Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  “Hey, honey.” Khloe’s nasally voice sliced through my contentment, instantly making my lips fall into a frown. “We’re sitting over here.” Snark filled the end of the statement as she looked at me. “Lucie!” The false happiness that filled her voice almost made me gag, “it’s so nice to see you. Thank you for keeping my boyfriend company before our date.” She placed a heavy emphasis on the boyfriend portion of her statement. Dante’s face wasn’t holding his usual smile when he looked at his girlfriend, maybe he was finally seeing her for the snooty bitch she was? Doubt it. Standing, his smile returned.

  “It was good to see you, firecracker, I’ll text you later.” Khloe’s face morphed into a fierce expression of hate when he used my nickname. To make matters worse, he leaned down and gave me a quick hug before walking to the other corner of the coffee shop where I saw the rest of the Bitch Crew and Hudson. My eyes filled with tears at the loss of his company. It was selfish of me, I knew. I just couldn't help but feel that they should be with me. Seriously, Lucie, stop it. None of those boys are yours, they can do whatever they want. Wiping at my eyes as nonchalantly as possible, I turned back towards Sadie, thankful that they were seated behind me. When I finally got up the nerve to look her in the face, she was glaring over my shoulder. She focused back on me with an eyebrow raised in a ‘what the hell’ expression.

  “So”—she drug out the word into multiple syllables—“care to explain what’s been going on in the Lucie land?”

  “Well, that’s a very loaded question,” I murmured, dropping my voice not wanting anyone to hear. Slumping down in my chair, I decided to just get it all out in one go. “First, I have a major crush on six separate guys. Second, I slept with the twins. Third, Dante and Hudson are dating two of the Bitch Crew over there who absolutely despise me. Fourth, pretty sure said Bitch Crew are trying to drive a wedge between them and me, and fifth, I’m out of coffee.” I inhaled sharply, having run out of breath towards the end in my rush to explain everything in the most simple terms. Sadie seemed taken aback, blinking a few times before she responded.

  “Wow, alright. Note to self, don’t get lost in paintings for two weeks or you’ll be completely out of the loop”—she chuckled—“also, what was the second one you tried to sneak in there? You and the twins? Like, at the same time?” My face reddened as I nodded. Her eyes blew out wide as her mouth dropped open. “Holy shit, I’m so jealous!” she practically shouted. I shushed her trying to not draw attention. Unfortunately, several people around the shop looked at us including the Bitch Crew and my boys. Not yours! “Sorry,” her voice lowered, “and you like them all. As in like like?” I nodded again and covered my face with my hands to hide the tomato look I had going on. Rubbing my hands down my face with a groan, I responded.

  “I don’t know how it happened or when. They’re all just so sweet and thoughtful and...” I shrugged and fiddled with my empty coffee cup, not sure how to finish explaining.

  “Well, I know you grew up human, so it’s probably not well known or common, but...” She hesitated until I finally made eye contact. Whispering conspiratorially she continued, “it’s common to have multiple partners in the supe community. Females aren’t rare by any means, but they are lower in numbers than males. I’ve seen how they look at you, Lucie, they care as much for you as you do for them, if not more.” My heart warmed at the thought while I considered what she had said. Wait, what? Choking on my croissant, her words finally registered.

  “Like, poly-whatever-its-called?” She nodded with a smirk, apparently finding my fish out of water look amusing. Taking a few calming breaths, I organized my jumbled thoughts. I’d heard of having multiple partners in a relationship, but it was so...taboo in the human world. “So, hypothetically”—I rolled my hand around in the air—“if they did like me and they were willing to share, I could date them all?” Disbelief filled my question. “How is that fair to them? Why would they want to...share?” The word tasted strange on my tongue. Would I even want to be in a relationship like that?

  “All I’m saying is, it's not uncommon. They seem like a tight group so it wouldn’t surprise me if it were something they might consider. If those two dingles get their heads on straight and stop seeing those two bitches.” She nodded her head towards the Bitch Crew. I laughed loudly at the use of the word dingles.

