The Howl (By Kiss and Claw Book 1)

by Melissa Haag

  I rolled my eyes and pocketed my phone again. Megan’s family home was the complete opposite of the Quills’. In the wrong light, it looked two seasons away from condemnation. In the right light, it didn’t look much better. It wasn’t nice for Fenris to say so, though.

  Knowing there was no point in putting it off, I went back to my room and looked at my closet. Gone were the cute, knee-length dresses I favored. In their place were tops and jeans. I closed my eyes before looking again, confused at the extremely non-sexy clothing options.

  Grateful it wasn’t filled with a bunch of barely-there dresses, like the right side, I grabbed a pair of jeans with a white blouse and went to change. I realized the mistake in my thinking as soon as I tugged the jeans up. They were clingy. Every slight curve I had was on display. The top, while flowy, was see-through. I went to grab a cami to layer under it but found the drawer filled with lacy bralettes. Adira had left me nothing to use as layers for modesty.

  After searching the closet for several minutes, my only solution was a bralette under two shirts. Doubling the material made it mostly opaque. Satisfied, I went for my shoes and groaned at the options. All I now owned were hooker heels.

  I seethed for a moment then strapped a red pair on. A glance in the mirror told me I looked amazing. Hot as heck, even.

  “Worst day ever,” I said to myself before grabbing my jacket and heading downstairs.

  A chocolate chip bagel with chocolate hazelnut spread waited for me in the dining room. I devoured it, grateful to Mrs. Quill, then hurried out the door before she could see my two shirts. If I got to school quickly enough, maybe I could avoid being spotted by the majority of my peers, too.

  While hiding in the first session’s classroom would help my morning, I knew I’d need to leave it eventually. I hated that I’d be seen like this. Well, hate was a strong word. I loved the clothes; I just didn’t love what would happen when I wore them around other people.

  My phone chirped again.

  I looked at the new message from Fenris.

  We should repaint for Megan. You in?

  And spend days with Fenris in the process? The answer was easy.

  No. She likes her house the way it is.

  Checking my mirror, I backed out of the garage while ignoring my once again black eyes. I didn’t make it far before I knew I had to pull over to remove my shoes. Wriggling my toes and using my blinker, I shook my head at what my mom’s reaction would be if she ever found out I couldn’t drive in heels. Hooker heels were a succubus’s standard accessory. They made a person’s backside look amazing. And, that was exactly why I avoided wearing them.

  I pulled through the Girderon Academy gates ten minutes ahead of my usual time and found the parking lot still fairly empty. Relieved, I hurried to park then opened my door so I had more room to put my heels back on.

  The glossy red toe stood out starkly against the snow. Adira was insane for making me go to school in these. My feet would freeze just getting into the building because no one had shoveled the parking lot yet.

  “Those are new.”

  The nearby, abrupt words made me jump.

  “Sweet baby Jesus in a strawless manger, Fenris, you scared me,” I said, scowling up at him. “You need a bell.”

  He wore his usual crooked smile that made all the girls go crazy. When he added a chuckle to it, my stomach dipped and heat flooded my middle. I knew he was in danger before my vision even sharpened.

  I looked away quickly and shoved the strap of my heel through the clasp before standing.

  “I better get inside.” I moved to step past him, but he shadowed me. Despite the heels, he was still a good four inches taller than me, bringing my nose to his throat.

  Another car pulled into the parking lot, and Fenris’s name was called by three different she-wolves. Having grown up together in his pack, they knew him well and were always clinging to him, each hoping to be the one whose scent he caught when he succumbed to his mate run. Megan referred to them as his her-herd. I knew she thought their devotion to him was pathetic, but I pitied them. And him. They were all slaves to their instincts.

  He waved at them but didn’t move away from me. Gaze locked on his shirt, I waited.

  His scent, always so flooded with lust, changed subtly. He had to be getting close to his mate run. The way he smelled now was positively mouthwatering.

  I started mouth breathing in an attempt to calm down, but I knew it was already too late for that.

