The Howl (By Kiss and Claw Book 1)

by Melissa Haag

  “Sure,” he said. “I’d love to.”

  I heard that statement for the truth it was. He was desperate for an escape. That was something I understood all too well. It had only taken one mildly attracted Eugene to make me want to hide. I couldn’t imagine constantly being surrounded by people who wanted me to pick them as a partner. And Fenris had been dealing with it for years.

  “Perfect,” LuAnn said. “Since both of your issues stem from mating, let’s start with kissing without killing.”

  “What?”

  While I wasn’t the only one to say it, my voice was the most desperate.

  My phone took that moment to ring. I scrambled to grab it out of my purse.

  “I gotta get this,” I said, looking at the screen. “It’s Megan.”

  I ran from the room before anyone could stop me. Thankfully, the halls were empty as I answered Megan’s call.

  “Hey, Megan,” I said breathlessly.

  “Hey. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I just ran out of General Living Skills.” I couldn’t believe I’d just lied. It hadn’t been a conscious decision, just a desperate one. I did not want to tell Megan I’d been paired up with Fenris for kissing practice.

  “You didn’t need to leave class,” she said. “I could have left a voicemail.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s General Living Skills. I know how to live with humans. The class is a waste of my time. What’s up? Why’d you call?”

  “I’m hoping you can help me pick out a dress. It’s supposed to be for a super fancy restaurant. Think high class, not hooker.”

  I sniggered as I headed for my car. Megan’s call was the perfect excuse to escape.

  “Turn on video chat and show me the options.”

  She did as I asked and panned the dresses.

  “Try the red one, the gold one, and that lavender one. Those colors will look good on you.”

  She turned the phone around and shook her head at me.

  “Those won’t work. I have a bruise and need something with a higher neckline.”

  “Okay. Show me again.”

  I picked three different dresses that would cover her neckline and back. When she went to grab them from the racks, I stopped her. I could tell with a glance that those weren’t department store dresses.

  “No, you don’t touch the dresses. You wave one of the attendants over. They handle the dresses while showing you to a fitting room. Send me pics of each one, front and back, so I can tell you which works. I better get back to class.”

  I’d reached the exit door to the parking lot.

  “Thank you,” she said before disconnecting.

  I hurried out the door and got in my car, shivering at the chill in the air. I hated lying. It went against everything my father taught me. And the shame I felt at lying to my best friend was even greater. Yet, with everything that Megan was dealing with, I couldn’t tell her my problems. At least, not yet. When she solved the mystery of the troll deaths and came home, then I’d come clean. Deciding that made me feel marginally better.

  The first picture from Megan came through before I reached her house. I waited until I pulled into the driveway to look at the dresses. Each one was beautiful on her, just as I’d known they would be. However, of the three she sent me, the rose gold one was the most stunning,

  Be sure to pair it with large diamond stud earrings and a soft updo because of the high neckline, I sent.

  It didn’t take long for her response.

  What exactly does an up do?

  You’re hopeless. When you get home, we’re going shopping for a week so I can be assured you’ll not go out looking like a frump.

  Frump? When did my grandma get here?

  I’m texting Oanen that I need a picture before you walk out the door.

  She sent back a laughing face.

  With a smile, I got out of my car and let myself into her house. The milk, oats, and honey weren’t that old, but I still changed the concoction out with a fresh batch before making myself comfortable in her living room.

  I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt as I wasted away several hours watching TV. I knew in my heart Megan would have cheered me on if I’d told her I’d ditched school and hung out on her couch. When it was close to the time I normally returned to the Quills’, I closed up Megan’s house again and made my way home.

  The Quills’ house was unusually quiet when I let myself in through the kitchen. Thanking my luck, I hurried upstairs to my room. My first priority was to check my closet for my cute dresses. If those hadn’t returned, then I would change into some jeans and a new shirt.

  Instead of doing either, I stopped just inside my bedroom door and watched Adira turn from the window to face me.

