I “fluke” him several more times in the same manner, until he stalks off, thoroughly pissed off, his pride dented.
“I may be a woman,” I announce to the watchers then, “but I've been training to fight since I was young. I trained under martial artists, went through their gruelling exercises, and learned how to wield a variety of weapons – though the sword is what I mastered. So watch your tongue before you look down on me.”
Lorek nods, and he steps up to my side. “Nicely done. I'd like to duel you. Ovek is is a clumsy fool, but you probably got that impression from duelling him.”
“Mm hm.” I stand to fight Lorek in a defensive stance. By this time, a lot of people are watching, including Zell, who has ambled up in his bear form to observe.
Lorek steps in fast, like a snake, and I thrill at the challenge. Step back, instep, side dodge, strike. Parry, turn, slide, parry, thrust. We're kept on one another's toes as we seek a way past our defenses, and I see Lorek's brows knit in surprise to have me matching him.
I don't aim for direct clashes, I aim to defuse his blows, to use his strength against him. The longer the fight goes on, because I'm now using it as an excuse to go through all the forms I know, the more something seems to stir in my blood, sing in excitement. Anticipation for the battle?
No. There's something else there. Something hot and tight and coiled around my heart. Tentatively, I probe at the heat, even as I continue the blistering duel Lorek and I conduct. He's playing as well, showing off his moves. I get the impression Lorek is one of the best fighters in human form that the shifters have, because they're all goggling at the fact I'm holding my own.
But what is that heat? Finally, after tapping into it, I feel it burst, like the yolk of an egg once the film's pierced, oozing into my blood.
Blue energy crackles over my skin and into my eyes, and my perception of the world shifts.
I see Lorek begin to make his move – I anticipate it and how it will end – and I dodge with surgical precision. No. I'm not anticipating. I'm seeing it.
I see him make his move a fraction of a second before he does. Possibilities flood into my mind lightning quick, and I realize I can intuit his moves. And my body knows what to do. When Lorek makes his move, I disarm him in two strikes.
The power sings inside me, and I crow with delight, even as Lorek gapes. “You have magic!”
Magic? I taste the warmth, now a part of my blood and soul. “Is this what it feels like?”
“I wouldn't know. I'm not a witch. What on earth did you just do? What is it?” Lorek picks up his sword. “Fight me again.”
I do. Three moves later, I disarm him.
“Earth forgive,” Lorek whispers, when I thrash him for a fifth time. “Your reflexes are so fast. Your power is to do with this...?” He pauses a moment. Just before he has the opportunity to say anything, bells start tolling.
Everyone in the arena freezes at the sound. Confused, I place the training weapon on the ground. “What's going on?”
Lorek shakes his head, even as the others start rushing away from the arena. Zell stays nearby. “We're under attack.”
Chapter Five
Attack? I hear distant roars. Lorek scrambles to give me a sword, a real one, glittering from the sunlight, then he wishes me luck, and shapeshifts into a bear, light brown, almost golden. I hasten to get out of the way of the stampeding bears as jet black ones smash through the gate, pouring in by the dozens.
Heart pounding, I consider my options. Hide out of sight? Fight? The power inside me continues to hum in my blood, quietly suggesting that I can take them all on, no problem. But do I want to? That's the real question, here.
For all intents and purposes, I've been trapped in this place. Taken against my will, with all my worldly possessions left behind. My freedom is limited. Though I'm allowed to wander the streets, I'm given a stipend to buy things of my own volition – I'm not allowed to leave the gates, and one way or another, I'm a sex toy for Lorek and Zell in question. Their heat, however, burns through me. It warms me up, taking me beyond the simple lie down sex I've had in the past, and igniting some of the wayward fantasies cooking in my brain.
And, if I'm honest, I'm enjoying my life in this place a lot more than I have back home, or from wandering the landscape, sometimes sleeping rough and cold, other times catching very little sleep at all, because I need to be awake for thieves and bandits, rapists and murderers.
