Smoke and Survival (Best Wishes Book 2)

by A. J. Macey

  “Feel good, Firecracker?” Dante’s voice was low, laced with heat as he looked at me. I groaned again when Cam massaged a particularly painful knot. They chuckled at my non-response. Cam continued his circles until the end of class.

  November 1st

  Thursday Afternoon

  Nikolai

  Cam had a meeting with one of his professors for a potential project in the spring semester, so the dorm was empty as I set my bag down on my bed. I soaked up the silence, the stress of the day dragging my shoulders down under an enormous amount of tension. A few large pulls from the water bottle I had for speaking occasions did little to bring relief where I needed it most. The overwhelming burn in my throat intensified, spreading outward, and I scrubbed my sleeve over my useless eyes to dry the gathering tears. Do not think about that, I scolded. Grigori squawked at me in response.

  “I know, I know,” I murmured, nearly inaudible in the silence as I ran my fingers over his head and down his tucked wings. Ruffling his feathers, he smacked me in the ear, followed quickly by the little asshole nipping my fingers before hopping off my shoulder. “I am not unappreciative of you; it has just been a hard day.” My rough whispers sliced through the heavy silence. The burn and skipping of my voice had me unscrewing the cap to my bottle once more.

  Sinking down onto the plush material of my bedding, I sat still, trying to decide what I should do until we were gathered later for game night. Homework? No. Practice down at the range? Possible. Lay about and be a lazy log? Definitely sounds appealing. My thoughts shifted from one idea to the next, attempting to decide, when a soft knock sounded on the door.

  My body responded instinctually, adrenaline flooding my system as I grabbed the small bag of prepared potion and spell capsules I always carried before approaching the door silently. I hesitated before walking fully in front of it, my left shoulder pressing into the wall next to the door frame. A faint trace of vanilla hit my nose through the crack between the door and the wooden frame.

  The tension dissipated from my body when I heard Lucie shuffling restlessly on the other side, the sound of her usual jacket and boots rustling with each movement. I tucked the small bag into my sweatshirt pocket before opening the door, the warmth of her power blanketing me as her vanilla scent assaulted my senses. Grigori shot out of my room and onto my shoulder, preening under her attention as she smiled at him. Asshole. My thought resulted in another ‘accidental’ wing slap to the head.

  “Hey, Nik,” she mumbled, her lip worried between her teeth as her gemstone eyes turned to me. Say something!

  “Hi, Babe.” My voice cracked painfully with my welcome. Clearing my throat softly, I tried to speak again, that wretched burning growing with each word. “Are you looking for Cam? Because he has a meeting...” I trailed off as her brows drew together. Ah, of course she would be disappointed he is not here, I thought bitterly. Another feathery slap thudded my ear.

  “Uh, no. I’m not looking for Cam, I came by to see you.” Her fingers fiddled with her bag strap, her words soft as she spoke. Wait, what? I had to think through what she said before it registered properly. She is here for me? Grigori preened at the thought. “I was wondering, uh, if you would want to take a walk with me? I know it’s kind of cold out, and I understand if you’re busy right now.” She stumbled over the last of the words, her eyes dropping to the ground as she trailed off. I laid a hand against her forearm and waited until her eyes met mine. Well, until she looked up toward my face.

  “I would love to,” I whispered, and thankfully none of my words cracked. I stepped back so she could come into my dorm. Grigori abandoned me to hop on her shoulder, but I could not fault him because I would do the same if I were him. My magic brushed out around me telling me where things were at so I did not trip or run into anything as I leaned into my room and grabbed by coat off my desk. I slipped it on before rejoining Lucie in the living room area, thankful that I had not yet taken off my shoes. She was smiling softly at Grigori who was puffing up his chest. I rolled my eyes. Show off. I made sure I had my keys to the dorm as well as my phone before following Lucie into the hallway. We walked silently down the hall and staircase before slipping outside. I wasn’t sure where she wanted to walk to or if she had a destination in mind, so when she turned down a narrow dirt trail toward the woods, I followed. As we walked, Grigori took off, soaring in a wide circle before settling down on my shoulder so I could fully see where we were going.

