Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  Holy.

  Fucking.

  Hell.

  Lucie was posing in a pair of lacy underwear, beautiful pale skin on full display. Her belly button held a shiny glint, but I was too distracted by the swell of her breasts and the curve of her hips to pay it much attention. Even with the scarring on her torso, she looked absolutely edible. My mind flashed to her trapped between my twin and me, remembering the softness of her skin under my lips and fingers. I tossed my phone on the counter running my hands through my hair. I changed the water setting from hot to cold. Jumping in, I submitted myself to the dreaded ‘cold shower routine’.

  Once my pulse regulated, I finished washing off and got out, forgoing boxers and merely stepping into a pair of sweatpants. Unlocking my phone, I caught another glimpse of Lucie’s creamy complexion, losing myself in my memories. A pounding on the door snapped my attention away from her photo. I yanked the door open, Landon’s heated eyes met mine.

  “Did you get this too?” He held up his phone and I nodded, knowing full well my sweats were tented. “Did you notice where it was sent to?” I pulled my messages back up. Oh, shit.

  “Well, that will certainly get everyone’s attention,” I added. Nothing had been sent back to Lucie, but I knew that everyone in the group had looked at it, including Hudson.

  “Hey, maybe it’ll help him get his head out of his ass,” Landon supplied as we swapped spots. I hadn’t stopped staring at the photo, finally acknowledging her new body jewelry.

  “Yeah, but this could come back on Lucie, so we’ll need to keep an eye out,” I added, Landon nodded his agreement before shutting the door. I quickly sent her a private message as I laid down on the couch, finding myself staring at her photo again after I hit send.

  20

  October 26th

  Friday Night

  Lucienne

  Standing in my bedroom looking into the full-length mirror I had hanging on the back of my door, I was still amazed by the sheer beauty of the dress Sadie had found. It complimented my skin tone nicely, which was a feat in and of itself considering how pale I was in the overcast Washington weather. My wish token was on full display, sitting prettily under my cleavage. Tonight would mark the first time I had ever worn it so openly, having previously chosen tops that kept it from view. Only the guys, Sadie, and Benji, along with Char and my mom, of course, knew my supe type. It was a risky decision to wear it so blatantly since Djinns were rare, but I was tired of hiding. In my ears were two small gold fleur de lis studs to match my necklace.

  My usually straight hair was curled and pinned into a fancy bun at the nape of my neck, several strands loose in the front, framing my heart-shaped face. Sadie had arranged for us to get our makeup done professionally, the dress and the hair were much too elegant for my usual mascara and chapstick. The artist went with a fairly vintage style; soft natural eyeshadow, subtle winged eyeliner, and a deep red lipstick to compliment my gown.

  I slid the delicate gold bracelet Sadie had gotten me onto my left wrist. It, along with the heels she had chosen, went well with my necklace. She and I debated over shoes for a while, I had wanted to wear a simple flat, the dress was so long it would cover whatever shoes I chose anyway. However, when she showed me what she had picked out, I couldn’t say no. The pump itself was sheer but had small gold beads that were concentrated around the closed toe and dispersed up the sides. The heel was only two inches. Thank goodness. Otherwise, I would have have surely fallen on my face, but the heel was solid and plated with shiny gold. I tossed my phone, ID, and lipstick into a small gold clutch and waited for the signal that Sadie had created for when we would walk out of our rooms. After a few more minutes, the knock on her door sounded. I stepped into our shared living space.

  Sadie looked stunning in her deep blue dress. The lace was feminine, and the princess skirt accentuated her tiny waist while enhancing the rest of her curves. Her hair had been curled and left down, small silver studs in her ears matched her silver clutch and shoes. Silver frames took the place of her usual purple ones, she had found them buried in her room somewhere. Today, she had chosen to coordinate, instead of looking like ‘a walking rainbow’, her words not mine.

  “You look amazing, Sadie.” I was genuinely in awe. If she didn’t find a girl to dance with tonight, I’d be surprised.

