Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  “Don’t stop on our account,” Landon teased, his voice was light, but for some odd reason, his jaw ticked when he looked at his friend. I turned back to the movie intent to ignore them. I’m here to enjoy movie night, not get into drama.

  “Oh, baby, I didn’t know you had friends over. Why don’t we go back to my place.” She ran a single nail down his chest, her fake eyelashes fluttering. Despite her lowering her voice, I could still hear what she said next. “And you can do that thing I know you like.” Oh gross, I made it a point to look only at the movie, tamping down on my irritation.

  “Sorry, Khloe, I forgot I had some plans with my friends,” I heard Dante say. I snuck a glance over towards them. Dante had moved back to her, his hands barely on her waist. Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him in. With the way she was clinging to him so tightly, I feared for his health. Khloe’s voice took on a low, almost hypnotizing tone the next time she spoke.

  “Baby, you’re with your friends all the time, surely they can let me have you all to myself for tonight.” Her eyes seemed to glow, and the room was thick with… lust? Is she doing this? Dante leaned into her, gazing at her lips hungrily, his hands tightening on her waist. Before their mouths could connect, he visibly shuddered, pulling away once more.

  “We’ll have to meet up another time, Khloe,” his voice was authoritative as his hands fell from her waist. Khloe’s face was almost comical in how dejected she looked. Almost like she was expecting him to follow after her. Didn’t that book say there were succubi? I wonder if she's one of those… She shot me a hard look before she turned her attention back to Dante. Well shit, more fuel for the Bitch Crew’s petty flame.

  “Alright, honey, I’m tired anyway.” she flipped her hair over her shoulder in an attempt to save face. “I had fun tonight. Call me.” Her voice was muffled by the action from the movie. The door latched shut, Dante shuffling over to where we were all seated.

  “Looks like you guys are comfy,” he waved his hand towards our little bundle on the couch, including Hudson since my fingers were still combing through his thick hair. “You sure Brittney would be okay with that?” Dante’s eyebrow arched while he waited for Hudson’s response. I felt him shrug.

  “Don’t care, this feels amazing.” His voice was heavy with sleep. Note to self, Hudson likes his hair played with. Dante rolled his eyes before plopping onto the ground leaning against Nik’s chair. Despite the uneasy feeling in my stomach over Khloe and Brittney, something felt right having all of my guys around me. It felt as though I was truly safe for the first time in years. Warmth filled me and lulled me to sleep against Logan’s side, my fingers still tangled in Hudson’s hair.

  14

  September 14th

  Friday Morning

  Lucienne

  The week had passed with relative ease. Despite the Bitch Crew’s discussion of a plan, I hadn't heard anything from them. It was nice, but also slightly worrisome. Justin had been ordered to stay away from me after our confrontation. He had been sentenced to doing janitorial work around the campus when he wasn’t busy with his classes, excluding the library, of course. My classes were progressing at a steady pace, and I was actually doing a pretty good job of keeping up in them, though we would be focusing more on our practicals soon, which might be a pain.

  Debate class was going well, Cam had been spectacular in planning out our points. We’d made some progress, and since our debate wasn’t scheduled until November 1st, we had plenty of time to go over it. Power Testing with Hudson and Professor George had been slow going, I just couldn’t seem to gain complete access to my powers. Reality warping was the only one to really manifest so far, but I had yet to be able to control it. I hoped my practical work with the dean would get me closer to commanding it at will.

  Alex had emailed me over the weekend about scheduling our first private mental defense session. We were to meet up almost every Friday morning before my shift at the library to expand on what I had been learning in class. As I pushed open the door to the Administration office, my stomach began tying itself in knots. It was my first time in this building, so I had absolutely no idea where I was going.

  The lobby was modern, a stark contrast to the historical architecture of the exterior. Marble flooring reflected the lights hanging from the tall ceilings. Large windows allowed the partly sunny weather to filter in, illuminating the entryway. I saw a long desk with an older man perched on a rolling office chair typing away on a computer. Figuring it would be better to ask than to wander around the four-story building all on my own, I made my way over to him.

