Smoke and Survival (Best Wishes Book 2)

by A. J. Macey

  “Let’s go,” Lucie directed as she bent down to scoop up half the cookie tins, “before you decide to start throwing punches or kicking them in the shins, you crazy person.” I took the tins from Lucie as she tried to pass me, her mouth opening to argue, before my stern look silenced any protests. Charlie followed suit before turning to address the room.

  “It really was nice to meet you guys.” Her smile was sincere as Lucie held the door open for us. Lucie gave them a quick ‘we’ll be back’ as we filed into the hallway. Lucie took half of the tins Charlie carried, the walk to the guest parking lot short since it was right by Lucie’s dorm.

  Their conversation continued, the topics bouncing around from current happenings to stories from their youth. It was nice to see Lucie so lighthearted, her carefree laugh echoing through me. Her and Charlie really did have a special bond. Sadie would fit in well with them, I thought as I observed their interactions. Charlie’s pretty much a blend of Lucie and Sadie. After loading the car with the tins, Lucie gave Charlie another hug. I said goodbye, giving a small wave before curling my fingers around Lucie’s hand. We turned away from the parking lot, intent to have a relaxing afternoon.

  November 12th

  Monday Morning

  Lucienne

  My feet hit the floor, slowing into a walk as we finished our pre-training workout. I took the small towel I had been bringing with me for training and wiped the moisture beading up on my forehead. It was just me, Cam, and Nik today in the gym because Dante and Hudson had their early morning Statistics class. My twins were assisting with set up for a class because they had gotten in trouble with their energy manipulation professor for “horsing around” on Thursday so they couldn’t join us. I followed Nik to the mats and noticed Cam break off toward the locked storage cabinets where weapons and practice props were held. He unlocked one of the cabinets and reached in. When he pulled back and relocked the door, he was holding a wooden knife and rubber gun. Oh god. Regardless of them being obvious fakes, my stomach lurched uncontrollably.

  “We are working with weapon defense today, Babe.” Nik dragged my attention from staring at the weapons, his rough words filtering through the air. I nodded meekly, still feeling several memories creeping up.

  “You all right, Doll?” Cam’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me, and I felt my skin paling, becoming clammy. Goosebumps creeped across my arms and legs with the memory of staring down the barrel of Noah’s handgun, hearing the hammer click as it was pulled back. I shook my head sharply, as if shaking my head enough would dislodge the memories.

  “Uh, kind of,” I stuttered, rubbing my hands up and down my face a few times, wiping away the clamminess of my skin. I knew there was no way they’d let me get away without answering, so I tried to get it over with as quickly as possible. “Just reliving a few of the times Noah held me at gunpoint, but I’m good now, so let’s get going.” Nik and Cam went still as stone, hands curled into fists as their eyes burned.

  “He did what?” Nik’s rough voice trembled with fury, ending his question with his jaw crushed tightly together. The gravel in his voice grew thick in his anger.

  “Yeah, like I said when I first told you guys about him, he did a lot, and I only gave the basics.” I shrugged, not making eye contact with either of them.

  “I know you brought this up last Tuesday, but the, uh, sexual assault,” Cam stuttered out, struggling with bringing it up. It was the first time I had ever seen him uncomfortable during a conversation. He is always so articulate and well-spoken.

  “Yeah, he didn’t always force it. But even when he didn’t, I knew my choices were to give it up or deal with the beat down that came with disobeying,” I murmured, worrying my lower lip between my teeth and feeling the flashbacks clawing to the front of my mind. “Can we get on with fight training, please? I don’t want to think about any of that.” Bouncing from one foot to the other on the balls of my feet, I worked to keep my muscles loose. They didn’t appear happy with my abrupt change of topic, but neither argued. I knew they would be there for me when I was ready to discuss it. They didn’t have to say it. I could see it in their eyes and feel it in their soothing touches and warm embraces. They cared about me—all of me—even the broken pieces.

