by A. J. Macey
“Bourbon, scotch, wine, basically everything, it looks like,” Landon rattled off as he looked at the line of bottles my mom always kept in the bottom cabinet for her and Gabrielle’s drinking and baking nights.
“Oh, Dante. Son, what do you have?” Jonathon stopped Dante as he walked by, looking into his glass.
“Scotch,” Dante told him. “It’s good, I’m not sure what year or brand though.” Jonathon hummed with an enthusiastic nod.
“I’ll take the same, please,” he ordered from Landon.
“Lucie, I’d like you to come with me if there’s someplace quiet,” Alex murmured, his voice only loud enough for me to hear, his statement pulling me from the hustle and bustle around us. Turning, we walked through the living room and into the spare room. Excitement built within me as Alex dug around his jacket pocket, one thought filling my head.
Time to get Nik’s Christmas present!
Nikolai
“Nikolai,” Dean Renaud stated, his hand coming to rest on my free shoulder, “Lucie would like to see you.” He tilted his head to indicate the spare room he had just left. Confused, I crossed the few feet to the room, finding Lucie shifting nervously near the bed.
“Can you close the door?” she asked, her voice wobbling. It did not seem like it was from worry which only made me more confused. Doing as she asked, I closed the door softly and walked over to her. Grigori seemed to pick up on the odd way she was acting, his concern filling our bond.
“What is it, Babe?” I whispered, the gravel in my voice rough in the quiet of the room. The sounds from the living space were soft through the room, giving Lucie and me some semblance of peace.
“All right, so I was hoping to give this to you on Christmas, but it wasn’t ready in time,” she started, rambling her way through an explanation. “But… here.” She held out a small box. It was a simple wood, the top unadorned and smooth as I took it from her.
Opening it, I was met with a vial of a shimmering blue, a rolled up piece of thick paper next to it. My brows drew down as I reached in and pulled out the paper, setting the box on the bed. Grigori dipped down, his keen eyes scanning over the paper.
Tentic Tonic
Ground Hemlock Root
Hell’s Broth
Corinella Leaf
Moon Dust
Drop of Pixie Frost
Scanning, I read the rest of the potion instructions, even more confused until I saw the potion’s description at the bottom.
Soothes permanent damage to mouth, esophagus, and vocal cords. Eases physical discomfort, but caution—follow all instructions to the letter or more damage may be caused. Works for up to one month for a single drop placed on the tongue.
“This… how…” I could not put together how she had found something so valuable. She hopped slightly in excitement.
“I had Alex find it. When I was in the hospital after being found and you guys weren’t there yet. He said he may have had an idea of where to look, but it took a bit longer than he anticipated to find and have made,” she explained, her gaze bright as she smiled at me. “I was hoping to find something more helpful for your throat than Mom’s hot chocolate and sugar cookies. Do you want to try it?”
Setting the paper down next to the box, I pulled out the small vial and took out the dropper. Sticking my tongue out tentatively, I dropped the proper amount of potion onto it. It was almost immediate, the ever-present full ache fading until it was non-existent, and when I swallowed, it wasn’t as if trying to swallow around a burning coal.
“So?” she whispered, her gaze filled with hope as she watched me.
“It feels better.” I was shocked by the sound of my own voice. No longer was it gravelly and rough from pain and damage, but smooth and deep as if someone had taken the sandpaper from my vocal cords. Her eyes lit up and her smile nearly blinded me as she noticed the difference. “It does not hurt anymore,” I murmured, my heart squeezing as what she had just given me truly sank in.
Reaching out, I guided Lucie to me, my eyes burning with a wave of unshed tears. Her slender arms wrapped around my stomach, her vanilla scent filling my nose as she tucked herself under my chin. There were so many things I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to say them. Lucie, my girlfriend, found a potion to temporarily heal my throat. Cam and I had spent years combing archives and books, but we never found anything that worked well enough. Then this beautiful creature with a heart of gold comes crashing into our lives and gives me one of the best things I could have ever asked for.
“I love you, Lucie,” I told her, still in shock by the sound of my voice. She squeezed tightly.
“I love you too, Nik. Merry Christmas.”
I returned the sentiment, pressing my lips to hers when she looked up at me.