  “Excuse me, sir?” I asked quietly, stepping up to the desk. The older man’s head turned and looked up towards me, wispy grey hair sticking out every which way. His blue eyes were strangely familiar, and the smile he offered was friendly. My nerves dissolved with the combination.

  “Yes, miss?” His voice was wobbly, showing his age.

  “I was wondering where the dean’s office was? I haven’t been in the building before and I just know I’ll get lost if I go searching on my own.” I gave a small smile, shifting my bag strap on my right shoulder.

  “You must be Lucie! Mr. Renaud informed me you would be coming by on Fridays. I have to admit, I still get lost in this building, and I’ve been working here for years,” he admitted before chuckling. His laugh was broken up, but it was also warm and open. Pointing towards a staircase to the right, he explained, “if you want to take the stairs, they will take you directly to his office on the fourth floor. Mr. Renaud prefers to walk. However, if you would rather take the elevator”—he pointed to the elevator behind me and off to the left wall—“take a left once you step off, and walk down the hall. His door is the old-timey looking one with dark stained wood, the name-plate will be to the right.”

  “Thank you, I’ll take the stairs.” Waving goodbye, I caught sight of his nameplate, Jonathon Reiter. I committed the name to memory, something about the old man had left me curious. I turned and headed up the stairs, huffing a small bit when I reached the fourth floor because of the high vaulted ceilings. Jonathon was right, the door was a deep stain and made of solid wood. I knocked, not wanting to just barge in. It opened to reveal Alex dressed in a navy suit, white button up, and his signature black tie.

  “Come in, Lucie.” Waving me in, he headed towards his desk. The inside of his office was much like his door, dark hardwood floor was covered by a large Persian rug, the antique desk was a large fixture, acting as the centerpiece of the room. The walls were covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves and two overstuffed leather chairs sat facing his desk. I ran my hand over the back of one of the plush seats. The smell of linen, cognac, and pipe tobacco filled the space. It was oddly comforting as the linen and cognac held a delicate balance with the smokiness of the tobacco. I took a seat in the armchair to the right as he sat in the high-back leather office chair behind the desk. “How was your week so far?” he asked casually as he leaned back, settling into his chair.

  “It was fairly standard. Classes, hanging out with my friends, studying. No more issues with anyone this week, if that’s what you mean.” Crossing my leg over my knee, I attempted to get comfortable. The bookshelves drew my attention, old leather spines lined almost every shelf, only two of the cases held newer-looking volumes.

  “I’m glad to hear you didn’t have any more confrontations. Have classes been going well?” I nodded. “And your power testing? I heard you’ve yet to make much progress.” Again I nodded, nibbling on my lower lip. “Not to worry. Today, instead of working mentally, I would like to work on your reality warping. Professor George informed me that so far you’ve only been able to perform when emotion is involved. We will work on combating that. What I’m going to show you only a minimal amount of people know about, so I will ask of you to please, keep it to yourself, is that alright?” My curiosity piqued, I nodded. Standing from behind the desk, he requested I leave my bag in the chair.

  I got up when he went over to the second o
f four bookcases on the left wall, reaching up to a book at chest level, he pulled. A click sounded, and the case swung inwards revealing a hallway and an open room at the end. My eyes widened as I walked down the hall and stepped into the secret room. There were displays of antique artifacts and more shelves with even older books. Alex pointed out the three doors leading to other areas in the hidden alcove.

  “This is my private quarters, I have my official rooms in the faculty housing section, but this is my equivalent to your rooms in the library,” he explained, heading to the door to the left. “This leads to my apartment, there’s a small kitchen so if you need something to eat or whatnot, it’s here. The second door there”—pointing to the door on the wall in front of me—“that’s my personal bedroom and bathroom. And the third door here”—he moved over to the last door on the right—“is my personal practice room.” I followed him into the room. It was empty, with cement floor and strange tan colored panels on the walls.

