Her Thee Dragon MatchMates (Dragon's MatchMate Agency Book 3)

by Maia Starr

  Her Three Dragon MatchMate’s

  (Dragon’s MatchMate Agency)

  Maia Starr

  Book III

  Copyright ©2020 by Maia Starr - All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

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  Chapter One

  Erika

  It’s midnight by the time Maxen finally stumbles back in through the front door.

  I’m in our bedroom, rifling through my clothes, sorting through all my boyfriend’s shredded shirts from when he shifts and doesn’t bother to strip first. My heart catches in my throat as I listen to him slam the door, stumble towards the living room, mumbling drunkenly to himself. I think I hear him whisper my name a few times in that rumbling voice of his. Creeping to the bedroom door, I press my body against the frame and listen closely.

  “Erika...where are...you...Erika…” Maxen growls.

  Chills run up and down my spine, and I’m careful not to press too hard on the creaking floorboards as I hurry to hide my mess. The last time Maxen caught me leaving a banana peel on the kitchen counter, he’d slapped me almost into unconsciousness. He’s always been a control freak like that, wanting everything a certain way. If that damn bear shifter wants me to buy him three beers, and not four, he’d shatter one bottle on the ground and order me to clean up the glass and liquid. If I didn’t clean up fast enough, he’d take me by the arm and drag me upstairs to be locked in the bedroom until he came back to sleep with me.

  Fixing any signs of my packing, I silently pick up the suitcase and place it on the bed, opening it up to see the clothes and wads of cash that are tucked inside. I don't have a smartphone anymore, not since Maxen realized he can’t control who I text or call. Shaking, I sigh and close the latches on the suitcase, lifting it and composing myself. In a few minutes, I’ll be face to face with Maxen, doing the bravest thing I’ve ever imagined myself doing. I’m going to tell him I’m leaving him.

  The guy is too controlling, too abusive. I touch my cheek where a fading bruise still stings from one of his many “lessons.”

  Descending the stairs to the foyer, I place my suitcase by the front door and peer around the corner into the living room where Maxen sits on the couch, his feet perched on ottoman, flicking through the TV channels. By the time I sneak into the living room, standing above him, listening to his animalistic groans, he’s settled on a ghost hunting show. One of the ghost hunters screams at something off-camera, and I jolt back, the sound of my feet sliding across the wood enough to whip my boyfriend’s head around.

  I stare into his bear-like eyes while he huffs and snarls at me. “Where the hell have you been, Erika?” he practically shouts. “Damn, girl, I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

  “You only just got home,” I mutter, my arms coming up and crossing over my chest defensively. I lean away as he turns around and leans towards me.

  “Don't argue with me! Now hurry up and get over here and get on your knees...I need you to make me feel good tonight.” He snaps his fingers and turns back around. “Quickly, now. Your lips always feel better when I’m drunk, dear.”

  I quiver at the thought, but I force myself not to move. It’s frightening to disobey him, yet I stand my ground. “M-Maxen. I need to tell you something.”

  “I don’t need you to talk. I need your mouth. What don’t you get about that, bitch?” he says, unwilling to even look at me.

  I scowl, trembling as I hold myself tighter. “You don’t understand, Maxen. I’m leaving tonight. For good.”

  There is an uncharacteristic silence from him for a good half minute. I slowly begin to step backward towards the door. Then he slowly looks around and eyes me, a raging fury in his gaze. “You...what?”

  “You have ears, honey,” I say, my confidence rising. He might be a control freak bear shifter, but he can’t control me forever. I won’t allow that. I can’t. My heart races and pounds in my chest. I’m sure the sound of my heart beating is louder than whatever the ghost hunters are screaming about.

  But then Maxen rises from the couch, his bulky frame coming into view, the top of his head almost brushing against the low ceiling. I see a wild glint in his eyes that I don’t like at all. My confidence suddenly crumbles, and my grin is replaced by a gaping mouth. My instincts shout at me to run, and before my mind can keep up, I spin and sprint towards the front door, Maxen’s feet pounding the floorboards behind me. I rip the door open and pick up my suitcase, but then one of his meaty hands catches my hair and yanks me back. I yelp at the sudden flare of pain, and suddenly I’m in the air, the suitcase slipping out of my fingers, my legs kicking out at nothing, one of his solid, tattooed arms hugging my stomach and pressing me to him. He presses his arm into my stomach so hard that all the breath nearly leaves my lungs, and suddenly I’m light-headed.

  I moan and scream and try to punch him away. I even beg to be let go. For a brief second, I even wish to trade places with some other woman.

  But Maxen won’t have any of it.

