by Maia Starr
Anger and joy swirl inside of my stomach wildly as he talks, and I can’t help but laugh with a frown on my face.
“Careful, you look like the devil right now, laughing like that.”
“Uh-huh, and you look like an amateur chef who’s seen better days, grandpa.”
Sven scowls at me, but I reach forward and pat him on the shoulder. “Oh, calm down. But seriously, though, thanks, Sven. Sometimes I wonder what I’d do without you and Hayden.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’d survive. As impatient as you can be sometimes, you’ve got a brain on you.”
Shaking my head, I watch as he sweeps the cut chunks of beef into a pan. “Back to the whole issue of who gets to claim Erika...you know what that means, right?” Sven raises an eyebrow. “It means that none of us will be able to live with each other again. Our whole relationship will change, Sven. None of us can probably admit how strongly we want her, and if she ends up choosing me, the right choice, you guys might not be able to handle it.”
Sighing, Sven turns on the burner. “Such a downer, aren’t you? Besides, she isn’t going to choose you, because of course, she’s going to choose me.”
“And again, like hell.”
As we talk, the front door swings open gently behind us. Turning, I look to see if Hayden or Erika will come in first.
But I don’t see either one. Rather, a bulky, hairy man has come in.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Erika
I know Hayden is following me as I jog down the street and turn into a nearby park. I can hear his feet slap the ground, his running measured to keep a short distance away from me.
But as I come to a stop in the park, bending over and clutching my knees to draw some air into my lungs, I realize he’s been simply guarding me. He let me run to work off all the steam, not forcing me to stop. I’m grateful because it really does feel like most of my emotions have simmered down.
Standing up straight, I look over my shoulder, still panting, gazing as he stands in the entrance of the park, watching me with a smile. “Mind if I come closer?”
I hesitate, but ultimately nod and wave him on. So Hayden walks up to me, pointing at a nearby bench. “Let’s sit down for a bit and talk. We can take our time. How about it, partner?”
I nod again, too exhausted to trust myself to speak.
On the bench, Hayden lets me sit down first and then scoots in next to me. He smiles at me as we both lean against the metal back and just breathe. We sit in silence for a few minutes, though it’s not long until Hayden can’t help himself from talking.
“So…” he begins, “what’s your ideal normal life?”
Blinking, I nearly laugh. “That’s not the question I was expecting.”
“And what were you expecting me to ask?”
“Oh, you know, the usual questions. Like how are you feeling? What did you think about that fight you just saw? Stuff like that.”
Hayden chuckles. “I already know how you feel about that little bickering session. I don’t think anyone is confused about why you ran out. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d want some fresh air too. It’s hard to watch people you care about tear each other apart, right?”
I smile. “Oh, so now you think I care about you guys?”
“You’d be lying if you said you didn’t.”
“I suppose.”
“But back to my original question. What’s your ideal normal life?” When I gaze at him, his smile is like a blinding light. “I let you escape this one.”
Folding my hands together, I look up at the night sky. The stars are shining bright, unaware of everything that’s happening far below. I wish I could fly up to them, away from all this madness, and then I realize that with Hayden’s help, I probably could. I turn to him fully.
“My ideal normal life is simple, really. I just want a cozy place to live, a great group of friends, a boyfriend who’ll stick by my side through thick and thin…” Hayden stiffens, but his smile never disappears. “I want a life where I don’t have to look over my shoulder every other minute.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Most of all...I just want to be loved by someone who genuinely cares about me,” I say, feeling him scoot even closer. His breath brushes my neck even from here, and I shiver.
When I look over to him, he leans in and kisses me. I’m surprised, but I don’t pull away.
His lips are searingly hot, and even if I don’t want to pull away, I just can’t handle the sheer heat. Leaving my lips, he moves onto my neck, planting burning kisses all over.
“I’ll love you forever, Erika, if you’ll give me the chance,” he says into my neck.