  “This is awesome.” I didn’t try to hide the awe I felt at the set of rooms. The amount of history, antiques, and rare books in this small area was astonishing. I wanted to read everything and learn about each piece in here. Only a small amount of people know about this, so why me? “Alex, I was just curious, why would you show me?” I was confused as to why he would want to include me in this secret knowledge.

  “Because you need practice, Lucie, and I want to help you succeed. I want all of my students to succeed and to be the best they can be before joining the rest of society.” His tone brokered no further arguments, although he hadn’t really answered my question. Unbuttoning his suit jacket, he hung it on the handle to the door.

  “What are these?” I asked, rubbing my hands down the beige, rough surface of the paneling.

  “Power absorption panels. They keep any excess or misdirected magic or powers contained to this room. The practice rooms and gymnasium have them as well, they’re just more concealed and inconspicuous,” he explained before walking out of the room and returning a few moments later with a yardstick. “To get started, I want you to try folding this in half.” He laid the object on the ground between us. I stared hard at the piece of wood laying on the cement, the command to fold echoed strongly in my mind. Just as it had with previous practices, nothing happened. Grinding my teeth together, I stared even harder. Maybe I can glare holes into the wood if I stare hard enough, I scoffed.

  “Alright, I think I know what the issue is. I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind just like you do in your mental defense class.” His soothing tone calmed my growing irritation at not being able to use my powers. Doing as he suggested, I emptied my mind, the shield I had created in class was still holding strong. “Good, now I want you to push outside of the edges of your mind to feel around you. Remember that thin bubble? Exhale and feel past that, feel the tendrils of your powers extend past your barrier.”

  I took a few deep breaths before attempting what he suggested. On my third exhale, I felt the space around me. It felt as though I could walk with my eyes closed and avoid running into anything. My awareness brushed across the ground until finally coming in contact with the yardstick.

  “Do you feel what is around you?” I nodded. “Now, hold the yardstick in your mind focusing that expanse on only the yardstick. Once you’re essentially locked into your target, the command in your mind will have a place to go.” I opened my eyes, my mind still focused on the long piece of wood, fold. The yardstick began to bend in the middle, well not really bend, more like it bowed a bit and then straightened back out.

  “I lost that connection,” I ground out, frustration creeping through my body as I glared at the inanimate object as if it was the cause of all my problems.

  “I have an idea.” He walked out of the room. Returning a minute later with a baseball, he held it out for me to take. “I think having physical contact with an object will help. Once we master smaller objects, we’ll move to larger ones, and then continue on to non-contact.” I nodded my head as I held the baseball out in front of me. “What I want you to do with the baseball is to flatten it.” I closed my eyes, that mental connection to the ball was much stronger than it had been with the yardstick, the physical connection elevating my focus.

  Opening my eyes, the ball flattened as soon as the command formed in my mind. My jaw dropped as I stared at it. Alex’s eyes lit up in approval as he grabbed the yardstick and swapped it out for now flat baseball.

  “See if you can make this form a circle.” Closing my eyes once more, I felt for that connection. I struggled slightly trying to make it into a perfect circle, the end result looking more like an oval shape. However, after two more attempts, I was successful. The next couple of hours were spent working through different sized objects. By the time we were finished, I could feel a headache forming at the base of my skull.

  “You did very well today, Lucie. Next week, we will be focusing more on mental defense, but I also want to attempt reality warping without the physical connection as well. Go get some rest, you are off from the library this week, correct?” I nodded, following him out of the practice room and down the hallway back into his office. With a wave, I grabbed my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. That headache continued to spread, my only goal at that moment was to get back to my dorm to take a nap.

