by Maia Star
Scratching my head, I walk around to sit down in the chair Hayden had just been sitting in. “So, nice weather today, huh?”
Erika glances at me, her eyes blank, but otherwise doesn’t speak to me.
Growling, I lean back and look out the window, seeing nothing but forest all around us. Another few minutes pass us in silence. Erika flips another page of her book.
Leaning forward, I tap the armrest to get her attention. It works, and she’s suddenly gazing at me with those beautiful amber orbs of hers. “Look, why won’t you speak to me? Were you speaking to Hayden?”
Sighing, Erika’s features soften, and she lowers the book. “I’ve barely been speaking to any of you.”
“Are you mad at us?”
“Yes, I am. I won’t speak that much to any of you until you can all stop acting like children.” She looks me directly in the eyes, and I realize how much she’s grown since the day we first met in the Fiery Hearts building. “Stop avoiding each other. Stop glaring at each other. Stop all acting like you’re the only one for me. I want all of you to come together as my family.” Lowering her head, she frowns. “I don’t think I could bear losing any of you.”
My heart beats slowly, and sadness engulfs me. “Erika, do you know how difficult it is for three shifters to share a mate? Of course, there’ll be fights and bad spots. Each one of us has an inner dragon clamoring for you. It’s difficult to just quench that desire.”
Now she’s climbing out of bed and to her feet. “Do you know what else will be difficult? Telling my baby, when he or she grows up, that he had three fathers, and one of them either killed the others out of jealousy or forced them to leave.” I stiffen at her harsh tone. She looks back at me. “Can you imagine the look on that child’s face? It’s one of the few things I think about now. My whole life is changing almost daily now, and it doesn’t help when you three decide to get into a fight. Aren’t you stronger than this?”
Rising to my feet, I follow her out of the bedroom. “Where are you going?”
“To get some fresh air. If I don’t, I may just go crazy.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Frowning, I follow close behind her, holding open doors for her. She glances at me a few times as we march outside. I come to a stop on the porch, thinking she just wants to stand outside for a while, but then she keeps on walking, angling towards the dirt road. Frowning deeper, I follow after her. “Wait, Erika. You shouldn’t wander too far from the house.”
She crosses her arms as she walks. “What does it matter? You’ll be with me. Unless you think you’re getting too weak to guard me all on your own?”
I can’t help but smile wryly. “Damn, when did you get so bold? That’s kind of hot, Erika.”
She glares over her shoulder and motions for me to hurry up. So, jogging up to her side, I march on next to her, feeling her eyes on me. “Let’s not tell Sven or Hayden I left the house, okay?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Erika
Our walk along the road is quiet and serene. The only sounds that reach our ears, or at least the only sounds I can hear, are those of our shoes crunching on the packed dirt and bushes rustling with animals darting through the forest. But then again, it’s been quiet like this almost the entire time we’ve been at Sven’s cottage. It is slowly driving me insane.
Reed, Sven, and Hayden are all avoiding each other because of me. It’s gotten so awkward around the house because of it, and I’d rather not be the only one speaking.
Like they said, once Maxen is gone, we can really sit down and talk about everything that’s happened so far, though I doubt I’ll change my mind on wanting all of them.
“Look, Erika,” Reed begins. Startled, I glance over at him. He’s looking back, his face relaxed. “I just want to say...I’m sorry about everything that’s happened so far. I know I start a lot of the fights. Obviously, none of us are exempt from your frustrations, and we shouldn’t be. I just want you to know that we’ll make this up to you.”
I raise a brow. “Is that a promise?”
“You can bet it is.”
“Great.”
“Not that that changes how I feel about you. I still want you for myself.”
“Yeah, well, I want you too. But I also want Hayden and Sven.” Shaking my head, I groan. “I know we haven’t been together long, but we’re all so deep in this mess now, Reed. I didn’t expect Maxen to really be able to handle all three of you. I mean, when I first hired you all, I thought I’d made a mistake, that three might have been too much. But Maxen is a lot trickier than I imagined.”