  “Seriously, Fenris, I need to go.”

  “I know. You always seem to be rushing somewhere, which is why I came over here. I wanted to make sure you were okay after last night. I didn’t like smelling all that blood.”

  I almost snorted. He made it sound like I’d been bleeding out.

  “I had a few scratches. It probably smelled like more to you than it was. Sensitive nose and all. Can I go now?”

  In the silence that followed, I was tempted to peek up at him to see why he wasn’t answering. But if I did that, he’d see my eyes and know what was happening to me. And I really didn’t want him to know. It would be beyond embarrassing for the most alpha wolf in this school to think I was hungry for him. Heck, it would be embarrassing for any of the students to think I was hungry for them.

  “Fenris?” I asked, growing a little panicked and desperate.

  I heard him breathe in deeply and wanted to cringe. Great, now he probably knew he was making me nervous, too. Stupid werewolf nose.

  “I really wanted to talk to Lucas before class,” I added.

  “Yeah. Sure. I’ll see you at lunch.”

  He stepped aside, and I made a beeline for the door, not even slipping once. While I knew I had insane skills when it came to heels, I didn’t want other people to know. So, I slowed to a power walk once I was inside and headed to Human Studies.

  Lucas Flavian, the teacher, looked up from his papers.

  “Good morning, Eliana. You’re early today.”

  “Yep.” I settled into my desk with a sigh.

  “Anything wrong?”

  “I’m just absorbing the peace until chaos descends,” I said.

  He smiled and nodded.

  “It does get a little crazy in here at times. If you ever need to step out, you know you can.”

  I nodded and turned my gaze to the clock.

  “Hey, Eliana,” Eugene said, sliding into the desk beside mine a few minutes later.

  “Since when do you need to take Human Studies?” I asked with a frown.

  “Since this morning. Adira said she’d be changing up my schedule so that I can get to know the students and faculty before settling me into a human schedule.”

  “Ah.” I doubted very much that Adira was changing his schedule for his benefit. After rejecting the opportunity to feed from him last night then coming home hungry afterward, Eugene was likely here to tempt me.

  “Would you happen to have Self-paced Science and Algebra after this?” I asked.

  “Nope. I aced out of both of those. I’m in Self-Discovery next. Sounds fun, right?”

  I sighed and leaned toward him as more students entered the room.

  “No, Eugene. Nothing here is fun. It’s dangerous.”

  “Adira said that while I’m on school grounds, nothing can kill me.”

  “She’s right about that, but there are things worse than death, Eugene. Don’t forget that.”

  He paled a little and nodded as Belemina, two desks up, laughed and flashed her fangs back at us.

  “Worse than death? Don’t be dramatic, Eliana. Your little human would exist in a constant state of bliss with some of us.”

  “And without any thoughts of his own. A slave to compulsions he wouldn’t be able to fight.”

  “He wouldn’t want to fight them.” Her gaze shifted to Eugene. “I’ll give you a taste if you want.”

  “Uh…no, thanks,” Eugene said, looking right at her.

  I pinched his arm.

  “Ow!” He scowled at
me. “I thought you were the nice one.”

  “First rule to ensuring you’re not being compelled is to avoid eye-contact,” I reminded him. “You need to spend more time with Ashlyn.”

  “We’re hanging out after school.”

  “Can I come?” Belemina asked.

  I frowned at her.

  “No.”

  She pouted and turned toward Lucas as he closed the door.

  For the remainder of class, Eugene called attention to himself by asking every question imaginable. He’d insulted or annoyed at least half the class by the time the bell rang.

  “I better walk you to your next class,” I said, standing.

  As soon as I did, his gaze swept down my length.

  “Wow. You look really nice today.”

  While I knew he meant his words as a sincere compliment, my hunger took them as an invitation. My vision sharpened, and I quickly looked at the floor while trying my best not to notice how amazing Eugene smelled.

