Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  Mine, along with the rest of the group’s eyebrows had reached their hairlines at Cam and Hudson’s odd behavior. I felt my heart jackhammer in my chest with worry. I busied myself with pulling out the rolling chairs from mine and my twin’s rooms. Dante and Nik looked confused, but Cam and Hudson’s faces were what held my attention as they sat down. They wore matching grave expressions, tense and worried.

  “What happened with Lucie? I know you said she was okay, but are you sure? Do we need to go get her?” Landon couldn’t hold on any longer, his leg was bouncing while his fingers twisted in front of his lips. He was always the quicker-to-action brother, his emotions more explosive and closer to the surface compared to mine.

  “She’s supposed to be taking it easy for the rest of the day, she texted me saying she was just going to just relax in her room the rest of the night. She drained a lot of her mana today in mental shielding while working with Dean Renaud instead of one of the students. Not only was she able to lock down her mind, but she pushed him out completely. No weak spots, nothing could penetrate her shield.” Holy shit. Cam had taken it upon himself to explain, but then looked over to Hudson to continue whatever news they were about to drop on us as he grabbed the bottle again, this time mixing himself a drink.

  “Dean Renaud wanted her to build the shield as most students do, you know that brick visualization. According to Lucie, she was struggling so he suggested something else.” He paused as he ran his hand through his hair. “He wanted her to focus on a memory where she felt unsafe, to use that as a motivator to help ‘protect herself’”—he finger quoted—“whatever she used was strong enough to produce an advanced level shield and the rejection of any outside influence.” Hudson shifted forward to grab the bottle from Cam, taking another swig before resting his elbows on his knees, the bottle dangling between them.

  “She was drained as I said, so I don’t know if that was a factor in her being so open or not, but she admitted that the memory she used was related to her anxiety.” Cam took over the story. A knot formed in my stomach. Please don’t be what I think it is. “And her scars.” Fucking shit. I felt my stomach roll, and I willed myself not to be sick. “She didn’t confirm or deny if it was an ex-boyfriend, but I’m going to guess that’s who it was.” Cam’s admission hung heavily in the air. My eyes closed, rage burning through my veins. Our Lucie had been hurt, by someone who was supposed to love her. Landon’s jaw cracked at the amount of pressure he was clenching his teeth with.

  “Are we sure it wasn’t someone else, like a family member?” Nik’s voice rumbled deep with fury from the door frame he was leaned against. Out of all of us, he knew what it was like to be at the end of violence that resulted in permanent damage. Hudson looked up from staring holes into the carpet.

  “From what I understand, the only family she has is her mom and her best friend, Charlie, who’s a human,” Dante added into the tense air, I was barely listening at this point. This asshole broke her ribs, he stomped on her, scarred her beautiful face. Landon couldn’t handle it anymore and got up, going to the back of the loveseat to pace. I looked around the group, I was clenching and unclenching my fists as my knee bounced violently. Cam and Hudson were still as stone, Dante ran his hand through his hair as his free hand strangled the arm of his seat, and Nik was rubbing his eyes with his hand. No doubt remembering the night he lost his eyesight. A drink was sounding pretty damn good right about now, I calmly stood and poured myself a glass before sitting back down.

  “How can you be so calm?!” Landon screamed at me, his eyes blackened, the red haze pulsing with fury. His nails extended, blackening into his daemon claws as his small, black curved horns appeared in his messy hair. I stared at him, holding The Rage at bay.

  “I’m not, I know exactly what you’re feeling. The only difference is I know what it’s like to lose control,” I clipped out as I glared at him. Landon’s claws and horns receded, his eyes resuming their normal appearance. His breathing deepened as his face flooded with guilt, I sighed. None of that was his fault, I felt my chest tighten at the onslaught of memories from that night. So, not the fucking time, I ground out. Pushing the images away while I sipped my drink, the burning sensation helped to chase away the nightmares.