  The breeze shifted quietly through the trees and brush, the rustling accompanied by the sounds of small wildlife fluttering in and around the branches of the evergreen trees. The smell of pine, dirt, and fresh air grew stronger the farther away from the quad we walked. Thankfully, Grigori was focused on the path and not on the beautiful girl to my left or I would have tripped on the barely visible root sticking out of the dirt. Lucie, unfortunately, was not so lucky, and the toe of her boot snagged it just enough for her to stumble forward. I reached out, my right arm wrapping around her stomach to stop her from falling, while my left hand curled around her slender fingers. When she finally regained her balance, her cheeks were pinkened in the slightest flush, her hand tightening around mine.

  “Thanks, Nik.” My focus fell to her beautiful pink lips that quirked up in a small smile as she addressed me. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” she reassured me, her quiet timbre meshing well with the calm surroundings of the forest.

  “I trust you,” I croaked. Damn these useless vocal cords! She smiled again, leaning softly against my arm.

  “I know you do. You don’t have to talk, hon, I don’t want you to hurt yourself anymore.” I scrunched my face at her. How did she know it hurts? I did not tell her that... did I? Before I could say anything, the trees parted into a small clearing. The area was mostly flat, the only break in the soft grass a little pond surrounded by stones. The sounds of students had disappeared when we broke through the trees, Lucie walking straight toward one of the longer, more worn rocks. I strayed behind her, listening and feeling everything around me.

  The clearing was undisturbed by students, only some of the grass dented with Lucie-sized footprints. The calming lull of the atmosphere coaxed the tension out of my body with each woodsy inhale I took. The sound of Lucie’s bag opening drew my attention. She pulled out a small cookie tin and two thermoses as well as some outdoor cups. I felt my head tilting in confusion as I watched her, the bite in the air giving her pale cheeks and small upturned nose a red flush. When it appeared as if she finally had everything out of her bag, she waved me over. Closing the distance between us in three long strides, I sank onto the cold rock next to her.

  “What is that?” I whispered, thankful that it was quiet enough in the clearing for her to hear me. She twisted open one of the thermoses, and a wave of rich chocolate, cinnamon, and spice hit me. She poured a small amount into one of the cups, holding it out for me before answering.

  “It’s my mom’s hot cocoa recipe.” I brushed her fingers as I took the cup, the silky skin soft under the rough pads of my fingertips. “I always have it when I’m sick or when my throat hurts. I was thinking maybe it could help you too.” Her statement was gentle and her intonation went up at the end making it sound like an unsure question. I brought the cup to my lips, inhaling before taking a sip. The hot chocolate was delicious, the warm liquid quickly easing the sting in my throat.

  “It is delicious. Thank you, Lucie.” I was able to say the words at a more normal volume, the gravel, cracking, and roughness slightly softened. Smiling, she poured some for herself and opened the cookie tin.

  “I tried to pack my mom’s softer cookies that she sent. I didn’t know if rough food hurt your throat or…” Her words trailed off when I cupped her face softly with my right hand.

  “How did you know?” The question was whispered, not because my throat hurt, but because this was not a topic I approached lightly. Her sapphire eyes focused on me instead of the cookie tin in her lap.

  “Well, the roughness in yo
ur voice has been there since I met you, but today it seemed to get worse. I could see you struggling with talking, and you kept taking drinks out of that water bottle that you’ve never carried before,” she murmured, her slight shoulders shrugging. “I didn’t want to make assumptions, but I wanted to see if this would help”—she gestured around us—“some hot cocoa and cookies and just hanging out in the place I come to just be, you know? Somewhere we can just listen to the breeze and the little animals and hang out, no talking required.” She chuckled to herself. “Well, clearly I’ve done lots of talking, but my intention was to come out here and just relax until later.”

  I was speechless for probably the first time in years. Who is this girl? How does she know that this is exactly what I need? Questions filtered through my mind as I just stared at Lucie. Her blonde hair was up in a bun on the crown of her head, stray strands fluttering in the breeze. Power crackled across my skin, radiating safety and... love?