  When I thought of just how crazy it was to think of myself in a relationship with six men, I laughed even harder until tears streamed down my face, causing Sadie to laugh as well. We went back and forth like that until we had the attention of everyone in the shop. It was quite a while before we were able to calm down. After our goodbyes, I made my way over to the library to start studying. I couldn't hide the smile on my face at the thought of the easy friendship Sadie and I had fallen into. Or the idea of maybe having all of my guys to myself, if they would even consider it that is...

  15

  September 21st

  Friday Midday

  Nikolai

  Cam and I made our way across the quad towards the library, coffee cups clutched in our hands. One for each of us and a giant cup for Lucie, figuring she would need caffeine after the late night of board games. We all ended up staying up until two, and she had to meet with the dean at eight o’clock in the morning, then had to work at eleven. Grigori, who had been flying overhead, perched on my shoulder when Cam pulled open the front door of the library. The head librarian was sitting behind the counter, meaning Lucie was on book returns.

  “Go look for her or wait?” I asked Cam quietly, noting the large crowd scattered around the study areas of the library.

  “I don’t want to sit here with everyone, I’ll use my RV.” Nodding, I trailed after him. RV, remote viewing, would essentially allow him to see through her eyes. It was not particularly invasive, especially if he only did it for a moment and did not use his sensory scrying power in tandem with it. We stepped to the side while his eyes became unfocused. Once cleared, he turned towards the fantasy portion of the library. It did not take long to reach the edge of the section, but as we neared the shelf she was behind, her voice cut through the air.

  “Seriously? Why do you always have to do this shit when I’m working? I’m clearly fucking busy, go find someone else to harass.” Her words were sharp, conveying her anger. While she did not seem to be against cursing, I had not heard her do it often in normal conversation, so it was a little surprising, to say the least.

  “Because you clearly aren’t listening. You’re going to regret not staying away from them,” Grigori rustled his feathers on my shoulder, wanting to see who was threatening our Lucie. I looked over to Cam to see his eyes unfocused. Probably eavesdropping.

  “See, you keep saying that and we’ve had these damn impromptu meetings almost every week since the beginning of the semester. I go to shelve books, you come insult me, tell me to stay away from Dante and Hudson, I tell you no, you threaten me, then I walk away. Every single time. Can we just skip ahead to the part where you actually try something or leave me the hell alone?” Her voice now laced with exhaustion. Stay away from Dante and Hudson? Are these the bimbos they are dating? My hands began fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, my irritation making me restless.

  “Just watch your back, bitch,” a southern accent called out, definitely Madison. Several sets of footsteps sounded on the carpet going in the opposite direction. When Cam’s eyes focused they were cold, his face had hardened. Sharp incisors flashed as his lips pulled back in a snarl. As quickly as it had happened, he shook his head and was once again calm. I had been messing with my shirt while we listened, managing to twist my fingers up in the fabric. Untangling myself, we moved around the edge of the shelf once the footsteps had faded.

  “Lucie,” I whispered roughly into the silence, my throat throbbing at the word. She jumped slightly and looked at us with weariness in her eyes. “We come bearing caffeine.” My smile was crooked as Cam held out her giant coffee. Those adorable dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled, although
the weariness still shadowed her face.

  “Thanks, guys, I really need it.” Sighing, she took the coffee and started chugging. “So, how much did you hear?” I shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain of how she would feel about us eavesdropping.

  “From the ‘seriously’ part. How long have they been giving you issues about Dante and Hudson?” Cam’s voice was hard and clipped. Lucie focused her attention on him, the infliction of his tone was not lost on her. Instead of deflecting like usual, she told him what he wanted to know.

  “Well, Claire warned me away from Dante that first Friday after the semester had begun. Then the rest of them a few more times afterward. Hudson was included once he started dating Britney or whatever.” Her arm waved absently as she angled to face the cart, grabbing another stack of books.

  “They have an issue with them being friends with you?” I questioned in a low tone.

  “They have an issue with that, me being near them, talking to them, generally existing in their presence”—she sighed—“every time it’s the same ‘you’ll regret it’ speech.”

