Gladiator Bear's Battle (Shift In Time 1) (6 page)

“No weapons.”

Erden instinctively crouched down a bit, spreading his feet in the sand and raising his hand. Davida had long arms and almost catlike speed, and when he came for Erden for the first time, he was not prepared. Erden narrowly avoided being slammed down on his back. Davida had slammed his knee right into Erden’s thigh, aiming for the sight of his latest wound. Clearly, this gladiator was new and green.

A grumble of annoyance shifted through the viewing gladiators, but the
doctore
silenced them with a sweep of his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Erden could see Julius Augustinus come to the balcony and lean on it, watching the fight with bored eyes.

Davida attacked again and this time, they captured one another in a bear hug. Trying to jostle one another to the ground, both of the big men grunted and growled like dogs on a leash. The kind of power that lurked in Davida’s body told Erden clearly that the man was a shifter himself. Probably not a bear, as he could not smell it on Davida, but perhaps a wolf. Easy prey if they were shifted, but his youth and raw strength were providing a challenge in human form.

When Erden suddenly found himself on his back, staring up at the remorseless sun, it came as a shock like no other. He quickly scrambled to his feet, but the look in his eyes was echoed by others that knew him well. He had never been slammed down by another gladiator during training. In the arena, with more than one opponent, yes. But not here where the odds were even.

He centered himself and pressed his lips tight to keep from snarling in irritation. Davida wore a mocking smirk that was begging to be wiped off his face. He came for Erden again and both of them got in a few punches. One of them was so hard against Erden’s cheek that he stumbled back a step, his ears ringing.

“Seems that the old champion is losing his edge,” Julius Augustinus yelled from the balcony, chuckling.

The
doctore
said nothing and Erden appreciated it. There were far too many reminders lately that he was not a young man anymore. He did not need some upstart to bring him his first ever loss, not on this day of all days, when he had finally ventured forth to begin training again.

Davida’s feet carried him over the sand so fast it was as if he had lived on it all his life, not on the soft grass of the northern lands. He came charging at Erden like a bull and Erden dodged him just in time. A heavy fist to his back sent Davida tumbling forward, his hands digging into the sand as he somersaulted to keep from collapsing on his chest or back. Davida snarled as he jumped to his feet again, his blue eyes flashing gold.

A wolf,
Erden confirmed wryly.

Julius Augustinus had not said a word as Erden tricked Davida, but Erden could feel his hateful gaze on the back of his neck. Davida came for him again and they locked together, hands shoving and jostling for grip and their sweaty bodies slamming against one another, trying to bring the other man down or punch him. When Erden pushed Davida off again, he was visibly panting. This was quickly turning from a small fight to a battle of consequence and Erden didn’t like the fact that he seemed to be evenly matched, if not slightly outmatched.

Minutes passed with the fight becoming more and more heated. Erden couldn’t feel one side of his face after being hit by Davida’s right hook one too many times, and Davida was limping from being thrown against the stone wall by Erden. Their bodies were covered with sweat and sand clung to their pores.

“Bring the blades!” Julius Augustinus suddenly roared, catching Davida off-guard so Erden could punch the underside of his chin.

It sent the younger man reeling and stumbling back, but to his credit, he stayed on his feet. One of the lesser trainers brought out two jagged swords, but when he went to give one to Erden, Julius Augustinus stopped him.

“No! Only to the new one. The old bear has too many tricks as it is. If he is truly a champion worth his name, then he will win no matter the opponent,” Julius Augustinus hissed.

“But, sire…” the
doctore
began, shaken.

“No! Do as I say.”

Julius Augustinus’s words were curt and after glancing at the
doctore
for confirmation, the trainer passed both blades to Davida. A hungry glint shined in Davida’s eyes as he stared down Erden, feeling the weight of the blades as he adjusted his grip. Erden’s heart went cold, missing a beat or two. This was no longer a game. This was his life on the line. He had no weapon and his opponent had twin blades, both looking to cut him down.