Reed stays silent as I continue. “If our relationship ended with just some sex, then this wouldn’t be so difficult. But I have feelings for all of you. And on top of that, now I’m pregnant...which I’ll be honest, has happened much sooner than I imagined. It’s, well, bad timing.” I pause to stare out in the woods. “And I’ve realized I need more than just one of you to stay with me after this. I can’t help that, Reed.”
He nods. “You know, back when the three of us saw you hurrying on the other side of the street, I fell in love at first sight.” Rolling his shoulders, he smiles. “I had no idea I would ever see you again, though I knew that if I ever did, I would make you my mate. It’s been my goal. I get so jealous when I see you talking or spending time with the others. My inner dragon roars at me to claim you whenever that happens.”
I gulp, imagining what life would have been like if I had met Reed at some bar or out randomly in public. “I’m sure would have felt that way about any beautiful girl.”
Laughing, he clasps his hands behind his head. “Nope! Sorry, but I’ve been with other girls before. Not many, mind you, but I’ve never felt this strong of a desire towards anyone before. I don’t just want you for sex, either. I want to genuinely love and cherish you. To have my kids…”
I touch my stomach, imagining a life with only Reed as the father of my children. I’m sure he’d be a wonderful father, but it still doesn’t feel right with only him in the picture.
“How many kids did you dream of having?” I ask.
“Probably around five.”
“Five!”
He grins at me. “What’s wrong with five? You probably know that Sven is an only child, but so am I. I want my kids to have a bunch of siblings to pal around with. Even if they get into fights, they’ll still have each other.”
I falter a bit at the idea of popping five babies out of me, but I can’t help but smile at his reasons. “So you really want a big family then?”
“You bet. There’s nothing better than family.”
“Hayden and Sven are your family too, right?”
Reed is silent for a moment as he stares straight ahead. “They’re my brothers, Erika. I’d die for them. So, yeah.”
“Then, you and your brothers will all share me as your mate.”
Reed chuckles. “So we’ve come full circle then, haven’t we?”
I giggle. “Looks like it.”
We continue to walk on. I’ve become so wrapped up in my thoughts that I’ve barely noticed how far we’ve come. I’m not sure how close the cottage is. My nerves begin to get worked up, but with Reed by my side, I think I'm okay. In fact, I feel like I’ve been groomed to only feel safe when I’m around him or the others.
Stopping in the middle of the road, Reed stops right along with me. “What’s up?”
“Hey, do you mind walking back without me?” I ask. “I just want some space. I want to clear my head and think about things.”
He frowns at me. “Erika, that’s not a good idea.”
Turning to him fully, I do my best to make puppy-dog eyes. “Please, Reed. Just do me this one favor. Maxen won’t show up. Besides, I’ll probably find Sven or Hayden on the way back.”
Reed looks ready to scoop me up and carry me back, but instead, he sighs heavily. “Fine. But if the ot
her guys start yelling at me, I’m definitely expecting you to have my back.”
I nod, smiling. “Yes, yes, now hurry up and go!”
Snorting, Reed grins and turns around to walk back. I continue to walk on, glancing over my shoulder to see when he’s out of sight. When I can’t see him anymore, I stop and sigh. I barely remember a time when I haven’t been surrounded by shifters.
Basking in my newfound freedom, I figure I’ll do a little off-road trekking and step over a giant root.
When I emerge on the other side, I look to my left and see a bulky figure standing just a dozen feet away from me. He’s grinning wildly, crouching, ready to pounce.
“Max—”
But I don’t get to finish. Maxen pounces, smacking me so hard on the head, I blackout.
I don’t even get to call for help.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sven
Over these past few days, I’ve had so much time to think. Especially since Hayden, Reed, and I have been avoiding each other. I’ve felt off-kilter. I know Erika’s been feeling the same way.
So while I fly above the treetops of the Redwoods, stretching my wings and scanning the forest floor for any signs of Maxen, I start to think that my clan needs to make up sooner rather than later. At this rate, we’ll only just explode.
