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

by Maia Starr

“Damn it all, what terrible timing,” Sven mutters. He glances at me. “You’ve got soft hands, by the way. Just thought I’d let you know.”

  I let out a laugh, and he laughs too.

  Then his phone rings somewhere on his side of the couch. Frowning, he has to let go of my hand while he reaches down to pick his phone off the carpet. Raising a brow, Sven glances at me. “It’s Hayden.” Answering, he looks up at the ceiling while he talks. “Hey, what’s up?” He pauses while Hayden speaks. I recognize Hayden’s confident voice, but there’s a hard edge to it now. He sounds...apprehensive, not that I can make out anything beyond that.

  I sit quietly. “Uh-huh, well, that’s a problem. Stay safe while you follow him. Want me to call Reed up for you?” Sven blinks, and then glances at me, handing me the phone. “He wants to talk to you, Erika.”

  Shocked, I take the hot phone and press it against my ear. “Hayden?”

  “Erika! Glad you’re there. Listen, I don’t want to startle you, but at this rate I...eh, hold on.” I hear rustling in the background, the pitter-patter of running feet on concrete and then metal. The wind can be heard whistling in the background too. “Look, I think I might have found Maxen.”

  My heart stops and my throat is dry. I swallow as I sit up straighter. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw a guy that fits your description, and I’m following him from the rooftops of the city now. I—” He pauses. “Uh, what I need now is to know how he fights. You’ve probably seen him get into a brawl or two, right? Please tell me you have because that’ll make this a lot easier.”

  All those peaceful thoughts and mood are out the window and my mind is racing to think of the information Hayden is asking for. “Um...I...I’m sorry this is such short notice.”

  “I understand, but if you can think of anything, it’ll be a huge help. I’m going to confront him soon, so I want to be prepared for anything. If I can capture him, I can bring him to the police. This could all be over in a few hours.”

  I absently nod, even though Hayden isn’t here with me. “I...the best thing I can think of is that he likes to play dirty. If there’s anything nearby, like a bag of something, or maybe something that can be used as a weapon, he’ll likely try it first before shifting. Shifting into his bear form is his last resort.”

  “Got it; anything else?”

  “Um...I’m sorry, I can’t think of much else at the moment.”

  “That’s fine, Erika. Hey, just relax. Sven is there with you, so no matter what happens, you’ll still be safe. You’ll be free from this guy in no time. All right, gotta go.”

  And with that, he hangs up the phone.

  I’m still clutching Sven’s phone, staring at the ground, when Sven shuffles over and wraps an arm around me. “Are you okay?”

  I don’t know what to say, so I just look up at him and hand him his phone.

  Maxen is definitely here in the city, looking for me. And now he’s about to be confronted by Hayden.

  Sven rises to his feet, putting the phone back up to his ear. “I’m gonna go call Reed quickly and let him know to hurry over to help Hayden. I’ll be right back.” He walks away towards the front door, stepping outside. “Hey, Reed! Big news, so…”

  His voice trails away as I remain on the couch, picturing Maxen fighting Hayden in some street or alley right now. I can’t stop trembling as I imagine what’s about to go down somewhere out in the city. Hayden could catch Maxen, beat him silly, or even straight up kill him, and that’ll be it. Like he said, I’m only a few hours away from true freedom. I won’t have to be scared of running into him anymore.

  Clenching and unclenching my fists, I sit silently, unable to think of anything else other than Maxen’s defeat.

  Yet the more I think, the harder I frown, and more my nerves overtake me. A sickeningly feeling in my gut tells me something is seriously wrong. Will Hayden really be able to easily take Maxen down? Will he be overconfident and screw up the fight?

  Will Maxen kill him instead?

  I know my ex is capable of killing. I’ve never seen him kill before, but I’ve heard rumors and seen the way his expression turns stony after a particularly grueling argument or fight.

  I want to disappear for good, to go far away to a place Maxen will never find me, but I know that just isn’t possible.

  Curling up on the couch again, I lay down and hold myself, hoping Maxen never walks through the front door.