  After almost an hour, I was able to keep my flashbacks and anxiety away by reminding myself that Noah was a very real threat. I can protect myself. I can save myself. Sweat dripped into my eyes as I disarmed Nik, the rubber gun steady in my hand despite the tremble in my sore arms and tightness in my chest from my injury. While the wound was still healing, it was taking longer and longer with each practice we had.

  Cam clapped once, calling an end to the training. “All right, I think that’s enough for now on those, you’ve gotten good at disarming. We’ll work on it again tomorrow after classes.”

  I handed off the gun to Cam, and Nik’s bare chest brushed my arm slightly as he gave Cam the discarded wooden knife we’d used earlier. I couldn’t help but stare at Nik’s chiseled torso and the drop of sweat that slid down his cut abs and onto his sweats. Fuck. A throb of desire shot through me as I looked up at him and saw his glassy eyes boring into me. The corner of his lips turned up as he shifted closer and the air crackled with his power. His fingers lightly gripped my chin, keeping my head tilted up toward him, his thumb brushing against my lower lip. Power and magic sparked and tingled across my skin with each pass. A shiver slipped down my spine at the pure sinfulness he was exuding, the thick sexual tension in the air bringing a throb to my core.

  “I want to spread you out on this mat, Babe. I want to see all of that porcelain skin on display for me.” His words were heated as he whispered them into my ear, and I found myself leaning into his chest the more he talked. My breathing was hard, my heart thumping erratically in my chest as heat poured through me. I turned my head to look at him, my lips brushing his strong jaw. Desire built within me at the touch, and I found myself unsure of what to say. Instead, I nipped him lightly on the jaw causing a sharp intake of breath.

  “Keep that up, Doll, and you’ll see exactly what we want to do to you.” Cam’s voice was soft as he stepped up behind me, his warm torso pressing against my back. Two pale hands curled around my hips tightly. A kiss pressed on my neck, two sharp points lightly grazing my skin as Cam’s glasses brushed against my hair. Nik closed the space between us, cupped the back of my head, and pressed his lips to mine. Holy shit, my jumbled brain murmured, I can’t believe this is happening. I moaned quietly when Cam’s cock pressed into the curve of my ass while Nik was hard against my hip. Nik sucked in my lip and bit down, not hard enough to hurt but with a teasing sting that had me arching my back so that my ass rubbed against Cam while my breasts pressed against Nik’s naked chest. This wasn’t like being with the twins, when it was just for fun, this was us in a relationship. They were a unit, and they were willing to have me join them. I wanted to panic, but at the same time I wanted to give a girly squeal. Shoving away those thoughts, I focused on feeling their hands and mouths on me, losing myself in the sensations.

  “My, my, my,” a husky voice called out, “look at you, Love, sexy as can be between two equally hot guys.”

  I chuckled, recognizing the voice and nickname. Logan and Landon were heading our way from the door, satisfied smirks curling their lips.

  “Cockblocker,” Nik growled at them, the hint of laughter in his voice the only thing giving away that he wasn’t truly upset. “We were busy here, thank you very much.” They both rolled their eyes.

  “Clearly not practicing what you should have been,” Landon teased. “How has it been going? You know, other than interrupting your chance at sexy times.” Cam gave me a quick kiss on my hair and stepped back to grab his stuff off to the side of the mat. Nik’s hand slid from around my neck and fell to his side as he shook his head, a small chuckle bubbling out as he started to wipe down the equipment.

  “Not bad. Lucie did well on her weapon’s defense.” Cam handed the straps of my messenger bag to
me before slipping his backpack onto his shoulders.

  “And your injury, Lemon Drop, is it bothering you at all?” Logan asked, eyeing my injury laden chest.

  “It stings a little but nothing too bad. At least not while I have my mind occupied with other things…”

  “Like Nik and Cam’s naked bodies?” Landon interrupted as Cam snickered. I couldn’t fight the blush that I felt; luckily my face was already red from the workout. We put all the equipment away and headed out into the quad, but all I could focus on was needing a cold shower.

  Ugh.

