High House Ursa: The Complete Bear Shifter Box Set

by Riley Storm

  “I think this was Kasperi’s idea. He planned this, to help you escape.”

  That was the second time they’d accused him of treason. Kasperi was willing to let the first go, because it had been an off-the-cuff response, and he knew how that worked. But a second time? Fuck that. These shitheads needed to be taught a lesson. Incensed at that, he growled and squared up, his paw digging huge furrows in the packed snow.

  Accusing him of being a dick was one thing. But a traitor to his House? Absolutely not. It was made even worse, because Kasperi knew there was still a traitor somewhere within their ranks. A high-ranking one, who had helped foster the uprising attempt some months earlier that had killed their former King—the Queen’s mate—and dozens of other loyal members of the House. The sudden loss of unity had seen Ursa fall from power, and the werewolves of House Canis rise to take their place.

  Kasperi didn’t like that. He didn’t like that one bit.

  “Fuck this. We saw the bitch trying to escape,” the one with the intact nose said, speaking clearly, showing that it wasn’t broken.

  A shame, that. I’ll have to make sure I fix my mistake.

  The two Asps started to shift. Kasperi didn’t waste any time. He surged forward, the sudden motion twirling Amber around and depositing her into the snowbank on the side of the shoveled path. Kasperi had no time to deal with that, however, because he had two targets in front of him that required personalized attention first.

  He came in like a wrecking ball, smashing the two of them and their half-shifted bodies apart like bowling pins. They bounced and rolled through the snow, but Kasperi hadn’t stopped. He kept running, tracking down the one he’d hit with the iceball and pummeling him with a flurry of blows from his front paws. The Asp roared in pain as blood matted the blackened fur quickly.

  Then he clubbed the man in the face with an open paw. It hurt a bit; bear paws weren’t meant for such blunt trauma, that was why they had the claws, but it served its purpose. Something was broken for certain this time, and his opponent fell backward, turning the white snow a deep red as he trailed blood through it.

  Spinning quickly as snow crunched rapidly underfoot, he braced himself as the second shifter came at him, having completed his change while Kasperi injured his friend. The two bears collided heavily, shaking the ground. In the corner of his eye, he saw Amber lose her balance and fall into the snowbank on the other side of the path this time, shaken from her feet by the impact of the two huge beasts.

  They roared and slapped paws at one another, tearing up flanks and softer bellies. Kasperi bit down hard on his foe’s shoulder, ripping a chunk of fur and pelt free, spitting it to the side as he tasted molten iron.

  Headbutting the Asp to disorient him, he rolled, putting the tawny white polar bear directly into the path of the oncoming black bear a second before impact. The force still drove the air from Kasperi’s lungs, but the hapless polar bear got the worst of it, bones breaking loudly under the impact.

  Kasperi rolled to his feet, putting himself between the black bear and Amber as it tried to dance around him. You shouldn’t have done that, fucker. This was between you and me, but now you’ve gone and tried to drag her into it. You’re going to regret that.

  He launched himself at the black bear, soaking up strike after strike to deal out blows of his own. His sides bled freely, but he was winning. Reaching up as the Asp struck a blow toward his face, Kasperi ripped apart the exposed tendons and muscles of the foreleg, dragging them out attached to his claws, and severing them. Something meaty and reddish in color dropped to the ground.

  The Asp howled as he collapsed.

  Turning, he advanced on the polar bear, but wisely, the other shifter retreated, gathering up his buddy. Together, they limped off, not willing to tangle with Kasperi anymore. Nobody wanted to take on a berserker who was willing to accept such injury just to win. Not this time.

  “Kasperi,” Amber gasped as he turned to face her. She was covered in snow, hands brushing at it aimlessly as she looked at him in horror. He couldn’t begin to imagine what she was seeing, what she was thinking. He was covered in dozens of cuts, some of them fairly deep. Blood was everywhere, his thick fur matted into huge knots as it dried. His right eye was nearly blinded by blood flowing from his head, and his teeth must have been colored with blood as well.