  Chapter Twenty

  Hayden

  When I hang up the phone, I instantly wish I didn’t.

  I've been waiting for hours to hear Erika’s voice again, and when I finally did get to speak to her, it was like my whole world brightened. I feel more confident in how I’m going to handle Maxen, and her tips were pretty useful too.

  From my perch on top of a ten-story office building, I stare down at the bulky figure I’ve tagged as Maxen. The bear shifter walks with a swagger down the street, as if he owns the whole city, and he’s the king gracing the peasants with his presence. It makes me sick just watching him bump into strangers and force others to move out of the way for him.

  Because we’re downtown right now, I’m hesitant to confront him just yet. As much as I want to give this guy a lesson about treating women, I can’t risk a potential fight spilling into the general populace. I’m not about to get anyone hurt or even killed because I can’t control my temper.

  So I’ve been following him ever since I first laid eyes on him waltzing out of a sandwich shop. And of course, all he’s been doing is walking around, gazing at the crowds, trying to find Erika or at least sniff out her trail.

  He’s already been by the Fiery Hearts office building, and I’m sure he’s thinking she hired bodyguards to protect her.

  All I have to do right now is wait for the right opportunity as I leap from building to building, tailing him from above.

  Luckily, he’s on the move further away from the downtown area, walking in the direction of Street House. Once he turns onto a street with barely anyone on it, he speed-walks into an alley, and I know this is my chance.

  Hurrying so I don’t lose the guy, I leap to a shorter building below, landing in a roll and jumping to the edge, where I drop down to the ground. My landing could have gone better...but no one saw me, which was perfect. Adjusting myself, and dusting off my shoulders, I walk down the street and turn into the same alley.

  Maxen is nowhere in sight, but I expect nothing less. I follow the angles of these back alleys, sniffing his musty scent and following the scuff marks he’s left on the ground or walls. There are even claw marks in a few places, made because he’s been slowly losing himself to his bear nature without Erika around to satisfy him.

  Eventually I turn a corner and see him hunched over behind a garbage bin. He’s puking his lunch up, heaving it up in spurts. It’s disgusting to watch. He hasn’t noticed me yet because of it, and this could be a chance for me to wait for backup from Reed...but…

  Grinning to myself, I continue forward. I’ve been waiting for this chance ever since I met Erika. I wanted to give this guy a small taste of what he’s done to my future mate, and I didn’t want Reed around to hold me back.

  Before I’m even a dozen feet away from him, he looks up and scowls at me. “What do you want?”

  I hold up a hand in peace. “Oh, I just saw you wander down here and thought you looked a bit ill. Turns out I was right! Let me help you out, buddy.”

  I take a step closer, but Maxen spits at me. “Get lost, or I'll tear your head off.”

  My nose twitches at his tone, so I grin madly. “I don’t think so...Maxen.”

  Chuckling, he stands up straighter, wiping snot off of his face. “Oh, I get it now. You’re probably one of Erika’s bodyguards, am I right?”

  It’s impossible for me to hold back now, and so I dart forward, intent on picking him up and slamming him against the wall. But he makes a small movement, and instead of running from me, he steps in, opening up his arms. He’s got me in a
headlock and lifts me off the ground, slamming me against the wall instead. Pain engulfs my body for a few seconds as my skin tingles, and then he plants a foot to my chest, kicking me hard. I lash out with my fists, but he deftly dodges me. Instead, he steps back, picks up the top of the garbage can, and smacks me across the face with it as I try to stand.

  Rolling back, I rise to my knees, holding up my arms in defense. Maxen can’t seem to stop laughing at me. “Stupid dragons...always thinking they have the advantage in every fight.” I snarl at him, but he waggles a finger at me. “Let me just kill you quickly, so I can find my woman.”

  “She isn’t yours!” I shout, racing forward again. This time I kick off the wall to aim my other leg at his head. He tries to catch my ankle, but I twist in the air and land my kick, sending him sprawling backward. He roars out in anger and lunges at me, partially shifting as his giant paw smacks me in the chest, sending me skittering back.

