by Maia Starr
Reed follows my lead, and soon enough, we’re both stark naked, running outside, locking the door, and stuffing our clothes into tiny bags. We nod to each other and then shift in the middle of the street.
My body lengthens and expands. Pale scales dot my body, and my hands and feet grow claws. My mouth and nose grow, and soon enough, I have a long row of sharp teeth. Suddenly I’m towering over the flower shop above Street House.
Looking to my left, I see Reed with his black scales, wings extended. He growls at me, and then takes, soaring into the sky. I pick up my tiny bag in my mouth and take off, too, letting my body stretch and get used to being in the air again. It feels good to be flying above the city, and as we fly, Reed and I break off from each other, flying in opposite directions to scan a wider area.
If Maxen is around and prowling at night, we’ll spot him for sure.
Just you wait, Erika: I’ll show you why you should pick me.
Chapter Thirteen
Erika
I look up in time to see a pale scaled dragon fly overhead, roaring out and soaring off quickly into the distance. It arcs to the right, its head scanning the world below, and I step away from Hayden to get a better look.
When I said I hadn’t seen a dragon up close before, I truly meant it. I crane my neck to get a better look, and as I watch it steer around in the night air, I find myself mesmerized by the sight. Maxen is still in my thoughts, but I no longer believe he’s invincible. I’ve seen a bear shifter shift, and now I’ve seen a dragon. The two don’t even come close.
“Crazy awesome, right?” Hayden says, stepping closer to me. His presence continues to help calm me down. Smiling, he looks at me. “Guess who it is.”
“Sven?” I say, cocking my head.
He snaps his fingers in triumph. “Hey, you guessed right! That’s Sven up there. Reed is out here too somewhere, looking somewhere else. If your ex is really around here, they’ll sniff him out sooner or later.” Turning to me, he waves me on and extends his arm for me to hold. “Now, my lady, you can’t be safer than hanging on a dragon’s arm, so how about we take our time and stroll through the city to your car?”
I stare at him for a moment, my heart beating slow, rhythmically. Time seems to slow down as if it’s waiting for my command to move on. I look over the hard lines of his cheekbones, over his hot lips, and meet my eyes with his piercing blue gaze. It’s like his eyes contain a powerful river. Smiling, I take his arm, my nerves gone.
“You’re actually pretty charming,” I say absently as we continue to walk.
“Only ‘pretty’ charming? Not ‘super’ charming, or even ‘amazingly’ charming?”
I burst into laughter and tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear. “I say what I mean.”
“Well, good to know you aren’t a pathological liar.”
My grin widens, nearly from ear to ear, and I gaze up at my escort. He looks back, something wild in his eyes. There’s a beat of silence before he speaks again. “So, your ex aside, what kind of men do you like?”
“You three are pretty curious guys, aren’t you?”
“Is that a no-I-don’t-want-to-answer-you, then?”
Guys like you. Looking forward, I try to think of something else to say. “Well, typically, I want a guy that can make me laugh, first and foremost. I don’t know if you’ve noticed...but I can get pretty worried pretty easily, and that’s not just because of my newfound paranoia.” Pursing my lips, I stare up at the full moon overhead. It’s shining so brilliantly right now.
“Check!” Hayden says.
I stifle a giggle.
“What else?”
“What else? Hm. Well, I don’t mind having a man cook for me. I’m not the greatest cook myself. It’s, uh, one of the reasons Maxen beat me from time to time. There was one time I messed up a simple BLT; the bacon wasn’t cooked well enough, I guess, and so he hammered on me.”
Hayden looks at me with creased eyebrows, the concern in his face apparent. “It just makes me angry hearing that.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to turn it to Maxen again...he’s just been my whole world for so long now. It’s hard not to think about my experiences with the guy.”
He shakes his head. “Perfectly fine. I’m not blaming you. But I can make a mean smoothie, though.”
I laugh again, wondering how it became so easy to talk to him. Overhead, another dragon flits by: a black dragon that barely makes a sound.
“That would be Reed,” Hayden says as if reading my thoughts.
“It’s amazing they’re actually doing their jobs,” I say without thinking. But then hot embarrassment rises in my cheeks, and I shake my head fervently. “No! That’s not what I meant. That came off way too harsh.”
Except Hayden is just chuckling. “Erika, relax. I don’t think it was too harsh. At first glance, all three of us probably look a bit lazy, even like partiers that never moved past college life, am I right?”
I blush but nod. “Maybe a bit.”
“Like I said before, that’s how we impress people. We make ourselves look like idiots, only to then shine like the best stars out there.” He winks at me and tugs me closer. Leaning over, he whispers, his warm breath brushing my ear. “And we’re all here for you. You alone.”
Shivering from his voice so close to my ear, my mind enters the gutter, and I imagine being in bed next to him. What would that be like, to sleep with a dragon? It’s like a fantasy, having a sexy bodyguard protect you with his life, and then fall head over heels for you. I’m sure Hayden’s just teasing me right now, and there’s nothing more going on, but I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be together with him. I dreamed every night when I was with Maxen what it would be like to be with someone that wasn’t toxic to me. I’ve practically forgotten at this point what it feels like to be genuinely loved.