  Now he looked like the fearsome predator he truly was. It was only a matter of time before even Amber’s resolve wilted and she ran from him. He couldn’t handle that. Not now, not after such a quick, brutal fight.

  Forcing his body to obey his commands, he changed back. His body screamed in protest as it shifted and altered at his will. The process was never painless. Even without injuries, it still sent searing pain through the body, but Kasperi had long ago learned to live with that. It was one of those things a shifter learned to tune out at an early age, through the simple method of experiencing it enough to get used to it.

  Shifting with injuries covering most of his body was an even more excruciating experience, and when he finally returned to human form, the pain pushed him down to one knee. His naked body glistened with sweat and blood mixed together. Steam from the liquids and his skin poured up into the night sky, so thick it could be mistaken for fog.

  “Oh my God. Kasperi. Are you okay?” Amber rushed to his side, her hands hovering over him as she looked at him, searching for somewhere that wasn’t covered in blood and not finding it. “There’s so much…”

  “I’ll be okay,” he growled through the pain, knowing even as they talked now that his wounds would slowly be healing, stitching themselves back together at a rate no human could hope to match.

  He looked up as the sound of crunching snow sounded from nearby, steeling himself for another fight.

  10

  Looking up, she gasped and clung tight to Kasperi, forgetting he was covered in blood. All she cared about was that he was keeping her safe.

  “What are you two doing back?” he snarled as the two men came close again.

  She looked at them closely, and smiled as she realized Kasperi had given out far worse than he got. They were in rough shape.

  “This isn’t over,” the one who had done most of the talking said, nursing his ribs as he spoke, the skin over them already turning a dark black.

  Amber thought they looked absolutely ridiculous standing there naked making threats, but Kasperi didn’t flinch, or laugh. Of course, he was naked too; she was the only one with clothes, and yet despite that, Amber was fairly positive she was the only one who was cold. That was just unfair.

  “Are you going to keep pushing this?” Kasperi said impatiently, taking a step forward. “We can keep going if you’re that desperate for another beatdown. I’m ready, let’s go.”

  “You won this battle,” the one with the broken ribs spat. “But just know we’re watching you. When she tries to run, and she will try to run, we’ll be there, ready and waiting. This bitch isn’t fooling us for a second. One wrong move, and you’re dead,” he said, a smile creasing his bloodied face.

  Then they turned and hobbled off.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, grabbing his arm and trying to help hold him aloft, worried he was going to fall over any second. “You didn’t have to fight them for me, Kasperi. Oh, jeez, look at you. You’re a mess. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said, brushing off her concerns, standing strong and tall.

  How was he not on the ground? And all that blood! She looked at her hands. They were covered in it too now, from clinging to him. Her sweatshirt—his shirt, technically—was also drenched in it, most likely ruined at this point.

  “All this blood, though,” she whispered, looking at herself in horror. How was he not freaking out?

  “This is actually a lot more common than you might think,” he said with a snort, then winced, holding his far side. She moved around to look at it, and noticed a massive bruise there was well, along with other deep cuts.

  “We need
to get you to a doctor. Come on,” she said, tugging at his arm.

  “Trust me, I’ll be fine,” he said. “I need a shower, clean it all up, some fresh clothes, but look, they’re healing already.” He stuck out his arm, showing her some cuts where she could already see the first signs of fresh pink skin.

  “But how?”

  “Shifter DNA. Tough stuff. Heals quickly, thank goodness. Otherwise, we’d always look like this.”

  “Shifter DNA,” she repeated, walking in stride with him as they went back to get his clothing. “Right.”

  “I should have told you, but just wanted to surprise you. I…I don’t know. For some dumbass reason, I thought you’d think it really cool that I could turn into a bear. I didn’t factor in that you aren’t used to it, like I am. I fucked that up royally,” he said, cringing in embarrassment.

