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I was pretty sure I was falling a little in love with Lia as she continued to build me up. Nobody in my life had ever done that.
Again, it wasn’t like I’d been treated as a slave in my coven, but that almost would have been preferable. At least then it would have seemed as if peoplesawme.
I threw my arms around her neck. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” She chuckled and the action vibrated through my chest. “You still haven’t told me what you’re really thinking about. Even if we’re good, you still need to talk through that shit. It’s the only way to grow, and I’m really good at making people uncomfortable in the name of growth.”
My stomach churned, and I backed away from her. “No, thanks. I think there’s been enough uncomfortableness over the last few days to last me a lifetime.”
Lia flicked me in the boob and glared. “Don’t tell meno. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
“You’re right, I don’t know much about you, but you seem to know tons about me,” I said sincerely. “How about you tell me a few things? Like maybe how old you are, where you lived before we found you, or even about your hopes and dreams?”
She sighed at my antics. “I’m old enough, and in case nobody ever told you, it’s impolite to ask a woman about her age. Also, to ask if she’s pregnant, even if it’s blatantly obvious, or to ask how many sexual partners she’s chosen to have. Everything else should be pretty much free game, but you might also not get the answers you’re hoping for. Especially from me.”
Lia paused, and while her tone was completely sweet, I was once again feeling uncomfortable with not knowing how to properly do this friendship thing.
She nudged me then continued, “That’s not to say I don’t want to tell you in particular, but I just don’t talk about my personal life a lot. I’ve lived a long time, I’ve lost all of my family, and I had to keep who I am a secret for many years. This is just the way I’m wired, and it’s all on me. Hopefully, you can understand that.”
My heart ached for her. I hated that she’d been alone for any period of time, but I could at least understand that. Well, sort of, since my past seemed to be riddled with secrets I’d yet to uncover.
“Thank you for sharing what you have,” I said sincerely. “I can’t relate to what you’ve been through, but maybe we can figure all this out together. It also helps to know you didn’t disappear yesterday because you were already tired of me.”
I laughed at my own words, but deep down, my anxiety still twisted at my core. That was going to take some serious pep talks to work through.
Lia waggled her brows at me and grinned. “Are you going to tell me what happened between the two of you? There’s no way you avoided each other the whole time you were alone.”
Heat crept up in my cheeks, and I shook my head. I wasn’t even sure I could say the words out loud. Hell, I’d just had my first kiss the day before. Going from that to gossiping about how hot Grayson made me was quite the leap.
“I think that’s a secret I’ll keep to myself for now,” I said, “but I can tell you things went from okay to really great to horrible, then to weird over the course of yesterday. I’m not sure how much of my attraction is the bond pulling us together and how much is because Grayson is too sexy for his own good, but I know he’s also feeling something. So that helps.”
“If the horrible moment is something you need me to help you get revenge for, just know, I have no boundaries when it comes to giving people their comeuppance.”
The laugh that bubbled out of me felt so freeing. Like shedding a layer of my prior life and finding something new and exciting that offered a bright spot in my future.
It was…unexpected, yet something I wouldn’t soon forget.
“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t think that will be necessary, but I’ll keep your offer in mind.”
She closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch. Her eyelids fluttered, and she took several breaths, then sat straight up. “I need to go.”
“What? Why?” Panic rose as I glanced back at the door.
Sure, I could kick some serious ass in hand-to-hand combat, but being alone in a house owned by a bunch of wolf shifters who looked like they murdered people for breakfast didn’t seem all that appealing.
“Grayson is almost back,” Lia answered as she got up and tightened her ponytail. “I promise, you’ll be okay. I wouldn’t leave otherwise, but this is important enough to ignore Drake’s threat.”
I got to my feet and followed her a short distance. “Can you share anything?”
“Not yet, but something about this nudge is powerful. I’ll tell you more when I’m back.” She went to the door and cracked it open, winking at me. “Don’t worry. I know how to blend in when I have to.”
Yeah, that wasn’t helpful in easing my worries, considering all the shit that had been going down around us.
Lia walked out, and I heard the door lock on its own.
Great. What the hell was I supposed to do now?
I got up and noticed one short hallway on the right and a longer one on my left. I went right first since there was only one door and it was closer.
