by A. J. Macey
“Wow…” I breathed. When the room chuckled, I realized I had actually said it out loud. Feeling the heat of a blush on my cheeks, I tried to save face with a smile even with my mind just echoing ‘Here lies Lucie, death by social awkwardness.’
“Don’t worry, I get that a lot,” he reassured me. “The eyes run in the family. So, what’s a pretty girl like you doing hanging out with these two losers?” Rick teased, light-heartedly tossing a thumb toward the twins. Both stuck their tongues out, their hands coming up to flip him off.
“She’s our girlfriend, you ass,” Logan retorted, but his laughing betrayed his harsh words.
“Of course she is, no idea how you two crazies are able to hold onto any girl for longer than two seconds. I would lose my damn mind if you were my boyfriend,” Rick joked turning his attention to me. “So Lucie, you thinking of joining the team?”
“See!” the twin’s both exclaimed loudly, waving at Rick.
“No,” I said with finality, shaking my head. “I would not be a good addition to the team”
“You never know who would be good until you actually play,” Titus added. “I’m only a junior, so I plan on playing next year too. If you do end up thinking about it, I can help you practice if you wanted. I’m sure those two and Dante would help too.” I gave him an appreciative smile, but Rick’s talking stopped any response I would have given.
“Well, I’m a senior so you’re more than welcome to have my number after I’m gone if you end up being a Raider.”
“Fine, fine,” I finally gave in. “I’ll think about it, how about that?” I compromised, looking to the twins who cheered and did a happy dance, all without leaving their chairs. Right as they calmed, the girls' locker room opened and two of the female players joined us in the common area. It was the red-headed co-captain, Alexa, I remembered, followed closely by the one who could fly. Mia’s wings were tucked back, and I couldn’t help but examine them. The taupe wings held flecks of white, grey, and dark brown throughout the soft looking feathers. Alexa’s eyes lit up when she saw me. Mia’s, on the other hand, looked suspicious as they flickered between me and the twins.
“Hey! You must be Lucie,” the co-captain exclaimed, her slender hand extending toward me. “I’m Alexa, but you can call me Lexa. I’m happy to finally meet the girl who’s had Dante’s head in a tizzy.” I shook her hand, unsure of what to say in response to that.
Come on, you’ve done well for the last few months being normal. Hell, you just had a good conversation with Rick and Titus, say something.
“That’s me,” I chirped. My smile felt fake, but I was hoping it looked sincere to these girls who didn’t know me. Yup, so normal, Lucie, I chided.
“Hey now,” Landon started, his face feigning indignation and drawing Lexa and Mia’s attention away from me. A quick wink let me know he knew I was uncomfortable being a part of a conversation with someone new. He and Logan moved at the same time, one brother sitting on either side of me on the arms of my chair. Rick and Titus chuckled at their antics.
“Don’t forget about us,” Logan finished for his twin. Lexa joined in the laughing, giving me an eye roll as if to say she was used to their playfulness.
“I thought she was Dante’s girlfriend?” Mia finally chimed in, her voice husky. The smokey quality added to the don’t-mess-with-me vibe she was currently giving off with crossed arms and hip jutted out.
“She is,” Logan started.
“But she’s also ours,” Landon continued. His hand came to rest on the back of my neck, his fingers tangling lightly in my hair mimicking what he did on the field.
“She’s also our brothers’,” Logan rounded off their verbal back and forth. His smile was soft as he glanced down at me.
“Wow, that’s a lot of dick to handle, no wonder you’re the center of the gossip mill.” Mia’s dark brown eyes rolled as she strutted out of the common room and into the cold weather. Her snarky statement left everyone in a state of shock. Did she…. Was that supposed to be an insult? My confusion scrunched up my brows, and I pursed my lips in thought. Coming out of the stunned silence before anyone else, Lexa gave me an apologetic smile.
“Sorry about that, Mia’s a bit…” She trailed off, head tilting as she thought of how to phrase her next statement.
