The Poisoned Bond

Glass Houses

"Good girl." Uncle James rubbed a thumb on my cheek. "You are always taking care of others, just like your mother. No one should have to be alone when they say goodbye." He hugged me again before giving Chase one of those bro shoulder hugs that men do because they are too tough to cry, and he moved on to make the rest of the rounds – I know he wanted this entire day to be over as much as I did.

Chase pulled me through the library back to a little reading nook with a giant bean bag in it. "I am going to investigate the buffet and bring us back something to eat."

"I'm not hungry." I said.

"Any preference on beverage?" Chase asked while he draped one of the blankets over my legs and tucked in the sides.

"I am OK – really." I said with an almost reassuring smile.

Chase kissed my cheek and turned to leave. "Be right back."

I leaned over to the shelves behind me and pulled out the small copy of Alice in wonderland. Uncle Henry used to read this to me when I was little. Then we would quote it to each other like a secret code. I flipped through the pages until I found the bookmark we pinned between the pages the last time we were reading in this little room...the night before he went on his trip. I raised the book up and smelled the pages with my eyes closed.

I do not know how much time passed before Chase got back and I do not know how long he stood watching me read before I felt his presence.

"Sorry." I mumbled. I am not sure why I am apologizing but I felt like I was caught doing something wrong. I placed the bookmark back in and slid the book back onto the shelf.

I looked up at Chase and he had his head tilted to the side resting against the door frame. His hair was a bit too long and wild. He had a gentle smile that never quite left his lips, even now, as he gazed down at me in the beanbag. He was holding two mugs and held one out to me.

"Thanks, Chase," I murmured, taking the warm cups of tea from his hands. He had returned with a tray of tiny cucumber and strawberry sandwiches, cherry tomatoes, fruit salad, chopped veggie sticks, cheese slices and two steaming mugs of tea, his eyes were searching the room as if he could banish the gloom with his presence alone.

He sat next to me with the tray in his hands. The added weight on the bag shifted my balance causing me to slide into his lap partway. Before I had a chance to correct my posture, he pulled my legs into his lap and rested our snacks on them. "Try not to move around too much or you will spill the food."

"OK." I smiled and passed him his mug of tea.

We sat in silence for a while as we ate. It was actually kind of nice just being quiet with someone. I could hear the whispered mingling happening out in the library. There were even a few small laughs as people reminisced about Uncle Henry.

I finished eating before Chase, so he slipped my plate under his own and pulled the blanket back up to my waist. "Are you warm enough? I can get you another blanket if you need it." He said around a mouthful of fruit salad.

"I am sitting on a werewolf – I’m plenty warm. “I told him.

Chase stroked my leg and gave my ankle a soft reassuring squeeze.

"So, how have you been?" He asked me.

The question caught me off guard. I had been so focused on avoiding the sadness that I had not given myself time to feel it. "I'm okay, I guess. It's just weird without Uncle Henry around." I paused, trying to find the right words. “It comes in waves, you know?”

Chase nodded solemnly.

The murmur of the library grew louder as someone approached us. I recognized the scent before I saw her – Joyce, with her perfectly coiffed hair and plastic smile that never quite reached her eyes. She stopped in the doorway to our sanctuary, her arms folded tightly across her chest. "Chase, there you are," she said, her voice cutting through the air like a knife. "Could you come out and say a few words about Henry? It would mean so much to everyone." She said the last bit just loud enough to draw a small crowd.

I felt Chase tense beneath me, his hand gripping my ankle slightly harder. "Sure, Joyce. Give me a minute." He looked at me and then back to Joyce pointedly.

Her eyes flicked to me and then back to Chase, a hint of annoyance crossing her face. "Make it quick. I’d hate for you two to cause another...scene."

As she turned to leave, Chase leaned in closer. "I’ll only be a moment," he whispered. HE kissed me on the forehead and stroked my wispy hair out of my face.

I reluctantly slid my legs off his lap. He handed me the tray and asked me to hold it for him.

"Thank you, Joyce.” I heard Chase say from the main part of the library. He sounded annoyed. “I just wanted to pay my respects today. Alpha Henry was a very close friend to my family and a wonderful ally to my pack." He paused. "Father wanted me to assure you, Alpha James, we intend to maintain the same alliance with you, if you will have us." He said, his voice firm and clear.

I stifled a giggle. For one, Uncle James hates being called Alpha. And I felt the direct stab at Joyce for bringing him out to parade him around for her guests without his permission.

"I had planned on having this conversation with you later in private," Chase continued. "Now, however, seems as good a time as any.”

I could hear Joyce leading him through a parade of greetings as people filed out to leave. After about 40 minutes I poked a little at the remaining food on the tray and it had dried out and gotten stale.