by A. J. Macey
“Not bad, we’re working on some complex building and deconstructing of structures. I built a multi-room doghouse,” Logan explained.
“He freaking built his imaginary dog a bunker, but don’t worry, I got it taken down,” Landon prided himself. Logan rolled his eyes but continued on as if his twin hadn’t said anything.
“We’re going to be starting on studying energy manipulation uses in military and war next week. Once the book portion is done, we’ll be working on actual application.” Logan’s arm wrapped around my shoulder as Landon’s hand grabbed mine.
“Yup, then we have finals.” Landon groaned pitifully. I chuckled, but internally I felt the same. I always got nervous during major tests, the worry of failing making the stress worse.
“We have a few weeks still at least,” I pointed out, “finals week isn’t until the twelfth, and we have a weekend in the middle of it.” Landon grumbled inarticulately. “Got to look on the bright side, babe.” I nudged his arm with my elbow, a happy smile taking over my face. I had missed the happy-go-lucky times we had together in the stress of the last few weeks. Landon grumbled a bit more, but he wasn’t able to hide his smile.
“So, Love, what are we doing out in the woods?” Logan’s voice was curious as he looked around us, the forest thick as we continued our walk.
“I need to bring my lock box to Alex’s office so he can put it in his safe.” I kept my eyes on the ground not wanting to trip on any roots like I had with Nik.
“Lock box?” they asked at the same time. Oh yeah, I hadn’t told them yet.
“It holds the rest of my wish tokens. I had it when I was found.” I sighed, realizing I needed to tell them about my mom and what had happened. If I wasn’t focused on talking, I would have giggled at their scrunched-up faces. Briefly I told them my story, and their eyes widened significantly. “And here we are. As instructed, my adoptive mom led me to believe I was human until college, and Adelaide was specific on where to send me. I think she knew Alex was the dean here or something, so my adoptive mom reached out, and they got me all squared away.” I shrugged, not sure what else to say. Thankfully the path widened as we reached the little clearing cutting off anymore of the conversation.
“Woah,” Logan breathed softly. Turning my attention to them I saw surprise and appreciation for the little space. I knew exactly how they felt; this place seemed almost sacred, something about the area and the serenity that permeated the space soothed any jagged shards inside me. I stepped away from them, their eyes darting around the greenery in awe. I headed straight for the stone pile, noting that none of the stones had been moved despite the couple of storms we had had since I placed my tokens out here. Making quick work of the makeshift lid on the hole, I reached in and wrapped my fingers around the soft material of the fabric wrapped around the trinket box.
“Is that it?” Logan had stepped up to my seated form, his blood red eyes full of curiosity as I unwrapped the box. I nodded, feeling Landon sit next to me on the rock. I grabbed my token and rubbed inconspicuously. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the twins, I just wasn’t sure I wanted anyone to know how to open it. The soft hiss and click of the box sounded in the quiet area. I opened the lid, the jingle of coins rattling together tinkling to my ear.
“Wow, that’s cool,” Landon added, his chin propped on my shoulder. “Think Mireille Bonheur made the box? Or had it commissioned?” I tilted my head looking at the hand sized box that nestled perfectly between my clenched fingers.
“I don’t know. I can see if Alex can look into it, or Cam.” I relocked the box and stood, tucking it and the fabric into my messenger bag. They nodded and resumed their positions on either side of me. “Let’s get going. The guys will be getting antsy without their coffee before studying,” I joked. They both scoffed.
“The only one who gets antsy without their coffee is you, Lemon Drop,” Landon teased. He looked over at his brother. “Speaking of the guys, what are we getting Dante for his birthday?” I stopped walking, their forward momentum tugging on my upper body, but I remained where I was.
“When’s his birthday?” I asked.
“December fourth.”
My eyes widened. That’s in a week!
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I squeaked, my mind whirling with stuff I wanted to do for his birthday. They both looked at each other guiltily.
