Smoke and Survival (Best Wishes Book 2)

by A. J. Macey

  “You going to shower?” Nik asked, his voice a near whisper. I nodded. “You do that and Gerry will take you to the salon. We made an appointment before coming.”

  “You guys,” I started, my chest filled to bursting with warm and fuzzy emotions. My eyes watered and words escaped me. To express how I felt, I launched myself at Nik, wrapping him tightly in my arms. He smelled of fresh spring air and clean linens. His arms encircled my waist, holding me to the hard planes of his chest. I felt my tears soaking his black Henley before pulling away. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, dropping his arms to let me go to Cam. I closed the space between us, his parchment scent enveloping me as he folded me in his arms. “Thank you,” I mumbled against his chest.

  “No problem.” Cam’s hand rubbed gentle circles against my back. “We want you to be able to enjoy your weekend away.” He pulled back and looked down at me. “Now, go shower and get ready.” I gave him a kiss and grabbed my bag from the bed before heading into the bathroom, still feeling relaxed. My panic and anxiety had truly melted away for the first time in a month.

  November 30th

  Friday Evening

  Lucienne

  Holy shit. I stared at the dress the guys had gotten me. The navy blue was the same shade as my eyes, and the silhouette was reminiscent of the dress I wore at the All Hallows’ Eve dance. Only this time instead of being a strapless sweetheart top, it was a halter. The halter portion connected in the back leaving most of my back covered except a sliver in the middle where the skirt portion lay and a small portion of my shoulder blades.

  The dress was soft against my skin, and the gold and crystal diamond bib necklace they had left with the dress sparkled against the deep blue. I wanted to wear my token necklace, but I didn’t want to keep it around my neck, so I did something I hadn’t done in a while. I wrapped the chain around my wrist until it resembled a multi-strand bracelet and clipped it in place.

  “You almost ready, Doll?” Cam’s voice traveled through the crack in the bedroom door. Nik and Cam had had their garment bags hanging neatly in the living room when I returned from the salon, and neither of them were in the room so I could surprise them with a grand reveal.

  “Almost, just have a bit left,” I called out, sitting gingerly on the bed. I slipped on the simple gold heels, the straps wrapping over my foot and around my ankle to keep it in place.

  “We’re ready when you are.”

  I stood, double checking myself in the mirror one last time. My makeup was simple but classic with a soft smokey eye and nude lipstick. My hair was curled, the top half pulled back and set in a fancy knot like how Sadie had done my hair for my date with Hudson. Grigori fluttering into the room abruptly took me by surprise. Nik’s familiar settled on the back of one of the chairs over by the window, his head tilted as he looked at me.

  “You come to check on me?” I asked jokingly, his slight head shake making my brows creep up my forehead. “Well, if you aren’t here for that, then why aren’t you with Nik?” My question was low and hesitant, unsure if I was imagining Grigori responding to me, but when he gave a tiny squawk and glanced at the door, I knew I wasn’t. With my curiosity piqued, I started toward the door cautiously. Peeking through the space, I felt a strange rush of heat flow through me at what I saw.

  They were seated on the couch together. Cam’s hand cupped Nik’s jaw, his face buried in the crook of Nik’s neck while his jaw shifted rhythmically. Nik’s eyes were closed, his lips barely parted as Cam drank from him. A part of me was screaming to stop watching, that they were doing this in private, but the majority of me was entranced. Both by the intimacy of the situation and the almost erotic way Nik was reacting. Does it feel good? As soon as the thought popped in my head, Nik’s eyes opened, his face shifting to look toward me. I huffed, glaring over at Grigori who was staring at me with unblinking eyes.

  “Tattletale,” I hissed under my breath. The familiar puffed up slightly before darting off his perch and into the living room where he landed on Nik’s shoulder. I felt my face burn as Cam and Nik watched me, the former wiping his lip with his thumb to catch the smallest drop of blood that slid down his chin.

