by Maia Starr
“Either way,” Hayden says, hurrying to walk with me to the front doors. “You should probably see our place first. While I highly recommend you stay with us, if you find you don’t like it, we can search for an apartment for you.” He leans in, giving me a better look at his handsome face. The lines of his chiseled cheekbones draw my attention. “But I think you’ll like Street House.”
“Street House? Sounds like the nickname of a college frat house,” I say.
The three shifters glance at each other and shrug. “Well, we can assure you we’re a lot cleaner and tidier than some college kids,” Hayden retorts.
“I guess I’ll just have to see for myself.” Walking through the front door, I glance up at the darkening sky. It’s amazing how quickly days can go, especially when I’m not in fear for my life every second of the day. “Should we go grab my car first?”
Hayden shakes his head. “Nah, we can grab it after. Walking can really help work off some stress. Besides, we’re not that far. We’ll keep you entertained the whole way too.”
“Uh-huh.”
And so, once again, Hayden led the way. Sven and Reed immediately tried to tell me jokes as we walked, and for once, I completely forgot about Maxen.
Chapter Ten
Reed
It took us around an hour to walk from the Fiery Hearts office building to Street House. When we came to the street it was actually on, Sven darted ahead of us, jogging up to stop in front of the flower shop that sat above our apartment. Erika was definitely confused, so I felt it was my duty to straighten things out with her.
Leaning down, I whisper into her ear, “Sven likes to show off every once in a while.”
“Right, but...why is he stopping in front of a flower shop?” she asks, visibly confused. Hayden laughs.
“You’ll find out why,” I say.
As we get closer, Sven opens his arms as if he were welcoming us all home after we hadn’t seen each other all day. “Welcome, Erika! This, here, is our home, Street House!” When Erika glances up at the flower shop, Sven shakes his head and jerks his hand at the stairs leading to our front door. “No, no, it’s below the shop.”
Erika raises a brow, frowning at the rusted metal steps that led down to our underground apartment. “So...you guys have an apartment, not a house? And it’s not on street level, but underground?” She gazes around at us. “Is there something I’m missing here?”
Sven continues to wave his arms at the front door as if waiting for a magical bunny to pop out. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? And it’s a memorable name, dontcha think?”
As Erika’s mouth drops, Hayden bursts out laughing again, holding his stomach. By now, the sky is pretty dark, so the old lady that runs the place is thankfully not around to shout at us again.
“Are you guys really dragon shifters?” she asks, turning to look at me. “None of you act like it.”
“Oh, and how are dragon shifters supposed to act?” Hayden says, wiping away the laughing tears that welled in his eyes. “Did you expect us to just grunt and growl and live in the alleys like animals?”
“No, but I did expect at least one of you to be meaner, more depressing…”
Gripping her shoulder, I can’t help but smile at her. “That’s the reason why we're always winning every battle that’s thrown our way. People underestimate us, think we’re too lazy or whimsical sometimes. If we get into a fight, the other shifter will get overconfident. It’s the reason why you should feel completely safe in our care.” I steer her towards the front door, leading her down the stairs. “A couple of us may look like idiots now, but when push comes to shove, we’ll put ourselves in front of anything to save you, okay?”
Erika’s cheeks redden again, and I can’t help but think about how adorable it is. This girl blushes easily, and I love that about her. “So, is there any other reason this place is named Street House?” she asks.
“Because our clan is named the Street Dragons,” Sven says, bringing up the rear. “And we're named the Street Dragons because we’re typically found on the street, rather than flying in the sky in our dragon forms.”
I pull out my key and quickly unlock the door, pushing it open and allowing Erika to be the first to step inside. I reach around and flip on the main lights, illuminating the open room that we call our apartment. Erika gazes at the living area to our right, where the couch and wall-mounted TV are, and then her head swivels to the kitchen to the left. In the back is a hallway that leads to four rooms, three of which are our bedrooms.
