Page 21 of Bad Blood Bear

Tank was beginning to suspect she was the kind of person who always landed on her feet. And could wrap a sweet old guy like Brother Matthias around her fingers.

“So then what happened?”

“Then Brother Damien showed up,” she said. “And he told us he was the Bear God Incarnate, returned to his people.”

Tank shivered at the chill in her voice. “And they accepted that?”

“They did,” Lissa said. “I didn’t. I told you, creep radar. I knew from the minute I laid eyes on that asshole that he was bad news. I just didn’t get out fast enough.”

She added, “Plus, you know, I was not raised in a cult, so I was aware that people can’t actually turn into bears. But he did this ritual, with lights and fog and drumming, and then poof, he was gone and there was this bear. And then poof, and Brother Damien was back. Just like a Vegas magic trick.”

Tank nodded. “But they believed it,” he said. Ironically, they’d been right and she’d been wrong. Because judging by the bite on her shoulder, Brother Damien didn’t need illusions to turn into a bear.

Her voice got soft. “They’d never seen a Vegas magic trick. Most of them had never even seen TV.”

Poor suckers. “So then Brother Damien became the head of the People of Ursus?”

“Then Brother Matthias died,” she said, her voice hard. That sounded pretty fucking suspicious to Tank, and he had the feeling it did to her too, but he let it slide. That wasn’t what was important now. She went on, “And yeah. Brother Damien took over, and he said he was going to choose a consort and she would be the Vessel of the Bear. Which I’m pretty sure meant having his uber-creep babies. He chose me. And I told you what happened after that.”

He nodded again. That wasn’t the whole story—he could tell she was leaving something out. But it was enough for now. Hell, it was all he could stand hearing.

Some fucking rogue shifter had heard about the People of Ursus and decided to set up his own little kingdom. And he’d done something that was illegal throughout the shifter world—Turned Lissa without her consent, because he wanted a mate.

Or a sex slave.

That bite on her shoulder was a claiming mark. That bastard Damien had Claimed and Turned a completely innocent and unprepared human. The fact that she was alive at all was a testament to her will to survive.

Note to self: Find Brother Damien, and fucking kill him.