  Say something! Grigori mentally squawked at me, cutting off my inner thoughts. I had never been good with words. Being from Russia and struggling with English when I was younger resulted in a lot of bullying. After everything that had happened to my vocal cords, it did not get any easier, so I acted on instincts instead.

  Leaning forward, not too quickly as I did not want to scare her, I gently pulled her face to mine. Her lips were soft, warm, and slathered in an unscented chapstick. She tilted her face, allowing me to deepen the kiss, the spice and chocolate of her mother’s recipe coating her lips and tongue. Pulling back, I smiled down at her, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at me.

  “Thank you, Babe,” I whispered against her skin as I pressed my lips to her forehead. Her smile widened as I wrapped her under my right arm. Each of us taking a soft sugar cookie from the tin, we lapsed into a companionable silence, the sound of the wind and animals the only noise between us.

  3

  November 2nd

  Friday Morning

  Lucienne

  I walked across the quad early while the sun was still behind the horizon, and the only color in the sky was a soft glow transitioning from blue to pink as the day began. The wind blew lightly, causing the dew on the lawn to shift. I was thankful I had changed out my jacket for my wool, thigh-length pea coat. It was a deep navy blue with a belt around the waist. I fell in love with it when I found it at the small boutique during mine, Benji, and Sadie’s dress shopping excursion two weekends ago. My messenger bag was cross-body, slightly hitting my hip as I walked, but the thick layer of gauze under my wrapping kept the strap from rubbing against the puncture wounds. I was almost to the administration building when my phone started to vibrate. I pulled it out and realized it was a call.

  “Hello?” I was greeted with white noise, like the wind was blowing against the microphone of the cell. “Hello?” With no response other than static, I pulled my phone from my face to make sure it was still connected. “I can’t hear you, so bye,” I drawled out before hanging up. I stuffed it and my hands back into my pocket, my fingers freezing despite my gloves.

  My phone didn’t ring again by the time I reached the administration building. Must have been a wrong number. The blast of warm air tingled my cheeks as I walked into the lobby and saw Jonathon standing behind his desk trying to grab something off one of the upper shelves that his slightly hunched back and frail body wasn’t able to reach.

  “Here, let me help.” I hurried around the desk when he wobbled slightly on the step stool he was precariously perched on. I caught his arm gently to steady him before helping him step down.

  “You don’t need to do that, Lucie dear,” he declared as he flopped into his desk chair adjusting his polka dotted bow tie. I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye before turning to the bookshelf.

  “All right, Jonathon, what were you trying to get?” I asked as I perused the shelf, my hands settling on my hips.

  “That grey box on the top shelf, the one with the black label.” His hands shook as he pointed a crooked finger at the box. I nodded that I had heard, stepped on the stool, and reached up. I was a few inches too short to reach the box, so I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to practice my powers. I focused on the shelf the box was sitting on and visualized it curving down toward me so the box would slide easily into my hands. Once I had fully pictured what I wanted to happen, I held up my hands and pushed that visualization onto the locked target of the shelf in my mind. It did exactly what I wanted it to, and I caught the box with ease. The shelf slid back into its original form as I stepped down.

  “Here you go.” I handed the box off to Jonathon with a smile, proud that I was able to do something nice for him after he lit that fire within me at our lunch a few weeks ago.

  “Thank you, dear! You head on up to your work with Mr. Renaud, Lucie.” He shooed me from behind the counter, and I couldn’t help but chuckle in response. I was closing the small door to enter behind the counter when several voices echoed through the room.

  “Oh, look.” Madison’s southern twang was snotty as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. The rest of the Bitch Crew gave me looks varying from disdain to hate. I rolled my eyes and walked the rest of the way around the counter.

  “Ladies.” Jonathon’s voice was low in warning as he addressed the Bitch Crew. Their attention barely flickered to him before returning to me.

  “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to cause any issues for the star pupil,” Brittney sneered, even going as far as to do a head bob. Oh, brother. I scoffed at her assumption.