  “Why have you not told them?” My brows furrowed. Why would she put up with this for so long without saying anything?

  “They wouldn’t stay with girls like that,” Cam added.

  “The fact they’re dating them at all makes me question their sanity.” She chuckled ruefully. “But they seem happy, I’m not going to get in the way of that. That’s what those bitches would do, and I’m not going to stoop to their level.” Shelving the last book, she chugged more of her coffee before turning to face us.

  “Do you want us to talk to them?” Cam suggested.

  “If it looks like they’re trying to actually come between us then yeah, otherwise just leave it be,” a brittle smile was plastered on her face. She clearly was unhappy, but if she did not want us to intervene, there was not much we could do.

  “Is anything else bothering you?” Cam asked his head tilted slightly as he looked down at her. The darker than usual circles under her eyes and her slouched posture made it seem as though something was weighing on her. Lucie gathered her hair over her right shoulder and began twirling the ends around her fingers, glancing between Cam and myself a few times as if deciding something.

  “Have you ever considered being in a relationship with multiple partners? I was told that isn’t necessarily uncommon in the supe community.” Her voice unsure and soft, avoiding eye contact. I could feel my jaw drop. Well, that was random. Cam took the lead in answering.

  “Obviously, it would depend on who the other ‘hypothetical’ partners were. If it were us”—he gestured between him and me—“or any of our family then I wouldn’t be opposed to considering it. Although, we’ve never really discussed it,” his face was thoughtful as he answered. “Now that I think about it, dating has always been a pain. We’re constantly together, or at least talking at any given time, so whoever any of us are with has had to be accepting of that. Which usually leads to a strain on the relationship. Maybe this is something we should bring up to the guys.” The last statement was directed at me. Cam and I had discussed this idea between ourselves a couple times before, but never with the entire group. Considering the distance Khloe and Brittney had put between Dante, Hudson, and the rest of us, it might be our best option if we wanted to keep our little group together. “However, whoever the woman was would have to accept…” He trailed off looking over at me hesitantly, his face looking for my approval to admit to Lucie the extent of our relationship.

  “Accept what?” She finally looked at us, her face held both curiosity, worry, and hope.

  “Us.” I tilted my head towards Cam.

  “Not all the time, but she would have to be comfortable with us being together.” Our focus was on Lucie, the view Grigori allowed me showed her brows were furrowed, trying to decipher the meaning behind our words.

  “Wait a minute”—she finally seemed to put two and two together because her face relaxed with understanding—“you two are together?” There was no hint of disgust, only open understanding. The tightness that had been growing in my chest eased.

  “Yes and no, we aren’t exclusive or anything. We basically grew up in the same house and were curious teens, it just kind of happened. So if she accepted that, I don’t think we would have a problem with it.” Cam’s voice was thoughtful as he looked over at me,. “To be honest, I don’t know why we haven’t talked about it. I don’t foresee any of us really making it work with different people.” I nodded silently agreeing with his assessment.

  “Well that explains the conversation in debate,” she murmured to herself, a small chuckle bubbled out of her at the end, making us smile. I had not considered that she would be confused at the time. The guys are all aware of what Cam and I share, and none of them had an issue with it. “Wait, so does Dante...never mind.” Her arms were waving in front of her face now. “Anyway…”

  “Is there a reason you are asking?” Pain radiated in my throat as I asked. Even with how little I had been talking during our exchange, the strain on my vocal cords made itself known. I focused on Lucie’s heart rate while Grigori concentrated on her body language. Give me a hint, babe, please. Her heart rate soared as she blushed brightly. Fiddling with her hair, she went back to avoiding our eyes.

  “Uh, no real reason. I just didn’t know that was a thing until Sadie told me. Just curious I guess.” Lies, but I was not going to press her. We nodded and spent the next thirty minutes or so helping her return books to their proper homes. The topic of bimbos and multiple partners did not come up again.