I begin to pant again, my worries melting at his touch. “You want to do it out here? In public?”
“It’s hotter,” he growls. Then he looks up. “No one’s around. We’ll be fine.”
At his insistence, I can’t help but work my fingers into his clothing. I’m lifting his shirt, forcing it over his head. He works with mine, and then we play a game as we go back and forth, kissing and pulling each other’s clothes off one at a time. We laugh and stand and dance and kiss until we’re naked.
Once we are, we hold each other. A car drives by in the distance, not seeing us, yet I can’t help but press my cheeks to his chest, trying to hide myself in his body. He’s so warm and comfortable. I could hold him all night.
When he lifts my head and I stare into his piercing blue eyes, my heart stammers, and all I want is to love him.
Hayden wraps his arms under my butt and lifts me, my legs dangling on either side of his waist. I hang onto his neck, staring deep into his eyes as he lowers me onto his hips. I groan and gasp. He grunts into my neck. I squirm at the sensation of feeling him inside me. We stay there like that, glancing around, watching for anyone walking nearby. When we don’t see anyone, Hayden begins to move his hips back and forth, lifting me up and down.
I bounce slowly at first, and then faster and harder. I begin to lose my mind, the park lamps beginning to look like stars in the night sky. His body is rock hard, but he feels amazing. I try to stifle my moans, and I have to resort to biting my lip and smashing my face against his shoulder.
Hayden is going wild now. His movement is sending skin-tingling shockwaves through my body. I try to stay sane and remember where I am, but that all goes out the window as my mind and body melt in his arms. Hayden’s all that matters. I love him, I want him, and I’m so happy.
Stiffening, Hayden growls. “Here it comes…”
My body fills up with the most intense heat I’ve ever felt. I nearly blackout from the sheer pleasure of it all. I don't even realize that I’m digging my nails into his back so hard I’m drawing blood. Hayden kisses my neck as he relaxes.
The world is moving around me...no, wait, the world isn’t moving: it’s me. My back touches the cold ground and Hayden is looming above me. He’s panting like a wild animal, adjusting himself over me. And then he enters again and we go another round.
Hayden grabs my wrists and pushes them above my head as I rock back and forth on the ground. I completely forget that we’re in public, so I cry out his name. “Hayden, Hayden, Hayden!”
He goes even faster, wilder. I can't tell at this point that I’m rocking since the ecstasy is overwhelming me. All I can see is his beautiful face as it scrunches up seconds later, his body going still and stiff. He grunts. “Damn!” And then he’s erupting, his heat pouring into me.
I must have blacked out from the pleasure, because the next thing I know, Hayden is next to me on the ground, running his fingers across my cheek, twirling one of my auburn locks.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
“Better than have in a while,” I say, smiling at him. Love for him is bursting out of me and I touch his face. I’m falling for him, no questions about it. Along with Reed and Sven, I can easily see Hayden as my lover down the road...but how can I choose between all three? Do I even want to? What would happen if I did?
Would my choice tear apart their friendship? “How about you?”
“Great! In fact,” Hayden blinks, “I think now may be a good time to tell you...but maybe it won’t come as a shock. Sven, Reed, and I, we all want to claim you as our mate.”
I blink too, trying to process that information. “What exactly does that mean?”
“It means we all want you to be our lovers until the day we die.” He traces my lips with a finger, smiling from ear to ear. “It’s why we get so heated with each other. We all want you, yet only one of us can have you. It’s frustrating as all hell.”
As I lay there and Hayden’s words sink in, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about that just yet, but what I do know is that all three would be great lovers. I want them all.
So what should I do?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sven
When I look up to see the bulky man walk inside our apartment, I know exactly who it is.
Broad and tall, with dark hair and plenty of tattoos peeking out from under his torn shirt and jeans, this can be none other than Erika’s ex-boyfriend. Tufts of bear fur are snagged on his shirt.