  “Brittney, shut up. Everyone knows how you and your friends manipulated Hudson, so don’t try to play like you aren’t a complete bitch.” Gabe and Elijah walked around the four girls, causing a break in the flow of traffic in and out of the building. Elijah’s arrogance was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t walk with a swagger, and he didn’t ogle as he reprimanded them, his voice biting as glared. They moved their glares from me to them.

  “Oh, so you’re fucking her too then?” Claire’s perfectly plucked eyebrow raised. “Everyone knows you’re a man whore, but it’s beneath you to fuck a slut.” My fists clenched as they all cackled at her insult.

  “Miss Loren!” Alex’s voice was harsh, his very expensive, shiny dress shoes clacking on the stone as he stepped off the stairs to the tiled floor. Jonathon must have called him. “You will mind how you talk to other students while you are on my campus. Now, I believe you have a meeting with the Assistant Dean for your punishment.” He turned to the side, sweeping his arm up the stairs to show them where they needed to go. They looked properly chastised and left without any further comments, but I wasn’t so convinced that this drama would really get better anytime soon. I shook my head at their backs.

  Seriously, what did I do to them? I looked over at Gabe and Elijah and gave them a small nod. “Thanks, guys, I’ll see you later?” I asked as I walked toward the stairs.

  They waved and smiled warmly at me. “No problem, Lucie. You going to the Kohl game tonight?” Elijah asked as I reached the bottom step.

  “Yeah, I’m going with my friends if you want to sit with us,” I offered. Look at me making friends! I internally squealed happily. They both agreed before heading to the elevator. I followed Alex up the four flights of stairs without talking. I could tell he was angry, his lips pressed into a thin line. He held open his door for me, and I immediately dropped my bag into my usual chair. “Are we heading back or are we staying here?” I asked him while he closed the door.

  He gestured his arm toward the hidden set of rooms behind the bookshelf. It had become a sort of game the last few Fridays for me to try and remember which book opened the shelf. I reached up and grabbed a dark brown volume with a faded gold script on the spine. It pulled down with a soft click, and I pumped a fist in the air with an excited ‘yes.’ Alex followed behind me with a warm, honeyed laugh. I bounded into the practice room in a half skip/half run. Despite all the shit that had gone down recently, I was feeling pretty good today. />
  “I’m glad to see you in such a happy mood this morning, Lucie. I know it’s been a tough couple of weeks.” Alex followed me into the practice room. “Have you gotten a chance to work with your wish granting?” I shook my head, but before he could continue, I remembered I still had a wish bond.

  “Hudson made a wish during power testing, but we haven’t gotten a chance to fulfill it.”

  “What was the wish?” Alex unbuttoned his suit jacket and took it off. He had added a hook to the wall next to the door so he could hang it up during our sessions, and it had become a start-of-session ritual.

  “A date,” I mumbled, fiddling with my ear and trying to cover my reddening face.

  “Ah.” Alex nodded once with a disapproving expression on his face. My eyebrows furrowed slightly at his response, but I couldn’t focus on it because he continued, “When did he first make the wish?”

  “First power testing session,” I admitted, my cheeks growing redder.

  “So, not necessarily long enough for any negative effects,” he murmured with an absent nod before his head tilted. “One thing to note though, Lucie, is that if you’re under an extreme amount of stress whether physical, psychological, or emotional that could affect the wish bond.”

  “Like with Noah?” I barely muttered his name, my mood quickly plummeting at the turn of discussion.

  “Unfortunately,” he agreed. “If it continues, it’ll more than likely accelerate the wish wear side effects.” I sighed defeatedly, my shoulders curling inward at the thought of more nightmares. It wasn’t that I was opposed to a date with Hudson. I mean, I had liked him for a while, but I would rather do it when it felt natural instead of forcing it. “I wouldn’t worry about that right now though, Lucie. We’ll handle that if it comes to it, okay?” I tried to give him an encouraging smile to reassure him that I wasn’t going to focus on it, but the tightening of his eyes made me think I hadn’t quite managed. “Today, I would like to test some of the boundaries of your wish granting. Nothing big, I don’t want to put you at any more risk, I just want to see what exactly some of the boundaries are.”