The Howl (By Kiss and Claw Book 1)

by Melissa Haag

  “Megan is a fury who finds the consumption of brownie wings wicked. For your safety and mine, you must forego the wings.”

  He grunted, his intelligent eyes never leaving my face.

  “You’re a clever one, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “No more clever than you, I imagine.” I went to the cupboard and got out a bowl, noting that it was the one I’d used previously and that he’d already washed and put it away.

  “Can you tell me anything about your previous owner? Did he feed you wings?”

  The goblin snorted.

  “Wings are hard to come by.”

  “Do you remember your previous owner’s name?”

  I looked up from the oats I was pouring when Elbner made a choked sound. He was trying to speak, but no words were coming out.

  “It’s okay,” I said, doing my best to hide my disappointment. “I know about the spell. It was wishful thinking that you’d be free of it in only a few days. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

  I finished adding the milk and honey and put everything away.

  “Is there anything else you need from me?” I asked.

  “Your absence. Turn off the light on your way out.”

  As I left, I heard the chair at the table move across the floor. How could he possibly survive on one bowl of honey and oats a day? Yet, I’d read that’s all they required. I wondered if he was in a constant state of starvation like I normally was.

  Inhaling the cold air deeply, I realized the hunger that always crawled just below my skin wasn’t so noticeable now. Just how much had I really eaten? And what would happen to that person?

  Typically, when a succubus fed, it was in the open. The person knew who was feeding on them. But because the person never saw me, I was unsure what would happen if I ran into the person tomorrow. Would they still feel an instant need to be near me? To please me in any way possible? I hoped not because the result of such a deep feeding would be more intense than what had happened with Eugene.

  By the time I reached the Quills’, my face was cold, I’d lost feeling in my toes, and I wanted nothing more than a long, hot shower where I’d do my best to forget the day I had. However, after ditching Mom at the restaurant, I doubted I’d get any of that.

  Instead of going in through the front door, I checked the garage and found my car there then snuck around to the back of the house. This time, I was more careful wedging my way through the bushes and didn’t hesitate in the dark. The last thing I wanted to do was face Fenris right now, fed or not. Thankfully, I reached the door without interruption and slid inside the house undetected.

  The faint strings of music reached my ears, and I frowned. Music wasn’t unusual in the human world. But in Uttira, where creatures tended to have sensitive ears, most didn’t play it. In fact, I was the odd one in the Quills’ house. That music was playing now meant Mom was still up.

  Walking quietly, I made my way upstairs. The sound of music grew louder as I turned down my hall. So did the sound of laughter from at least three different people. I started breathing through my mouth, already dreading what I was likely to find as I approached the entertainment room.

  I didn’t make it that far.

  “Downward dog time,” Mom called out behind Oanen’s closed door.

  I cringed on Oanen’s behalf and hurried to my room. He would need to have his room professionally cleaned before he used it again. Even breathing through my mouth, I could taste the lust in the air.

  That lust turned to skunk the moment I stepped into my room.

  I stared at my bed in wide-eyed horror. Amongst brightly wrapped packages resting on my quilt, Piepen rode an overly large dildo like a mechanical bull. The loud buzzing and the continuous clacking of his tiny teeth did nothing to muffle his wild laughter as he swung one small arm above his head.

  “I w-w-wish my mom-m-m w-w-would have giv-v-ven me stuff like this-s-s.”

  Had I still been starving, he would have been dead. Thankfully, I wasn’t hungry enough to consume what was floating in the air. Choking on his awful lust, I crossed the room and yanked his toy out from under him. He squealed his disappointment when I turned it off.

  “You could have hurt yourself. This wasn’t for you,” I said, dropping it back into the box he’d opened.

  Guilt stole his indignation as he stood.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve never seen presents before and wanted to know what was in them.”

  “Never?”

  He shook his head sadly.

  “My parents were eaten when I was only a week old. Gram and Grand took care of me, but they were wingless and had no jobs.”

  Just when I was about to feel bad for him, he grabbed himself.

  “Why do my nuts feel cold?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Probably because you vibrated all the blood from them.”

  He began massaging himself, which only made his lust stronger.

  “It’s for medicinal purposes,” he said quickly when I opened my mouth to tell him to stop.

  Instead of arguing, I retreated to the bathroom with my pajamas and did my best not to reflect on my crappy day. Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.

  Relaxed from a nice hot shower and wearing my comfy button-up pajama top with matching flannel pants, I left the bathroom and found Mom sitting on the edge of my bed.

  I looked around the room for Piepen and found him safely peeking over the edge of his drawer.

  “Don’t worry,” Mom said. “He’s perfectly safe from me. I don’t know how you can even breathe in here.”

  I shrugged.

  “He can’t help it.”

  She smiled.

  “You have a good heart, Eliana. It’s one of the many things I love about you. And I want you to know that my love for you will never change. Neither will my promise this morning.”

  I struggled to remember what she’d said. So much had happened since breakfast.

  “I’m here to support you in any way I can. Which is why I asked Mrs. Quill to help me with a little quick shopping while she was out picking up some people to feed me. I would have waited for you so I could watch you open them, but I was famished. I see you liked the pink one?”