“Of a bitch, clearly.” Dante’s normally melodic words were short and clipped in anger, his eyes hard as he stared at Lexa. In my shock I hadn’t even noticed Dante walking out of the locker room, but he must have just in time to hear Mia’s snide remark. He stood stoic and angry next to Titus. The twins nodded their agreement, jovial attitudes falling into irritation while the other two men had scrunched faces and disbelieving expressions, as if they truly couldn’t believe she had just said that.
“I’ll talk to her.” Lexa seemed sincere as she talked with Dante.
“See that you do,” he snapped. Lexa gave me another apologetic smile before excusing herself, the door to the common room closing quietly behind her.
“No idea what the hell that was about,” Titus started, shaking his head, “but sorry you had to be on the other end of Mia’s very, uh, opinionated attitude. It was great to meet you, Lucie, but we’ve actually got to get going.” His hand waved between him and Rick. “We have plans to watch the Seahawks play today.”
“We’ll see you around, I’m sure,” Rick added before waving and following Titus out the front door.
“We’ll be back, Love.” Logan dropped a kiss on the top of my head, Landon following suit before they headed to the locker room leaving Dante and me alone. Dante was still standing where he had been when he had addressed the Mia situation, his jaw clenched tightly. Realizing he wasn’t really paying attention to what was around him, I got up and walked over to him.
“Hey,” I murmured, my hand resting against his corded forearm that was crossed over his chest. “You all right?” My voice startled him from being lost in his thoughts, and his arms dropped with a heavy exhale.
“I’m sorry, Lucie.” Exhaustion was thick in his words. Sliding my arms up his biceps and around his shoulders, I hugged him tightly even though it hurt to do so. My body automatically popping en pointe with how tall he was. The smell of his cologne and a small hint of soap surrounded me when he wrapped his arms around my thin waist.
“Why are you apologizing?” I whispered, my fingers gently massaging his knotted shoulders. His face nuzzled into the crook of my neck despite needing to lean down to do so.
“Because you have enough to worry about, and you don’t need one of my teammates treating you like that.” His breath was warm on my skin, goosebumps rising at the heat.
“That isn’t your fault, you don’t need to take the blame for everything everyone does. You didn’t make her talk to me like that or give her the attitude problem. She did that, Dante, not you.” I pulled back, my deep blue eyes finding his emerald irises. The shadows that passed over his face and eyes told me everything I needed to know. He carried around the weight, of the world of things he couldn’t possibly be responsible for, the tension clear in his drooping shoulders. “I’m all right, hon, I promise. I don’t care what anyone says about me; nothing they say will make me feel like being with you guys is wrong or make me less than I am.” For the first time in years, the sentiment felt sincere. Confidence in my decision to date them, to just be myself, flowed through me.
“Fuck, Firecracker, how did I get so lucky?” His black brows dipped low over his eyes as he spoke, his question quiet enough that I don’t think he realized he said it out loud.
Grazing the back of his neck with my nails, I nudged his head down to mine. This wasn’t like the other kisses I had gotten. This one was full of promise, of safety, of connection, a hope of something more. The thought made my heart pound painfully in my chest, from nerves or anticipation I wasn’t sure. His lips were soft but sure as they moved, hints of coffee on his tongue as it traced against mine. Pulling back, he kissed my forehead softly, his arms still hugging me to his che
st. My eyes fell shut at the contact, Dante’s exhale ruffling my hair gently. The sound of one of the doors opening caught my attention, but he didn’t let me go, his warm smile against my forehead feeling a pink tinge heat my cheeks.
“We’re all done,” Logan announced. Landon stepped up to the side of us, his arms wrapping around both Dante and me before squeezing.
“Awe, look at us. One big happy family!” he cheered happily, content to be the comic relief after the strained conversation with Mia that had played out and the intense emotions stirring inside me. My laugh was echoed by Dante’s and Logan’s as we fell into a line heading back into the cold. Confidence in our relationship solidified as we walked, their synergy around me calming the years of psychological shit I’d suffered from Noah.
