AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"What the...?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, then took the scene in.
"Did you let him touch your wing?" Star demanded, reading the situation perfectly with a single glance.
As a tall, dangerous-looking demon, Ryk should not have been able to make the sheepish, puppy-like expression he did, but somehow, he still managed it.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize they were that sensitive," Dakota said sheepishly, and I shook my head.
"Not your fault. Ryk should've told you."
"Sorry, Dakota. I thought I could control their reaction. I really wanted you to touch me," he said with no shame or embarrassment whatsoever. He probably didn't know this, but I really looked up to him sometimes. I envied the ease with which he said things. Sure, they got him in trouble sometimes, but more often than not, they were good.
"I'm sure we can find some other places for me to touch," Dakota said with a teasing smile, and Ryk ducked his head, folding his wings close to his body.
The ringing of a cell phone broke the moment, and I grabbed the phone from the side table before crawling across the bed to hand it to Dakota.
"Oh, it's Mom," he mumbled as he picked it up, and all three of us started eavesdropping on the conversation. Not that we could choose not to when he was so close.
"Hey, Mom! What's up?"
"Do you have plans for dinner tonight?" his mom asked, and he turned to us with a raised brow. Apparently, he knew we could hear her.
I shook my head, and Dakota smiled. "Nope, we're free. Why?"
"Come over for dinner. I got some really good chicken at a steal, and we can't finish it all."
"And here I thought you were inviting us because you loved me," Dakota teased. I truly adored his relationship with his parents, especially his mother. If all people got to have a relationship that good with their parents, the world would be a much better place.
"It's okay if you don't come, but make sure Ryk, Nico, and Star do," his mom said, and I covered my mouth to keep from laughing, though Ryk burst out laughing without compunction.
"Oh! Are they with you? Let me talk to them!" Dakota's mom demanded, and he shook his head before putting the phone on speaker and handing it to me. Ryk shifted back so his voice would sound familiar, and we ended up chatting with Dakota's mom for quite a while.
By the time the call ended, our chests were full of warmth, and we had an invitation to dinner with Dakota's parents, where he informed us he was going to tell them we were dating.
Twenty-Three
Ryk
"Are you really going to tell them? I've heard humans can be a little...unreasonable about these sort of things," I said as we arrived at Dakota's parents' place. While I was stoked, I also didn't want to lose the mom-figure I'd found in his mom.
I didn't remember my mother. I didn't remember if she'd been a good mother, or if I'd even had a present mother. Maybe I was an orphan, or maybe I'd been abandoned by my parents. It'd been so long ago, and I had absolutely no memory of it.
Dakota's mom, though? She was wonderful. She'd shown me care and kindness since the first time we met, and I really, really appreciated her. I didn't want her to think differently of me or her son. Then again, I also didn't want to hide the fact that I was in a relationship with her son.
"I am. Don't worry. My parents are pretty open-minded," Dakota said with a relaxed smile as he put the car in park. I wondered if he was truly that confident in his parents. Then again, I couldn't imagine his mom being mean to him at all, so I figured his parents had earned that confidence fair and square.
Racing ahead of the others, I knocked on the door, and then threw my arms around Mom when she opened the door.
"Hey, kids! Come on in," Mom greeted as she returned my hug, and I pulled back with a smile.
"It smells great in here," I said appreciatively as she hugged Nico, Star, and then Dakota.
"Are you seeing this? I've been demoted to last place. By my own mother," Dakota lamented with a brokenhearted look on his face, and Mom smacked the back of his head.
"Who said I was ranking anyone? Now be good or no discount chicken for you," she ordered, making Dakota laugh.
"Hey, kids," Dakota's father greeted us as we walked into the living room. "The chicken's done, and the pie will be ready in ten."
"Thanks, darling," Mom said, kissing him on the cheek before turning to us. "Nico, Ryk, can you set the table? Dakota, Star, help me with the food. We'll eat first, and then we'll play some board games. Tonight, I'll defeat you all."