  “What? No. Piepen got into the package before I got here.”

  She cast a dirty look his direction.

  “I told you they were gifts for Eliana. The next time I leave something for her, you will not touch it. Am I understood?”

  He squealed and dove under his pillow.

  “He understands,” I said, answering for him.

  “Good.”

  She stood and opened her arms for a hug, which parted her gossamer robe.

  “Mom? What are you wearing?”

  She looked down at her white, lacey, see-through contraption in confusion.

  “It’s a teddy, Eliana.” Her gaze flicked to my closet. Before I could stop her, she went to the door and pulled it open.

  Her sounds of disapproval made me want to crawl under my covers and never come out.

  “This is completely unacceptable. When you said your dresses were gone, I thought it was just the knee-length ones. None of this is you.” She turned toward me. “Don’t worry about a thing, baby. Now that I’ve had a little nourishment to take the edge off, I’ll be able to speak to Adira with a calm mind. Your wardrobe will be fixed in no time.”

  She turned to me and kissed my cheek. As she did, her stomach growled.

  “Maybe I need to eat a bit more before I face Adira. Would you like to join me?”

  “Actually, I’m really tired.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you open the rest of your gifts? Then you can go to bed.”

  I nodded and robotically went to my bed. My mother loved me. Too much. And she wanted me to be just like her based on the number of “toys” she’d bought me. I didn’t know what half of them were, but thanked her for each one and promised to come to her with any questions. Especially about the one that had all the black straps and the weird
attachment.

  She waited until I put everything away in the unused drawers below Piepen’s bed then tucked me in.

  “I’ve missed you so much, Eliana. I want to spend as much time with you as you’ll allow. Say the word, and I’m there for you. For anything. Any time. Anywhere.”

  She smoothed a hand over my cheek and smiled down at me.

  “I understand why you’ve kept things from me…why you’re probably still keeping things from me. I’m not angry. I’m not like the Council. We’ll find you what you like to eat, and we’ll do it your way. Even if I need to hold Anwen down for you.”

  Chapter Ten

  A persistent buzzing woke me out of another skunk dream. Annoyed, I rolled over to glare at Piepen’s drawer in the early morning light.

  He made a soft yipping sound as I threw off the covers.

  “I told you not to play with the—”

  The sight of him naked and blissed out on his pillow robbed me of words. Instead of the big, pink monstrosity, he wore a rubber ring around his waist, the odd nub attached to it centered just over his pelvis.

  As I watched, a tiny shower of sparkles erupted from below the nub and landed on the pillow beside him.

  “Look! It’s changing colors.”

  I glanced at the multiple smears on the pillow I planned to burn in the near future. If the quantity was any indication, he’d been at this for a while.

  “That’s probably not a good thing. The humans believe boys will go blind if they play with their bits too much.”

  “I can’t help myself. I want to touch them all the time. I just need…”

  Another shower of sparkles erupted, and a dreamy smile ghosted his lips.

  “Sparkles make everything better,” he said blissfully.

  I slammed the drawer shut and hoped his squeal meant he’d fallen off his pillow.

  “You better have that thing turned off and in the garbage by the time I’m done showering.”

  He wisely listened because twenty minutes later, the bedroom was quiet when I emerged from the bathroom. However, the concentrated smell of brownie lust had only grown. I opened every window in my room before opening the drawer.

  Piepen sat in an unpillowed corner, his clad knees pulled up to his chest. He gave me a sad look and held up the ring in one hand.

  “I would have thrown it away, but I couldn’t. I was locked in a dark drawer.”

  “You broke the rules. Don’t expect me to feel sorry for you. And don’t expect me to throw that away after what you were doing with it. Fly yourself to the garbage.”

  He sullenly zoomed across the room and dropped the toy into my trash bin.

  “I’ll be right back with some food for you. Do not touch anything else in those drawers.”

  I left the room, fluctuating between guilt and annoyance. When I’d closed Piepen’s drawer, I hadn’t been thinking. I’d promised never to do that to him and had broken my promise in barely a day. Yet, I’d scolded him for breaking the rules. Rules he couldn’t help but break. Unlike me, he wasn’t trying to be something other than what the gods made him. A horny little brownie who needed to procreate before his short life was over.

  I sighed, wondering if apologizing for what I’d done would only encourage him to continue his ways or if my silence would somehow curb his instincts.

  Like the morning before, I found Mom in the dining room, her back to the door. This time, she was alone. After her parting words last night, I felt a healthy amount of concern for Mrs. Quill. Yet, that concern almost wasn’t enough to keep me in the room. After leaving me, Mom had gone back to her “meal” and had eaten very loudly for hours, which had probably contributed to Piepen’s driving need to touch himself.

  “You’re hovering again,” Mom said, busting me before I could officially make up my mind whether to leave or not.

  “Sorry. I’m just tired.” As soon as I said it, I wanted to smack myself.

  Mom turned in her chair, setting her coffee aside to worriedly scrutinize me.

  “Still? Perhaps I should take you to see—”

  “I’m not sick, Mom. I swear.”

  Her skepticism remained firm in her expression.

  “That was over eight hours of sleep.”