Erika doesn’t seem to know what to say, and I can hardly guess whether she’s actually impressed by how clean our place looks, or if she thinks this place looks cramped. Putting my hands on my hips, I gaze at her. “Well? What do you think?”
“It’s...certainly something,” she says. “It’s a bit more cramped than I’d have guessed, but you guys actually do seem to take care of the place. I’m surprised.”
Hayden closes the door behind us. “We’ve got an extra bedroom for you in the back. It works out perfectly.”
She hesitantly walks further in, looking at the brick walls and gazing about. “Is there any other way of getting out other than the front door? No secret back exits?”
Shaking my head, I move to the couch and pat the seat next to me. After gazing at me curiously, she comes and sits down. Hayden leans against the front door, arms crossed, gazing out the nearby window; he’s standing guard. Sven heads to the kitchen and pours himself some orange juice.
“Look, I know your paranoia tells you that Maxen will come after you...but will he really?” I ask. Her eyes widen at my question, so I rephrase. “Sorry, I don’t mean to insinuate you might be wrong but is it at all possible that he might have just given up on you? Because if he doesn’t come to try and snatch you away, you might be stuck with us for a while. A long while.”
Erika holds herself tightly, a lock of her auburn hair falling over her eyes. She doesn’t seem to notice the lock, so I reach forward and tuck it behind her ear. She stares at me, and I can feel our hearts both racing. I force myself to hold back as much as I can, and my inner dragon isn’t very happy with me. “I know I wouldn’t particularly mind having you around for a long time.”
The pressure of my clanmates’ stares raises the hairs on the back of my neck.
“He will definitely come,” she says. “He was...pretty fond of me. Besides, Maxen isn’t the type to just ignore an investment like me. Once he starts something, he doesn’t ever want to let go.”
Nodding, I smile at her. “Well, then, that means we’ll be able to take him down sooner rather than later.”
Hayden raises his hand by the door, looking impatient. “This is all well and good, but if you think you want to stay here with us, how about you and I go grab your car, Erika? We can get back well before ten, and then grab some dinner.”
Erika’s stomach growls loudly, and she looks away shyly. “Sounds good to me.”
So Sven and I are forced to watch as Hayden opens and the door and Erika slips out. Hayden grins at us both. “Hold down the fort while we’re gone, okay? In case Maxen shows up…”
And then he’s gone, leaving us to boil in Street House.
Chapter Eleven
Erika
The second the door closes behind me, Hayden jogs up the stairs and waves at me to follow. He's still smiling, and I am not sure if the guy knows how to do anything else. “Come on, let’s go get your car. Where did you park it?”
“By a grocery store, on the street,” I say. “Ah, but I don’t know how to get there from here.”
“Was it close to the Fiery Hearts building?”
“Yeah, on the north side.”
Nodding, Hayden continues forward. “I know exactly the place. Don’t worry, we won’t get lost walking there.”
“Will it really be okay walking there this late?” I say
“Of course! I’ll be right by your side the whole way.”
His sentiment does help me walk al
ong with him. We walk in silence at first, with Hayden quietly looking all over the streets we walk down. It’s quieter than I imagined it would be around here, and that only makes it a bit more unnerving. We pass the odd stranger every so often, and every time we do, I hold myself tighter. Hayden always, without a word, steps closer to me.
Before long, I find myself gazing at his back, wondering if he has any scars. Hayden at first seemed like the type to get into petty fights, but I got that impression from seeing him around the others. Now that’s it’s just us two, it’s almost like I’m seeing the more realistic side of him.
My eyes trace over his clearly defined shoulder blades, which poke out from behind his suit. Hayden catches my sight and grins. “See something you like?”
I turn away, trying not to blush again. “It’s nothing...I was just wondering if you had any scars.”
“Scars? From what? Like battle scars?”
I nodded. “Don’t you dragon shifters get into fights all the time? Or is that just another stereotype?”
