PRUE

I crept slowly up the stairs, cautious. I'd heard strange noises downstairs and Calcifer looked almost terrified when he heard them, almost in pain.

There's nothing to be scared of. It's only Howl, I'm not afraid of him, I thought. I approached the top of the stairs and called his name once more, much quieter than before. My voice trembled and cracked over my tongue, betraying my unconscious fear about the strange noises I'd heard. The fact that he wasn't replying to my calls made me even more scared. I froze just as my foot was hovering over the top step. A blood-churning snarl ripped from the partially open door of Howl's bedroom. It cut straight through me, sharp and cold. It brought me back to the beast on the black glade: it's blood-thirsty glare as it pounced, the gurgling growl from it's mutated throat.

I swallowed nervously as I saw a shadow approach from the dark depths of the room. My breath caught in my throat, I dared not breathe. I backed away, my heart thumping in my mouth. I suddenly felt very small, whatever was in there: it wasn't Howl. Claws curled slowly around the side of the door out of the darkness, gouging the wood as if it was butter. Where is Howl? I screamed in my mind, desperately glancing at the door and the stairs behind me. I opened my mouth to scream, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper.

Another snarl, much louder than before. The claws suddenly began to convulse erratically on the wood, gouging deeper and deeper. With a loud crash, they peeled away and disappeared back into the room with a flash of fire and light that scorched from the room and the hall in front of me. I fell backwards onto the floor, inches from the stairs, crying out and covering my eyes with my hands. I heard a long, chilling ululation accompanied with a sharp yell and the slam of the door.

Panting with terror, I cautiously opened my eyes upon the blackened, sooty hallway. The door to Howl's bedroom was shut, but the marks remained. I slowly got to my feet, coughing, leaning against the dirty walls. The filth came away on my palm, I glanced down at it. The thick layer of black soot crumbled and fell away as I flexed my hand. A pained moan escaped from behind the door. It was Howl, I knew that voice anywhere. Without even thinking about the beast-like creature that had tried to emerge from his room, I flung the door open.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

She almost fell into the room as the door fell away from her off it's hinges. The harsh slap of wood against wood made her flinch away reflexively. The door threw up a thick layer of soot, clouding her vision for a brief moment. As it began to settle, she glimpsed Howl's pale face between strands of his dark hair. As she approached, she suddenly realised he was naked. Her mouth dropped open as her eyes trailed down past his sleek body, suddenly realising what she was doing she shut her eyes tight.

Look at his face, just his face, eyes on his face, she thought desperately, flushing a deep red. Quickly averting her eyes from Howl, she walked over to the cupboards in search of a blanket to cover him up so she wasn't tempted to sneak a peek.

Why me? Why is he even naked? He just came upstairs to put away the dresses, then it struck her. She picked up one of the strangely clean dresses and flung it over him why trying to not look at him.

Perhaps he put a spell on them to keep them clean. She approached him anxiously, looking around for any sign of the beast. Once certain of the beast's strange disappearance, she knelt down by Howl's head. Her large eyes swept over his face nervously, looking for any sign of injury. She placed her palm on his forehead, meaning to test his temperature. The moment her skin came in contact with his, she flinched back immediately. His skin was searing, it was like touching a hot stove. She pressed her palm against her cheek, remarkably it wasn't burned or injured in any way. Prue cautiously pressed her finger against his cheek, ready to withdraw it at any sign of heat. Strangely, it had cooled considerably. Her fingertips probed his face, the heat was receding quickly.

I wonder…Her hands stroked down his neck, and onto his shoulders. He was freezing, gradually getting colder the further down she went. She got as far as his chest and wasn't prepared to go any further. She took back her hands, placing them on her thighs, pondering over what had happened.

Was the beast Howl? The blush on her cheeks receded, her eyes drunk in the sight of his glorious body. There wasn't a hair on his chest, just smooth pale skin stretched taught over moderately hard muscles. The dress covered from his feet to just above his navel. Curious, she lightly touched the muscles in his abdomen. They were almost solid, but icy cold. Her fingertips fluttered up to his chest, her brows furrowed in concentration. She pressed her palm against his chest. No heartbeat…nothing…dead. It was as before when they had almost kissed beside Star Lake, no pulse, yet he was alive. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she pressed her head against his chest. There was no sound at all.

Is he… Before she could even finish her thought, a cold hand pressed against the side of her head. With a gasp of breath, Howl began to breathe. It rattled in his throat, almost like a laugh. Pinned against his chest, Prue had nowhere to move. She struggled against the force of his hand, but he was just too strong.

"Howl? Howl?" She gasped, feeling the bones in her face start to protest against the force from his hand. A dark chuckle rippled from his chest and her blood froze. It wasn't Howl's voice. His fingers curled in her hair and lifted her head up, his other hand clamping against her cheek. Howl swiftly sat up and brought her face inches from his, jerking her neck mercilessly, making her cry out in pain. She shut her eyes, fearing what she might see. What was wrong with him, why was he doing this?

She had never thought in a million years that Howl would ever knowingly hurt her like this. She felt his breath on her face, sweet and strangely hot. He gripped her chin hard and turned her head from side to side, as if he was inspecting a piece of meat. She felt his laughter vibrate through his arms. Fearfully, she opened her eyes. His eyes were black, clouded. His iris was stained pitch and it was burning, boring into her to the point where it was bordering on painful. It was like looking into a light that was far too bright for far too long. There was an edge of mockery in those dense black eyes, as if he was disgusted with the very sight. He cocked his head, like a curious animal inspecting its prey beneath its claws.

"Scream for me," he muttered quietly, grinning darkly as he did so. Her eyes were wide with fear, her body shaking in terror of this monster that was Howl. The voice was a distorted version of Howl's, deeper, husky, almost a growl. He ragged her face forwards, resting his mouth close to her ear.

"Scream for him," he snarled. Prue closed her eyes. This wasn't Howl, it couldn't be Howl. She brought her hand up and rested it on his cheek. She felt him flinch but didn't stop. She brought her mouth very close to his ear and whispered.

"Howl, come back to me. Find me, Howl. Don't lose yourself in this thing you've become." Howl hissed through his teeth, a gasp of pain. The grip on her chin loosened and his hand fell away from her. Free, she leaned backwards and looked into those black eyes filled with confusion, pain, hatred. She touched his face anxiously, her fingertips fluttering over his cheekbones. Those black eyes locked onto hers with such a furious burning intensity that it startled her. She bit her lip and touched her forehead to his.

"Come back to me, Howl…Because…" She took a deep breath, plucked up her courage. "Come back to me because I love you." And with those few words, she pressed her lips against his.

Ach. Mi dears, it's been a while. Too long I think. Sorry about the wait. I just had to have a bit of a think about what I was doing. And that took a little bit longer than expected. Thank you for your support as always. Reading your reviews makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :3

I love you all and thank you for following me very patiently.

Next chapter coming up as soon as humanly possible :D

Em