  “Hayden!” Reed shouts somewhere close by. “Say something! I’m here!”

  “Hurry up!” I shout, glancing away for a second. If we can corner him, we can get the upper hand…

  But when I turn back, Maxen is sprinting around the corner, trying to escape. I run to catch up to him. I would shift into my faster-moving dragon form, but it’s entirely too cramped in these alleys, so I’m forced to keep running on foot.

  It’s quickly apparent that Maxen is faster than me while in our human forms, and soon enough, I lose him entirely. Angry beyond comprehension, I burst out onto the street. I nearly run into a couple walking side by side but I dance around them, frantically looking for Maxen’s bulky frame.

  “Hey, watch it, man!” the guy tells me.

  I whip around and grab his shoulders. “Did you see a big, grizzly guy run through here?”

  The guy is stunned and shakes his head. “No! Let go of me.”

  Wrenching himself out of my grip, he places a hand on his lady friend and hurries them both away.

  When I turn around next, I’m standing face to face with scowling Reed. I hang my head in frustration.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Erika

  I’m still laying on the couch, my eyes glued to the TV screen, when Sven moves into the kitchen.

  We haven’t spoken since he went outside to call Reed about helping Hayden. Ever since, it’s been radio silence and Sven’s been pacing back and forth. His nervous energy is spreading over the entire apartment, so I’m glad he’s finally deciding to spend his time actually doing something. Though, I will admit, listening to the constant, heavy thumps of his feet were lulling me to sleep.

  As I continue to lay still, Sven makes a lot of noise far behind me, eagerly opening the squeaking fridge and grabbing all sorts of wrapped packages and glassware and clanging them on the counter.

  “Erika, want to cook with me?” he calls.

  I jerk at my name, and after a few seconds, I turn to look him in the eyes. He isn’t smiling, not like he was earlier. His eyes are bordered by his creased brows and the hard lines under his eyes speak volumes about his concerns for his clanmates. But I also see courage, enough to force me to climb to my feet and trudge over.

  Neither of us can stop thinking about Maxen, Hayden, and Reed. It’s been hours now, and I’m not sure what to make of that. All I can do is look to Sven.

  He unwraps a mound of beef and slams it down on a cutting board. The cutting board shakes from his sheer strength, and I can see tiny cracks appear down the middle. Sven doesn’t notice; he just flips a knife around in his hand and points the handle at me. “Mind cutting this up into manageable chunks?”

  “Sure,” I say. My voice is odd, almost foreign. “I’ll do my best.”

  “That’s all I can ask for.”

  The front door bangs open and I imagine Maxen sauntering in...luckily, that isn’t the case.

  The first to walk in is Hayden, looking grim, his shoulders a bit slumped. When he catches my eye, his face twists and he stops in his tracks.

  “Move already,” Reed hisses as he shuffles past Hayden. Reed looks equally as frustrated and angry.

  Both are covered in sweat, and their clothes are ripped and torn. Dirt and dust dot their skin, and both are bleeding from a few cuts and bruises here and there. Just watching them trudge into Street House is making me fidgety. I can’t stop glancing between the two.

  Sven is at my side, gazing over his clanmates. “I don’t like those expressions on your faces. Did you catch him or not?”

  “No,” Hayden says, climbing onto a stool in front of me. “We lost him.”

  The full impact of those four words hits me instantly. So Maxen was good enough to slip away from two dragon shifters? It isn’t any surprise the thought scares the living hell out of me. I can’t stop trembling now.

  “No, you lost him. There's a big difference there,” Reed says.

  “Don’t give me that crap, Reed,” Hayden says. “Just because I found him first doesn’t mean you’re blameless here. We scoured the city for hours afterward. So yes, we lost him.”

  Reed snaps his head up, glaring at Hayden. Sparks are beginning to fly. “We wouldn’t have lost him if you had just captured him the second you found him. But you didn’t. You got your ass kicked, and because you screwed up, he was able to flee.”

  “So I misjudged his fighting skills. Sue me. But if you had gotten there fast enough, none of this would have happened in the first place. We could have overwhelmed him.”

