Page 23 of Glass
Between how perceptive Corey is, and his natural inclination to be protective… He reminds me of Peter, the Glass sibling I grew up closest to since we were closest in age. He’s only a year older than me, and over the years, we kept up with each other better than I did with anyone else.
It’s only been within the last year, when my brother Paxton found his mate and they brought the family back together, that I’ve also grown closer to my other siblings. Still, checking in periodically isn’t the same as sharing your life with them.
Felix puts his hand on the small of my back to nudge me forward, and I realize I’m frozen in place beside Corey. My whole body warms with embarrassment as I lurch forward.
Felix sticks close to my side but lets his hand fall away. I swallow a sense of loss that I have no right to feel after I snuck out on him early this morning.
“The kids still have a lot of questions,” Felix muses as we wander out between the trees.
I don’t blame them. “I’ll tell them everything they want to know in time. They might be too young to hear everything right now, though.” I was too young to live through it all, and I wish someone had been there to protect me, instead of my family devolving into anevery man for themselvesmentalityto survive.
“Hm.”
I stop short and whip my head around to stare at him. “You don’t agree?” It’s amazing how quickly my hackles rise at him thinking he knows the kids better than I do. I’m theirblood.
“Poppy.” He steps in front of me and puts his hands on my shoulders. When he flexes his fingers against the sleeves of his t-shirt that I’m wearing, I involuntarily feel my shoulders relax. “Jacob, Hannah, and Lane, they’re all too young to understand. I agree. But give Shelby and Corey credit. They had to grow up really quickly before they came to be Lost.”
I force myself to look away. The way his voice drops, I’m not sure if I’m ready to hear what led my siblings here.
“A hiker found them living in an abandoned hunting cabin in Michigan. Luckily, the hiker was a shifter and knew that Doc would often take in shifters with no place else to go.” I look at Felix to see him rubbing at the stubble growing along his jawline.
“Michigan?” I echo in bewilderment.
How did they end up in Michigan? My mother’s letter was in South Dakota, and I assumed that meant that was the last place the kids were as well. How did they get to Michigan, of all places? Whoever my mother intended her letter for, they never received it. And the kids were far too young to make it that far by themselves.
Answering my unasked question, Felix says, “Someone left them with enough food that they were able to scrape by until they were found. But Shelby and Corey couldn’t tell us how long they were there, and they swore they got there by walking, which didn’t make any sense.” He heaves a troubled breath. “Then they settled in so quickly with us that we stopped trying to ask questions. It was obvious they’d been abandoned; we didn’t think to look for more family.”
From the corner of my eyes, I can see Felix clenching his fists by his sides. I barely manage to stop myself from reaching for him instinctually.
“We should have looked, Poppy.” There’s anguish in his voice, and it weakens my resolve.
I reach for him and do my best to ignore the warmth that flows through me when he clasps his fingers around mine, as if I’m a lifeline he desperately needs to hold onto. The feeling is startlingly mutual.
“I hate to say it,” I admit, “but I’m glad you didn’t. You either would have found my oldest brother trying desperately to emulate our parents’ cult ideals, or you would have found our family entirely broken. Either way, I think the kids would have ended up here in the end anyway.
“I know you’re not that impressed with The Lost, but we take care of each other here. They’ve been safe and cared for.”
I open my mouth to deny his claim but swallow the words instead. If I tell him I envy the bond of The Lost, it’s only going to give him the wrong idea about me staying. And I’mnotstaying here. I’m not Lost.
Instead, I ask the other thing that’s bothering me. “Did the kids ever say anything about someone coming to pick them up?”
“No.” Felix shakes his head. “Shelby seemed pretty certain no one would be looking for them. Protocol here is for new shifters to lay low for a few months in case anyone is trying to find them out of malice, but Shelby used to say over and over that no one was coming.”
I nod to acknowledge I’m listening, but inside I just… don’t understand. How did the kids get to Michigan? And who the hell was supposed to receive my mother’s letter?