Simply Bears: A Ten Book Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Collection

by Simply Shifters

  Sabina was very excited about this idea, only because she knew her sister was not really kidnapped, but she had to pretend that she was uncomfortable with this idea.

  “I don’t know,” Sabina said, “It will take some time. I like the idea of spending time together, because I am very worried about my sister, just as he is. That is all I can handle at the moment.” Her face was painted with worry, but her heart was doing somersaults and cartwheels. What a brilliant plan!

  Everything was working out smashingly, just like Aurelia planned. Sabina had never supported one of her sister’s crazy plans more in her life. She now had to start thinking like Aurelia if she wanted to slowly win Prince Olric’s heart, and with Lady Gertrud at her side, she was more confident than ever.

  “Well, you’d better hurry, Sabina. My son intends to leave as soon as possible. Maybe you should go check on him now. I’m sure he’d love to see you, and if he asks, you did not speak to me.”

  Lady Gertrud stood up as quickly as her body allowed, and scurried off towards the garden. Sabina took a deep breath, said a silent prayer to herself and then turned back toward the castle to see Prince Olric heading right towards her.

  “Oh, my! Uh, Prince Olric. Good morning! I have come to…”

  Olric cut Sabina off, asking her, “Sabina! Have you seen my mother? I’ve just upset her dearly and I want to find her.”

  Sabina looked off into the garden and said, “Yes, she was walking toward the garden, and I asked if she would like some company, but she politely declined. She said she would like to be alone right now. May I ask what has happened?” Sabina felt very forward asking such a question, but her passiveness had gotten her nowhere up to this point, so she was ready to start taking more initiative.

  Prince Olric has always felt very comfortable around Sabina. She was always a great listener and a fine young woman. He already considered her to be a sister since he was foreseeing his life as Aurelia’s husband. “I will tell you, Sabina, but this is very confidential. No one can hear of it. Do you understand?” Sabina used her hands to gesture and imaginary key locking an imaginary vault over her mouth. Olric looked around and noticed castle dwellers casually walking around just out of ear’s length, so he leaned in very close to Sabina’s face. Her heart started racing. She knew it was not going to happen, but she imagined in that brief second that he gently cupped her cheek, looked into her eyes and said “you are the one for me” before giving her a sensual, passionate kiss.

  No, instead, he leaned in to whisper, “Let’s not talk here. Meet me in Aurelia’s room after dinner.” Then, he swiftly got up and walked back into the castle. The remainder of the day carried on like any other.

  Dinner was at seven pm. Conversation was light and pleasant, then everyone retreated back to his or her headquarters. Sabina made an announcement that she would be staying in Aurelia’s room for the night and asked for some privacy, just to ensure that no one would intrude on her and Prince Olric. About half of an hour after dinner ended, Prince Olric gave two knocks on Aurelia’s door. Sabina opened the door, and quickly let him in.

  “Thank you for agreeing to meet me so late, Sabina.”

  “it’s no problem at all, Olric. What is on your mind?” she asked him.

  Prince Olric walked to the window and began speaking while gazing out into the night sky.

  “Aurelia’s kidnapping was the last straw for me. Colonel Ferdinand, the head of our military troops, and I started plotting an offensive attack on the Austrian kingdom. Our military was completely on board, for as you know, many Bavarians have been waiting centuries for this time to come. Alas, my father does not support my actions and has forbid me to affiliate his name and our kingdom with my war efforts. Therefore, I am going to form a militia to attack the Austrian kingdom and rescue Aurelia.”

  Sabina’s eyes widened, but she remained composed. How was she going to talk him out of this? “I can certainly understand why that would upset your mother. I miss Aurelia, too, Prince Olric. She’s my flesh and blood. But are you sure this is the best way to move forward. We need family more than ever in times like these. Are you sure you want to push yours away?” Olric was expecting to hear something like this come from Sabina. She was always very sensible.