  September 21st

  Friday Evening

  Lucienne

  The crowd of the students pouring into the Kohl stadium was large and loud. Conversation filtered throughout the concrete stands, blending together in a deafening roar of excitement. I was sandwiched between Cam and Nik, Sadie was trailing right behind me with Benji. Hudson had plans to join us after his dinner with Brittney. Not sure how he didn’t get bitched at for not sitting with her for the game, but whatever.

  We made our way slowly down the stairs and chose a couple of benches off to the side and about half way up, away from most of the crowd. Cam was on my left with Nik situated next to him, Sadie and Benji sat to my right. I was glad to have had multiple layers on, my beanie kept my ears warm in the chilly evening air. Feet propped on the bench in front of us, I cuddled into myself in an attempt to preserve what little heat I had.

  “Lucie, you’re going to absolutely love this! Kohl is one of my favorite things to watch. Though, I am sad Austin couldn’t make it with us.” Benji was uncharacteristically expressive this evening. If his frantic arm movements and the blindingly bright smile he was sporting was any indication, even Austin’s absence wasn’t going to ruin his good mood. While he was usually quiet and reserved, tonight he was decked out in a burgundy jersey, matching hat, and shiny black stripes under his eyes.

  When I asked him about them earlier, he told me it was a mix of charcoal powder and glitter. I knew traditional football players used eye paint to combat the glare of the lights, but the glitter had kind of thrown me off. He reminded me of an adorable overly excited puppy, fox… whatever. Apparently, Kohl brought him out of that shell. I looked over at him around Sadie.

  “I’m really excited, Dante explained it to me, but it was pretty confusing, so I’m hoping this helps me actually understand it.” Blowing into my hands and rubbing them together, I decided it was too cold to not have gloves on. Digging them out of my pocket took some maneuvering with how close we were all seated. They were basic knit gloves, so they cut out the initial sting of the cold air, but my fingers were still chilled.

  “Cold?” Cam asked, noticing me still rubbing my hands together.

  “My hands are freezing even with my gloves,” I responded, stuffing my hands between my thighs. Cam reached over and slid his right hand into my lap where my frozen digits were sandwiched. Long fingers intertwined with mine, the heat they offere
d seeping into my stiff hands. I purposely ignored the fact his hand was buried between my legs, his wrist almost brushing the center seam of my jeans. He’s just helping you keep warm, I tried to reason with myself. But the idea of him keeping me warm in a more intimate way, especially after imagining him with Nik surged through me. Would they be together with me? The whispered thought reminded me of how hot it was to be with both Logan and Landon. Shaking myself from my inner musings, I smiled up at him.

  “Thanks, Cam. Your hand is like a furnace.” I’m not short by any means at my 5’6, but all of the guys were taller than 6’ meaning I was always looking up at them. He softly leaned into me, his arm pressing against mine.

  “No problem, doll.” His voice was soft and full of happiness when he looked at me. A small smile curved on his pale face. His glasses winked in the stadium lights, the black frames calling attention to his hazel eyes. Due to the burgundy slouchy beanie he wore, his messy brown hair was splayed out over his forehead brushing the tops of his glasses. Excitement shot through me as he started to rub his thumb over my knuckles, the back of his fingers brushing against my thigh. Looking back towards the field, I feigned nonchalance. Sadie’s elbow nudged me ever so slightly. When I glanced over at her she mouthed, “I told you so.” My face instantly reddened, hope surged in my chest.

  Glancing around us, the stands were almost full around the entire stadium. Our side sported the school colors, burgundy and white, while the opposing stands were filled with green, gold, and black. Oregon Supernatural University-Portland was the next closest supe school, which I assumed meant the majority of sporting events would be held against them.

  Hudson made his way over right as the game was about to start. I saw him weaving through the remaining stream of students filing into the stands. The looks that the Bitch Crew were sending me made my heart speed up a bit. What if they do drive a wedge between my guys and me? That irrational fear settled into the pit of my stomach as my gaze wandered back to Hudson. His eyebrows furrowed as he approached, seemingly irritated by something. Seeing as he was still far enough away, I looked to Cam.