  “Holy shit, girl! You look like a damn model! Let’s get a picture and go show those guys of yours what they’re in for.” I laughed at her suggestive eyebrow wiggle. We took several selfies and pictures in our dresses before heading out of the dorm and into the cold air. I hadn’t thought of getting a coat or shawl for the walk, so I was shivering, my teeth chattering loudly, by the time we made it.

  The dining hall had been closed all day for preparation of the All Hallow’s Eve Dance. They decided to have it the Friday before Halloween to allow the supes that celebrated Samhain to do so. I made sure to send my pictures to my mom and Char so they could see my dress. I felt a pang of sadness knowing this was the first dance Char wouldn’t be going to with me, but on the flip side, I could actually enjoy it because Noah wasn’t here.

  The warmth of the entryway in the dining hall soothed my shivering. Sadie and I walked towards the double doors that had been propped open. We had arrived about fifteen minutes late, so the majority of students and faculty had already taken their seats or were out on the dance floor. I looked around once we reached the top of the small staircase inside the double door that led to the dance floor. Tables and chairs were situated on the outer edge of the room, several serving tables held drinks and food while the center of the room was emptied for dancing. The DJ was playing an EDM mix as we walked down the steps and into the madness that had already begun. Strobe lights flashed as the crowd moved in time to the electronic beat. The thud of the bass pounded through my chest the further we pushed into the dancing students.

  Camden

  “Everything still on track for tonight?” Logan’s question brought me out of my inner musings. Taking the drink Landon held out for me, I looked over our little group. What we were doing tonight wasn’t exactly ethical, but I would do anything to get Hudson back.

  “Let them enjoy the dance for a little while. When Dante gets them out to the quad or into the back hallway, we’ll follow. Once the girls talk, hopefully, Hudson will snap out of whatever it is he’s dealing with,” I cliff-noted the plan to the guys, taking a sip of my drink.

  “Do you think this could be some kind of magical interference?” Nik asked quietly. I glanced over at Hudson. He’d been spending nearly all his time with Brittney and her crew of crazies, we rarely saw him anymore. Extreme and negative emotions flowed from him, the only emotions I’d seen from him were anger and sadness. Slumped down in his chair next to Brittney, he looked as though he hadn’t slept in weeks. A dead and glazed look to his eyes.

  “Could be, maybe a rune or a hex of some sort. The way he’s been acting is very similar to the long term effects of darker magic.” I tilted my head as I tallied what I observed.

  “I can’t say I’m surprised they would do something like that,” Logan scoffed.

  “Desperate, so fucking desperate,” Landon chimed in.

  “Why would they only do it to Hudson and not Dante?” Feeling like I was watching a tennis tournament, my head turned left and right to follow the twins speaking one right after another. I thought about Logan’s question before responding.

  “If he were suffering from whatever this is, it would impair his ability to play Kohl. His team would notice,” I reasoned.

  “This is such bullshit, but it ends tonight. Hopefully, he comes back to his senses qui…” Landon trailed off with his mouth open, looking at something behind me. When I turned, my breath left my lungs, and I felt my cock throb painfully in my tuxedo pants.

  Lucie was standing at the top of the stairs with Sadie in a nearly skin-tight, strapless dress that showed off her creamy skin and delectable figure. Her hair was off her face showcasing her jaw and cheekbones. S
he looks fucking amazing. Tearing my eyes from her, I turned to the guys standing around me to find similar awed expressions. I risked a glance to Dante and Hudson. The Bitch Crew, as Lucie had nicknamed them, had varying looks of disdain while Dante’s face matched ours. Hudson though, looked pained and sad as he gazed at Lucie. Multiple emotions flashed across his face; sadness, anger, desire, and awe. Almost like he’s fighting false emotions, I made a note in the back of my mind at the thought.