  “We definitely need to keep an eye on her, if her anxiety gets worse we can at least be there, ground her like Charlie has over the phone. I’m going to go out on a limb and say she’s dealing with some PTSD. If she’s willing to open up more about it to one of us, keep the rest informed unless she asks you to keep it to yourself. She needs to be able to trust us. We won’t let her get hurt,” Dante commanded, taking charge after he was able to compose himself. A round of agreements went up. “I don’t want any of us to push her, but we should try to find out more about this piece of shit, so we know who to look out for if he ever comes near Lucie.” I nodded the same time my brother did.

  “How are you handling this, twin?” I mentally shot over to him.

  “I’m struggling.” His fury came through our telepathic link loud and clear. “I want to tear out of here and find that piece of shit, make his death slow and painful.” His admission only fueled my already intense rage.

  “Amen, brother,” I sent back. The rest of the evening was spent in tense silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts.

  September 7th

  Friday Afternoon

  Lucienne

  My typical relaxed attitude in the library while working was nowhere to be seen today. There had been a steadily growing crowd within the study areas and a large number of students who came to the counter asking for book recommendations and their locations, allowing me no free time to perform my other duties. On top of that, the abundance of returns we’d had so far resulted in two overflowing book carts. Muriel finally got back a few minutes ago from a meeting she had with several professors on an upcoming project next semester, that required some of the rare artifacts in the basement being moved to the main floor. With her return, I took the first cart to re-shelve the books. Making my way towards the fiction section, I had to curve around the perimeter of the study area to not run over student’s bags. I was on edge, the stress of the day was getting to me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky as to be able to enjoy a few moments of solitude.

  “So, they’ve been hanging out with her a lot?” A familiar southern accent whispered on the other side of the stack I was shelving books on. I paused, I know that voice.

  “Yes, that little slut is always around, or they’re texting her constantly. She’s totally trying to get in-between me and bae,” Brittney’s soprano voice whined in response. The exaggerated pout threaded through the statement grated painfully on my ears.

  “Then we just need to remind her of her place.” I was able to creep around the corner of the shelf to get a peek at their group. The Bitch Crew, great. What did I do to the universe lately? Why was I getting the shitty end of the stick recently? I pulled back my head before they could see me.

  “Don’t worry, I have a plan,” the head brunette bitch, Claire stated. Deciding I didn’t want to hear anymore, I walked back to my cart to finish shelving the books to hopefully get away from them as quick as possible. “If it isn’t the little bitch in the flesh.” Damn it! Seriously? I rolled my eyes and ignored her, grabbing another book as I proceeded to place them in their correct slots. “Look at you, what kind of pathetic supe would you have to be to work in the library?”

  “What do you want? I have shit to do.” My voice was dead as I addressed her, my eyes focused on my task. “Why don’t you find somewhere else to cackle and scheme.” Placing the last of the books on the shelf, I turned towards her, one hand on the cart and the other propped on my hip.

  “Apparently, I wasn’t clear enough for a dumb bitch like you to understand, stay away from Dante. Hudson, too.” Claire’s voice was grating on the last of my nerves. I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. “It would be a shame if it got out that you were just using them. Trying to sleep with them and get in th
eir heads. I can’t imagine they’d take too well to you threatening their little family.” An irrational fear settled into my stomach. I cared for each of them, but she wouldn’t know that.

  “Oh, whatever, you’re pettiness doesn’t worry me. They wouldn’t believe rumors like that,” I countered, turning away from her.

  “Well, I do just so happen to be a very powerful witch, Lucie,” she sneered my name. “I could easily make it believable. Do you really think they’d pick you over each other?” No, I don’t, and that’s the problem.

  “Do whatever you want, Claire. I just want them to be happy, and if any of you bitches do that, then I won’t stand in the way. I will warn you though, I’m not going anywhere.” Finally having had enough, I stormed off towards the next section, girly laughing echoed behind me. Please let the rest of my shift go better, I pleaded.