  Personally, she thought he should be a lot more embarrassed about his nudity. Although, after risking a peek—or three, she had to admit—maybe he shouldn’t. It was a rather impressive sight he struck, even when shrinkage was factored in. Very impressive.

  “So, you’re a bear in disguise?” she asked, trying to get her mind off his junk as it swung freely in the breeze as they walked, covering the ground she’d run across to try and get away. A change in topic for her brain was definitely in order.

  “I’m a bear shifter, yes.”

  “So were the other two,” she said, pointing out the obvious.

  “Most of us are,” Kasperi said.

  “Wait. All those people in the restaurant?”

  He nodded.

  “What about the hopped up trial and such from before?” she asked, looking at him skeptically.

  “Yes.”

  “You’re telling me all of those people can turn into bears like you.”

  “None are like me, but all of them can shift, yes. This is House Ursa,” he said, emphasizing the two words together.

  “House Ursa. The bears. The constellation. It all makes sense now!” she said, getting the connection.

  “Exactly. We’re all bear shifters. House Canis are the wolf shifters, etc.”

  “Wait a minute,” she said, coming to a halt. “Like. Werewolves? Howl at the moon, bite you to convert you? That’s what you’re saying?”

  He snickered. “Not quite. Wolf shifters are commonly referred to as werewolves, but they’re fully in control of it, which is a key difference. Like I am.”

  She nodded, noting how he didn’t say who the key difference was with. “Right. Okay.”

  They arrived back at the pile of clothing, and Kasperi got dressed. Amber was only slightly disappointed as he pulled his boxers over his nakedness. She still had his sweater, so at least the rippling muscles of his upper body would still be visible, despite being covered in a layer of blood. He was a sight to behold, that was for sure…

  “Alright. So let me get this straight. You’re a man-bear. I’m a magic user. And all this shit is for real?” She paused, thinking. “Oh yeah, and you can use magic too.”

  “I’m a shifter,” he said somewhat forcefully. “But basically, yes. Except I can’t use magic like the Magi said. He’s wrong on that one.”

  “But I saw you do it.”

  “No, I used an artifact. An object that a natural mage, like you, has imbued with varying amounts of power. Anyone with enough willpower can use one of those, human, shifter or otherwise. Doesn’t matter. But only a few naturally possess magic. That’s you.”

  “Oh.” She fell silent as they walked back to the kitchen. “Can we eat? I’m hungry again.”

  Kasperi looked up at the clock on the wall. “It’s been like half an hour at best. How?”

  She smiled and shrugged innocently.

  “We’ll get something to go,” he said, smiling at her.

  She smiled back. They both reached for the door at the same time, their hands brushing against one another, the connection sending electric tingles racing up her arm, forcing the hairs to stand on end, despite the double layer of sweater she wore.

  Amber stared, trying to figure out just what the hell that meant, wishing she didn’t have any more confusion to deal with.

  Then he let go and they walked inside, the feeling gone, leaving her confused. Had Kasperi felt that too? Or was it just some sort of static shock that only she’d been affected by?

  “Everything okay?” he asked, pausing.

  A few looks were given that way, but nobody seemed to blink twice at the blood-covered Kasperi, or her stained clothing either. Clearly, he’d been telling the truth, if it was so commonplace that nobody else was reacting. Amber decided to stop caring about it too. She wasn’t going to worry if nobody else didn’t.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine,” she said as they crossed to the takeout section. “I have one more question though.”

  “Fire.”

  “What the hell do we do next?”

  Kasperi grinned. “I’d say we go back to see the Magi and start your training.”

  Amber swallowed hard, suddenly not hungry anymore.

  11

  Stifling a yawn, she leaned against the padded walls. They were once again back in the training room, as Kasperi called it. Or was it the Magi? Her brain was starting to get a little foggy. Still, she was reluctant to say anything. The two of them had gone out on a limb to help her, and she wasn’t about to complain about being too tired. Not yet.