  He takes me out back. There aren’t any other homes nearby, yet I keep on yelling, hoping someone will hear me. I won’t go down without a fight tonight, not this late in the game.

  He barely speaks a word as he carries me towards his shed. The shed is just big enough for one regular-sized person to stand tall in, so whenever Maxen is inside, he’s always bent over, complaining about the lack of room.

  Throwing open the door, he heaves me inside, slamming it shut before I can scramble to my feet. I struggle to stay awake, and my whole body hurts from his crushing arms, yet nonetheless, I stand and glare out the small peephole in the shed door. Maxen glares right back, his eyes alight.

  “You stay in there until you stop thinking those wild thoughts, you hear?” he says. “You ain’t never leaving me.”

  I want to claw him apart, to hurt him the way he has hurt me for the past year, but as soon as he picks up the padlock that’s been on the ground and places it through the door handle, I know it’s over. I want to wilt in place, knowing I’ll be stuck in his gloomy shed for a few days, maybe even longer.

  As Maxen stalks away, his back to me, he groans and clutch
es at his head. His body begins to shift, and tufts of brown hair and even bulkier muscles spring up. He snarls, and for a split second, his voice is more guttural than human. But he doesn’t shift all the way and goes back to being human. I’ve seen him partially shift like this nearly every time he’s drunk, yet it still makes me cower. His clothes tear apart but manage to stay clinging to his body as he sways and trudges back inside.

  Stumbling forward, I place a hand on the door so I can firmly hold myself while I shout swears at him, but then the door swings open. I fall to my knees, stunned, and gaze at the padlock.

  Maxen didn’t properly close the padlock!

  I wait for Maxen to realize and saunter back out...but he never comes. Switching gears, confidence suddenly flooding my mind again, I rise on unsteady feet. Trudging forward, I peer in through the backdoor, seeing Maxen passed out, face first, snoring, on the couch. I gulp and sneak in, walking past him, watching him for any sign of movement.

  Luckily for me, my now ex-boyfriend is completely out, and as I pick up my suitcase, I smile to myself. Opening the front door, I sprint down the road, aiming to ring the doorbell of the first house I come upon and call a taxi, maybe even the police.

  For the first time in over a year, I’m smiling.

  Chapter Two

  Hayden

  I’d like to think that I usually don’t have any trouble when it comes to women. Not only am I handsome enough to earn glances from random women on the street nearly every day, but I’m also savvy enough to carry on conversations on the fly. I can make people laugh easily too.

  Yet when I think I have it down how to deal with the opposite sex, I usually realize that I’m wrong altogether. This is another one of those times.

  As I grab her wrist, Abby spins around, winds up her arm, and sends her hand flying into my face. Her palm connects hard with my cheek, and my head snaps to the side. Her slap stings, but I’ve had worse, so I turn back to her, still wearing that classic smile of mine. But Abby is fuming, and I swear I see actual smoke come out of her nostrils.

  “Would you stop it?” she says, her face a mixture of anger and pain. “Just stop touching me!” She rips her wrist from my grip.

  “Come on, Abby,” I say, opening my arms. “Don’t be like this. I thought we were having fun?”

  She snorts as if she’s looking down on a child. “Yeah, we were for these past few months. When we officially got in a relationship a few weeks ago, I was beyond ecstatic. I mean, look at you!” Her eyes roam the landscape of my body, my shirt just barely able to hold in my lean, defined muscles. “You’re freaking hot as hell. You’ve got a gorgeous smile. And you’re pretty funny, even kind. But…” her face scrunches up again. “You’re a shifter.”

  Running a hand through my short blond hair, I glance up and down the street, seeing people watch our little exchange from a distance as if they’re watching a reality TV show. “And? What difference does it make? I’m a dragon deep down, so what? You know some people actually get off on that fact alone.”

  Abby snorts again, her gigantic purse dangling from her skinny arm. That snort of hers is beginning to get on my nerves. “Please, anyone who does is a freak. Besides, you kept your nature a secret from me.”

  My eyes twitch, and I sigh, looking up at the blue sky. A warm breeze rustles my hair. It’s such a perfect day out, and yet I must deal with this. Damn it all.

  “Are you listening to me?” Abby says, cocking her head. “I guess not. Whatever. We’re done, so I don’t have to deal with your bullshit anymore.”

  I want to glare at her, to flash a look of anger and instill fear in her for the hell of it, but instead, I just smile back at her as she turns and walks away. I look her up and down one more time, my eyes lingering on her sashaying hips.

  “Damn,” I whisper to myself as I turn away. My new record for losing a girl is two weeks into a relationship now. Abby is beautiful too. I guess everything I gave her simply isn’t good enough.