The worst thing about my life, despite no one telling me what to do, was the infernal loneliness. It ate away at me like a sore. It hurt at times, feeling like I was the only person in the world like this, not destined for love because I didn't fit into people's standard of beauty or expectation. I didn't fit into anything at all.
Yet now, I see the way Zell and Lorek's faces light up when they see me. I've felt their desire burn across my skin, as Lorek whispers in my ear, and Zell takes me roughly, muting my protests with his strength and speed. I've gone from a stale sex life, to one full of thrills and excitements I never could have pictured before. Being tied, unable to resist what happens to me, or feeling their hands squeeze me so tight that bruises form, and I'm burning in shame and lust.
You could say I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. One fantasy I have been entertaining is to watch Zell and Lorek go at it themselves, though so far, they've preferred teaming up on me.
I stop myself mid-thought, breaking them apart in ruthless scrutiny. Do I actually want to be here? In this place, being treated like this, stuck in the middle of a bear orientated kingdom?
I'm not sure.
But I know I do actually prefer it to my life before. How odd. The thought stays with me, even as I begin to stride to the city entrance, where the jet black bears are mauling at the reddish brown bears, both sides bellowing in fury. I see Lorek's mother and father at the entrance of their palace, and his father is comforting the mother. I twirl the sword in my hand, admiring the balance and weight of it, before running to the front lines. The invaders have brought a lot of fighters. I see skirmishes, of some groups tentatively attacking and withdrawing, others viciously clawing at one another with their brutal strength. It's the rival clan. The one that tried to claim me first.
Heaven and Hell, I think. It can't have been that much of a deal, to lose me to Lorek and Zell? Or is this another dispute, and I might just be the spark that ignites the bomb?
Whatever the case, I let my new found magic weave inside me. It bolsters me with confidence, with an inhuman calm, and I head straight towards one of the black bears. He spots me and snorts, but before he reacts, I've stabbed him in the soft flesh of his neck, and he whines and collapses. Several bears not engaged in battle see their companion fall, and rush me in a snap of jaws, not caring that I'm female – only that I felled one of their warriors.
It's almost too easy. I see perfectly how to avoid the movements, how to react to kill them all one by one, and I always step just enough, move just enough to get the job done. My unerring precision, and the fact I've just slaughtered four black bears in the space of less than a minute, causes the rest to start paying me serious attention. Baffled snarls and growls rend the atmosphere. I don't wait for them to come – I go to them.
It's a laughable sight when you see five ton bears shambling away from you in frightened bursts of speed, especially when I add to the body count. I see Zell's bright red form pause to watch me as I sink my blade into the neck of my twelfth kill, and the invading force is demoralized, falling into disaster. It's not all over – I see a woman appear through the gate, and fling powerful magic into the mass of russet bears, causing three of them to drop dead. I begin to duck, bob and weave towards her, identifying her as the biggest threat to the skirmish. She focuses on me, then sends a bolt of lightning my way. I see the way it arcs and dodge, now allowing a smirk to jump onto my lips.
The lightning witch soon determines that I'm not avoiding her bolts by fluke, when I happily take down a few more bears, taking no more effort than the b
lood singing in my veins, though I also start to feel the magic dwindle.
Thankfully, the other side don't realize that. It seems I've managed to turn the tide of battle by myself, in what would have been a close match.
The lightning witch, instead of screaming at me in fury, instead shouts, “It's a shame you ended up on the other side. We could have been sisters!”
I pause at her odd declaration, and watch as she smiles and shrugs, before urging the jet black bear beside her to consider retreat.
If her remark was a way to stop me attacking, it succeeded, because I'm now puzzled. I also feel a little sad as the woman with the dark hair hops onto the bear. The invaders now start retreating in earnest, with more than forty-six of them dead, as opposed to eighteen bears our side – and none of them Lorek or Zell. I'm surprised at the amount of relief I feel.