“Dante doesn’t really celebrate his birthday.” Logan shrugged, his attention shifting back to me. “We thought someone had told you.” The nervous smiles on their faces practically pleaded with me not to yell at them for the slip-up.
“Okay,” I said, my voice determined, “I need to text Sadie to have her meet us at Coffeeology.” I started walking again, my steps purposeful as I planned. Landon handed my phone to me as I passed, and I blatantly ignored the texts from the unknown number.
“Love,” Logan huffed, shuffling to keep up, “what’s going on up in that pretty head of yours?” I hit send on the text and stuffed my phone back into Landon’s outstretched hand.
“He might not celebrate his birthday much, but I want to do something special for him. It’s the first time we’re all together for one of our birthdays.” I paused, tilting my head back and forth. “Well, first time I’m included, but still. We’re doing something, and you two are helping me.”
“What do you have in mind?” I chuckled at Landon’s question, his eyebrow rising at my lack of an answer.
“You’ll find out when we get to Sadie.” I gave him a sly smile. They pleaded the entire way, but I wouldn’t give them any idea into what I had planned. After twenty minutes of walking through the cold, the heat of Coffeeology blasted against my face when Logan held the door open for Landon and me. Sadie stood out among the small crowd, her blue hair a shining beacon after having been freshly colored and cut this last weekend.
“Okay, Lucie loo, what’s with the secret Batman meeting?” she questioned as I sat down at the table she had saved. Her eyebrows rose as she looked to the twins for an answer, and they both shrugged cluelessly. I rubbed my hands together and smiled. I love planning. “Uh oh, you look like you’re about to admit you want to take over the world through some weird means that will eventually be foiled by a superhero.” I laughed, catching the attention of several of the students around us. I quieted, my cheeks flushing under the unwanted attention.
“Dante’s birthday is coming up next week,” I blurted out.
Her brow furrowed as her head tilted. “You have a plan, don’t you?”
I nodded quickly, leaning forward as if anyone around would hear and tell Dante the plan. “We’re going to throw a surprise party,” I squealed quietly, “us four, and we’ll invite the guys, Elijah and Gabe, and Benji and Austin.” I started to list more guests when the twins’ eyes lit up in understanding at where I was going with this.
“The Kohl team,” Sadie suggested, her hand disappearing into her bright red heart-shaped purse pulling out a small notebook and pen to jot down our ideas.
“Oh yes!” I pointed at her excitedly.
“Maybe not Mia,” Logan suggested, his lips thinning as he likely thought back to how she reacted in the locker room. I waved away his concerns.
“Mia too.” Landon started to protest, but I cut him off. “She might have been rude that one time, but she’s part of the team, and he’s the captain. I’m not going to exclude anyone just because of one bad interaction.” They didn’t look happy but didn’t fight me.
“You leave it to me,” Sadie mumbled, her pen scrawling quickly across the page. “We got this. You guys go study, and I’ll head back to my room to figure out the place to host it.” We all shared a conspiratorial smile before she headed out of the coffee shop leaving my twins and me to collect coffee for our study group.
“You’re a little minx, Lemon Drop,” Landon whispered in my ear, the sound sending shivers down my spine. “He’ll never see it coming.”
“Is it a good idea?” I questioned, suddenly nervous.
&n
bsp; “It’s perfect,” Logan murmured. The warm excitement of the party filled me as we took the cup carriers to the library. Not even the cold air, upcoming finals, or thoughts of Noah could dim my happiness.
18
November 30th
Friday Afternoon
Lucienne
I double checked my small duffle bag quickly after pulling it from the trunk of the town car. I was excitedly jittery as well as nervous, having not been out of state or on a plane in several years. Gerry and Cam were already boarding the private jet stairs, seemingly comfortable with the whole situation. I, on the other hand, was freaking out. Who owns a private jet? I eyed the metal contraption with suspicion.
“You all right, Babe?” Nik’s rough question was startling enough for me to yelp as I jumped to face him. My chest heaved, my heart thudding out of control. His eyebrows went up as Grigori’s head tilted.