  “It’s safer if you don’t compliment anyone here. And by here, I mean the Academy and Uttira. We all have different natural lures to pull humans in. Appearances, our voices, scents…you name it, and one of us can probably do it.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “I know. How about you lead the way to your class, and I’ll follow you. Remember, eyes on the floor.”

  “How am I going to know where I’m going?”

  “Just do your best. If you’re late to class, the teachers won’t yell at you. They won’t look for you either. So try not to be late.”

  “You’re making me nervous.”

  “Don’t be nervous. That’s a smell too many people here will like. Be cautious. It’ll keep you alive.”

  I didn’t look up until he turned toward the door. When I did, my gaze caught on how his jeans clung to his backside. The hunger gripped me harder, and for a fraction of a second, I hesitated to follow him. But, there were too many like Belemina in the hallway to let him go alone.

  Hurrying to catch up, I started for the door and noticed Lucas watching me. He nodded at me but said nothing. He didn’t need to. I knew he’d witnessed the change in my eyes, and Adira would know about all of this before the day was done.

  Stupid hunger.

  Out in the hallway, I kept my head down and trailed Eugene. The catcalls grated at me as did the comments. But, at least I was keeping most of the other students from focusing on Eugene.

  I glanced up at the room numbers to see if we were getting close.

  “Looks like someone put on her big-girl pants,” Eras said from nearby.

  I blushed and refused to acknowledge the incubus who’d caused Megan so much trouble.

  “She doesn’t just have her hot pants on,” another incubus said. “She’s got her feed on. That human doesn’t stand a chance. My eyes have never gotten that black. Have yours?”

  Heat and panic flooded me. My eyes weren’t normal? Adira had told me that all succubi and incubi’s eyes turn black. Had she lied to me?

  I quickly averted my gaze again and nudged Eugene to walk faster.

  As soon as he was safely in his class, I hurried to the nearest restroom, needing a mirror. Staring at myself, I looked at the black voids that were my eyes. It wasn’t just the irises; it was the whites, too. They’d done this since the moment I hit puberty, though. How else were they supposed to look? I thought back to all of my peers who were like me and realized I’d never once witnessed another succubus’s or incubus’s eyes change. Was this not normal? What was wrong with me? Why was I the only one getting hit right between the eyes with the horny hunger stick?

  “You’re pretty today, little bit.”

  For a change, I didn’t startle at the unexpected sound of someone else’s voice. It might have been because of the smooth, low rumble in Emory’s tone. More likely, it was because I knew the gentle giant who’d once almost face flicked Megan.

  Smiling at the memory, I watched some of the black fade and looked up at Emory.

  “Thank you,” I said before realizing the wrongness of our conversation.

  I looked around the bathroom and spotted all the urinals of varying height.

  “Mother Mary’s biscuits,” I muttered.

  Turning for the door, I face-planted into a spectacularly muscled chest that smelled like Grandma’s spice cake. My mouth watered, and I breathed in deeper without thinking.

  “It’s best to avoid the blue biscuits if you’re hungry, right, Emory?” Fenris said, his hands steadying me.

  I jerked back from his chest and stared up at him with wide-eyed shock. Of all the people I would run into, why him?

  He smiled down at me.

  “Not that I’m complaining about bumping into you, but what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

  Chapter Three

  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t focus on human biology. My mind kept going back to werewolf biology and how good Fenris had smelled. Spice cake wasn’t right. His scent was so much more. A combination of every human food I’d ever loved times ten. And, that heady aroma had only grown more potent as I’d stood there frozen in his arms. Even now, I could catch hints of his scent in my hair, which was pressed to my nose in an effort to inhale every last bit of him.

  I dropped my hair and struggled to read the words on my tablet. With only a handful of lessons left in my independent studies, I should have been racing to finish so I could use the second session as a free period. Yet, there I was sniffing my hair like a new succubus. Idiot.