  “Doll, you don’t have to hide in the room,” Cam cooed softly, giving a little wave of his hand for me to join them. I took a deep breath and opened the bedroom door the rest of the way. Now that I stood before them completely, I took in what they were wearing as they did the same to me. Both were sporting the same black suit, white dress shirt, and black-tie combination. Their dress shoes shone in the soft overhead light, and when they sat next to each other, my breathing faltered, unable to function with how handsome they looked.

  “Wow,” Nik’s whisper was rough as Grigori’s eyes trained on me to allow Nik to take in my outfit in its entirety. Cam’s multifaceted hazel eyes sparkled.

  “You look beautiful. Are you ready?” Cam asked shifting to stand. I nodded, still unable to speak after being caught watching something private. “Doll, it’s all right, I wouldn’t have fed in the room if I was worried you would see.” His words helped ease that niggle of worry, but it didn’t douse it completely.

  “Promise?” I mumbled, slightly fiddling with my hair self-consciously.

  “Lucie.” Cam grabbed my hand, stopping my nervous movement to intertwine our fingers. “I promise. If you have any questions or anything, you can ask me at any time.” I gave him a tiny smile before dipping my head in assent. Checking his watch, Cam nodded absently. “We should get going, the get together should be starting soon.” Nik gave my lower back a soft brush of his fingertips as he passed me, stepping out into the hallway with Cam and waited for me to join them. They offered their arms, Cam on my right, Nik on my left, and once I tucked my fingers against their elbows, we headed down to the lobby.

  The lobby and surrounding areas of the hotel still left me speechless as men and women, even children, were dressed to the nines. I couldn’t tell which were competitors and which were sponsors as we made our way to the bar. Cam ordered a round of sodas for us as Nik and I hung back.

  Nik leaned down close to my ear. “You look beautiful, Babe.” The gravel in his words brought a shiver to my body that I didn’t try to repress. I had curved toward him to respond when a guy who looked to be our age stepped up to us. His light brown hair was slicked back, similar to Nik’s style, and he wore a taupe colored suit. His dress shirt was red checker, and he wore a black skinny tie. His skin was tan while his cocky smile was slightly crooked. He was shorter than Nik and Cam, standing around 6’ where my guys stood at 6’3”.

  “Nikolai.” The guy’s voice was deep, but not as deep as Dante’s, and it held a Boston accent. I felt my skin prickle at his short greeting. The tension between Nik and this guy was thick, suffocating me in edginess. Nik’s shoulders pulled back as he stood to his full height. Grigori seemed to be glaring at the newcomer, as well as a bird could glare, I supposed.

  “Liam,” Nik nearly growled his name. I tried to keep my expression smooth, but I couldn’t help the surprise that flashed over my face at his harsh tone. The newcomer, Liam, turned his blood red eyes toward me. His cocky smile melted into a self-assured smirk.

  “Who do we have here?” He held out his hand for me, I assumed to shake, but he turned my hand and kissed my knuckles lightly. I felt my back straighten, his action having set my teeth on edge.

  “Lucie,” I said coolly, not bothering with any other pleasantries.

  “It’s quite peculiar to see you with a woman, Nikolai.” He smirked down at me once more. “Especially one this beautiful. Did Camden not attend this time?” His question seemed normal, but I could read the underlying sneer in his words.

  “I’m right here, Liam,” Cam responded, stepping up to my left. He held out our drinks for us, his resting on the empty cocktail table next to him before turning his attention to Liam. Cam’s face was cold and stoic, a complete change from the smile and warm eyes he had given me. Liam raised a single brow as Cam’s hand rested light
ly on my lower back, his fingers brushing the sliver of skin revealed by my dress.

  “Ah, of course you are.” I clenched my teeth slightly, wanting to punch this guy in his snooty face. “If you’ll excuse me, I have several others I need to see before dinner is served.” His attention was solely on me as he spoke, his self-assured smile reappearing before he was lost in the crowd of people.

  “Ugh,” Cam groaned, his hand rubbing down his face. “I hate that guy.” I had to agree with him, and I didn’t like to hate anyone.

  “I am sorry, Lucie, I did not expect him to approach us until tomorrow.” Nik’s voice was sad, the first I had heard it that way since I had met them. I turned to him, handing my drink to Cam after taking a sip.