  “I’m glad you’re finally home. I hope you used your time wisely and practiced the art of seduction as LuAnn suggested.”

  I struggled to form a response that wasn’t a lie.

  “You’ll be able to put that practice to use now.” She held out her hand. “Come with me.”

  A portal appeared behind her just as her hand closed over mine. With a sickening twist in my stomach, my reality shifted, and I was pulled from my bedroom in Uttira to a bathroom in some club.

  I grabbed onto a sink to steady myself. In the mirror, I met Adira’s gaze.

  “Take a moment to freshen up,” she said over the thump of music. “I’ll be in the bar area to observe your progress.”

  She left me there, disoriented and still clinging to the sink.

  It took a moment for my surroundings to really sink in. The faint odor of smoke and alcohol, along with the generic row of sinks and mirrors and floor to ceiling tile with dirty grout lines, told a story of too much partying and very little concern about quality. What kind of place had she brought me to?

  I saw the answer when the door opened and three women staggered in, laughing and leaning on each other. Their sparkly tops, light dusting of body glitter, and ample display of cleavage were standard club attire. However, the smeared makeup and drugs they openly traded were not.

  I left them to their private party and braved the crowded main room. The scent of lust called to me, leading me to several men who idly watched the dancers on the floor from their places at the bar. Their gazes shifted to me, but I ignored them on my hunt for Adira.

  A man stepped in front of me. At over thirty-years-old, his gaze had no business shifting down my top.

  “Darling, you’re the stuff my dreams are made of. Tell me what you’re looking for in life, and I’ll make your dreams come true, too.”

  “I’m looking for a frost giant currently wearing her human form. She looks normal under regular lighting, but if you can talk to whoever's in charge and get the black lights turned on, you’ll see something that will blow your mind.”

  “It’s not my mind I want blown,” he said, leaning in. “You’re a special kind of crazy, but the pretty ones usually are.” He lifted a hand to touch me.

  “The black lights,” I said firmly. “Those come first.”

  He grinned.

  “You got it, darling.”

  He’d barely stepped away from me when Adira appeared from the depths of the crowd.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Giving you a choice,” I said calmly. “You can take me home now, before the black lights come on and everyone sees you for what you are, or you can continue to try to force me to feed.” Her expression hardened. “Pseudo-choices aren’t very fun, are they?”

  She took my hand, and with a nausea-inducing stomach twist, I found myself once more in my bedroom. Alone.

  With a sigh, I sat on my bed. I’d played mean with Adira at the club, meaner even than the night I’d threatened her with Megan because of Eugene. I dreaded what Adira would do in retaliation now.

  That dread stayed with me as I watched TV then changed for dinner.

  As I slowly made my way downstairs, I caught a hint of raised voices coming from Mr. Quill’s office. Changi
ng direction, I went to listen at the open door again.

  “Her increasing defiance is a result of Megan’s influence. With Megan’s mother focused on her, we’re free to focus on Eliana. We’re making the right choice, Anwen. Never doubt that.”

  I stepped into the room.

  “And what choice is that?” I asked.

  Mrs. Quill’s expression started to crumble, and Mr. Quill quickly hugged her close. My stomach churned with fear. Adira’s gaze flicked to her distraught sister than settled on me.

  “You’ve been coddled too long. As of now, you will no longer feed from Mrs. Quill. Like other succubi your age, you will need to find your own food source. And since you don’t like leaving to hunt for human prey, you’ll need to make do with your peers.”

  I stared at her, unable to process what had just happened.

  “Perhaps we should discuss this further after dinner,” Mr. Quill said, looking from Adira to me. “Anwen picked up the pizza you love from Chicago.”

  “Dinner?” I echoed numbly. They wanted me to eat after telling me I couldn’t eat. I struggled with the irony while reminding myself I wanted to be a good person no matter how others treated me. I didn’t manage to curb all my anger when I spoke, though.

  “A succubus doesn’t need human food. I’m going to my room unless I’m no longer welcome there, either.”