  10

  November 14th

  Wednesday Evening

  Lucienne

  The quad was quiet and empty as my guys and I strolled down the walkway. The air was misty and cold, and a small shiver slid down my spine as I pulled my hat down over my ears. The only noise around us was Dante and the twins discussing the upcoming Kohl game. I jogged the last bit of the walkway when the door came into view, their laughs echoing against the stone of the building as I left them behind. So cold. I punched in the access code as quickly as my frozen fingers would allow and rushed inside leaving the guys locked out. They know the code, I reasoned. Ripping my wet gloves off my hands, I blew into them. The warm air of the building common and entertainment room seeping into my bones.

  “Jeez, way to leave us out there, Babe.” Nik poked me in the side playfully when they had finally filed into the building.

  “I’m freezing, not my fault you weren’t right behind me. Let’s go, I need to change into sweats and bury myself in blankets.” I shivered in my wool coat. When we reached the second floor, I had finally started to warm, and the shivering subsided. I slid the key into my door knowing Sadie was working late on a project for one of her classes in the library. I pushed the door open with my hip and slid my hand against the wall to the light switch. The door hit something on the other side with a thunk bringing me to a stop. Confused, I flipped the light to see what blocked the entrance. My lungs seized as my eyes darted around the area of the room I could see through the crack in the door. The shared living room darkened and tilted, my legs giving out. Strong arms slid around my back as everything went black.

  Dante

  Lucie’s brows drew down as the door stopped with a thud, and she reached in and flipped the light. Moments of silence passed as Lucie stood unmoving before suddenly falling sideways. Nik caught her before she made contact with the carpeted hallway floor, cradling her to his chest and stepping out of the way from the door. Logan shouldered the door open, knocking whatever was blocking it out of the way with a loud crash. Logan muttered a curse as he eyeballed the room. Landon whipped his phone out of his jeans pocket and dialed a number while peering over his twin’s shoulder at Lucie’s dorm. My adrenaline ratcheted up as I saw the tension in their shoulders and fisted hands, black claws lengthening at the tips of their fingers. I slipped around the twins and into Firecracker’s dorm.

  I walked in on a complete disaster—chairs overturned with ripped cushions, the stuffing strewn about the floor. The TV was smashed and lying screen up, the doors open to all of the rooms. The bathroom was in ruin with a destroyed shower curtain and bottles everywhere. Sadie’s room seemed relatively unscathed with only her bed overturned. Her art supplies and in progress pieces were untouched. Thank goodness. I wove around the chaos and headed toward Lucie’s room. Please don’t be too bad, I internally pleaded.

  Seeing the state her room was in had bile rising up the back of my throat. Everything was cut or torn, furniture flipped and broken, and there were several dents and holes in the walls and door. I stared hard at the holes next to me trying to identify what caused them. There aren’t any objects by the wall, I thought, glancing around. After a few seconds I put my fist up to one of the chest height holes, and it fit perfectly. The holes toward the bottom of the wall lined up well with my boots. He literally beat the shit out of her room. I shook my head, the knot in my stomach growing with each thought of what would have happened to our Lucie had she been here alone.

  In one last sweep of her room I noticed an envelope on top of the upturned mattress. I shifted a few things out of the way and plucked it off the top. I strode into the living room where the twins and Hudson were righting the loveseat and cushions. Lucie was still unconscious in Nik’s arms, Cam in front of him rubbing a hand across her forehead and brushing her hair out of her eyes. A thunderclap sounded in the hallway, and Dean Renaud stepped up to the door. His light blue eyes took in the destruction of the dorm. While he continued his perusal, assuming Landon filled him in on the details when he had called, I turned my attention back to the envelope.

  I flipped it around and pulled open the seal. As I suspected, another stack of photos peeked through. I tilted the envelope, the pictures sliding into my palm. They were of Cam, Nik, and Lucie during training earlier in the week. It started with their warmups, into the weapons defense, and several were of Lucie sandwiched between Nik and Cam getting hot and heavy. The last few were all of them talking with Logan and Landon. There was one picture out of the stack that didn’t match the rest. This one was of a younger Lucie whose beautiful face and body were covered in harsh bruises and cuts while blood splattered on her sickly pale skin. This one was the only one that had writing on it. “Babygirl, you know what happens when you act like a slut.”

