Under The Skin

C h a p t e r N i n e

"With all of it. I'm not very good but I can help with your hair if you want and help you choose something to wear. I might even have something you can borrow. It might not be much but—"

"That'd be great," Poppy says, cutting off her sister's ramblings, "I'd really appreciate that."

Cassidy smiles widely before reaching out to run her hands through Poppy's damp dark blonde hair. Poppy closes her eyes as a sense of relaxation comes over her. She doesn't let many people touch her and if they do its usually pretty short-lived. Well, maybe not Connor but that's something she doesn't want to think about. The soothing feeling she feels from Cassidy though is on another level. She can even feel her wolf letting out a delighted sigh at the feeling of being inadvertently petted.

"I can braid it," Cassidy says quietly, "It'll be easy and out of your face that way."

Poppy opens her eyes and gives Cassidy an almost shy smile, "Sounds good."

"I need a brush and a hair tie."

Poppy hands them both to her and closes her eyes again, just enjoying the calming silence. Cassidy surprises her though by lightly humming something that she thought she'd never hear again. It's a song, one that their mom used to hum to them and then Rae. It was something she'd sing when they were sick or sad or even just upset. Poppy opens her eyes and stares at her sister in the mirror with an awe struck look on her face.

Cassidy was only three when their mom died and their dad ran off only to die as well. Poppy found out about the truth of what happened to their dad around the same time as the rest of siblings. When she was younger she seemed to have the uncanny ability of not being noticed, a skill she wishes she still had. It didn't take long for her to realize that their dad had been weak and abandoned them.

It was one of the few reasons Poppy was happy she didn't have a mate yet. She didn't want to be mated to anyone as mentally weak as that. It was one of the things she had on her mental list of traits she hoped her mate had. She wanted him to be strong, something she admired in others around her.

Colton, who she saw as a second father, fought for Rae. Tooth and nail he fought for her and never let her strength seem less than his. Jace had his moments of being an asshole but when it came to Mackenzie and the amount of shit they had to go through, he never backed down. Even when she was difficult or lashed out at him, he took it all in stride. The same could have been said of Andy with his way of dealing with Cleo too. Hudson and Joseph were both men Poppy could look up to with their own brand of strength. Not because they were gay but because they loved each other so much that they would wouldn't let anything outside of themselves affect their relationship. Their love was as single minded as Jace and Andy's was patient and Colton's was supportive.

That's the kind of guy Poppy wants for herself. She wants a guy who can stand by her but also tell her when she's wrong. She wants a guy who can deal with her mood swings and her unruly wolf. She wants a guy who can block out everyone who is going to have an opinion about their relationship and telling them to fuck off they don't get the hint. Poppy wants someone who can push her as well as be her champion.

She wants someone worth loving and being loved by.

"Poppy are you okay?"

Poppy comes out her thoughts and looks up at Cassidy in the mirror whose looking at her worriedly. Forcing a smile on her face she's about to assure her when she notices that Cassidy's pretty much done with her hair. It's a pretty mermaid style braid with a few wisps of hair hanging here and there to frame Poppy's face.

"Wow Cass..."

Cassidy's expression immediately turns nervous, "You don't like it?"

"I love it. Honestly. It's...it's great."