Reed shoots to his feet. “Maxen, so you really did follow us here.”
Erika’s controlling, abusive ex doesn’t seem to hear us. He just gazes around the apartment as if he’s ignoring us. The door shuts gently behind him.
Reed steps closer. “Are you deaf? Listen to me, you jackass. Take another step in, and we’ll kill you where you stand.”
This time, Maxen deigns to glance at Reed and me. Even from here, I can tell he simply doesn’t care about us. He’s looking at us like we’re just obstacles in his way. “Where is my woman?”
Cracking my knuckles, I step around the counter. “You think she’s here?” I steal a glance at Reed. If we let him know Erika isn’t here, he might just leave and try to follow her trail. We gotta prevent that at all costs.
“Her scent is thick here,” Maxen mutters, walking further in, heading straight for the hallway. “Get in my way, and I’ll crush you both, dragons.”
My heart pounds and my adrenaline races. I don’t heed his words and charge him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Reed circling around, cutting off his escape route. Maxen turns to me slightly, throwing out his hands, intent on stopping me by strangling me maybe. Grinning, I smile and duck and dodge to the side, just stepping out of reach of the bear shifter. Growling, and probably frustrated that I didn’t just rush into his hands, Maxen follows me, reaching out.
Reed comes up behind and tackles him to the ground. I quickly follow suit and land on Maxen’s head and arms. He struggles beneath us and claws at my legs, but he can’t seem to get up.
While Reed tries to hold him down, he begins to shift into his bear form. But he goes in spurts, growing and then going back to his human form.
“He’s losing control of his bear,” I say.
“Fuck off!” Maxen screams, moving wildly.
“Stay down, you asshole,” Reed sneers.
“Get. Off. Me!” Maxen roars, shifting more fully. Reed and I are lifted into the air, and we both have the sense to quickly roll off. Because our ceiling is so low, Maxen is only halfway shifted but about to be stuck. His half-shifted form is ugly, with his snout partially out and one eye animal-like and the other still human. He’s hunched over, continuing to grow, his back pushing hard against the ceiling. He roars out and attempts to rush me. He’s on me in seconds.
Swiping, he sends a claw slashing across the couch, catching the TV and glass stand in the process. Wood and glass and cables fly everywhere, and I’m forced to my stomach to dodge the wild attack.
Quickly climbing to my feet, I exchange a look with Reed. There’s no way we can shift in our small apartment. We’d both have the disadvantage, since we’re bigger as dragons, and would be genuinely stuck and flattened in this place. Maxen would easily cut our throats. While moving backward, I motion to Reed to get outside. He follows my orders and rushes out. Maxen, of course, doesn’t notice, continuing to crawl after me. Dodging him, I scream, “Then stay in here! We’ll bring this whole place down on you.”
Just outside, I can see through the windows that Reed has shifted, fully formed, and now roars out, shaking the ground. I hurry through the door outside and point at the windows and door. “Scorch the place!”
Maxen hurries to get out, panicking, even shifting completely back to his human form to rush out just as Reed spews a torrent of fire through the windows, setting our apartment alight. As much as it pains me to watch it burn down, apartments can be rebuilt.
The bear shifter doesn’t completely make it out as Reed’s flames catch on his back, scorching him. He cries out and instantly shifts to roll around and quench that fire.
I shift too, growing four times in size, darting towards the bear, spewing out my own flames. My flames shoot across the pavement, but Maxen jumps out of the way, swiping at my legs and drawing blood. I flinch at the attack, and then Reed is flying past me, catching Maxen by the leg and neck and slamming him into the ground. The bear’s roars are deep and guttural as he bites down on Reed’s leg, but my clanmate doesn’t give in to the pain. I rush to help, but Maxen is quicker to kick out at Reed’s back legs and send him off balance. Maxen throws Reed in my direction, and Reed slams into me, both of us crashing into the flower shop.