  “Aurelia is my family. This mission is dedicated to her not only as a rescue mission, but also as a strong move made by Bavaria. Our kingdom has been mistreated for far too long. This is just the final straw,” he said.

  Think, Sabina, think! “What if Aurelia’s kidnappers were just framing the Austrian government. Like you said, a lot of people want this war. It would be the perfect way to finally pit our kingdoms against each other. I worry every second for my sister, but we must remain calm now, else we will surely lose our minds. What if, instead of blindsiding the Austrian government, we contact them about this matter? If they agree that they are holding Aurelia hostage for ransom, then by all means, we should attack. I will be at the front of the line with you if that were the case. On the other hand, if they deny these accusations, then we have no choice than to assume her kidnappers are imposters. In that case, we could also ask for help from our neighbors, and no one would get hurt.”

  Olric was running his hands through his hair as he thought both of these scenarios through. Sabina wished it were her hands doing so; touching his soft hair, and gliding her hands down the back of his neck and around his broad, muscular shoulders. He finally spoke. “You are right, Sabina. I do not want to endanger any lives, but I need to know where she is.”

  Sabina chimed in, “Well, you could send a messenger first thing in the morning.”

  He shook his head. “No, I will be the messenger. I will travel, on my own, to Austria to find my love.”

  Sabina jumped up and shouted, “I’m coming with you!” Prince Olric laughed a little too loud, then realized his volume and apologized.

  “What?” she asked. “I’m great on a horse. You cannot travel through the forest alone. Just look at what happened to my father. Plus, I want to find my sister just as much as you do.”

  Prince Olric smiled. “Are you sure?” he asked. “It will not be easy.”

  Sabina proudly said, “I do not expect it to be easy, but I do trust your lead and will be of any asset to you that you wish of me.”

  Olric shook Sabina’s hand and said, “Well, rest up, princess. We leave tomorrow morning just before dawn.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Aurelia was still waiting by the door for the boys to come back home. The sun was now fully visible in the morning sky, which meant that they would be back to their human form when she saw them. She could feel her eyes beginning to flutter closed. The warm sunlight shining through the window and the calming effect of birds chirping outside were beginning to take their toll. Aurelia made her way to the couch so she could still hear Nico and Afonso approaching, but also so that she could lie down. Before she knew it, she was out cold.

  She was awakened by the bantering of the brothers. “Right, like you could have taken on all of those wolves by yourself. You’re delusional, brother.”

  “I told you I can! I’ve done it before. Stop pretending you’re this big shot just because you got lucky with the sun a few times. Gee, I wonder why you pick your biggest fights right before dawn.”

  “Duh! It’s called strategy. Most fighters use it. Do some study on the matter.”

  Aurelia slowly started standing up.

  “Oh, sorry! Did we wake you?” Afonso asked. “Thanks for cleaning the kitchen, by the way.”

  “It was nothing. No, I’m fine. I didn’t even mean to fall asleep. I was waiting up for you two. I was worried from hearing all of the fighting last night.”

  The brothers gave each other a very confused look. Nico spoke up. “You could hear us fighting all the way across the mountain? Do you have super powers or something?”

  Her eyebrows squinted as she tried to remember if she was dreaming or if the house was actually attacked. “The… wolves… that were surroundi
ng the cabin. Two other creatures chased them off. That wasn’t you? Please tell me that you are just fooling with me right now.”

  They both looked very concerned.

  “No,” Afonso said. “We were nowhere near the cabin all night.”

  “They were scratching at the door. Did you see any marks on the door when you walked in?” Aurelia asked.

  “We came in from the back door,” Nico said. All at once, the three jumped up to investigate the front door. It was indeed covered in claw marks, but not from an enchanted creature. These looked like markings of a standard wolf.

  “Wolves are pack animals. They must have picked up Aurelia’s scent,” Nico said to Afonso.

  “But what is this about two creatures scaring them off?” he turned to ask Aurelia.