The woman's remark, though, made me realize how much company I'm missing. What I've been missing my whole life. Even my older sister provided no measure of warmth. She saw me as a filthy brat, rather than a human being. My parents only hoped I'd make them money. Nothing else.
I let out a squeak of surprise when Lorek and Zell, having both morphed into their human forms, jump on me and scream.
“That was insane!” Lorek says. “You're a witch! A witchy witch! You can fight! I've never seen a witch that has powers other than, you know. Fire. Water. Lightning. You annihilated them. Wow!”
I'm now getting thoroughly embarrassed by this attention, and I'm not sure how I should react. Zell hoists me up onto his shoulders, and I unconsciously adjust my balance to be able to stay on him without falling, and I'm marched down, followed by the other fighters, towards Lorek's mother and father. When in front of them, Lorek's father, King Erun, smiles a beatific smile.
“I thank the day you came into our world, blessed one,” he says. I'm assuming at this point I shouldn't mention that the small-scale invasion probably happened because of me – but the more I hear him speak, the more I understand that invasions like these happen a lot, from the surrounding four bear kingdoms. This kingdom is in the center, and their mines produce gold, so the other bears are always seeking to conquer.
“Surely with you on our side, we'll be safe!” Erun turns to Lorek. “You must make sure this woman has her every need catered for. We will have nothing but the finest meat and wine for her, and a life of luxury.”
Anything to get me to stay, it seems, I think, reading between the lines. Lorek looks a little embarrassed by his father's enthusiasm, but nods, whilst I smile, still upon Zell's shoulders.
A few hours later, after being paraded and worshipped by the civilians of the bear kingdom, I'm back in Lorek's suite.
And I have no idea what to think and feel.
“It's like I've gone from slave to God overnight,” I tell them. At the word slave, Zell frowns.
“We never saw you as a slave, Maude. I know our ways and methods may be obscure to you, but in our culture, someone like you is held in the highest esteem. About the most restricting thing we do is that we'll do anything to keep you here.”
I think about this, try to put myself in the mindset of a kingdom desperate to obtain women. I understand a little of where he comes from. You don't want your women to escape, and because they're so valuable, you treat them well to keep them with you. Or you enslave them. Any means necessary.
The witch on the opposing side didn't seem hateful to me. I mention this to them. “Is there any chance we can speak to people from other tribes?”
“Maybe,” Zell says. “I believe most witches will open up a line of communication. I think there's something like thirty of them in total, over all the mountains. We can look into this later if you want. The lightning witch is called Ara, by the way.”
Ara. Strange that they know their enemy's names, and speak them with some deference.
I make a note of her name. I realize I'm already making plans. As if I'm staying. As if I want to be here, with Zell and Lorek.
But what do I think of these two?
I like them. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I do. They have contrasting personalities, but they both like me in their own way. Lorek has that charming suavity with his manner, a twinkle in his eyes. The surly red head, Zell, is more tight lipped, but is always the first to suggest when he thinks things are getting out of hand. He's attentive to other people's needs.
Probably why he's so sizzling at sex.
I know for a fact now that whatever happens, they no longer have the same control over me as before. With these newfound powers, there's nothing to stop me from leaving. My powers will give me the right survival instincts, and a way of instinctively ensuring my survival in a situation where I need it.
Yet, I don't want to. I'd prefer to exert my power on them instead – if you know what I mean.
I walk up to Zell, smiling dangerously, running a salacious tongue over my lips. One way or another, I'm going to make the best of my new home. In a place where my strength is welcomed, and my beauty worshipped. I discreetly tug off Zell's pants, and give him a few deft strokes along his semi-hard erection, allowing his throbbing length to jut out, growing under my ministrations. Zell's eyes bulge, and his yellow eyes instantly dilate.
“It occurs to me,” I say to Zell, “that I hold the cards, now.”
“Do you? Zell growls the words, before launching himself off the seat and at me. I can easily avoid it, but I choose instead to allow my body to freeze in place, taking the brunt of the damage. For some reason, knowing I have all the power at my fingertips makes it more thrilling to know I'm letting them do this to me. That I have a choice, and right now, I'm making an active choice to stay with these men. I want this.
