Chapter Eleven

"Oh…gods…" Dahlia came in, caught sight of Neo kissing me in my almost-see-through nightgown, and proceeded to freak the fuck out. If I wasn't so embarrassed, I might've laughed. "I…I'm leaving? I can go for a walk. Shit! I don't know what to do. I'm just covering my face." But instead, she covered her ears and hummed the Jeopardy theme song.

Neo laughed by proxy and sadly pulled his lips from mine. He stood me on my feet and rose to his. Apparently, not freaked out at all. "Dahlia, it's okay." Why did his voice remind me of liquid chocolate? "I was simply bidding Kiki good night. You don't have to run for the hills on our account." He turned back to me and kissed the tip of my nose. "Kiki and I have plenty of time."

We have plenty of time?

What does that mean?

I gathered my tattered dignity around me. "Oh. Good night, Neo. Thank you for coming to talk to me."

"Anytime, sweetheart." He picked up my phone and typed into it. "Texted myself so now you have my number. Text or call me anytime if you need to talk some more. I'm always here for you."

"Thank you."

"Good night, Dahlia. I know you can hear me." He passed her, chuckling, and winked at me before shutting the door behind him.

Dahlia looked at me, and I at her, for a few moments without speaking. Her face was completely red and my cheeks were burning. "And all this time I thought you were into Ian. Or Artemis. And now Neo. I'm impressed." She walked over with her fist balled, wanting a bump, but instead, the entire evening came crashing down on me.

My throat constricted with emotion as I wrapped my arms around myself. "Sorry," I whimpered before the dam broke and I let out a loud sob.

"Shit, Kiki. I didn't mean to upset you. I didn't… What in the hell have I done?" Dahlia sat on the edge of the bed and hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry. I was only joking."

"It's okay. I…" Didn't want to admit what was really going on, but Dahlia and I had become fast friends. Friends confessed things to each other. I needed to get this off my chest. "No one ever really showed me a lot of affection growing up. I was abandoned as a baby, and foster families are often careful about affection with the kids they take in. Ian held me tight when we were dancing and then Neo was so sweet. I'm not used to it."

I thought maybe my admission sounded so pathetic that my friend would distance herself, but instead, she held me tighter.

"Oh, babe, that's hard to hear. You didn't deserve that. I'm so sorry."

"Ugh," I groaned. "I'm a mess."

"You're not." She pulled back and looked at me. "You're you. We all have baggage. We all have scars and wounds, and sometimes those wounds break open."

"You have wounds?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm half lion shifter, half wolf shifter, if you haven't smelled the feline on me. I'm not exactly accepted by the wolves and not welcomed by the lions."

"You don't deserve that either. Your mate will love you no matter what animal is inside you," I said.

"I hope so." Dahlia wiped some of my tears. "You think Neo is your mate?"

I sighed. "My wolf has a lot to say about Ian and Neo…and Artemis, if I'm honest."

Dahlia smiled at me. I had a feeling she didn't have a judgmental bone in her body. "We love who we love," she said. "Don't overthink it."

I laughed. "Easy to say."

"True. Ian was definitely giving you some attention tonight. I'm sorry, I'm picking on you again. It's just nice to see that they are pursuing someone."

I got up and washed my face and came back patting it with a towel. The break had given me a moment to think over what she had said. "What do you mean? They have dated, right? I mean, look at them."

Dahlia was tucked into bed wearing silky black pajamas. She laughed. "Right? That is the thing about those three. Gorgeous."

A growl slipped through my lips, and I clapped a hand over my mouth. "Sorry."

"Hey, I'm a female with blood running through her veins. They are gorgeous, and everyone knows it, but I'm not interested. No offense."

"None taken. So, they don't date? At least, nobody here?"

"Some bold girl once walked up to Neo a few weeks ago and flat-out asked him if he wanted to go out with her. Right in front of everyone. He said he would only ever date his mate. Walked away without another word."

"That's…interesting," I said.

I climbed into bed and turned off my lamp, my eyelids already heavy after a long, long day.

"Hey, Kiki," Dahlia murmured. "You do realize I'm gonna hug you as much as possible without it getting weird, right? But no promises."

I snorted. "I'll accept all your weird, Dahlia. Good night."