  I had finally calmed my nerves by the time I returned the first cart and wheeled out the second one. I wasn’t paying attention and turned the corner to that asshole who was terrorizing Benji after orientation. Mr. Macho was making out with a petite blonde against the shelf, hands roved all sorts of places I didn’t want to see. Oh, of course, it had to be the one I needed to put books on! I huffed. When it rains, it pours, I guess. Before I could turn around and leave, the asshole saw me.

  “If it isn’t the little genie, today must be my lucky day,” his cruel voice called. When I didn’t respond and kept moving away, I heard hushed footsteps and a whiny female voice yelling.

  “Justin, come back!” I’m just learning all sorts of names lately, I groaned, names of no one important.

  “I’ll be back, just got to talk to this chick real quick.” He jumped in front of me blocking the aisle. “Don’t run away from me now, we were just getting started.” He towered over me, he had traded in the red sleeveless shirt and basketball shorts for a pair of loose jeans and a black long-sleeve shirt.

  “I have nothing to say to you, now move.” My voice sounded tired now, even to my own ears. My nightmare-filled sleep didn’t allow for much rest, leaving my energy stores lower than usual after yesterday’s practical work. When he didn’t move, I only cocked an eyebrow. Trying to move passed him, I ended up getting cut off again. “Seriously dude, move. I have shit I need to take care of and standing here dealing with an asshole isn’t on my to-do list.” Smart Lucie, antagonize the bully when you’re all alone.

  “I may not be on your to-do list, but you’re definitely on mine.” He closed the distance between us, trapping me between his chest and the book cart. His hands came up to wrap around my upper arms in a loose grip while he bent to whisper in my ear, “I believe it’s time to teach you what happens when you cross the big bad wolf.” My heart pounded in my chest at the feeling of his hands gripping my biceps, my hearing started to fade out leaving everything sounding muffled.

  “You little bitch! You think you can go out without my approval?” His voice was loud and angry. “Who were you talking to tonight? You were going to fuck him, weren’t you, you fucking slut!” His arms clamped down tightly on my upper arms digging into the healing bruises. I gasped at the sting of pain.

  “I wasn’t talking to anyone, I only went because I needed to pick up notes from Sarah for chemistry!” I cried out as he shoved me back into the drywall. He crowded into my space, his hand gripping my jaw while his fingers dug into my pale, tear-stained cheeks.

  “I know you were going behind my back, now you’re going to find out what happens when you think you can act like this…” The sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the room, pain blossomed on my cheek. My vision dimmed momentarily as I slid down to the tiled floor.

  “What do you think you’re doing!” Muriel’s angry voice rang out yanking me out of the memory and back to the present. “You back away from her!” I felt Justin’s body rip away from me, cool air rushed to replace his heat. He shouted out in pain, my vision finally focused back on the scene in the library. He was pinned against the end of the bookshelf, invisible bonds securing his arms to his sides while he hovered a foot off the ground. Muriel’s green eyes burned with anger as she held him with her magic. She pulled out an old flip phone from her sweater pocket and hit a button. The sound of muffled ringing spilled from the earpiece as she pressed it against her wrinkled face. When the ringing stopped, Muriel spoke.

  “I found a student attacking another student in my library. Fantasy section. I have him detained.” A quick response was given in the phone before she hung up. The silence around us was stifling. With a loud thunderclap, Assistant Dean Mastersen and Alex appeared out of thin air, two shelves over. Three security guards came barreling down the aisle shortly after, having chosen to use the front door. Troy, one of the night security guards, noticed me standing to the side and came over.

  “Are you okay, Luce? Can you tell us what happened?” His baritone voice rang in the silence, but before I could respond, I was cut off by Alex.

  “Thank you, Mr. Delancy, but I can take it from here. You handle this gentleman,” he commanded, his voice was clipped and low in anger. He stepped up next to me and placed a hand on my back to guide me away from the cart. We walked in silence a few stacks away before curving down the aisle. “Alright, Lucie. First of all, are you alright?” I nodded unsure what to say. “Yesterday you mentioned that the man from your past was not currently aware of your location, is it safe to assume that is still true and that today’s events are unrelated?”