  I gave an aggrieved sigh.

  “No, it wasn’t. Your company was enthusiastically loud and kept me up. That’s all. Will Mrs. Quill be joining us?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.

  Mom hesitated a moment.

  “No. She and I spoke this morning. I asked her to either feed you or stay away. I’m less than pleased with her choice but know how much her willingness means to you, so I didn’t force the issue. Yet.”

  “Thank you.”

  She gave me a small smile.

  “For you, baby, anything. I made muffins this morning. Chocolate berry. Give one a try,” she said, indicating the sugar topped muffin waiting beside her.

  I sank into the chair, already reaching for it. The flavor was amazing. Especially after what had been coating my taste buds since the moment I woke.

  “This is amazing,” I said around a mouthful.

  She chuckled. “I’m so glad you like it. There are five more in the kitchen.”

  “Only five?”

  “I ate the other six.”

  I laughed. It felt good. I finished my muffin and thought of Piepen waiting for me upstairs.

  “Hey, Mom? Can I have your permission to go to the Academy late today?”

  “Baby, you don’t need anyone’s permission to do anything ever. Do what you want, and make no apologies for it. You’re too powerful to let other people’s rules stifle you.”

  It was all well and good for her to say that, but she had no idea the lengths Adira would go to keep her students in line and on her right path.

  “I just need to know that you’ll step in if Adira gives me trouble for being late.”

  Her eyes flooded with black.

  “Does she give you trouble often?” The soft way in which she asked the question made me want to shiver.

  “I…uh…”

  She blinked, and her eyes cleared.

  “Baby, don’t protect people who won’t protect you.” She exhaled slowly and patted my cheek. “Skip school for all I care. It might force Adira to stop avoiding me. I’ve asked Anwen to let her sister know I’d like a word. However, my phone has remained mysteriously quiet. If you see Adira today, let her know I’m looking forward to speaking with her.” Her gaze skimmed my outfit. “She and I have a lot to discuss.”

  I pitied Adira just then. If she were smart, she would talk to Mom before making her any angrier.

  “If I see her, I’ll let her know. Thanks, Mom.”

  After grabbing a bowl full of fruit from the kitchen and running it upstairs to Piepen, I headed out for the day.

  The drive to the lake brought back memories of the night Megan came into her powers with flaming glory. My car still had a weird paint job because of it, not that I minded. I wondered briefly how she was enjoying her new-found abilities. Probably a lot more than I’d ever enjoyed mine.

  Passing the pull off for the lake, I continued toward the marshes. The flat stretch looked inhospitable with its sea of snow-dusted cattails and long grass, but I knew it was home to hundreds of brownies. Most of them wingless refugees from the real world.

  I turned onto a dirt road and followed it to a small parking area that had signs posted forbidding the hunting of brownies, winged or unwinged, in the marshes. Someone had drawn lewd images on the sign, an indication of how much the upstanding citizens of Uttira respected the law.

  A brisk winter breeze bit through my thin shirt the moment I opened my car door, and I hoped Adira would talk to my mom soon. I wanted some decent clothes again.

  “Hello?” I called, my heels crunching on the gravel. “My name is Eliana. I’m looking for a family to take in a brownie. He’s fourteen and recently lost his wingless grandparents.”

  I hesitated a moment, looking a
round the marsh. Other than the occasional bird call, there was no sign of life.

  “He needs a good home. I don’t think he’s ever had one before. If there’s a family willing to take him in, call me.” I rattled off my phone number.

  The bird calls went crazy for a moment, then complete silence reigned.

  I got back in my car and drove away, hoping that I made the right choice not to mention he had wings. I couldn’t risk sharing that kind of information if there were hunters in the marsh. Or worse, brownie families willing to sell Piepen’s wings to earn a little cash. It was common knowledge that brownies would sell their own wings, or someone else’s, if money was tight.

  By the time I pulled through Girderon’s gates, I’d successfully missed the first session. I took my time finding a parking spot, since mine was taken, then went inside. The halls were quiet, a nice change. In no hurry to join the second session, I paused by the pool to watch the mermaids play around with a boat.

  While I knew they didn’t spend all day in the water, I was still envious that they had at least one class they seemed to enjoy.

  “A bit late today, aren’t you?” Adira said from behind me.

  “Mom wants to talk to you,” I said, continuing to watch the mermaids splash. “She wasn’t too happy when she said it, either. I’m not surprised, really. She never did like being confined in any way.” I finally turned to look at Adira.

  “Don’t wait too long, Adira. You don’t want to push her like you enjoy pushing me. I better get to class.”

  She didn’t say anything as I walked away. As much as I wanted to take that as a victory, I knew better. With Adira, it was hard to tell what was a win and what was a play right into her hands.

  Outside the room, I glanced down at my clothes. While skipping school altogether like Mom had suggested would have been much more appealing than facing everyone dressed like this again, I knew Fenris was right about not running from Adira’s manipulations. Running never did anyone any good. Taking a steadying breath, I opened the door and stopped short at the sight of Ashlyn’s empty desk.

  “She gave me a note for you,” Yanet said from her spot. “You want me to tuck it into your back pocket so you can read it later?”