But then my mind strays to not just having Hayden, but to having all three of the Street Dragons. Hayden, Reed, and Sven could all be mine in my dream world. They would all love me, and I could sleep with any of them whenever I wanted. All three would protect me and obey my commands. What would life be like being treated like a queen?
It didn’t hurt a girl to dream. But when I looked at Hayden and saw what I thought was raw desire in his eyes, I forced myself to look away. That dream couldn’t become reality...could it? I mean, they’re dragon shifters. It’s not like I could tame them.
Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I stare ahead and spy my car in the distance and point it out, trying to ignore the rapid thumping in my chest. “That’s it! That’s my car.”
Hayden sighs. “Oh good, now I can finally stop being nice to you.” He looks at me and grins. “Just kidding!”
Chapter Fourteen
Hayden
When we reach Erika’s car, I see it’s a Honda Civic. Erika sniffs and rustles around in her purse for the keys. When she pulls them out, she goes to step up to the driver’s side door, but I grab her shoulder.
“Hey, why don’t you let me drive it back? You’ve probably had a long day, right? You can just relax. I’m a good driver, I promise.”
Erika gazes up at me skeptically, but ultimately, her features soften, and she gently places the jingling keys in my palm. “You sure? Because I really don’t mind.”
I nod. “Please. It’s part of my job to make sure you’re always protected, and that means protecting your health too. It’s not good for anyone to drive after being as exhausted as you are. And don’t tell me you aren’t. Us dragon shifters notice the small things, like the bags under your eyes.”
Erika’s eyes widen, and she touches her face just below the eyes. “Wow...fine, I guess you win. Just please don’t crash us into a building.”
Laughing, I jump around to the other side and open the passenger door for her. “Please, madame, hop in!”
“So dragons can be gentlemanly too, huh?” She giggles. “You surprise me every other minute.”
Shutting her door, I jog around back to the dr
iver’s side and slide in. It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to drive any kind of car, so I’m excited to try it out again. Of course, I won’t say that to Erika, because that’ll only scare the living daylights out of her. Jamming the keys into the ignition, I start up the car and revel at the feeling. It’s not like Sven, Reed, or I really need one being so close to downtown San Francisco.
“What kind of music do you listen to on the radio?” I ask, putting the car into drive and pulling out onto the barren road.
“I don’t really ever turn it on.”
“Then what music do you like to listen to? Rock? Pop? Country?”
“I’m not really a music person...I just kind of listen to whatever is on, I guess.”
“Huh,” I say. “Have you always been that way, or is that because of your time with Maxen?”
We pull up to a red light, and I glance at her. Her lips are pursed, and she’s staring straight ahead. “No, I think I’ve always been like this. Music just wasn’t a priority for me.”
“I gotcha.”
“What about you?”
Leaning back in the driver’s seat, I suddenly remember why I don’t drive that often. My inner dragon is already feeling claustrophobic. It doesn’t help that her car is a bit small. “I like rock a lot. Sometimes I’ll listen to pop music too if I’m working out. It just feels right to me, you know?”
When the light flashes green, I speed off. “Not to change the subject again, but how did you meet Maxen?”
Erika looks out the window, and I can see her reflection in the glass. She’s looking out over the rest of San Francisco as we drive up and down the sloped roads. “Well, it would have been around a year ago now. We met at a bar. I was with some friends who I don’t speak to anymore, just trying to have a fun night. Basically, I’d had a rough day, and my friends thought a few drinks would help.” She pauses to sigh. “That’s when Maxen approached us. He was bold and told us that I’d caught his eye. Since he apparently didn’t frequent bars enough, which was a straight-up lie, he thought he couldn’t pass up this chance to talk to me. My friends didn’t see anything wrong with him, and soon enough, they disappeared one by one to let the two of us chat.”
She places her chin in her palm and taps her fingers along her cheek. “I really thought he was cute that first night. He offered to take me back to his place, but I thought I had better sense than that, and we decided to just get coffee the next Tuesday.”
I listen intently, trying to imagine what it would be like for Maxen to have spotted a woman like Erika at a bar. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for him to hold back. I might have made a fool of myself trying to keep my animalistic desires from taking over. Erika was simply something else.
“We went on a few more dates, and then the night we went out to dinner, we went back to his place after that. I’d noticed a few beer bottles around, but I didn't think anything of it.” Now she rubs her hand over her face. I can really see the fatigue in her eyes and the way she slouches in her seat. “I think the moment I slept with him was when I realized he was a bear shifter. I tried not to think much of it, and we kept on seeing each other until we were in an official relationship. About a month in, his controlling tendencies began to emerge, and a few weeks after that, he slapped me pretty hard.” She laughs dryly now. “I was stupid enough to not recognize the signs yet, and so I stayed with him. My life began to fall apart and revolve only around him.”
Before long, I pull us up in front of Street House. We sit in silence as I turn off the engine.