Hayden shrugs. “Well...it is a stereotype, but it’s not exactly wrong either. Shifters are known to sometimes let their animal side let loose. A lot of shifters can’t help it. Many go insane if they can’t find a mate, for instance. But that usually only happens to older shifters, like around mid-thirties to forties and up. I mean, there are some cases in which younger guys like me go nuts, but that’s definitely rarer than you’d think.”
“And how old are you?”
“Twenty-seven. You?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Ha! So we’re pretty close then.”
I smile. “What about the others?”
“Reed is twenty-nine, and Sven is thirty-five.”
Raising an eyebrow, I give him a pointed look. “Does Sven have a...mate, then?”
Hayden shook his head. “None of us do. But don’t worry, Sven’s a lot more level headed than he acts.” He meets my gaze, his eyes glowing in the dark. His draconic nature is coming through. I’m hypnotized by it. Maxen’s eyes always looked so wild, yet Hayden’s gaze feels grounded, as if it has more authority. “I don’t mean to switch topics, but how did you feel about Street House?”
Shaking off my fascination, I stare at the ground. “To tell the truth, I felt a bit claustrophobic in there.”
Hayden grins. “Yeah, I did too when we first moved in. Though that was years ago now. The place really grows on you. It’ll probably grow on you too if you’re around us for too long. You’ll probably begin to think like us too.”
“Oh? And what, will I suddenly turn into a shifter simply by being in your presence?”
Hayden chuckles and slaps his knee. “Damn, you're funny. Where have you been all my life?”
“Oh, you know, just being abused by a bear shifter.”
This time, Hayden’s lips tighten. “It sickens me when shifters like your ex do those terrible things. It gives us all a bad rap, whether we’re the same type of shifter or not.” He grips my shoulder and we come to a stop at a street crossing. Cars are driving by one after the other. “Look, I want you to know that Maxen is one giant asshole. I don’t know the gritty details, but he doesn’t deserve any respect for what he’s put you through.”
I tremble at his words. “Thanks, Hayden.”
“When Maxen finally does come, we’ll make sure he gets what he deserves, whether that means jail, or...well, death.”
Chills run up my spine at how casually Hayden talks about Maxen’s death. As much as I hate the guy, killing him had never crossed my mind before. Even thinking about it makes my blood run cold, and when I stare into Hayden’s eyes again, I see a new animal intensity there.
The crosswalk signal blinks until it turns to the white figure, telling us it’s okay to cross. I almost don’t move, unable to tear my eyes away from the anger in Hayden’s eyes. He must realize that I’m suddenly afraid of him, because he lets me go and smiles, walking forward. “Come on, let’s get over before the lights change again.”
Following him over silently, my paranoia takes over, and I glance up to gaze across at the park I’d been in earlier today. My eyes trace over the entire place, landing on a wide figure standing in the middle of the park. With his hands at his sides, the figure stares at me until I recognize him.
I stumble back and almost let loose a scream, but Hayden grips my arm, shaking me. “Erika? Erika! What’s wrong?”
“Maxen...Maxen is there!”
Hayden looks to where I point, seeing the figure dart off, and then swears, pulling me out of the middle of the street. “Damn, if that’s really him, then he works fast. Hold on, let me call the other guys.” Pulling out his phone, he punches in a number while I begin to hyperventilate, glancing every which way. “Hey, Reed? Yeah, looks like we might already have a problem on our hands. Maxen might be in San Francisco. Shift and watch us from above, okay? Awesome, and hurry up.” Stowing his phone away, Hayden wraps his arms around me.
His embrace is warm, and I feel at ease pressed to his body.
“It’ll be okay. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you. Take a deep breath, and we’ll keep going to grab your car, okay?”
I breathe deep, and when I’m ready, I step away from him. He grabs my hand, which calms me down. “One step at a time, okay?”
Chapter Twelve
Sven
While I watch Hayden pull Erika smoothly outside to go pick up her car, I can’t keep my jealousy from springing up. Hayden is eight years younger than me, and yet I have to admit he’s smoother. Within seconds, those two were alone together on a mini journey, probably getting to know each other better in a way that isn’t possible in a group.