  “Yes, I met Justin only recently,” I told him, fiddling with my hair that I pulled over my shoulder.

  “I figured. However, I wanted to be sure. Can you tell me what happened?” I nodded and gave him a brief overview, leaving out the flashback.

  “He said this was to teach you a lesson?” Alex’s tone was disbelieving. I went on to explain what happened after orientation, his face turning more and more severe the longer I talked. By the time I was done, his power was brushing in waves against me, tiny pinpricks washing over my skin. “I’ll make sure he is no longer an issue, Lucie. Will you be alright? I can increase any security for you if you feel unsafe.” I shook my head, I didn’t think he would be an issue after having to deal with a fuming Alex.

  “I’ll be alright, I’ll stay close to my friends and if he or one of his friends give me any issues, I’ll let you know.” He made a sound of agreement before dismissing me from the rest of my shift to get some rest with assurances that he would handle Justin. I grabbed my bag from behind the checkout counter avoiding the curious gazes following me. Apparently, security guards running down the aisles and administration showing up in a thunderclap draws attention, who knew. Ugh, just brush it off. Wanting to just relax after the shitty last few hours I texted the twins about coming over earlier than planned before our movie night at Hudson’s.

  Lucie: “hey guys, I’m off work early. Can I come over?”

  Landon: “what happened?”

  Logan: “is everything alright?”

  Lucie: “just that asshole Justin from after orientation causing trouble. I’m fine, just a long day. So coming over?”

  Landon: “you know you’re always welcome lemon drop.”

  Logan: “what he said love, see you soon.” With that, I turned down the walkway straight for their dorm room, pushing everything that had happened from my mind.

  13

  September 7th

  Friday Late Afternoon

  Lucienne

  Making my way across the fairly busy quad to the South Wing building, I typed in the dorm’s access code. The twins’ unique scent of bonfire smoke welcomed me when I entered their room. Taking a deep breath, I tossed my bag on the floor near the door and removed my boots.

  “Hey, love.” Logan’s husky voice filled my ear as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders pulling me against his solid chest. Warm lips pressed against my hair as Landon slipped in front of me taking my hands in his. He leaned in, giving me a kiss on my cheek.

  “Lemon drop, what happened? We know you said yo
u were fine, but Justin is a prick. You had us worried,” he whispered against my cheek.

  “I’m sorry, guys. My shift was shitty, and I was just in a hurry to get here. Everything is being taken care of, nothing to stress over,” I reassured them, detangling myself from their arms before I flopped face first onto the loveseat like a little kid, careful enough not to jostle my almost healed ribs.

  “As long as you’re alright, love. Are you sure you want to watch movies tonight? We can just stay here and nap. You can share one of our beds.” I grunted and shifted my face out of the couch so I could look over at them. Their black eyes sparkled at the mention of sharing a bed.

  “No, I really am excited for movie night, but I missed you guys. We haven’t really had the time to just hang out.” I smiled at them and pushed up to sitting. They both rushed me and smashed me into their usual twin sandwich. Mmm twin sandwich. Heat seared through me at the thought of us in a similar position with much less clothing. Knock it off, you’re just friends.

  I tried to push the images of their muscled bodies pressed against me out of my head, but it really was no use. I felt my panties flood just from their proximity, their smoky sugar and spice scent made my head spin. Fuck me. I adjusted, trying to pull myself away from them, and into a less compromising position.

  “So, what do you guys want to do for the next hour?” I attempted to distract myself with focusing on something else that wasn’t their sexiness.

  “Let’s just put something on and relax,” Logan suggested, grabbing the remote. We settled on Lost in Space on Netflix, but try as I might, my brain continued to run in circles over the day’s events instead of paying attention to the show. I found myself shifting every few minutes, my skin tingling with the urge to do something. After the fifth time I shifted, Logan reached down and took off my sock, situating my feet into his lap. I felt my brows dip as I watched him.