  “You know, I have a question,” she asked, taking another slow lap of the room.

  “What’s that?” It was the Magi who spoke first, sounding impatient. “Did Kasperi not answer them all?”

  “I meant about this place, this room.”

  “It is a training room.”

  “About that,” she said, moving to the center column, reaching out to wipe one of the artifacts with a finger, and then holding it up to show the Magi. “Why the hell is it so dusty? Does nobody do any training in here?”

  The older shifter, hidden under his hood as always, turned to look at her. “I haven’t trained anyone in the magic arts in a long time,” he said softly, almost regretfully.

  Amber almost spoke up and asked him why not, but Kasperi interjected first.

  “Which brings me to my question. About why I’m here. I don’t have any magic. I don’t possess it, I can just use it. I’m twenty-seven, Korred, how the hell is it possible for me to have magic that hasn’t manifested itself by this age?”

  Korred, the Magi, cackled silently in the shadows of his hood, the purple material shaking gently. “Oh, but you do. You do. It’s in there, you’ve just learned to harness it differently. Now we’re going to bring it out, so you don’t need those silly baubles to cast a spell,” he said, pointing at the artifacts Amber was standing next to.

  She looked at them, then at Kasperi, who just shrugged helplessly. He had no idea what the old man was talking about either. Amber idly wondered if shifters could suffer from senility like humans. It wasn’t like she saw many older, more grizzled shifters. Unless they just tended to stay out of the spotlight perhaps, she didn’t know. Yet another question to add to the thousand she’d thought of in the past ten minutes.

  “Now, do you know what this is yet?” the Magi asked, shuffling over to her and tapping the collar she wore around her neck.

  Amber reached up, running her fingers along the inside of the smooth metal, then tracing the outlines of the etchings on the outer face.

  “If I choose to believe that you aren’t all nutjobs, and that magic is real—which is a big if, I have to admit, and one I’m still struggling with—then I would have to accept that whatever I feel inside of me is also magic trying to get out…or something. Two big stretches.”

  She sighed, rubbing a hand over her eyes. “However, if you’re telling the truth, I’d say it’s some sort of magic blocker? When you put it on, the feeling inside me faded as well. That’s a mighty big coincidence, even for me.”

  “Very good,” he said, reaching up to fiddle with it. “Good.”

/>   She lifted her eyebrows, pulling away from him. “Yeah, you can just leave it on. I like this feeling of peace, thanks. And no need to patronize me. It’s not hard to deduce what it’s meant to do when you can actually feel it working.”

  The Magi laughed his cackling laugh. “Spirit! Good.” He looked down at her, and she caught a glimpse of a pair of bright brown-orange eyes deep in the shadows, practically glowing with light. “You’re going to need it.”

  His hand whipped out faster than she could see, and the collar came loose, free from her neck.

  “It’s time for your first lesson,” he said, slapping a hand against his thigh.

  “Lesson?” she said, gritting herself against the sudden buildup of pressure in her head. It was growing rapidly, a pulsing, throbbing sensation.

  “Yes.”

  “Which is what, exactly?” she asked, eyebrows knitting together in concentration as she tried to keep the inky darkness at bay. It was hard, its tendrils thin and powerful as it drove through the defenses in her brain. The bit of time the collar had given her as a reprieve had helped her regain strength, to pull her mind back together, but it seemed the power inside her was pissed at being restrained. Now it wanted out.

  “For Kasperi, it will be defense.”

  She looked over at the big shifter, eyes dulled in confusion.

  “And for…me?” she asked, nearly falling to one knee as she rapidly lost the battle.

  “Control,” the Magi said calmly, as if not worried in the slightest. “That is the most important lesson for you, and one you must master before we can teach you anything else. You must be the master of the power, of the magic. It must not possess you. That, more than anything, will lead to your imminent death.”

  She gasped, more from a lack of breath from struggling with the feeling that her head was going to explode, than from his casual manner of talking about her dying. “Right. Um, any pointers?”