My family…
9
November 11th
Sunday Morning
Camden
I held open the door for the conference room for my brothers and Lucie. Lucie’s vanilla scent wafted past as she gave me a small smile, her pink lips curling ever so slightly before moving deeper into the room. Scanning the space, I didn’t see Charlie seated at the large wood table. Only Dean Renaud, Head of Security Gerry Hanson, and the two security guards from the other night—Bill and Troy, I believe—were situated in various cloth-covered chairs. I took a seat between Nik and Lucie, leaving the seat next to Lucie empty for Charlie. Unfortunately, these weren’t the best circumstances to be meeting her under, but I couldn’t help but look forward to finally meeting Charlie. I was excited to get a glimpse into Lucie’s life from when she was a human. I can’t believe he actually went to her best friend, I mentally growled at the nerve of that asshole.
My brothers and I were struggling with not being able to get to him as more and more texts and calls continued to come in. At this point, Lucie had left her phone on silent, only checking it once, maybe twice a day for the last few days. Of course, the guys and I checked it nightly to report to Alex, but we also wanted to make sure that the texts weren’t escalating from just stalking to threatening. Although the stalker aspect was creepy, he hadn’t taken it any further. Yet. We’d also noticed other side effects of Noah’s stalking; she was barely eating, her already thin body starting to look a bit gaunt, and the purple smudges under her eyes had gotten worse with every night due to her increasing nightmares. While her flashbacks hadn’t made too many appearances, she’d been jumpy and anxious.
Doll… My heart cracked a little more when I looked at her sitting next to me. Her hair was tossed in a messy bun on the crown of her head, no makeup on her beautiful face, her sweater looking a bit looser than it used to while her belt was one notch tighter to hold her jeans in place. Those plump lips had been permanently downturned since the beginning of this shit show. On a good note, her fighting has gotten better in the last couple of practices, showing she was a quick study. A psychopathic stalker is great motivation, I thought darkly.
The door opened, showing a woman with coffee colored skin and black curly hair. She was dressed similarly to Lucie in skinny jeans, knee high boots, and a sweater, although Charlie was wearing a thick cardigan instead of a jacket. Lucie was thinner than her best friend, but they seemed relatively the same height. She didn’t look uncomfortable in a room of strangers, confidence shining through as she walked to the table. Lucie stood and gave her best friend a hug, her head dropping down to Charlie’s shoulder as she sniffled. I had to sit on my hands to stop myself from reaching out and curling her into my arm. She has only seen Charlie once this semester, she sees you every day, I reminded myself.
When Lucie pulled back, her eyes were red and tear tracks streaked her sunken cheeks. She smiled at Charlie and sat back down next to me, and I immediately scooted her chair over to me and threw my right arm around her holding her trembling body to mine. She rubbed her cheek on my shoulder and settled in. I dropped a quick kiss on top of her head before pulling back, my arm still holding her to me. Charlie gave Lucie a look with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. Apparently, Lucie didn’t tell Charlie we were together. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that multiple partner relationships weren’t normal in human communities. Makes sense.
“Charlie, it’s a pleasure to meet you, I just wish it could have been under better circumstances. I’m Dean Alexandre Renaud, this is Head of the Security Gerry Hanson, and two of our security guards who are on-call for Lucie’s safety around campus, Bill and Troy.” Dean Renaud gestured to each person as he introduced them. “These gentlemen are Lucie’s boyfriends.” No judgement colored his statement this time as he went down the line giving Charlie our names. “Can you please explain to us what happened with Noah?” Charlie continued to eye us as he listed out names, but at Dean Renaud’s question she focused back on topic.
Over the next hour, we went back and forth about the details of Charlie’s encounter with Noah. Her voice was warm, and a slight accent I couldn’t place colored her words. She repeated much of the same story that Lucie had the other day, but she did say that Noah had changed his appearance with a ratty baseball hat and UW sweatshirt. She had been able to take a photo of him which she had printed out so she could give us a copy. Lucie refused to look at the picture but the rest of us did. He wasn’t what I expected but then again bullies never were. It also explained why she couldn’t pick him out of the crowd after she got out of class. Hell, he might have changed his appearance again, making the photo Charlie gave us useless. Nobody said he was stupid, just a fucking asshole. After sharing the photo with us, Alex and Mr. Hanson asked a few final questions before the meeting was concluded.
When it was finally called to an end, I led the way out of the room, Lucie’s hand curled in mine. Charlie followed her trailed by the rest of my family. Dean Renaud and the security guards stayed in the room to continue talking.