People down the street are coming out of their townhouses to see what the commotion is, only to hurry back inside the second Maxen roars out. Bleeding and huffing, the bear snarls at us as we try to untangle ourselves. We aren’t quick enough, and Maxen is already sprinting away.
Bears are much faster than most people realize, and by the time Reed and I get back on our feet, he’s gone. I’m not surprised since his goal is to kidnap Erika and probably run for the hills. Roaring to Reed, we both take off and fly into the air, looking for him. I’m a bit dizzy from the fight, but I manage to fly and see well enough. Besides, a giant bear should be easy to find.
I growl in frustration when I don’t spot Maxen anywhere, and I frantically fly this way and that, looking to see if I can spot him in his human form.
Before long, I realize I’m not going to find him like this, and so I fly back to where out apartment is burning. I land and stare at the entire building catching on fire. The old lady who runs the flower shop will have choice words for us.
Reed lands next to me, and we both shift and sit on the sidewalk, hoping Hayden and Erika will get back soon.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Erika
Hayden and I took our time in the park we’d slept together in. The more we laid on the ground, holding each other, the more I felt like I never wanted to leave his arms. But, of course, soon enough, we were both getting cramps and needed to stand up.
We decided we’d head back quickly after getting dressed so that Reed and Sven wouldn’t get too worried and anxious about us missing.
So here we are, strolling back to Street House, arm in arm and whistling different tunes to each other. It was amazing how barely an hour could change up my entire mood. Things were much calmer now, and my anger and frustrations were practically gone.
“So, what’s the story when we get back to the others?” Hayden asks, grinning. “All we did was talk? Share our worries?”
I chuckle at the idea. “Look, why don’t we just tell them the truth? I mean...it was just sex. Besides, I’ve, um, slept with Reed already too.”
Hayden blanches. “You’re kidding!”
My cheeks are on fire once again. “Besides, you told me about how you’re all trying to claim me, after all. I’d rather you guys not do things behind each other’s backs…”
“Well, it’s a bit too late for that.”
We stop in our tracks as a bear’s roar rings out in the distance. More roars follow it and I shiver. It’s one of the problems of living in the city; there are way more shifters around to startle me. I mean, I’ve been getting over those fears because of the trio I hired, but still. It�
�s weird to just randomly hear a monster’s scream at night when it’s quiet everywhere else.
When I sigh and go to keep walking, I find Hayden not at my side. Turning, I spy him rigid in place, like a statue. He’s staring straight ahead but not looking at anything in specific.
“What’s wrong?”
“Those roars were in the direction of Street House,” Hayden says, his brows creasing. “I’m not saying something’s wrong, but…”
“Do you want to hurry back?”
Hayden glances at me and gives me a soft, knowing smile. “Yeah, I do. But we aren’t walking anymore. Hold on, I’ll shift; get on my back and I’ll fly us back there.”
Before I can protest, Hayden shifts, tearing his clothes apart. I watch as he grows scales and wings and a tail and take a few steps back when he’s finally fully grown. He looks at me and then lowers his back, waiting for me to climb on.
Shaking, I nod and step onto his arm so I can reach his neck. “If I f-fall off and die, I’ll haunt you for the r-rest of my life, Hayden.”
The dragon makes a chortle-like sound as I position myself at the base of his neck. There are small spikes running up and down his back and neck that I hold onto as he lifts off from the ground. My stomach churns, and I close my eyes as we soar higher and higher, the wind battling with my hair. I can’t bear to pry open my eyes now. I hold onto Hayden for dear life.
Soon, though, I find myself peering over the side of his neck. I can’t figure out why I look down. The more I look, the more my heart stammers, but the more my smile grows. Instead of fear taking hold, I feel hope.
But then in the distance, I see fire rising from a short building into the night sky. It is stark against the hazy lights of the city. It is only as we angle towards the fire that I realize that we are headed right for it. That isn’t just any random building on fire: it is Street House.
