Page 41 of Glass
17
FELIX
“Everything here is fucked,” I tell Doc quietly across the phone. I’m wedged on the miniscule balcony of the apartment in the hopes that Poppy won’t overhear my conversation. Damn shifter hearing.
Doc shuffles on the other side of the line. “I can’t find much on Gabe Glass, but I did confirm with the lobby that he’s still sitting down there refusing to leave. The doorman is willing to forcibly remove him, though, if you say the word.”
“No.” I wish it were that simple. “I convinced Poppy to take a long bath and breathe for now. I have a feeling she’s not done with her brother yet, in spite of what she’s saying. I just wish the guy didn’t have such bad damn timing.”
We’re so close to Frank, but I don’t dare broach that topic with Poppy after holding her while she cried for a fucking hour over what she’s assuming is her brother’s betrayal. I didn’t understand everything she said in between sobs, but I picked up enough to know the odd scar on Gabe’s arm means something to her family.
And not something good, obviously.
“That’s weird,” Doc mutters.
“What?” I ask as I stare down at street level, watching a familiar form step away from the building, piquing my interest.
“The doorman just sent a text; I asked him to keep me updated. He said Gabe just got up and left without saying anything.” He sounds perplexed as I watch Gabe cross in the middle of the road, not bothering to watch for traffic or walk fifteen extra feet to the crosswalk. He certainly looks like he’s in a hurry.
“I see him right now.” He moves quickly down the road away from the building, thrusting his hands deep in his pockets as he walks. “I’m sure he’ll be back, though. Poppy is upset with him, but it was obvious that hurt him. I don’t think he’ll give up so easily without making things right.”
“I’ll let you know if I get any news of him coming back. In the meantime, I’m working to get someone to check out Frank’s place for you, but it’s hard to get anyone on short notice this early in the morning.”
“It’s okay. Do what you can.” Like an asshole, I end the call without saying goodbye.
For the moment, there’s nowhere for Poppy and I to go. We’re alone in the small, upscale apartment until we can settle on what our next move is. And maybe it makes me an asshole to want to rush in while she’s vulnerable, but things are happening and changing so quickly that I worry if I don’t make my move now, I’ll be wasting my chance to change Poppy’s mind.
She thinks we can’t work as mates solely based on the fact that she doesn’t think she wants to belong to The Lost. But there are six of us who are Lost who belong to her, and that counts for something. I think she’s already one of us–she just needs to see it for herself.
It’s not like I would ever stop her from loving and visiting her family. I wish more of The Lost still had people who care for them once they leave life in regular shifter society behind. But I need her to see there’s something worth coming back to Acadia for.
Because I’m starting to think the alternative is that I abandon the people who still need me. And I’m not sure which pain is worse—the thought of losing my mate or abandoning my morals.
* * *
I’m waiting on the bed when Poppy comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a blue robe that’s at least two sizes too big for her. She has a faraway look in her eyes, and she doesn’t seem to notice me right away.
“Oh.” She stops short when she realizes I’m there waiting for her.
“Come here.” I open my arms to her as her bottom lip quivers.
It honestly surprises me when she comes to me easily, crawling across the bed to where I’m sitting propped against the headboard. She collapses into my arms, half on top of me, as if she’s too weary to prop herself up.
I feel a surge of guilt in my chest as she crumbles. If I’d let her go when she wanted to, she could have avoided the danger and pain of the past day.
Poppy drops her head on top of my chest and mutters something into my shirt. “What was that?” I ask, dropping my chin to stare at the top of her head. I don’t think she’s looked as petite as she is until this moment, curled up in my arms. Her strength has made her seem larger than life to me until now.
“How did you end up Lost?” she asks, turning her head and pressing her right ear against my chest through my thin shirt. There’s no way she doesn’t hear the uptick in my heart rate as she asks the question.
“That’s probably a conversation for another day,” I rumble uncomfortably.
Poppy laughs lightly, and the sound is magic to my ears. “Felix, we’ve known each other for a single day and have argued about being together, have almost been killed, and now we’ve driven eight hours overnight just to face my family trauma. The least you can do is balance the scales and give me your backstory.”
I bark out a loud laugh that makes her giggle sweetly. When she puts it like that, it’s ludicrous how much we managed to pack into one day. And it’s true, after seeing her with Gabe, I probably should give her an equal chance to unpack some of my bullshit.
If I want her to stay, she deserves to know exactly what she would be getting with me. Sad origin story and all.
“My mother came from the Red Rock Pack in Colorado. The pack was small, less than a hundred shifters total, and not big enough for all the bells and whistles of your average-sized pack.” A tight knot is forming in my chest, but I push through it. “There was no pack doctor.”