Davida took off running and Erden braced himself. He stood his ground until the very last second, before he crouched down and grabbed a handful of sand. Throwing it up in Davida’s face, he rolled out of the way. As Davida passed, he slammed one foot into the back of his legs, sending Davida flying. The younger gladiator spun around though, hacking up the sand and wiping his eyes. His cheeks burned red and his brows were knitted in irritation.

Yes. Get mad,
Erden thought.

He was weary and tired and the younger shifter had strength and youth on his side, not to mention the
lanista
. Kiya had been right. Julius Augustinus was clearly thinking about getting rid of him and apparently he wasn’t above using lowly tactics to make it happen. Erden had to be thankful though, he figured. The
lanista
could have easily had him dragged outside and simply cut his throat. At least now, he had a fighting chance.

Erden didn’t give Davida time to attack first this time. With only Kiya’s sweet face in his mind, he let all other thoughts go. He let the bear take over his heart and his mind, but not his body. Erden ran toward Davida and leapt at him from a distance far greater than a simple man could have crossed. Though Davida brought his blades up and Erden could sense the sharp pain of one of them cutting into his forearm, he did not let it stop him. With the brutal force of centuries of bears behind him, he brought Davida down on his back on the sand and slammed his fists into the wolf’s face.

Davida screamed out as his nose broke and Erden twisted one of the blades out of his hands. Davida dropped the other of his own volition, trying to protect his face, but it didn’t stop the flurry of punches from Erden. The bear saw red; all the threats and dangers to his life coalesced into this one moment. He only snapped out of it when he felt countless strong arms grip him and drag him off of the other man, who was twisted on the sands now, his face a bloody pulp. Erden was breathing heavily, rage still dancing in his deep brown eyes, almost black now as the bear had taken control.

He looked up toward Julius Augustinus, only to see the man turn his back and stalk back into the villa with a look of pure irritation plastered on his face.

Another day to live. 

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kiya

The quietness of the villa at night was almost eerie. Kiya scuttled through the corridors, gripping the edges of her hooded cape. She had not bothered with the tray of medication this time. Only a heavy jug of wine was hidden under her robes, snatched from Aelia Fausta a few days prior.

Her footsteps were the only thing she could hear until she reached the catacombs. Then the voices of men laughing and talking echoed over her steps and she breathed a sigh of relief. Being alone in the big halls had been weighing on her heavily and she did not need to be alone with her thoughts right now.

Kiya made her way to the door that had become oh so familiar to her by now. The guard who stood next to it each time she had visited already had his hand out, waiting for his wine, when she made it down the corridor.

“Have you been, um…” she stammered, searching for words as she handed him the jug.

“I know, yes. I will be farther down the corridor,” the man said with a wicked grin, looking her up and down like she was a piece of prime meat brought for his amusement.

Instinctively, Kiya’s hand went around the ends of her cape and she pulled it around her body tighter. She didn’t say a word and knocked on the door instead, making sure to keep her golden eyes away from the guard. This was nerve-wracking enough without imagining what the guard was envisioning in his head. The door opened and she slipped in, breathing a sigh of relief as the door closed behind her.

Of course, now she had a whole other reason to worry. Removing her cape, her teeth dug into her lower lip as she stared up at Erden. He smiled at her softly, crossing his arms over his impossibly wide chest.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure?” he teased, as if she was not risking her health and future every time she snuck down to see him.

“The party. It is tomorrow,” Kiya said blankly, walking deeper into the tiny, barely lit room.

She put the cape down on the stool she had previously used to keep other items she had brought him. Truth be told, she had been down here quite often now, sacrificing nights of sleep for the opportunity to talk to him. Speaking with Erden gave her perspectives on life she had never had. Her outside existence had ended as a child and she had known little else other than the sanctuary that was the villa. But he had lived a whole life outside and yearned to get back to it. His dreams became her dreams and soon she found that her day was not quite complete without him.

What she had feared for years now had finally happened. She had fallen in love. Hopelessly so.