  She was still squinting, trying to piece the puzzle together. “Yes, there were definitely two large animals that came and fought off the wolves. I didn’t get a chance to look at them because I did not want to draw more attention to myself. I did recognize the growl, though. It sounded exactly like yours, Afonso!”

  The brothers were looking at each other as if they were sharing the same thought. “There are other werebears out there. We hear that they live throughout the land, all the way to Hesse.”

  Aurelia’s jaw dropped. “Hesse? That’s where I am from! It was in those woods where my mother was murdered and my father went missing! Do you think werebears had something to do with that?”

  Nico seemed to get a little defensive when he said, “Werebears are protectors. Werewolves are the monsters with no control. If your mother was attacked by an animal, then mark my words, it was a werewolf. The only way your mother would have been attacked by a werebear was if she was…” Nico paused for a second, because he realized that he may have come off a little insensitive; but Aurelia continued his sentence, saying, “…a werewolf.”

  The room went quiet for a moment, then Aurelia spoke again. “Do you know anything else of Hesse? Any other enchanting creatures that may or may not know more about my parents?”

  Afonso looked at Nico then turned to Aurelia. “We don’t… but I think we know someone who does. We would need to travel pretty close in towards town. Are you alright with that?”

  Aurelia did not hesitate for a second. “Yes! If it helps me come any closer to finding my father, I will do anything.”

  “Great!” Afonso said. “I’m going to take a quick bath, then we can head out. Unless you’d like to take a bath first, Aurelia.”

  She smelled herself and asked, “What are you saying?” After they all laughed she told him to go right ahead.

  It was now just Aurelia and Nico sitting at the kitchen table. “So, what do you think your fiancé is doing right now?” Nico asked.

  “I have no idea. I hope he is planning to attack Austria. If he is ever going to be a great king, he is going to need a backbone.”

  Nico gave her a funny look. “Oh, you mean because they kidnapped you? That’s crazy what you did. You know that, right?”

  “Sure, but if I hadn’t had done it, I would be married right now and the rest of my life would be exactly the same every day,” she said.

  “Do you love him?” Nico asked.

  Aurelia responded, “That’s an odd question coming from someone who repels all emotion.”

  “That’s not an answer,” he said.

  Aurelia was a little bothered that she was letting Nico bother her. “I love him in many ways, yes; but I still feel like there is something greater out there for me.”

  Nico laughed. “You are as selfish as I am,” he said.

  “That’s not possible! No one is as selfish as you.”

  Nico repeated her words back to her, “there is something better out there for you? Why does the universe owe you anything over another person?”

  Aurelia was getting more upset. “Okay, fine. I’ll change my words. I haven’t found what I am looking for yet.”

  Nico came back with, “A nice man who loves you isn’t what every princess wants?”

  “No, some princesses want more excitement, more passion, more… more…”

  Nico interjected, “…fights?”

  Without thinking, Aurelia yelled, “Yes! Well, not fights necessarily; but a man who is stern in his ways yes. A man who cares for me but who will also challenge me and one that isn’t afraid to live a little, and…”

  Nico cut her off again, but not with words this time. He grabbed her hand to pull her towards him and gave her the most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. It was soft at first, then started getting a little more rough. Their hands began moving up and down each other’s faces, through their hair and down their backs until Nico pulled away.

  Aurelia was dumbstruck.

  Nico smiled and said, “It looks like you needed that more than you thought.”

  She pushed him away. “Don’t you dare say anything to your brother. It was a moment of weakness, and I immediately regret it.”

  Nico was still smiling. “Okay, well I’m going to take a bath, too.”

  “How? Your brother’s using that tub right now,” she said.

  He grabbed a towel and started undressing right there in the living room.

  “I’m going down to the stream, because I’m a man. I take action. Care to join me?”

  “You’re a pig,” she said.

  “Calm down, princess. I was just teasing. And don’t worry. I enjoyed it as much as you did. It can be our little secret,” he said as he walked out of the door wearing only sandals and a towel draped over his shoulder.