  Pushing past the others that were still standing there with their jaws on the floor, I made my way towards Lucie. We had decided ahead of time, with Lucie’s approval of course, that we’d take turns being with her, instead of congregating and risk drawing attention from the group of crazies. As I neared her, my breath left me once more. The striking contrast of her blue eyes stood out against the red dress. When she saw me approaching, her eyes widened, looking me up and down as she fiddled with her clutch.

  “Doll, you look absolutely stunning.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. Vanilla filled my nose as I noticed her pulse jump in her neck and reminded myself to eat when this was all over.

  “Cam, you look…” I shifted back to look down at her when she trailed off. She was just staring at my tuxedo with a stunned look. “I’m just going to be frank, Cam. You look fucking sexy right now.” I burst out laughing at her compliment, but my cock jumped at her words and the breathy way she said them.

  “All for you, doll,” I whispered. “Want to dance with me, Lucie?” I held out my arm for her to take, she slipped her left arm through my right as we headed out to the dance floor. A slow song had just started as we made it to an open spot. Wrapping one arm around her waist, I took her hand in mine. With an agonizing slowness, she ran her other hand up the lapel of my jacket, resting it on the back of my neck. I pulled her flush against me, letting my growing erection push into her belly. The sharp intake of breath she rewarded me with was music to my ears.

  “Um, Cam?” Her husky voice was laced with heat, her sapphire eyes glancing up at me through her lashes. I couldn’t help but stare at her lips. Leaning forward, I pressed my cheek to hers, my lips brushing her ear.

  “You always do this to me.” I ran my thumb on her ribs against the fabric of her dress. It was soft, but not slinky.

  “Really?” Her voice was surprised, turning her face towards me, her lips almost brushed my cheek.

  “Lucie, you have had the guys and me tied up in knots since orientation. You’re beautiful and smart, and even with Hudson being a dick to you, you stood by us. I can guarantee that each and every one of us wants you.” Nipping at her ear, I pulled her even closer. “Especially since we received your picture and now, with you in that dress, I’m pretty sure each of them is going to be dealing with something of the same caliber.” Just the thought of how uncomfortable everyone was going to be for the rest of the dance had me chuckling. Well, at least until we deal with Hudson.

  “Well, if that’s the case,” she hesitated, her voice soft. “I’ve been thinking about something.” I nodded my head, encouraging her to continue. “I know you said you’re with Nik sometimes, have you ever considered…” She trailed off, looking down at where our bodies remained pressed to one another, avoiding my gaze.

  “Being with someone together?” I took a stab in the dark, please say yes. Biting my lip in anticipation, my imagination ran away from me at the thought of her in bed with us. She nodded still not looking at me. Everything around us seemed muted as I laid her hand that was in mine against my chest and grabbed the back of her neck. My thumb shifted in front of her ear to tilt her head slightly to catch her eye again.

  “We’ve never considered it”—my pause caused her blood red lips to fall into a frown, a small sigh escaped her—“until you.” Her hand gripped the lapel of my jacket. “We’ve talked about having you separately, together where one of us watches, together at the same time, and any which way you could possibly think of. You just need to say the word.” A deep flush saturated her face and chest, lidded eyes looked back at me. I leaned forward, my mouth so close to hers I almost lost focus on what I was doing, and whispered, “I’m going to let one of the other guys come dance with our beautiful girl. I’ll see you in a little while, doll.” Placing a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead, I walked her to the edge of the dance floor and headed towards the group.

  Dante

  I was completely done with Khloe. After what came to light at our group discussion, I wanted nothing more than to break it off, but saving Hudson was more important. Once we had him back, things between us would be over. If I was honest with myself, the only reason I’d stayed with Khloe for so long is that I thought nothing would ever happen between Lucie and I. Why would she want to be with someone like me?

  Khloe was jabbering away with her friends while I was standing with Hudson. I hadn’t taken my eyes off of Lucie since she entered the room. From my position, I could see Hudson sneaking glances every so often, varying expressions of longing and irritation flickering across his face. Poor guy, I knew the feeling. Having her be so close and yet so far away due to our current relationships was hell. She hadn't been coming around the other guys, which I couldn't help but feel guilty about knowing it had been my relationship to strain our friendship.