Grunting to myself, I pull out a pan and bring out our box of eggs. Half the eggs are gone, so I choose two carefully, and then choose two more, turn on the stove, and crack the eggs over the pan. When I accidentally crush one of the eggs in my hand and get shell bits in the egg yolk, I press my fingers into the scorching hot pan and quickly pick them out. The heat of the pan doesn’t burn my fingers. It isn’t hot enough to hurt a dragon shifter like me.
“You can stop pouting now, Sven,” Reed says from the couch. He stands and comes around to lean over the kitchen counter, staring up at me. “You look like a kid who just got his favorite toy taken from him.”
I grin wryly. “Well, you don’t look any different. Jealousy is a hard thing to overcome, huh?”
“I think it’s simply bad luck,” Reed replies, touching the edge of the pan with his finger. He traces the edge absently. “I mean, hell. One of us is definitely enough to protect that woman.”
“I agree, it’s bogus. Damn Erika for asking for all three of us, but it’s not as if she knows the Protector Hearts Security Service was meant to help us find mates too. Technically, she would have been only Hayden’s mate...but now there’s a chance any one of us could snap her up.”
Reed only nods. “I definitely want her for my own.”
I laugh. “Same here! And I can guarantee you Hayden feels the same way.”
Scratching his chin, Reed straightens, crossing his arms. “Hayden and I made a bet earlier today. It was about Erika before any of us knew who she was. We were going to compete to see who could win her affections first if we ever found her again.”
Finishing cooking my eggs, I go to open a cabinet and pull out a plate. I quickly flip the eggs onto the plate and pull out some bacon, placing it in the pan.
“You’ve got the strangest tastes for a late-night snack, I swear,” Reed says, watching me work.
I shrug. “Hey man, you don’t see me commenting on how you eat cereal without any milk.”
“Touché.”
“So, how do you see this playing out then?” I say. “I mean, it’s not like the three of us can share her. There’s going to be major problems all around.”
“I guess it’ll be up to her to choose, then.” Reed grins. “But she’ll choose me, obviously, so we don’t even need to compete.”
> “Talk about being cocky.” Finishing up the bacon, I pop those strips on top of my eggs and grab a fork, turning off the stove. “She’ll clearly go for me. I’m bigger than you, in every way I might add, and she’ll think I’m like a big teddy bear.”
Laughing hysterically, Reed pounds the counter with his fist. “Yeah, right! She’ll be scared of you the second you even get the tiniest bit angry.”
I mock his laughter. “And while we bicker, Hayden is out there smooth-talking her right now. You know how he is with women.”
Moving away from the counter, Reed paces. “I just still can’t believe Audrey allowed all three of us to be a part of this. It’s as if she was intentionally screwing with us.”
“I don’t doubt it,” I say. Scarfing down my food, my mind strays to Erika. Normally, I’d never be as smitten with a woman as I am now, but I just can’t help it. Erika is damn pretty, with a curvy body to die for. Plus, the fact that she probably feels afraid and alone calls on my protector instincts. I want to be there for her every step of the way, no matter what happens. And boy, do I want her bad.
As much as I love Reed and Hayden, I need to have my mate. I’m the oldest, and my desire for her is by far the strongest. I need every ounce of her.
I realize that all the food on my plate is gone, and so I rise to place my dish in the sink.
Reed’s smartphone rings then. “It’s Hayden,” he says. “What’s up?” He pauses, listening to whatever Hayden has to say. “Damn, okay, yeah, we’ll scout the area. Be there soon.” And then he hangs up.
“What’s wrong?” I say.
“Erika’s ex might already be in the city. Erika and Hayden spotted some guy that looked like him, I guess. Hayden wants us to fly overhead to scout and be around in case something happens.”
My instinct to protect kicks in again, and I’m nodding. Erika’s life matters before my desire to have her for my own, so I quickly begin to stirp. “Then let’s hurry up.”
