anyone else that knew about them. But now mor
e and more Oldwood locals were becoming aware of the Bear Clan, and Dallan’s kill-list would only grow. If the Seers’ continued to attack, would a full-on war break out?
His brows must have furrowed pretty deep, because the child began to cry again, and Nyssa slapped him his arm. “Jorah, as much as I like you, try not to scare the kid, okay?”
Forcing his face to change to a grinning one, Jorah ran a hand through his hair. “Ah, sorry! Hey, don’t cry! Look, look at me.” Jorah stuck out his tongue and made a face, hoping the boy would laugh. Luckily for him, it worked, even getting a giggle out of Nyssa, and a dumb laugh out of Finn behind him.
Suddenly, someone burst out from the crowd, a female shifter, running forward and wrapping her arms around the child, asking if he was alright.
“Some other children pushed him into the pond,” Nyssa said, rising to her feet.
“Oh, thank you for helping him,” the female shifter said. She thanked Jorah as well, and then disappeared into the crowds. Standing, Jorah found Nyssa smiling at him, the sun shining directly on her, her blue eyes glistening. His blood quickened at the sight of her.
But while gazing upon her, he imagined the kind of war Dallan and the other Seers’ would bring to Gray Creek and beyond. He didn’t want to imagine that Nyssa could be hurt, or worse yet, killed. And that child they just pulled out of the water? Would he get hurt as well? Letting his eyes wander, he looked at all the shifters trudging about their home, unaware of the grizzly beasts that could hit them at any time. Even if the Pack could repel the bear attacks, many would still be fatally wounded, on both sides. All because Jorah chose to leave the Northern Mountains.
Throwing his head back in groaning, he realized what he needed to do now. Clutching onto Nyssa’s hand, he stared her in the eyes, his natural energy flowing back into his veins. “I need to talk to you.” Without waiting for her approval, he dragged her away.
“Wait, Jorah? Where are we going?” Nyssa said. “What about the others?”
“It’s not like they need us to be around them every second of the day,” Jorah retorted with a smile. “Besides, I want to speak with you alone. About something the others don’t need to hear about.” Hearing that, Nyssa went red and stop struggling, allowing him to take her to a secluded spot. Glancing over his shoulder, Jorah met the glaring eyes of Remus, though Nyssa’s older brother didn’t say a word.
Winding his way through the many wooden homes and buildings, Jorah eventually found a spot hidden from the view of the dirt paths. Stopping, he whirled on Nyssa, clutching her shoulders. Stunned, Nyssa leaned back and stared wide-eyed. “Jorah, what’s going on?”
“Has anybody ever told you they would claim you as their mate before?” Jorah said. Beaming with vigor, he stared Nyssa down while she fumbled with his statement, her fair skin setting on fire and hot steam coming out of her ears.
“W-what are you saying?” She finally managed.
Jorah smiled. “I’m saying that there aren’t many women as attractive as you up on the Northern Mountains. In fact, there’s hardly any women who are mateless at all.”
“Are you asking…”
Shaking his head, he squeezed tighter on her shoulders. “I’m not asking you to be my mate, Nyssa. I’m telling you I’m claiming you right here and now.”
Nyssa’s jaw dropped, body freezing. “Don’t jest with me, Jorah.”
“I’m not jesting. I’m serious. You’re absolutely amazing, stunningly beautiful, brave, determined, maybe a little reckless, but that only makes me ache for you even more.”
Nyssa used her hand to fan her face. “Well, I wasn’t expecting this turn of events.”
“I’m claiming you right here and now,” Jorah repeated. “And that’s why I need to go back to the top of the Northern Mountains.”
Cocking her head, Nyssa continued to fan herself. “Okay, now I know you’re making fun of me.”
Jorah chuckled and pulled a lock of her golden hair out of her eye, tucking it gently behind her ear. “I swear I’m not! Listen, Dallan won’t simply give up on me, and the other Seers’ won’t want to let many of us live after humiliating them and disregarding their strict laws. The way I see it, because I disobeyed the laws a lot of shifters could get hurt...maybe get killed. Even you could get hurt, and I’m not about to let even a sliver of a chance of that to happen. Understand?” Nyssa stood still, simply nodding, whether in awe of his words or just speechless, he wasn’t sure. “So, I have a plan. There’s a Bear Clan tradition passed down through our history, one that allows anyone of the clan to challenge the laws of the Seers through trial by combat. Whoever wins the trial gets a permanent say in whatever law they wish. No one has used it since before our clan was kicked out of the Blackwood, but I remember Dallan teaching me about it.”
“Trial by combat?” Recognition dawned on Nyssa’s face. “But that would mean you’d have to risk your life!”