Does that mean my future is invariably wrapped up with theirs?
Maybe. Especially if they need my help. And, well, I have a pampered life here.
Zell rips off my pants as Lorek tears at my clothes. I smell the hot stink of arousal from them, feel my own body tremble in anticipation, as their rough, hard hands dig at me. Zell has a wicked grin upon his noble, attractive features, with those yellow eyes devouring my soul with a glance. They're smouldering hot, and the heat rushes over my body, threatening to ignite me and turn me into ashes. It's insane that I can be affected this much. That I look forward to the both of them taking me, that I couldn't imagine this without the other in my life.
I want them both. I sigh as Zell presses his tongue between my legs, wearing that smile as he laps up my wetness, and probes his tongue against the heated bundle of nerves down there. He's burrowing into me, sending everything inside vibrating and blazing in desire, making my eyes flutter shut in bliss. I am not weak. I am empowered. It could have all gone so wrong, but instead, I've been led to a place I can conceivably call home. With these hot copper baths, these fancy new clothes, including ones that actually fit me and compensate for my broad shoulders, my thick legs. I have two men here that find me unspeakably attractive, and want me so much, they're willing to share.
That sort of thing can get to a woman's head, if you ask me. My body is falling apart under my skin, bubbling with liquid want and desire, which throbs so profoundly in my heart, that it hurts.
“You're so wet down here,” Zell murmurs against my core, and my body jerks in surges of shock, and becomes even wetter. At this rate, we're all going to drown in my heat, and it wouldn't even be a bad death. Just the three of us, writhing in ecstasy. Not a bad way to go at all. I mewl as my thighs tremble, and my emotions are tumbling, drifting, flaring out in all directions, rising and dipping with everything happening. Zell's arms, bare and thick with reddish hairs, bristle over my thighs, pushing them apart when they clamp. Lorek's strong, slender hands are pushed into my soft skin, hard enough to have bruises well underneath, and he kisses me from above, his lips seeking my hot, greedy mouth. I pant in arousal, not sure where to place my hands – either on Zell's scalp to lock him in place, or around Lorek's cheeks to deepen the kiss. It's scary in a way, to feel s
o much desire boil under my skin, bursting at the seams because it has nowhere else to go except out, to infect the men, to drag them closer into my center of bliss.
My hips push into Zell's face, and he laps at me harder, doing things down there that I don't understand, but it feels good and I want more. I want to be filled, turned from hollow to full.
Zell removes his tongue, just as I'm peaking at my climax, and he replaces it with his manhood, pushing it inside me, dividing the folds and causing my body to spasm. I feel him come, and then Lorek switches, seeing how I'm ready to explode, and he takes off his pants, desire springing free, thick and hard, and it's so big, I feel a stab of pain as he slides within me.
The pain, for some reason, is the final trigger needed for me to convulse, and feel that melting, treacle flood of climax undulate inside, and I lean my head back into Zell's lap and I sigh.
Even as Lorek comes as well, I'm thinking, with a pleasant flicker of surprise, that I'm not exhausted yet. I'm not even done. I want more of these guys. I want to suck them dry.
The magic is inside me, fuelling me with energy I never before had.
Or maybe, I'm simply fuelled because of the purpose I now feel. That I'm going to be with these men. These strong fighters, these shifters high up in the lonely mountains, surrounded by others of their kin. Clashing with rival tribes. Clandestine meetings with witches, and maybe discussing about the world we left behind.
I, for one, look forward to it.
I'm slowly becoming besotted with both Lorek and Zell. And I see it in their eyes, they're sinking into the same pit as me. We can't keep our hands off each other for long.
And I hope it will be like this for many years to come.
I grin, setting myself up for round two.
Sold To The Prince
~ Bonus Story ~
A Steamy Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance
Bad, Very Bad Shifters- The Complete Mega Bundle Page 19