  Aurelia had turned away when he first started undressing, but made sure to sneak the tiniest peek of his butt as he exited the cabin. She was very glad she did. So glad that she forgot that he disgusted her. Afonso returned shortly, and Aurelia asked if she could take a quick bath, after all. “Sure. What changed your mind?” he asked.

  “I suddenly feel a lot dirtier than I did a minute ago.”

  As Aurelia lay there in the tub, she wondered why she could not stop thinking about Nico. This was clearly a recipe for disaster. Just an hour ago, he was her brother. Now, she couldn’t stop picturing him naked; his cute, perfect butt just waiting… asking to be grabbed. This was so strange. She wasn’t the sexual one. That’s Sabina. What was happening? She knew she would have to dismiss these thoughts and focus on more important matters in her life, but every time she closed her eyes, she was back in her passionate embrace with Nico.

  Once all three were bathed and ready, they set out to meet with the witch. Afonso visited with her more often than Nico did, because he said she was the closest thing to a mother figure he had in his life. Nico saw their relationship more as a business arrangement. She acknowledged their requests, just as long as they were still holding up their end of the bargain. He did have love for her, but he understood that she was not his mother. Afonso had a harder time accepting this. When they started getting a little closer to the witch’s home, Aurelia did become a little anxious about being so close to town. She was wearing her shawl, just in case, and insisted on taking the longer route with more coverage.

  Once they reached the house, the witch was already waiting on her porch to greet them. “Come… come, my boys. I was expecting you. And you must be the runaway princess,” she cackled.

  “How… how did you know that?” Aurelia asked.

  “Child, I know everything. Please come in,” she said as she led them inside. “Here, sit down and I’ll bring out some tea.”

  She was hunched over with a slight limp and had hair so long, Aurelia worried that she would trip on it with every step. She scurried to the kitchen to tend to the boiling teakettle. As she was making her way back to the table, her limp was causing hot tea to spill everywhere. By the time she got to the table, everyone’s cups were nearly empty.

  “Thank you,” they all said at once.

  “Such manners. You boys must have been raised right, heh heh heh.” She laughed after nearly every sentence she spo
ke.

  “So you come to learn about your father, eh?” she said as she turned toward Aurelia, who was struggling to swallow the extremely bitter tea.

  After choking it down, she coughed out the words, “Yes! I’m sorry, I’m just still so amazed that you know this already.”

  The witch smiled and said, “Are you sure it’s not because that tea is made from the toenails of an ogre? Heh heh heh. It’s supposed to make your skin thicker.”

  Aurelia looked like she was going to vomit, and Nico leaned over and whispered, “She’s kidding.”

  The old woman chuckled, “Yes, lots of secrets between these two.”

  Afonso looked over at Nico, who just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

  Aurelia chimed back in, “Do you know the whereabouts of my father, Dante? I never believed he was killed. I know he is still alive, somewhere.”

  The old woman closed her eyes and bowed her head. She was silent and still for a very long time. The others waited patiently. With her eyes still closed, she began to smile, and then she opened her eyes. “Your father is very much alive in spirit, my child. As is your mother.”

  Aurelia looked puzzled. “But… my mother is…” The old woman stopped her there. “Yes, yes. I know. An evil witch captured your mother so that she could drain the youth and beauty out of her. The witch also despised love and all of its brainwashing qualities. She knew your father was coming to rescue your mother so she cursed your mother with a love spell. Whoever loved your mother the most would transform into an evil, vicious creature in the moonlight and lust for blood. When the moon came up later that night, your father begun transforming into a hideous monster. He yelled for your mother and his men to run away, but it was no use. He killed each and every one of them. When he woke the next morning and realized what he had done he couldn’t live with himself. He lived in shame in the forest for a week, transforming into a killing machine every night, waking up with more regret and pain. It was then that he visited me. He wanted me to remove the curse, but all he could offer me was his physical life. He could not carry on knowing what he had done. He had to go be with Genevieve.