So, when I realize my time is up as a scout, I angle back towards the cottage. Whoever’s there, I’ll keep there while I wait for the last one to come back. We need to sit down and talk things through. I won’t let my family rip each other apart like this.
When I land out front, Reed opens the front door and walks out, a solemn look on his face. Shifting, I groan and stretch my muscles before walking up to meet him. “Hey, Reed.”
He nods at me, even smiles. “Sven.”
I nearly flinch at his response, since I wasn’t expecting him to say anything back. “Listen, Reed, I wanted to talk to you, Hayden, and Erika about all of this.”
He nods. “You mean about all three of us sharing her as our mate? Yeah, I was kind of thinking about having a talk like that soon too.”
“Good. Is Hayden home? If not, we could just go wait in Erika’s room, tell her what’s been on our minds in the meantime.”
Reed widens his eyes a little. “Oh, uh, Erika isn’t in the cottage right now.”
Stopping dead in my tracks, I glance at him. “What do you mean?”
“We went for a walk earlier. Down the dirt road. She asked for some space, and so I came back here.”
“Are you telling me you left her alone?” I ask, my brain working overtime to process that decision.
He nods. “Look, Erika knows what she’s doing. There’s been no sign of Maxen anywhere here. That dumb bear probably doesn’t even know we came out this way. Besides, she said she’d find one of you guys on the way back. It’s hard to miss her, after all.”
I can feel a vein popping in my head, and I grip the doorframe to keep myself steady. Telling myself she’ll be fine, I clear my throat. “So then...Hayden will find her. Because I certainly didn’t spy her below.”
Reed is matching my frown now and begins to pace the porch.
Then Hayden lands behind us, just where I had landed minutes earlier. He shifts and walks up to us, blinking at us both. “Why are you both here? One of you is supposed to be out scouting the area right now. Well, both of you, I’d say.”
Shaking my head, I step towards him. “You saw Erika, right? I mean, did you cross her path? She’s out on a walk.”
Hayden’s jaw drops. “What? No, I didn’t see her. Why is she out alone?” Hayden glances between the two of us. I can feel Reed clench his fists behind me.
“It doesn’t matter. We need to go find her. Right now,” I say. “She took a walk down the road, so I’m going to run that way to see if I can spot her. You two spread out and look for her.”
Reed and Hayden nod, both instantly rushing off in opposite directions. I run down the dirt road, stark naked, looking for any signs of her. I would shift if I could, but I wouldn’t be able to spy her tracks from so far up; plus, I wouldn’t be able to sniff out her scent. Spying both her and Reed’s shallow tracks in the dirt, I keep sprinting until I find Reed’s footsteps turning around, and Erika’s leading off the road and into the forest.
Stepping up the tiny slope and over a root, I see signs of what looks like a brief scuffle. Broken branches on the ground, leaves stamped, heavier footprints that are nothing like Erika’s. An orange scent, Erika’s, lingers in the area, and soon enough, I smell it mixed with the scent of a bear, leading off deeper into the forest.
Anger and fear swirl in my mind as I take off, wondering if Maxen got to her. What other bear shifter would be around here?
After a five-minute jog, I come into a small clearing where I see Maxen crouched over a bound and unconscious Erika. She’s pushed up against a tree trunk. Maxen is furiously working at tightening her rope when he looks up and growls at me.
“Damn, you lizards work quick,” he snarls.
Roaring out in rage, I charge him, shifting. Maxen is quick enough to shift and meet my charge, and we’re clashing in the middle of the clearing.
Maxen bites into my neck, causing me to cry out in pain, but I swipe at his side, forcing him to swing around. He lets go of my neck and rolls up to his feet while I land, standing in between Erika and him. Blood is oozing out of my neck. I’m trying hard not to let the pain get to me, but I’m already beginning to shake.