Nodding, Jorah released her shoulders. “I know. And I’m still going to do it. So, that finally brings me to the real reason I dragged you over here. Will you help me climb back up? I might feel slightly better with you at my side...it could be dangerous, but-”
A sudden jerk forward and Nyssa’s lips planted themselves on his own, cutting off his words. Jorah’s body shivered with pleasure, her lips still just as soft and luscious as the first time they kissed. Breaking away, Nyssa panted heavily. “How’s that for an answer?”
Letting his mind go blank for a moment, his body ached with the urge to take Nyssa with him into the forest. Her kiss finally destroyed any inhibitors left in his system, and so in one swift motion he scooped her up in his arms and ran deeper into the trees. Gasping at the sudden carry, Nyssa shrieked with joy as Jorah ran this way and that, searching for the perfect spot to be alone. Eventually he came upon a lowered flat part of the forest, small, secluded from the noise and prying eyes of Gray Creek shifters, and surrounded on all sides by massive trees.
Laying Nyssa down on the dirt ground, he towered over her, dropping to his knees and leaning over her body, his shadow encasing her from head to toe. Her smile and giggling ceased as the two stared at each other. Unwilling to wait for too long, Jorah rapidly threw off his own shirt, tossing it on an upraised tree root nearby. His touch must have tickled her in all the right places, because as he tried to rip off her tunic, Nyssa giggled like crazy, her voice turning his gears and making his blood burn and race headlong into lust. With her torso bare, Jorah leaned down to kiss her once again, tasting the sweet honey of her slated lips, unable to control himself any longer. Letting herself go, Nyssa’s limbs loosened up, allowing Jorah to do whatever he pleased, so he began to kiss down her neck to her chest.
“So, this is what you wanted?” Nyssa spoke through panting breaths. “I might begin to think that whole speech was simply so you could bed me.”
“Bed you?” Jorah said, stopping his ravenous kissing. “If your people call this dirt floor a bed, I think you might have a problem.”
Nyssa bellowed in laughter as Jorah continued to feel her body, ready to dive in as soon as he pulled off her trousers.
“Don’t let my brother catch us,” Nyssa said, squealing as Jorah got her completely naked.
“Oh please, if he caught us, I’d go running off into the woods like the mountain man I am.”
After pulling off his own pants, Nyssa grabbed onto him and rolled him over so she could sit atop him. Jorah hadn’t expected that, but soon he found staring up he her soft, shining skin and ocean-like blue eyes to be just as wonderful as ever. As she ran her hands over his chest, her spindly fingers tracing the lines of his pecs and abs, he felt his heart thrum with the anticipation of connecting with her as one. Nyssa was indeed a woodland nymph, an endlessly beautiful, gentle and determined woman that never ceased to fascinate Jorah.
“When did you want to sneak away to go up the mountain?” She suddenly asked.
“How about tonight?” Jorah said. “The sooner the better.”
“Then let�
��s make this an afternoon to remember,” Nyssa whispered, her breath brushing his tan skin, raising all the hairs on his body.
So, they continued on, hoping their moans of pleasure wouldn’t be heard by anyone. Embracing Nyssa here and now was the possibly the greatest moment of Jorah’s life so far. Never before did he think he’d actually find the woman for him, but now he was sure of it. This was his claim: Nyssa was his mate, and he’d never let any harm come to her. Not her, or her brother or friends, or even that Vampire she was fond of.
With Nyssa at his side, Jorah would climb up the mountain like a storm, moving all in his path in his quest to change the ways of his clan.
Chapter Twenty-One: Nyssa
N ight came quicker than either of them would have wanted.
After getting lost in each other’s embrace for the afternoon, they returned to the group relaxed and messy, having to find creative ways to explain, especially to Remus, what exactly they had been doing.
Remus’ grand tour had apparently ended with Remus telling them all that for the time being, until new homes were built for Finn, Keanu, and Jorah, they could stay with him and Nyssa at their home just outside of Gray Creek. Excited, the group raced away, ready to finally get to rest for good. After arriving at their house, supper was cooked, and the sun began to dip below the horizon. A few hours later, and the moon rose to take its place as ruler of the sky.
Nyssa awoke in her cot with a nudging from Jorah, his heavy hand tapping her shoulder. “Hey,” he whispered. “Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead. It’s time we get a move on.”
Snapping open her eyes, Nyssa wiped any sleep that remained on her eyelids and slowly, carefully, rose to her feet, careful not to wake any of the others. Since there were very few rooms in their house, the whole group opted to sleep in the biggest room, like one giant slumber party. Gently placing her feet as she stalked over the sleeping bodies of Finn and Keanu, as well as her own brother, she managed to get to the doorway without incident; Remus wrinkled his nose and whimpered as he rolled around in his sleep, moaning something about a female Vampire, but other than that everyone else rested peacefully, quietly.