  “Don’t apologize, Nik,” I murmured softly, pressing my hand into his silky tie. “Even with that douche, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else tonight.” Cam chuckled, his face warming to his normal happy expression. Nik blew out a breath, but he couldn’t hide the small curl of his lips. “He’s the asshole competitor, I’m assuming?” I took my drink back as we circled the table, content not to socialize with anyone else. They both nodded.

  “He’s been a thorn in our side since Nik started competing,” Cam explained, grabbing two hors d'oeuvres from a passing waiter. “Want one?” he offered, but the cracker held some unknown meat and veggie spread, so I shook my head.

  “He has been fighting for the number one competitor spot for years,” Nik whispered to save his voice. I had to lean into him to hear him over the lull of conversation around us. “When I took a break from competing, he took over, but he has been even more of an ass since I came back two years ago, angry that I reclaimed the top spot.” I nodded, Nik’s explanation making me dislike Liam even more.

  “Well, he’s not important, let’s just focus on having a good time.” I perked up as I heard a dinging over the crowd. They both laughed and directed me toward the hotel restaurant that had been booked for the evening. I settled in between my guys, the smell of the food making my stomach growl. Our evening was spent with fun conversation that left me feeling warm when we collapsed into bed a couple hours later. Their cozy bodies and mixed scents surrounding me as I slept.

  19

  December 1st

  Saturday Morning

  Lucienne

  I rolled over and shot up in bed, breathless. My heart pounded erratically, galloping at insane speeds. For once, I didn’t remember my nightmare, making it easier to bring down my heart rate and breathing to normal levels. When I finally relaxed, I noticed only Cam was still in bed with me, his light brown waves fanned out over the pillow. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, the sharp planes of his face smooth as he slept. I turned my attention to Nik’s empty space, my hand rubbing along the bed and finding it nearly cold. He’s been up for a while then. I noted the time read almost eight. We had an hour before the competition began, so I decided to curl back under the blankets, taking in Cam’s heat.

  “Mm,” he hummed, curling his arm around me and pulling me flush against him. “He had equipment check at seven.” I curved my head back to look at him; his amber irises with their flecks of blue, green, and gold were heavy with sleep, but that didn’t mask the happiness in them. “I felt you moving around, and I didn’t want you to worry about where he was.” He gave me a sleepy smile while nuzzling my shoulder. “You hungry, Doll?”

  “Not really, but I could definitely use some coffee,” I said honestly, sleep clinging to me like dead weight. He chuckled.

  “Ah, of course. How could I forget my doll’s caffeine addiction,” he teased, tickling my sides lightly. I laughed loudly, rolling away from him and jumping off the bed.

  “Do you need to shower?” I asked. The weather today was supposed to be warmer than Washington, so I made sure to pull out a pair of jean cut-offs and a loose tank. I had washed my face and taken down the pinned knot in my hair the night before, so I didn’t need to shower, especially since I planned to toss my hair in a ponytail and wear a baseball hat. He shook his head, stretching his bare upper body before shifting out of the sheets. His pajama pants hung low on his hips, no underwear in sight. Fuck, I internally groaned at the sight of his body. I quickly changed, practically prying my attention away from his lean muscles. Not the time for that, I thought, realizing I should probably have taken a cold shower before leaving. Too late now.

  Cam and I joined the crowd of spectators on the padded bleachers. Gerry had been my silent shadow since we left campus, staying near but not coming within a few feet unless necessary. His body was covered in tactical pants and a black short sleeve shirt that was straining against his bulky body. He wasn’t the only security around the group either. Similar looking bodyguards were scattered throughout the crowd hovering close to their clients. I pulled my attention from scanning the crowd to the competition that was about to start.

  A caravan of cars arrived at the competition site off to the side of the fields, Nik stepping out with his bow in his hand and quiver strapped to his back. Grigori immediately took off flying above Nik, but when he spotted me, he darted over. His large wingspan and sharp beak caused the few people near us to crouch in fear, their eyes wide as they spotted the hawk landing lightly on the bleacher in front of me.

