Free Gladiator Bear's Battle (Shift In Time 1) by Anya Nowlan

side. Erden sucked a breath in and grabbed the spear with his left hand. He yanked the tiger shifter forward and the man stumbled enough that Erden could slam his elbow into his face, and then bring down his sword.
    Just as the blade was about to connect, Jao pounced on Erden from behind and made the sword only graze against Jare’s back. Erden stumbled forward and tumbled over the sand. He could hear the sweetest voice gasp and he knew it was Kiya who was worrying about him. The sand stuck to the golden oil he was covered in and when he rose, he looked like a god standing up from the underworld.
    Jare and Jao came for him again and Erden growled, meeting them halfway. He blocked one of the spears with his sword, letting the blade meet it straight-on, and grabbed for the other. The tigers were strong and Erden felt another deep cut gnaw into his side and his triceps, but the pain seemed unimportant now. There would be time to be in pain later. When he was still alive.
    With a well-placed spin, Erden cut down on the spear again and a moment later, he heard a satisfying crunch as the wood splintered under his sword. Moving faster than his wide frame would have hinted at, he jumped away from Jao and Jare, going right behind them. He was beginning to pant already and the tigers were certainly pissed. The polished wood of the other spear was shoved against his back as he jumped for safety, but he slashed blindly behind him before he made it too far. The terrified yelp of Jao told him that he had made contact and when he spun around, he could see Jao holding his back above his right kidney. Blood gushed freely.
    Erden bared his teeth. The world fell away from him. All he could think about was Kiya and making sure nothing could happen to her. His face turned into a mask of rage, the bear coming to the forefront of his mind. Jare looked from Jao to Erden in surprise, anger flashing over his face. Anger was good. It made a man weak, uncoordinated. Erden grinned to himself, crouching down again and readying his left hand.
    Jare covered the ground in a few short steps and leapt into the air, coming down on Erden with his spear pointed right at his heart. Erden ducked out of the way, changing the hand that held the sword in the same movement. He almost bounced on Jare with his full weight, ignoring Jao who was coming at them from behind. Erden struck and the yowl of pain that filled the air as his favored blade struck skin and flesh was like music to his ears.
    The sword cut right through Jare’s chest on the right side, sticking right through him. The crowd gasped and Jare screamed. Before Erden could yank the blade out, Jao was on him, pulling him back by the shoulders and tossing him on the ground. Erden scrambled up, reeling from the impact. He glanced up at the balcony, blocking Kiya out of his sight and only looking at the young Senator. He stood stoic, not raising his hand. His animal could still not be unleashed. But that didn’t stop the tigers.
    Jare’s screams morphed into snarls, the tiger taking over his body. Jao followed his lead and by the time Erden got up, he was staring down at two fully grown tigers. He gripped his sword again, adrenaline driving his motions as well as the bear did. When one of the big beasts came for him, he sprinted behind a pillar. The other tiger tried to block his path, but Erden lifted himself off by the wall and bounded over the cats, disappearing between the pillars again.
    Raucous laughter filled the air as Erden barely dodged the two cats, breaking the laws of combat. He couldn’t follow their lead, because he knew that even if he won, he would be beheaded for it. His back and sides burned with pain as the long claws of the big cats got in a few choice swipes, just close enough to hurt, but not to kill. He felt like a mouse in a maze.
    After several minutes, finally the call came. “Now,” the Senator called, laughing.
    Erden ducked behind pillars once more but the next time he came