  Shifting in my seat, I looked around the room to see if anyone had noticed my momentary slip. It was unlikely, given that there were only a handful of students present. Most of our kind didn’t go far into human education since they had no desire to go to college. Some of us, usually those who’d grown up in the real world, still clung to the idea that college was a good thing. I wasn’t so sure anymore because I feared what I might turn into in a college setting.

  Ashlyn, a human who’d been in Uttira her whole life, glanced up from her book and caught me looking around. Her role as tutor was still fairly new, but I’d hung out with her a few times before she’d decided to come to school. While I considered her a friend, we definitely weren’t as close as Megan and I were. It was hard to let myself get too close to someone my biology wanted me to use as a food source.

  “Having trouble?” Ashlyn asked.

  “Not with the material,” I said.

  Someone in the room snickered, but I couldn’t be sure who.

  Sympathy filled Ashlyn’s gaze.

  “You should hang out with us at lunch,” she said. “We can talk more then.”

  Having lost my usual lunch companions, Oanen and Megan, yesterday, I was grateful for the offer until someone said, “Hell, yeah. Succubus snacktime.”

  Dropping my gaze before my hunger could react, I focused on my tablet for the rest of the session. When I would have escaped at the bell, Ashlyn caught my arm.

  “Seriously, Eliana. Don’t eat alone. I know what that kind of seclusion can do. Join us. You don’t have to talk or even eat. Just don’t be alone.”

  Ashlyn, more than anyone else, understood true loneliness. The concern in her eyes had me nodding even as I questioned the wisdom of hanging out with the humans on a day when I was so hungry.

  She smiled at my agreement and dropped her hand.

  “Meet us by the pool after the bell.”

  “The pool? Are you sure that’s smart?”

  “Yeah. It’s good practice for the new humans. We’ll be there to keep an eye on them.”

  I knew she was only trying to help the other humans who’d arrived at Uttira a short time ago, but I hated the idea of placing them so close to something so dangerous.

  Ashlyn caught my hesitancy.

  “It’ll be fine, Eliana. I’ve invited a few other people I think we can trust to help keep an eye on them. And remember, no one can die in school.”

  I kept my mou
th shut and nodded. Why did everyone think the worst thing to happen to them would be death?

  With a heavy heart, I left the self-study room and went to my next session. Self-discovery was as woo-woo as it seemed. Instead of providing us with real information about what we were and why we had the instincts we had and how to curb them, we were taught how to “look inside” and to “embrace our differences” and a bunch of other nonsense that made me want to run screaming from the room.

  The next class was marginally better, but only because I had to endure it every other day instead of every day. At best, General Living Studies was a mind-numbing experience since I’d grown up in the human world. However, it was required curriculum. So, for the next hour, I listened to a troll complain about the limitations on food diversity—he wanted human bone dust on his pizza—and a mermaid ask if eating human toes would be okay if the human lived.

  My stomach was squeamish by the time the bell rang, and my doubts about having lunch near the pool had grown. Still, I grabbed my lunch and made my way toward the indoor pool.

  The sirens’ songs teased my ears as I drew closer. The melody wasn’t bad. It just didn’t do anything for me, not like it would for the humans. While I knew I was immune, I also knew that not all creatures were. Though I wasn’t positive, I was pretty sure their songs had gotten to Oanen and Megan once. I hoped Ashlyn had selected her help wisely.

  Through the windows to the pool room, I watched the mermaids and sirens swim and dive in the myriad of connecting pools. There were freshwater swimming areas, waterfall features, pretend boats, and rocky outcroppings for preening. Several of the females were topless.

  If Eugene thought my jeans and heels looked good, he wouldn’t stand a chance in there.

  I opened the door and breathed in the scent of the minerals in the water. It was the only redeeming quality for the enormous space. With the irony scent clogging my nose, I didn’t smell much else.

  “Over here,” Ashlyn called. She had moved a table near the edge of one of the pools. Eugene, Kelsey, and Zoe were already sitting and unpacking their food.

  Eugene gave me a quick smile and made room for me while Ashlyn explained the risks of the pool.