  “Hey.” I giggled at the absurdity of the situation and at the looks people were giving me. I petted Grigori’s feathered head and wings before jutting my chin to Nik. “Kick some ass today.” He squawked and preened under my attention before taking off once more and diving right for Nik’s shoulder.

  Liam was only a few feet away from Nik, his eyes darting between him and us, the crowd’s eyes doing the same. Nik was clearly sending a message to everyone else that I was his, and despite being at a distance, I could see the cocky smirk that he aimed at Liam and the crowd. Nik fully embraced the power he held over the competition. It was quite the change from his usual withdrawn, quiet behavior.

  “Are these competitions mostly supes or are they a mix?” I leaned into Cam, his arm going over my shoulder and drawing even more attention and whispers of those around us.

  “Usually it’s a mix, but I think this one is mostly supes. There may be one or two humans,” he explained, eyes scanning the crowd before nodding. “Jesse over there.” He discreetly pointed toward a blond pre-teen standing and talking to another competitor. “Looks like he’s the only human here.” The sound of a horn blaring cut off the conversation around the field and bleachers. Competitors separated to their areas. Nik was competing in multiple events today starting with target archery. Liam followed Nik as well as a few other adult archers. Circular targets were placed at different lengths down the field for the different events.

  From what Nik and Cam had explained to me, the competitions were usually held in rotations after being split into different competitor categories. Nik and Liam were both considered advanced adults whereas Jesse had moved to other younger teens. There was one beginner category that held a range of ages. Until they reached intermediate or advanced skill level, archers could compete against a wide range of individuals. Once the categories were split, they were assigned to their events. Nik was competing in all the categories: target, field, and moving decoys. The rotations meant competing in one event, then moving to the next after the event was finished.

  Liam was the first to go, his arrows sinking into the bullseyes in quick succession. His clock still had most of the time left when the last arrow struck. I politely clapped, not wanting to seem snooty or rude. The other three adults went next, leaving Nik for last. Sweat beaded on my back from the sun bearing down on me, and we had only been out here for a half hour. Thank god I put on sunscreen or I would be a lobster by the end of this. Nik’s shooting was a mimicry of Liam’s, the only difference was his time spent shooting was shorter by a fraction of a second. The crowd, of course including Cam and me, cheered loudly in response.

  The archers were allowed two more attempts, their best one taken for scoring. Nik and Liam nailed their shots eve
ry time, both within the same time frame as each other. I could see the cocky smirks Liam kept throwing to Nik, his eyes darting to me in the crowd. I purposely continued to look the other way, but when I did end up catching Liam’s eyes, he gave me a salacious grin.

  “Ignore him,” Cam whispered, his eyes hard as he flashed his fangs at Liam in a cruel snarl. They shifted to the next section of the grassy area, only one of the archers dropping back, not competing in the field event.

  “What kind of supe is he?” I asked quietly, not sure if anyone in the crowd was here to support him. Cam’s lip pulled back slightly when several people blatantly stared at us, their heads whipping around to face the field.

  “He’s a daemon.” I nodded. Guess that explains the red eyes. The whistle to signify the start of the event caught my attention. The rest of the day continued in similar fashion. I asked Cam questions when I was confused, but for the most part I was able to follow along easily, enjoying watching Nik as well as other archers. Before I knew it, the competition came to an end, the blaring horn signaling the announcement of winners for each category and event. I clapped for each winner, anxiously waiting till they got to the final announcement, those who won in the advanced adult category events.

  “Third place in the Advanced Adult Category,” the man announced several times for different competitors in each category who won bronze. None of which were Liam or Nik. “Second place in the Advanced Adult Category, for all of the events,” the booming voice paused dramatically, “Liam Knowl!” The crowd erupted in cheers including me. Nik won first place in every event, I realized with a start. “Finally, our grand prize winner in the Advanced Adult Category, Nikolai Volkhov!” The cheers grew louder as Nik took the stage to take his medal and trophy. Grigori shot off his perch, landing on my shoulder in the crowd and once again taking their attention.