  I couldn’t look at them anymore, so I walked over to Dean Renaud and shoved the stack into his hands. Lucie was slowly stirring, her eyes squinting against the overhead lighting. Focus on something else, I commanded myself. I went over to where Nik was setting Lucie down from where she had been cradled in his arms. She leaned into him with Cam supporting her other side, her legs trembling as she finally shifted to put her weight on them.

  “How are you feeling?” I took one of her hands and rubbed her soft skin with my thumb hoping to comfort her. She coughed lightly, eyes darting around the room fully taking in the state of her stuff.

  “Peachy.” Her voice was flat and tired, her lips turning down into a harsh frown. “Please tell me Sadie’s stuff is untouched? I couldn’t stand it her art was damaged because of me.” Oh, hell no. My nerves frayed with that last statement.

  “Her stuff is fine, but don’t you dare think this is your fault, Lucie.” My gaze bore into hers, her sad deep sapphire eyes staring back. “This is solely because of Noah and no one else. You did not destroy the room, you did not force him to come here, and you didn’t make him into the fucking psycho he clearly is. You are not to blame, understand?” My voice was hard, willing her to listen and doing its best to hide the turmoil that stirred inside me. Her head tilted up and then back down slowly in a tiny nod. I leaned forward, unable to help myself, and placed a soft kiss to her equally soft lips, about to deepen it until Dean Renaud’s cough broke up the moment.

  “All right, Lucie, I’m going to have you move into your other room. I’ll also have Sadie placed in a room in Administration Housing with two security guards, so she’ll be under watch in case Noah tries to go after her, but based on the destruction in here it seems it was mostly targeted toward you.” His words were clipped in anger as he walked out of Lucie’s room. Turning to look at me and my brothers, he continued, “One of you will continue to stay with her at all times. Her secondary room is smaller, and I’m not sure all of you will be able to stay the night, so I’ll give you a couple of rooms in the Administration Housing. That way you’re right next door instead of across campus until this situation is dealt with. I’ll let you sort out the details.”

  “What about your archery competition this weekend?” Lucie murmured, her eyes fixed on Nik.

  Dean Renaud’s hand raked through his hair, his lips thinning the longer he thought. “Is it a local competition?”

  Nik nodded, his face stone hard, but the whipping crackle of his power gave away how angry he was.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think it would be wise for you to go, Lucie. Campus security only extends so far, and while I know you wouldn�
�t be alone, I’m not sure it would be safe for you.” The dean’s face flashed quickly in an expression I couldn’t place when Lucie’s face fell, but it smoothed into his professional demeanor before I could identify what it was. “I’m sorry, Lucie.” She dipped her head in acknowledgement before he continued with her safety plan. “I’ll be having Bill and Troy on duty rotations with the Head of Security, Mr. Hanson, consistently, so you won’t be without a guard. No one other than us, Muriel, and your security detail know of your secondary room, and the library security system was upgraded yesterday. You still have the majority of your things there, correct?” She nodded silently. “Very good, Mr. Hanson will be taking the morning shift, Bill with the overnight shift, and Troy during the afternoon and evening shift. Go on down, Troy is waiting in the hallway. I will handle this.”

  “Wait.” She looked up at him seemingly defeated. “What about my trip to Fae? That’s coming up soon too.” A small bubble of anger popped inside me. Noah was ruining her life again, and he hadn’t even laid a hand on her.

  “That should be doable what with Portal Patrol and Gerry going along. I’ll forward the picture Charlie gave us and any other pertinent information to their head office so they will know to be on the lookout. It would also be best not to discuss any trips, events, or gatherings that you might be attending while outside my office or your rooms. We don’t know for certain how he is getting his information, and there are eyes and ears everywhere. The less he knows, the safer you are.” Dean Renaud’s hand fell lightly onto her shoulder and with a small, encouraging squeeze he turned and exited her room.