  “Fuck you!”

  “Guys,” I whisper, not trusting my voice to speak.

  Sven slaps the counter, and both Hayden and Reed turn their glares on him. “You two need to simmer down. You’re scaring Erika.”

  It’s like both men have only just seen me. Regret fills their angry gazes as they glance at me and look away.

  “You should have come too, Sven,” Reed says. “We had a chance to catch him, but we didn’t have the manpower.”

  Sven shakes his head. “Nuh-uh, you’re not shifting the blame to me now. If I had left, who would have protected Erika? Who would have been there to fight if Maxen had shown up out of the blue?”

  Reed claws at the counter, clearly torn up over the whole thing. “But it wouldn’t have mattered since we all knew where Maxen was to begin with. If we had captured him then and there, Erika’s protection wouldn’t have mattered!”

  “No, maybe Maxen hired others to slip in when all three of us left,” Sven continues. “I know you’re exhausted, Reed, but you need to learn to use your head more.”

  “Oh, just shut up!” Reed exclaims. “I’m doing the best I can.”

  “It isn’t enough,” Hayden mutters.

  Reed is on Hayden before I can blink, and the two are falling to the ground, wrestling and throwing punches. They’re snarling at each other.

  I scream at them to stop, but they don’t seem to hear me. Only Sven rushes forward to grab them each by the collar and drag them off. They try to leap at each other again, but I force myself in between them, placing a hand on both of their chests. They both shudder at my touch, and their anger seems to subside for now. But mine hasn’t.

  “Why are you acting like children?” I say, tears bubbling in my eyes. I can barely see through those tears, yet I snap my head back and forth. “I didn’t hire you to fight each other. You’re supposed to save that for Maxen! Or did you forget about that?”

  All three shifters are staring at me now, and I feel like I can’t breathe.

  “All I want is a normal life...why can’t you help me create that?” I ask quietly.

  I’m about to burst into tears, so I turn and run towards the door. If I stay, I might suffocate.

  Ignoring the shouts of the others, I run up the steps and into the fresh air. It’s night now, and I’m finally able to breathe. Without looking back, I run off to find a place to calm myself down.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Reed

  The second Erika runs out, I’m at a loss.

  I didn’t m
ean to antagonize Hayden and Sven to the point she burst into tears. What the hell is wrong with me?

  I silently reach towards her back as she opens the front door, but then Hayden slips by me and runs after her. “You two stay here in case Maxen shows up! I’ll go after her.”

  And before I know it, Hayden is out the door as well, leaving Sven and me behind. Again.

  I want to go after them myself, not wanting to leave Erika alone with Hayden. She’s supposed to be mine, not his or Sven’s, yet Hayden is always the fastest and the boldest when it comes to these situations. Who will Erika remember helped her after today? Will it be me, the guy she slept with to work off steam? Or will it be Hayden, the shifter who went and talked to her after we all got into a fight?

  Shaking myself, I take a step towards the door, but Sven grabs my shoulder. “Give it a rest, Reed. Hayden’s right: Maxen could have followed you both here, and he could show up any second thinking Erika is still inside.”

  I slap his hand off and snarl at him. “And you're just gonna let him earn her good graces like that? I thought you wanted her too, Sven.”

  “I do...but I also genuinely want her to be happy.” He walks back around the kitchen counter, picking up the knife Erika had left and beginning to cut into the meat. “Right now, Hayden might be the best choice to lift her spirits.”

  I snort, but...deep down, I know he’s right. “It’s still bullshit, though.”

  “Oh, you’re gonna let bullshit stop you?”

  “Make up your damn mind, Sven,” I say.

  Sven actually chuckles. “Listen, if you want to get her to fall for you harder, you’re going to have to make it up for starting this little fight. Show her how you can overcome this.”

  My gaze softens, and I stare at my clanmate. “You know, giving me advice right now will only hurt your chances.”

  Sven grins. “Like hell it will. We may not be blood-related, but we’re brothers, Reed.” His grin widens. “Besides, I can easily claim her before you can.”