I notice that she hasn’t realized we stopped. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I shake her back to the present and put on my warmest smile. “Hey, easy there. You’re safe here. I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll do anything to protect you from him. And I’m not saying that just as your bodyguard, but because I genuinely like you. You got unlucky becoming the object of his obsession, so me and others will sort it out, okay?”
She nods and half-smiles at me. “Thanks, Hayden. Seriously, it means a lot.”
“Good, because now you can really start the life you want.”
And with that, we hop out of the car. I can’t wait to bash Maxen’s face in.
Chapter Fifteen
Erika
It’s been days now since I’d hired the Street Dragons. Days since I first thought I saw Maxen in the city.
I still couldn’t be sure if it really was him or not that I saw that night with Hayden, but I was sure I saw something.
Ever since, the trio decided to take turns guarding me and scouting the city for any sign of my ex. Every day, for four hours a piece, one shifter would stand guard at Street House while the other two would branch out and fly over the city. Dragons flying over San Francisco was a daily occurrence, so it’s not like they would look out of the ordinary.
Yet, it was still difficult not to drown in boredom and my worries that Maxen would randomly show up with two of the guys gone.
As much as I liked Hayden, he’d begun to fixate on teaching Maxen a lesson for hurting me. That was great and all, but sometimes I just wanted to forget about my ex for a few hours, not talk about how I would one-up him and flip him off. Sven, likewise, was sometimes too heavy in the opposite direction. He’d try to make me laugh constantly and acted more like a fool than the other two. Granted, the guy was funny, but sometimes that extreme put me on edge.
Luckily, when I am around Reed, I feel genuinely relaxed. He’s pretty sensitive overall, and senses my unease, giving me some quiet time to think and contemplate or offering to play a game with me to get me thinking about something other than my past.
Like right now.
Reed peers at me over his hand of four UNO cards. He squints at my eleven cards, looking at each one in turn as if he can see right through to the other side. I frown, shuffling my cards, my hand hovering over a blue six. I pick it and place it down on the pile of discarded cards in the middle of the table, only to see Reed smirk and place down a blue skip card. I groan and fan myself with my cards as he then places down a red skip, and then slaps down a red one.
My jaw drops, and I meet his haughty gaze. “What are you, an UNO wizard?”
“Something like that,” he says, grinning and leaning back in his chair. He waves his last card around as if to mock me. “Trust me, Hayden and Sven have the same reactions. If there were a competitive UNO League, I’d definitely go pro.”
“How often do you play this game?” I ask, blinking over my ten cards. Gazing past my hand and to his single card, my eyes drift down to his slender fingers. I dream of what it would be like to feel those fingers of his sliding through my hair, over my scalp. His pointed gaze is intense as he watches me try to come to a decision. How much more intense would he be like if we were playing a more adult game?
I gulp at the idea, place down a plus-four and wait for his reaction. I watch his free hand, waiting for him to reach forward and pick up four more cards from the deck, but instead, Reed chuckles and slaps down a plus-four too.
Tossing my hand on the table, I lean back in my high back chair and sigh in utter defeat. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Reed.”
“What can I say? I’m an UNO champion in the making.”
“That seems like an understatement.”
Reed laughs. Unlike Hayden or Sven, Reed’s laughs are always shorter, to the point. Well, I guess that’s how I’d describe him as a whole.
As Reed gathers up all the UNO cards and shuffles them together, I watch how his dark bangs fall over his glasses. He doesn’t part them right away, and I have the urge to brush them aside myself. His eyes are just as captivating, and I want to be looking into them. Lifting his head, he quickly pulls his bangs out of the way and smiles at me innocently. “Want to play another round? We’ve still got a few hours left until Sven comes back to switch out.”
Leaning forward and resting my chin in the crook of my crossed arm, I smile up at him. “You’re really good about getting me to
focus on anything other than Maxen, you know that?”
He grins. “It’s all part of my strategy and charm.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Strategy?”
“Yeah, my strategy to get you to fall in love with me.”
My heart instantly pounds in my chest, and my body heats up at the insinuation. “Oh? So you like me that much?”
Reed laughs again, this time a bit longer than usual. “I take it that's it for UNO?” Without waiting for a response, he drops the deck back into the box. “How about we play a different game then?”
“Another one, huh? Which game is that?”
Reed watches me, a new fire in his eyes. I’m beginning to get weak in the knees just trying to maintain eye contact. “It’s played on a bed. Or maybe a couch. Or, well, practically anywhere the participants feel like playing.”
I bite my lip, my mind racing. “Oh?”
Reed stands up and walks around the table. This take-charge attitude is really turning me on, and I can’t help but straighten my posture and lift my head as he stands over me. “I know how hard it must be for you to keep remembering everything your ex did to you. You barely have other memories that are as strong as when you were with him, right? So how about we make a new one?”
He takes my cheeks in his hand and leans down, pressing his mouth to mine. I forget about everything and close my eyes, letting the moment overtake me. I didn’t expect this to really happen, but suddenly Reed is kissing me, and I am accepting that kiss.
When he breaks off, I stare into his eyes, a new desire in my mind. He runs a thumb down my lips. “You taste amazing. How about we go to my bedroom and continue this there?”
Chapter Sixteen