“I haven’t flown in a really long time,” I admitted quietly, securing my bag in my hand. “Just a bit nervous is all.”
“It will be okay, the flight is only a few hours,” he assured me as we started toward the jet.
“Where are we going again? And whose jet is this? I’ve never been on a jet, only commercial flights, and even then it was always in coach.” I was rambling and I knew it, but once I started asking questions my mouth just wouldn’t shut. I continued peppering questions without giving him time to answer as we ascended the steps. Only when we entered the plane did my questions cease.
The interior was cream and wood tones, and a mix of expensive looking chairs, tables, and couches filled the carpeted area. There was even a mini bar and small bedroom in the back that held a queen-sized bed. My eyes continued to dart around the space as Nik stored his bag and archery equipment into a closet. Cam chuckled at my expression, which I’m sure looked like a fish out of water, and took my bag to stow it with the others.
“Come on, Doll.” He gently maneuvered me to one of the clusters of chairs. Two of the seats faced another set with a fold down table between them. I sank into the chair closest to the window, Cam situating himself into the chair across from me as Nik and Grigori sat next to me.
“To answer your question,” Nik smiled at me, his glassy eyes angled toward me, “the jet is mine.” My jaw dropped at his revelation, and all I could do was sit there stupefied.
“Technically, it’s his parents’ second jet, but they gave it to Nik when he was younger for competitions,” Cam corrected matter of factly. His black frames winked in the overhead light as he leaned back against the headrest.
“To answer your other question, we are going to Phoenix,” Nik took over for Cam, buckling into his seat.
“Arizona?” I knew it was a dumb question, but for some reason my brain wasn’t processing information after hearing the fact that Nik’s family was rich enough to have two, two, jets. They both smothered laughs at me as the pilot announced the preflight information and the plane started to taxi to the tarmac.
“Yes.” Cam finally buckled his seat belt while responding. “Phoenix, Arizona.” They continued to answer the multitudes of questions I had rattled off during boarding as we reached the runway. As soon as the plane took off, my attention had shifted to looking out the window taking in the Washington landscape. My eyes struggled to stay open after we reached cruising altitude, but I was lulled fully into sleep when the press of a warm blanket covered me.
Something nudged my shoulder, but grumbling, I burrowed deeper into the soft blanket I had curled around me. A masculine chuckle echoed and another shake rattled my body. My mind continued to float in the abyss of sleep, unwilling to wake.
“Babe,” a familiar gravel tone pulled me closer to the surface, “we are here.” I finally pried my eyes open, the bright sunlight through the window temporarily blinding me.
“Ugh,” I groaned covering my eyes, black spots flashing in rapid succession in the dark. “Too bright,” I mumbled. The sound of the shade closing reached my ears, and the light filtering through the blanket darkened.
“There Doll, come on now, let’s go get checked in and drop our bags off.” Cam nudged my leg with his knee. I yanked the blanket down and mustered my best glare. Cam’s bright smile and Nik’s smirk melted my fake anger into a fit of giggles.
They’re too handsome for their own good.
“What’s the plan for the day?” I asked, my words sounding weird as I stretched before standing. Nik, Cam, and Gerry must have unloaded our stuff from the closets, as they were open and emptied when I passed them.
“We head to the hotel and check in,” Nik shared while holding the door of the SUV for Cam and me. Gerry slid into the passenger seat, Cam crawling past the second row of seats to the third and plopping down. His hair splayed out against his forehead at the sharp movement before he brushed them back with an open hand. I crawled in behind the driver, Nik sitting behind Gerry and closing the door with a loud thud.
“That it for today?” I asked as I buckled my seatbelt. The SUV was quiet except for the soft classical music streaming from the speakers as we pulled onto the highway. Nik sighed, rubbing his hands down his face.
“No,” he groaned, “have the Competitor’s Dinner at seven. You do not have to go if you do not want.” He turned toward me, leg propping up on the seat.
“Why wouldn’t I want to go?” I questioned. Did he not want me to go?