“So, boo.” Charlie gave Lucie a sassy ‘give it up’ expression with pursed lips, arms crossed, and a hip pushed out. “I feel like you’ve been holding out on me.” Lucie started to slowly turn pink, her hand squeezing mine slightly. She coughed quickly into her free hand before addressing Charlie.
“Uh, yeah, about that,” she muttered, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket. “These are my boyfriends.” She ended her statement with a small shrug. “Sorry I didn’t tell you; I’ve had a lot on my mind recently.” An apologetic smile creeped onto her face.
“Boo.” Charlie’s voice was chilled, her mouth thinned into a tight line. “I’m so jealous!” She burst out laughing and clapped her hands. “You have six boyfriends! Where can I find six sexy guys for myself?” She threw an arm over Lucie’s unoccupied side, and Lucie’s arm circled Charlie’s waist as she laughed with her.
“I know two somebodies you seemed to like,” Lucie teased, poking Charlie in the waist. “If you want, I can talk to them.” My brow furrowed in thought, unsure of who they were talking about.
“Gabe and Elijah,” Hudson must have read the confused look on my face because his voice echoed the names in my head. I gave a slight nod to let him know I understood.
“We’ll see.” Charlie shrugged, a small smile curling her lips. “Let’s grab those cookie tins you collected since I last grabbed them. Your mama’s on my ass about the fact that she’s running low again, Miss-Cookie-Tin-Hog.” Lucie’s warm laugh filled the area around us as we turned toward her dorm building. The quad wasn’t overly busy with students since it was lunch time, but there was still a small amount walking this way and that. The girls continued to chat as Dante typed in the code for the building, the common room bustling with students watching TV or playing games. The guys talked amongst themselves while I trailed behind with Lucie and Charlie, the two lost in their own little world.
The dorm room was empty after Lucie unlocked it, Sadie having a lunch date with a girl she was gushing about the last few days. It had been five days since Lucie’s locks were changed and yet we weren’t confident in the idea that he couldn’t find his way in again to leave any surprises. T
hankfully I didn’t see any envelopes or colored photos of Lucie. The girls split off from us and slipped into her room, and the clanking sounds of the metal tins clashing together filled the air. My brothers sank into their usual spots: the twins on the couch, Nik against the wall, and Dante and Hudson in the chairs. I remained standing to walk Lucie and Charlie to the parking lot. They emerged from her room, their arms filled with colorful tins that she set on the coffee table. Her dark brown eyes zeroed in on Hudson, narrowing slightly.
“Charlie.” Lucie’s voice was soft but firm, having caught the look on her best friend’s face. “Don’t,” she urged. The quiet command pulled the attention of the rest of the guys out of their conversations, gazes falling on Charlie who waved off Lucie’s warning.
“You treatin’ my girl right?” Charlie’s accent grew thicker, her Creole roots becoming more obvious as she squared off with Hudson. “Because if you don’t, I’ll kick your ass to the moon and back like I did your ex-ho.” A slender finger poked Hudson in the chest, the force strong enough to make him wince. The guys’ brows shot up at the not-so-subtle threat. “That goes for the rest of you as well.” Her finger swung around the room, her eyes making contact with each of us as she talked. Lucie’s reddened face was buried in her hand, and a groan rumbled in her chest before she glared up at her friend.
“Charlotte Ava Hauser,” Lucie’s voice was sharp, “you mind your manners, or I’ll tell your mom you’re threatening people. Hudson was under the influence of some dark magic those few weeks, so he didn’t know what was happening.” Charlie’s hand fell to her side the longer Lucie explained. “They’re not who you should be worried about, okay?”
“Oh.” Charlie sounded surprised, dark eyes darted to Hudson once more. “Sorry ‘bout that.” Her voice was humble as she apologized, and then she turned and addressed Lucie again. “But boo, you can’t blame me too much, I mean, I am your best friend. That means I have to let them know what’ll happen if they break your heart.” Her smile was wide, a subtle glint shining in her eyes as she justified herself. Several of us chuckled at her, and Lucie shook her head, unable to hide the tiny curl of her lips.