  Mrs. Quill’s tears cut me as deeply as her abandonment. Hardening my heart to both, I left the room.

  Chapter Seven

  I knew I was dreaming the moment my tranquil forest walk turned into a skunk riddled sex fest. Everywhere I looked, they were paired up and humping like crazy. I always dreamed about sex in some way, but this was a new level of awful for me. The scent of skunk lust was as rancid as their spray, and it filled my nose with an intensity that made it hard to breathe. However, despite the smell and the taste, my hunger demanded their lust.

  I shook and fought against the urge to feed. One of the skunks looked at me, mid-humping.

  “You’re like a sleeping princess,” it said.

  “What?”

  The moment I opened my mouth, the skunk-lust filled me. I swallowed it hungrily even as I gagged, and I was about to inhale more when I woke to a small mouth frantically licking my earlobe.

  I squealed and scrambled from the bed while wiping at my ear.

  “Don’t go, princess,” a tiny voice said from the darkness. “Let me try again. I can do better.”

  I hit the light switch and stared at the brownie sprawled out naked on my pillow. The six-inch youth twitched as he frantically tugged on his little stick, his toes curling as he lifted his head to greet me with a smile.

  “Hi, I’m Piepen. Thank you for inviting me.”

  His knees bent a little with a particularly vigorous tug, and his eyes rolled back in his head. His current activity explained why the sour lust taste from my dream still clogged the air.

  “Please stop touching yourself.”

  “Can’t. I’m so close. Just a few more—”

  “Get off my pillow!”

  The scent intensified.

  Gagging, I covered my eyes with my hand and felt my way to the bathroom just as he squealed in rapture.

  The taste lingered in my mouth, no matter how many times I rinsed. It reminded me of the stuff Dad had put on my nails when I was little in an attempt to get me to stop biting them. I gagged, rinsed again, then brushed my teeth thoroughly. It didn’t help. The air was tainted with the smell, which recoated the back of my tongue every time I breathed in.

  I turned on the bathroom fan then opened every window in my room before looking at the brownie. He lay stomach down now, thankfully. Still on my pillow, though, stroking the material gently.

  “You smell so good,” he said, his little voice muffled.

  “There’s been a misunderstanding,” I said. “When I told you to let me know you’d arrived, I should have specified during the day. You need to go back to Megan’s house. Now.”

  His little head jerked up from my pillow, and I stared into his tiny, sad brown eyes.

  “Please don’t make me stay with Elbner.”

  “It’s too dangerous for you to stay here. Especially after what just happened.”

  He jumped up from the pillow, his iridescent wings fluttering rapidly as he zoomed toward my face, all six millimeters of his tiny, hard staff aimed right at my eye.

  I squealed and ducked only to feel him clinging to my hair.

  “I can’t go back. Please don’t make me. I’ll do anything.”

  Each statement was punctuated by a hip thrust to my head. Without thinking, I swatted him from my hair.

  He squealed and flew across the room to land on the carpet where he lay without moving. Fear and guilt speared me.

  “Please don’t be dead,” I said, rushing to him.

  “Not dead,” he rasped. “In ecstasy. That was the fastest I’ve milked my acorns yet. Your hand is so soft.”

  I lifted my hand, gagged at the pale white smear on my skin, and rushed to the bathroom.

  After I finished washing, I tried to once more reason with the little creature, who’d relocated to my bed again.

  “I don’t think you understand the danger you’re in here,” I said. “I’m a succubus.”

  He sat up, mid-roll on my pillow.

  “Really? Does that mean we can have sex?”

  “What? No, it means I’m a danger to you.”

  His hand was already sliding down between his legs.

  “Stop touching yourself.”

  He lifted both hands high.

  “If I promise not to touch myself, can I stay? I hate when Elbner gives my wings tongue baths. They’re never clean enough for him.”