  It was almost time for me to lead the girls and Hudson out of the main dining hall, I just had to stop looking at Lucie first. The dress she wore was stunning, accentuating the curve of her neck and her feminine figure. Watching her dance with Cam, Nik, Landon, and now Logan, I didn’t feel any jealousy, just the pang of longing. It had stung a bit when I first found out Logan and Landon had slept with her, but when I think of their closeness, I only feel proud. I wanted her happy, and I know the guys did that for her.

  That thought alone solidified my decision to break things off with Khloe. It wasn't right for me to deny them other company just to be able to warm my own bed at night. Not that we had actually had sex yet, my brain reminded me. I noticed the girls were getting slightly tipsy from the alcohol they had been slipping into their drinks for the last hour. Once Logan was finished with his dance, I gave the signal that we’d initiate our plan.

  “Hey ladies, do you want to come with us to grab more alcohol? I know where they keep it in the back room.” The lie fell from my lips easily. I knew they were going to be out soon since I had stolen one of the bottles they had snuck in.

  “That would be great, babe!” Khloe called out, her glazed eyes wavered over my face, unable to focus. I grabbed Hudson and pulled him along with the rest of us as we slipped into the hallway off to the side of the dining hall. As we got further from the dining hall, the music faded to a dull rhythmic thumping. Stepping into the front of the group, I steered them towards the kitchen and storage room. Leaving the door to the storage room slightly ajar, I turned back towards everyone. Cam’s persuasion could reach a target without him actually seeing them, which would help significantly in this situation and reduce any foreseeable problems. The light was dim, allowing the guys to slip in without being noticed as the girls and Hudson spread throughout the room.

  “Hudson,” I called his name, and he turned to face me. “It’s time for us to talk.” The guys filed in next to me, creating a barrier between him and the door.

  “Talk about what, I have nothing to say to you,” he scoffed, his voice was rough like it hadn’t been used in a long time. It looked as though he was being drained of everything that made him Hudson. Normally charismatic and confident, he now resembled a drug addict with shaky hands, sunken features, and pale, sickly skin.

  “I need to do this Hudson, so I’m sorry,” Cam addressed him before his eyes glowed, the way they did when he was connecting to someone’s mind. The girls were standing silently in a half circle, Cam had been working on them the entire walk over here, leaving them in a hypnotic state. “Hudson, have any of these girls given you anything since you started seeing Brittney?” Power radiated throughout his voice as he persuaded Hudson to answer. For a long mo
ment, only the sound of the leaky faucet and Hudson’s shallow breathing filled the space, before he moved to pull off his tuxedo jacket.

  “Just this bracelet.” Unbuttoning the cuff, he rolled up the left sleeve of his shirt to reveal a leather braid woven around a small piece of metal. The outermost portion of the metal didn’t have any embellishment, but when I cut it out of the binding, there was a small symbol on the back. Nik, with his affinity for runes, stepped forward, taking the engraved piece from my hand. Running his fingers over it, Grigori leaned over from his perch on Nik’s shoulder to get a better look. After examining the piece for a moment, his eyes snapped to Claire’s.

  “Definitely a rune. Forced him to depend on negative emotion. Urging him to want to be near Brittney as opposed to being with us.” I felt my teeth grind together as Nik spoke. Why didn’t we see this sooner? Hudson’s behavior was so clear now, he was being controlled. Compelled to focus on the anger and resentment he had felt, I blamed myself that he’d been suffering. I should have seen this.

  “Hudson, I’m going to pull back, alright? You’ll probably struggle for a little bit now that the rune doesn’t have control.” Cam’s eyes glowed again as he pulled out of our brother’s mind. Hudson shuddered and stumbled, the twins shot forward and caught his arms before he completely collapsed. A pained groan rumbled in his chest as he dangled practically boneless in Logan and Landon’s arms. The majority of his energy being spent on adjusting his mind to function properly without the rune’s interference.