The bear begins to circle me, huffing and growling deeply. I grit my teeth and rear on my hind legs, mustering as loud as loud a voice as I can when I roar out. My voice shakes the earth itself, and I know Hayden and Reed will hear it.
If we’re going to beat Maxen, and save Erika, then we all need to fight.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Erika
I open my eyes again very slowly. The ground shakes as I bounce and roll, and when my head smacks against something pointed and hard, a sharp pain stirs me completely awake. Blood flows from the spot on my forehead, dripping into my eye, forcing me to close it.
I try to reach up and wipe the blood away, only to find my wrists bound in some thick rope. When I move my feet, I realize my ankles are bound too, and panic begins to slowly take over my mind as I roll and shake to the ground. I hear roars and deep growls and feel the heat of fire somewhere at my back.
Rolling over, I spy a fierce battle between a bear and a dragon. They dance around each other, jumping and swiping and rolling when they need to. Neither forces the fight over my way, though the dragon’s fire comes dangerously close.
I recognize the dragon as Sven. So, Sven found me first and is fighting while the others are still looking for me, or on their way.
I’m mesmerized by the fight as two beasts go wild, tearing into each other. When Sven dodges out of the way of Maxen’s charge, he swings with his tail, aiming to hit the bear directly in the stomach. But Maxen hits the ground and the dragon’s tail sails overhead, leaving Sven spinning and off-balance. Maxen takes that opportunity to pounce forward and chow down on Sven’s back leg. The dragon roars and then drags the bear around, attempting to flatten him by falling on him.
It dawns on me as I watch that I could be doing something too. Scooting myself farther back to the log, I angle my body so that I can rub the rope against the sharper pieces of bark. If I can run away, that’ll put extra pressure on Maxen to catch me. He’ll trip up, create opportunities for Sven to take him down, or at least hold him off while Hayden and Reed rush in.
I need to act, and quickly, and so I set myself to trying to cut my rope.
While I do, Maxen darts away into the forest, out of my sight, and Sven, in a rage, tries to follow the bear, squeezing between the trees and roaring like a maniac.
I stop to listen to the shouts and screams of the two beasts and then hurry with cutting my wrists free. Every movement back and forth mimics the rapid beating of my heart. Every second I waste could be the moment Sven is kille
d or the moment I’m scooped up and taken away for good.
Finally, I cut through, and my arms fly apart. I quickly reach down to undo the rope around my ankles.
Just as I do, Maxen is tossed back into the clearing. He lands and quickly scrambles to his feet, bloody claws marks all over his body. Sven forces himself back into the clearing too, even more wounds covering his body. The two look like they’ve been through hell.
Sven’s eyes meet mine, and he’s clearly taken aback by the fact I’m halfway free. Maxen notices too, and I’m the center of attention again.
My ex turns on a dime and shoots at me. Roaring out, Sven rushes forward to save me, and he just makes it, sending a heavy claw into Maxen’s head and forcing him to veer off course. The two crash into trees on either side of me, dirt, grass, and leaves bursting into the air all around me. I don’t wait for Maxen or Sven to rise again, and the moment I get the rope undone, I’m on my feet, shaky, but running away from them. If I can find Hayden or Reed, I can direct them here so Sven won’t have to fight alone.
Maxen’s angry bellow causes me to stumble into a tree but I know I can’t afford to fall, so I force myself to stay on my feet and keep running. The ground rumbles as Maxen and Sven chase after me.
My adrenaline is pumping. My mind is racing like crazy. Every second counts, every step I take bringing me closer to true freedom.
In the distance, I hear Hayden and Reed respond to Sven’s call from earlier, roaring out, and I smile, absently reaching out my hand for them.
But then the bear slides into view on my right, stopping in front of me, and opens his jaws. His teeth press tight against me as he scoops me up. My feet and arms are dangling as his hot breath washes over my body. I scream and fight, but Maxen doesn’t seem fazed.
Then we’re whirling around and darting off into the forest. Sven tries to follow, but he collapses, his blood pooling on the ground.