  Or, maybe she's right, and hiding my true nature from her was a real asshole move.

  Scratching my head, I turn the corner and peer across the street to a raised area with tables and servers walking around. I spy a black-haired man with glasses sitting next to a bulky man with pale hair and a well-groomed beard. Both are busy scarfing down their scrambled eggs, ham, and biscuits and gravy. As soon as the duo glances up, their mouths full of food, they wave at me.

  I quickly cross the street and jump over the fence surrounding the raised area. A server clad in black and white nearby gapes at me. “Sir, if you want a table, you have to go through the front door.”

  “It’s no problem!” I say, pointing at the two guys. “I’m meeting people.”

  “Sure…”

  Clapping the server on the back, I waltz over and plop down in a seat across from the two. Neither speak, still chewing all the food they stuffed in their mouths. Rolling my eyes, I point at the bearded guy’s mouth. “You got some crumbs tucked into that hair of yours, Sven.”

  Raising a brow, he runs two meaty fingers through his beard but misses the crumbs.

  “No, no...more to your left. No...ugh, never mind. Just keep eating.”

  The guy with the glasses licks his fingers clean, wiping them on a napkin. “You’re too nice, Hayden.”

  I smile. “Oh yeah? How is that, Reed?”

  Reed pushes up his glasses and cracks his knuckles. “We saw Abby dumped you.”

  “From all the way over here?”

  “Don’t play dumb. We all have good eyesight.”

  “Then why are you wearing glasses? To look cool?”

  Reed scowls. “Haha, very funny, joker.”

  Sven swallows the food that was stuck in his mouth and then gulps down a tall glass of milk. “Look, we know you really liked her. She was hot for sure and was actually kind of nice. Well, nicer than I’d imagined, anyway. But she wasn’t meant to be your mate.”

  I wrinkle my nose. “Well, who’s to say? We’ve only known each other a few months. Maybe I would have developed strong feelings over time…”

  Sven leans forward, making the table squeak under the weight of his elbows. “Us dragon shifters need to know who our mate will be, like, right away. You just have to feel it, right, Reed?”

  We both glance at our friend, but Reed is busy staring off across the street, sipping away at the strawberry smoothie in his hand.

  “Reed?” Sven says again. “Pay attention…” But then Sven trails off, his jaw hanging open. I follow both their gazes to spy a woman walking by. Her auburn hair trails behind her in the wind, following the movement of her hips. She walks confidently, yet she keeps glancing all over as if she’s looking for someone. Her amber eyes catch mine and she stops, lips tight, her tan skin contrasting against the light blue blouse that clings to her curvy body.

  She holds my gaze for what seems like an eternity before she jerks back into a speed walk, disappearing into the crowd.

  “That, my friends, is how you discover your true mate,” Reed says, eyeing us.

  Smiling at each other, we all burst into laughter. “As if,” I said. “Fate isn’t real. Come on.”

  Sven’s horribly loud laughter draws the stares of most everyone around us, and even a few people from the street.

  Reed crosses his arms. “Anything can happen, guys.”

  I laugh and lean back, staring back up at the sky. I might be having a nice breakfast with my friends after getting dumped, yet all I can think about is that woman.

  Chapter Three

  Erika

  It’s been a week since I left Maxen and set out for San Francisco. A few hours of walking got me from Maxen’s house to the closest town. There, I had waited, trying to ignore my grumbling stomach, for the only car dealership in town to open so I could buy a Honda Civic. Once the nice old man who owned the dealership opened, I bought a car and was on my way to the big city.

  And now, here I am a week later, walking down the street, hoping beyond hope that Max
en won’t come after me. What worries me is that I know he will at some point. Probably sooner rather than later.

  I’ve been living out of my car, burning through all the cash in my bank account. I had been smart enough to keep a secret account open when I lived with my ex. He’d been too focused on controlling every other aspect of my life that he simply never noticed. Too bad for him.

  Yet all those funds are draining incredibly quickly. There’s still a large amount of money I’ve saved up for just this situation, but I hadn’t realized until now how quickly all that money will burn up. So, I wanted to build a checklist of the things I need to survive. And I did.

  First and foremost, I need to find a job to supplement my income. Next is to find a home, a place to hunker down and start my new life. And, finally, if my budget allows it, to find protection.

  And that’s where I find myself now, walking around the corner, glancing over my shoulder, looking up to find three gorgeous men watching me.

  At first, I’m awestruck to see those three men stare at me as if I’m a delicious dinner. Have I gotten looks from other weirdos on the streets? Of course, I have. But the way these men stare at me now is different. I can feel their stares look over my entire body as if they’ve fallen in love immediately and are waiting for me to walk over to them.