She finally dared look at Erden again, her eyes meeting his. The apprehension and worry she carried in her soul reflected in his expression. He understood why she was there.

“So you fear this is goodbye?” he asked, walking closer to her.

Without pausing to think about it, she snaked her hands around him and drew herself against his chest. She could hear him gasping under his breath, but he put his hands around her shoulders and let his body mold around her small, curvy frame.

“I hope this is hello,” she admitted.

Kiya stood up on her tippy toes and she was still barely tall enough to reach his chin. A shadow of confusion crossed his expression, but then it softened and he understood. The need she felt within her, screaming at her to act, had been whining and kicking at her for days and days. Earlier that day, when she had been told that the party for the Senators would be the following evening, she knew it was now or never. She chose now.

He leaned into her and her lips met his. They were gruff, just like he was, but softened against hers immediately. A hint of a mewl bubbled in the back of her throat as she tasted him and shared her first ever kiss with the man she had been dreaming of for years.

His grip on her tightened and he lifted her up a bit, holding her in his strong arms. She could feel the desire coursing through him and his cock stiffen—
Gods, was that all him?
—but his touch remained gentle and reassuring. Just like she’d dreamed.

He backed them into his cot and he sat down, pulling her down on his lap along with him.

“Are you sure about this?” he growled, a soft, tender sound that made her writhe in heat.

“Yes,” Kiya said breathlessly.

She’d been thinking about this for a while now. She was more than sure that the young Senator wanted to request her for the night. It wasn’t that she thought she was so stunningly beautiful that he could not say no to her, but that look in his eyes that had told her she was the prey and he was the predator. And if that was going to be her first time… well, she didn’t want to give that horrid man that kind of power.

Kiya wanted to choose herself. She would have never approached Erden like this had they not been spending so much time together. But she felt like she truly knew him now, and that he knew her. Whenever she left his room, she longed to return immediately. Her days were bright and airy now because he was in her life and for that, she was more than grateful. She wanted to show him just how much she appreciated him for it. And, with Julius Augustinus out to get rid of Erden, she feared that her chances to share her love for him were growing slim.

She was wearing a gown that was meant for special occasions, for respected visitors. She knew she was meant to wear it to the party tomorrow. One of his wide hands brushed her dark hair off her shoulder and then opened the clasp holding the gown with surprising deftness. She instinctively tried to cover herself as the fabric slipped down and revealed her perky breasts, but he stopped her by taking hold of her wrist.

Erden looked at her, and the reassurance she had seen there before burned even brighter now. Her brow furrowed slightly, but she allowed her hand to fall limp and he pushed it down on her lap. The white gown rolled off her chest completely and she blushed as he took in the sight of her. But the blush was not because of utter shyness. She felt him get harder and harder and she yearned for him now more than ever.

He leaned down and kissed her neck with slow, deliberate moves. Her back arched as he moved downward and she couldn’t help but shudder. His hands controlled her completely and she preferred it that way. Kiya saw the light of the candles cast shadows on his skin as their breaths grew heavier and as he went lower down her chest. Finally, he sucked one of her nipples in his mouth and she couldn’t help but let out a long groan. He pulled at the nipple hard, swirling his tongue on it in long circular motions.

She had only pleasured herself a few times, after seeing orgies in the villa and having to tend to the patrons basking in the afterglow. She hadn’t quite found the blossom within herself yet, but it seemed very certain that this man would teach her things that she had seen but never thought she would enjoy experiencing. And he would do so without prejudice, and with love. She couldn’t wait. Even the darkness of the following day seemed to be inconsequential when caught in this moment.

“Mmh, Erden,” she purred, writhing in his lap and rubbing against the outline of his cock.

Erden’s hands shifted lower and slinked under Kiya’s dress. She exhaled sharply as those rough hands caressed her thighs, moving closer to her heat. Her body was on edge and she kept pushing herself into him more, even though there was no space left between them. Her fingers dug into his hair as he finally dipped between her legs, his fingers carefully feeling her warm, wet slit.