  My mouth dropped open. I knew very well the goblin wasn’t bathing him; he was tasting the brownie’s wings. The number of wingless brownies in existence was astounding. It really was a miracle that Piepen still had his.

  And because of that, I knew I couldn’t send him back to Megan’s. It would only be a matter of time before Piepen was as wingless as the majority of his race. I sighed in defeat, knowing I couldn’t condemn him to that existence.

  “I’ll let you stay, but only if you swear to follow several rules for your safety.”

  “Anything,” he said, nodding eagerly.

  “First, you need to wear clothes around me at all times. Second, you can’t touch yourself in my room. Third, you sleep in this drawer,” I said, pulling open a drawer in a dresser I never used.

  He bowed his head, his mop of shaggy brown hair falling into his eyes as he started to sniffle.

  “You want to close me in a drawer?” he asked, hurt pouring from him.

  “Of course not. The drawer will stay open while you sleep. It will be your bed, complete with a pillow and a blanket.”

  “Truly?” he asked, looking up with hope. “You don’t want to lock me away?”

  “Never,” I said, wondering what kind of past the poor creature had already endured in his short life. “If you can follow my rules, you’ll be my guest.”

  He was already nodding excitedly. I grabbed the lust coated pillow from my bed and placed it in the drawer, along with a shawl from my closet, while he zipped across the room to his discarded pants.

  Shivering, I started to close windows. The scent of his lust still strongly lingered in the air, though. In the reflection of the mirror, I caught him tugging his pants back on with frequent and unnecessary readjustments of his little package.

  He saw me watching and immediately stopped.

  Sighing, I pointed at his bed.

  “Go to sleep, and no more touching yourself. I mean it.”

  He flew to his bed and settled under the soft shawl I’d provided, petting it with a contented sigh, before closing his eyes. I crawled back into my bed and exhaled slowly, not sure if I’d be able to sleep while breathing in his nastiness.

  After a few minutes, I got out of bed and turned on the ceiling fan. It helped along
with the fact that Piepen was softly snoring and no longer touching himself.

  With a sigh, I closed my eyes and drifted off.

  This time, when the skunk dream invaded my mind, I knew what was happening and woke shaking my head.

  My cheek touched a wet spot on my pillowcase. I lifted my head, wondering if I'd been drooling because of hunger. The tiny circle, about the size of a dime, glistened with a non-saliva iridescence.

  “Ugh! Ew!”

  I sat up and brushed my cheek, which only smeared the nastiness.

  “Piepen,” I hissed, looking around the room. “I said no touching yourself.”

  His head peeked up from the edge of his bed drawer.

  “I didn't. I swear.”

  Even as he said it, he started twitching as if the lower half of him, currently hidden from view, was moving. The scent of his lust grew.

  “How old are you, Piepen?”

  “I just turned fourteen.”

  I knew he meant fourteen months because brownies weren't as long-lived as most races. Likely because they bred like crazy as soon as they hit puberty, which started after one year of age. So, what he was doing wasn’t really his fault. It was his nature for the given stage of his life.

  “I need to shower and get ready for school. While I'm gone today, I want you to stay in this room for your safety. You still have your wings, and a lot of creatures in this town will want to change that.”

  “Thank you for keeping me safe.”

  Guilt stabbed at me as I stripped my pillow, threw the case into the laundry, then closed myself in the bathroom.

  While I would do just about anything to help Megan solve her case so she could get home faster, keeping the brownie in my room wasn't going to work for long. Especially after I'd accidentally fed from him. He was far from safe with me.

  I started the shower and stripped out of my pajamas. As much as I wanted to avoid eye contact with the mirror so I wouldn’t see what was currently drying to my cheek, I turned to place my pj’s on the counter.

  I stopped short at the sight of myself. Not because of the smear on my cheek but because of the reflection of my body.

  My rib bones shone in startling prominence. The hollow of my stomach was ghastly as were my protruding hip bones. I touched them, not believing what I was seeing. But I didn’t feel as wasted as I looked. I felt thin, sure, but not bony.