  September 15th

  Saturday Midday

  Lucienne

  Pushing open the front door to Coffeeology, the smell of coffee and baked goods warmed me from the inside out. I had planned on studying for the day but decided to grab some liquid motivation and read a bit before heading to the library. Smiling in anticipation, I dropped my bag at one of the small tables and got in line. Even though it was lunchtime, the shop was relatively empty. It had a vacant feel to it that I wasn’t very fond of this morning. Not wanting to be lonely, I shot a text to Sadie. She had been extremely busy preparing a set of oil paintings for a showcase her parents were setting up over Mabon weekend. We hadn’t gotten much time to hang out, and I was struck by how much I missed her.

  Lucie: “hey! coffee and baked yummies for lunch at coffeeology?”

  Sadie: “YES I AM IN NEED OF ALL THE PASTRIES!” Her text was followed up with a string of dessert emojis.

  Lucie: “I’ll order for you just tell me what you want.”

  Once Sadie sent her order, I tucked my phone back in my pocket. She said she’d be about ten minutes to get here, so I laid out our orders on the table and pulled out my textbook. I barely had the book open before someone dropped into the chair to my left. Looking up, I saw Dante’s tanned face, his grassy green eyes shining brilliantly as he smiled at me.

  “Hey, firecracker, how’s it going? Haven’t gotten to see you much lately with the extra Kohl practices this week.” His melodic voice mixed with his musky cologne resonated deep in my body, making me clench my thighs. No, he’s off limits! Closing my book, I pushed it to the side, doubting I would get any studying in at this point.

  “Hey, Dante, it’s been good, making lots of progress so far on my practicals. How’s Kohl been going?” I tried to keep my voice friendly. No flirting.

  “It’s been pretty good, I definitely think we’re ready for the game this Friday. You’re still coming right?” I nodded my head and took a long drink out of my coffee, searching the shop for a familiar blue-haired pixie. “Good, because I wouldn’t want you to be anywhere else.” His tone was heated, startling me out of my perusal of the other patrons.

  Looking over at him, I almost brushed his nose with my own. Somehow, one of his arms had made its way to the back of my chair, him leaning into me. The permanent wash of stubble on his strong jaw gave him a rugged look, and his eyes were hooded as he gazed down at me. Even sitting, I had to crane my neck to make eye contact. Crossing my legs, I clenched them tighter, hoping he didn't realize the effect he so clearly had on me.

  “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” The husky quality of my voice frustrated me. It seems I was unable to keep from flirting when it co
mes to this deliciously handsome man with his broad shoulders and gorgeous smile. Back up, he has a girlfriend! My internal screaming did nothing, Dante demanded my attention with his arresting green eyes.

  “I’ll play better knowing that beautiful face is watching me.” He had leaned in further, whispering into my left ear. With my hair up in a bun, it gave him access to the curve of my neck, his breath teasing me mercilessly. An involuntary shiver ran through me at the sound of his voice. Alright enough. This isn't a friend thing, and you are not that girl. Determination seared through me and I sat up, putting some distance between us just as Sadie’s voice rang out in the quiet of the shop. Thank fuck.

  “Hey, guys.” She quirked an eyebrow as she sank into the seat across from me. “How’s it going?” Her voice laced with amusement.

  “It’s going great.” My voice was slightly hysterical, so I cleared it, sitting up even straighter and busied myself with my drink. I didn’t want to cause issues for him with Khloe or make myself any more of a target.

  “That’s good. Dante?” She shifted her focus from me to the griffin shifter who still had his arm slung over the back of my chair.

  “It’s good, Sadie, Lucie and I were just talking about the Kohl game tomorrow.” Humor lit up in his eyes when he looked at me, apparently finding something about our situation entertaining. She hummed a skeptical agreement before stuffing a massive bite of a pumpkin scone into her mouth. I took the momentary lapse in conversation to take a bite of my chocolate croissant and sip my very large coffee. Once I shook off the embarrassment of… of what? Nothing happened, right? Regardless, tumultuous feelings aside, it was nice to just spend time with Sadie and Dante.