Chapter 11

11

“ G ood, Hayden,” she said without any interest in the fact the asshole that had attacked her at the part just seven days ago was now lying in the hospital because someone had kicked his ass. “He probably deserved what he got.”

“Danika, the guy is near death lying in a hospital bed,” Hayden said through the receiver. “And you and I both know you don’t think violence solves anything.”

“I doubt he is near death.” She braced the phone between her shoulder and ear, and stuffed a change of clothes into her backpack.

She was heading over to Damien’s after work, and although it had only been a week since he had told her what she was to him, and even less than that since they had told her father, things were going as smoothly as if it was always meant to go this way.

She stopped what she was doing and thought about what Hayden was telling her. “So someone beat the shit out of the asshole that attacked me at the party,” she stated without forming it as a question. “And why would I care, Hayden? The guy probably pissed off someone’s boyfriend. Serves his ass right.”

“I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m saying.”

She knew exactly what Hayden was saying, and she didn’t care one bit that the prick was lying in a hospital room beat to hell. “I understand. I just don’t care because the guy was a royal asshole.”

“A witness said it was a shifter that beat him up.”

That had everything in Danika stilling. “A shifter?”

“Yeah, a lion shifter more accurately, and one that kept talking

about never putting a hand on his mate again or he’d make sure the guy was buried in the ground where no one would find him.”

She had spoken to Hayden about Damien, nothing in-depth, but enough that her friend knew Damien was her mate, pretty hardcore when it came to the mate thing, and that for the first time in her life she felt like she belonged somewhere with a man. “You think it was Damien?”

“I don’t know, because I don’t really know the guy. But I would bet it was given the fact you’re his mate, he’s a lion shifter, and the guy that just happened to get beat up was the one that fucked with you last week.”

Yeah, she knew it was Damien, even if no names had been said. He had already said he’d hurt anyone that touched her, that he’d find out who had messed with her.

He’d delivered on that promise, but Hayden was right. She didn’t want violence answering violence. “I’ll talk to you later, Hayden.” She hung up the phone and stood there for a moment just thinking about what was going on.

Did she care that asshole was in the hospital? No, not at all, but the fact she was the cause of it didn’t sit well with her.

Maybe she contradicted herself because she had told Hayden she didn’t care that someone had kicked his ass, and now she wanted to talk to Damien about it.

But she wanted him to know she wasn’t about to have a relationship where he used force to make it known she wasn’t to be messed with. Unfortunately she would have to wait until after work, and this was going to be the longest day of her life.

She hoped Damien could understand where she was coming from, because it was early in their relationship, and she wanted everything out in the open for both of them.