“There’s another competitor who’s an ass and will probably try to talk some shit. It isn’t that we don’t want you there, but we weren’t sure if you would be comfortable with that.” Cam must have recognized the hurt I tried to hide on my face, but after his explanation I nodded in understanding.
“Is it a fancy dinner?” They both nodded. “I didn’t bring anything to wear for fancy,” I mumbled, worrying my lip between my teeth.
“If you want to go, we got you something,” Cam supplied softly.
The car pulling into a parking lot dragged my attention away from the conversation. The Camby Hotel’s drive up entryway was filled with expensive town cars and SUVs, and I even spotted a few limos. What kind of people go to these competitions? My mouth was open, and I knew my eyes widened as I took in the extravagance of the hotel and its posh lobby. Everything screamed art deco and expensive tastes. I felt out of place in my skinny jeans, scuffed knee-high boots, and oversized sweater while people around us flitted around in designer labels and fancy suits. Nik stepped up to the counter, the concierge recognizing him immediately. The check-in process was seamless, only requiring him to take the keys with a quick ‘thank you.’
Stepping into the elevator it was just the four of us. I was glad to be away from the mass of people and competitors collecting in the lobby, bar, and billiards room downstairs. Our room wasn’t too far from the elevator, but far enough for me to get a good look around the marbled hall. Once the door was unlocked, I lost my breath.
The room was a suite, the bedroom behind an open set of double doors. The living room held a blue sectional, flat screen TV, desk, and a view of the desert mountains. I didn’t want to touch anything. It almost felt like my middle-classness would somehow taint the expensive furnishings around us. I mean, holy shit, how expensive is this room? The bedroom and bathroom also blew my mind. A king bed seemed small in the space with a small table with two chairs that sat under yet another window with amazing views. I think I stopped breathing at the all marble bathroom. Not being able to take anymore, I stumbled to the bed in shock. This is what Nik does almost every weekend? I couldn’t believe it.
“It is a lot, I know,” Nik grumbled, flopping onto the bed next to me. Grigori had taken off when we arrived, not liking being trapped on the plane. Nik had assured me before we left that Grigori just needed to stretch his wings, but he would be back before dinner tonight.
“Is this what it’s like every competition?”
He tilted his head back and forth as if unsure how to answer. “Sometimes it is a little more laid back, especially if it is a smaller competition,
but yes, it is like this for the larger ones.” He lay back, his gelled, chocolate brown hair a stark contrast to the white comforter.
“What do you mean larger competitions? Does that mean the number of people or…?” I was curious since Nik rarely talked about his competitions. Hell, Nik rarely talked at all. He was my silent companion, always there to help soothe any problem with a hug, kiss, and a feathery head boop.
“It is more for the big-name competitors.” He turned his head toward me. “Bigger competitors, bigger sponsors, bigger prizes, bigger rewards.” His voice cracked at the end. Clamping his jaw shut, he turned watery eyes to the ceiling. I laced my fingers with his; more questions brewed in my mind, but I didn’t want him to hurt anymore. Cam finally shuffled off the couch from his prone position, having flopped face first into the deep sapphire cushions when we got to the room.
“So, you want to come with us to dinner?” I nodded, my eyes wandering down Cam’s muscled body as it leaned against the door frame of the bedroom. His denim clad legs were straining against the material, his arms hanging loosely by his side as he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He’d shed his sweater when we landed, leaving him in a forest green shirt that was tight against his chest and biceps. His lips curled in a smirk at my perusal, but he didn’t say anything.
“I would love to go,” I said happily. The bed was outrageously comfortable, but if I was going to go, I needed to get ready. “What’s the dress code?” I shifted to sitting, my hand squeezing Nik’s lightly before standing.
“Formal, near black-tie,” Cam answered. “We’ll be in nicer suits. Do you want to do your own hair and makeup or have someone else do it?” My eyebrows went up.
“I didn’t know that was an option, but if it’s that fancy, then I guess I’ll have someone do it if we can even find anyone on such short notice.” Cam waved his hand at me, dismissing my concerns.