“You mean so much to me, and I hate seeing you suffer even for a little bit. And you said it yourself, it’s our first Christmas together, and I wanted it to be special for both of us.”
“You are special to me, Lucie. Thank you for giving me this,” I choked out, my eyes starting to water. Moments like this were important to me especially. While I had my relationship with Cam and my shared one between him and Lucie, it was little actions like this that made me feel worthy of being with her. It was little actions like this that showed that she cared about me as much as she did everyone else… everyone who was not damaged. Grigori’s feathery wing smacked me in the ear at my thought in an attempt to chastise me.
“I’m going to head back out there. Do you want me to get Cam?”
“Yes, please.”
She smiled once more, kissing my cheek before heading out into the party.
I can’t believe she did that for me… How did I get someone so perfect?
12
December 31st
Monday Night
Camden
“You okay? Lucie said you wanted to see me,” I told Nik as soon as I was in the room, closing the door behind me. It wouldn’t be the first time he had gotten upset with being around too many people. When he didn’t turn to face me, I walked closer, nudging him to look at me. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” I asked, noting the wet tracks on his face. He didn’t talk, holding out a roll of paper. Did Lucie… ? No, she wouldn’t have broken up with him, I thought as I unrolled the paper, but before I could read it, Nik spoke.
“I love you, Cam.”
“What the…” I trailed off, unable to believe what I was hearing. Nik didn’t sound like Nik, he sounded… well, normal. Glancing down at the paper, I scanned it quickly, my eyes widening at what I saw.
“It is my Christmas present from Lucie,” Nik explained through another round of tears. “Said she wanted to help more than hot cocoa and soft cookies. Cam, it does not hurt anymore.”
“You sound so different,” I whispered, stepping closer, my hands cupping his cheeks. “But at the same time so much like yourself. I love you too, Nik.”
“I do not know how to thank her,” he murmured, looking at the glass bottle in his hand. “Or Dean Renaud.”
“Is that how she got it?” I asked, watching the glimmer particles swirl amongst the blue liquid. How? Why? Why would the dean of our school do something so personal for her? The questions swirled in my mind, going back to the conversation with the guys about Dean Renaud and the odd feelings we had gotten from him before.
“Yes, apparently asked when she woke up in the hospital. One of her first thoughts after everything, after nearly dying, was about me. How does one ever repay that?” I found that the more he spoke, the more I never wanted him to stop. I loved my broody and quiet best friend, but the deep notes to his voice called to me, and knowing he was no longer in pain only made it that much sweeter.
“Teach her archery. You said she asked before. Maybe how to make a couple of potions that are able to be made by non-witches and warlocks. Lucie would appreciate those little things, that one on one time with you,” I offered. “It may never feel like enough, but your time is what Lucie loves most.”
“Yeah, all right, I will do that. I just cannot believe she did this for me. How did someone so beautiful inside and out end up with the lot of us?” Nik laughed, the sound like music to my ears.
“I don’t know, but I can’t say I’m upset about it. We’ll just need to be the best we can for Lucie. Do you want some more time?”
Nik nodded with a promise that he would be out soon, so I kissed him briefly before rejoining the party. It was still well underway, everyone laughing, talking, or just generally being loud and cheerful on the final night of the year. Lucie was seated next to Jonathon, her dimples appearing on her cheeks as she giggled at something she said. Seeing the two of them together, something clicked in my mind, but whatever it was eluded me no matter how hard I tried to grasp onto the realization. Giving up on trying to figure out whatever my brain had put together, I shifted my attention onto all the questions I wanted to ask Jonathon.
“... and then, she came barrelling out of the room in a wave of navy blue satin, silk, and sequins, but somehow still managed to flow down the stairs in front of everyone without tripping despite looking like a fabric shop threw up on her,” Jonathon told Lucie, and the laughter she released at his story filled me with happiness. “Hello, Camden, have a seat and chat with a lonely old man for a while!”
“Don’t mind if I do,” I agreed, sitting next to Lucie. Leaning into her, I whispered into her ear, “Thank you, Doll, it means more to Nik and me than I could ever tell you.”
“Of course, you don’t have to thank me. Do you need something to drink? I’m thirsty still.” When I started to stand, she nudged me to stay seated, getting up with an ‘I got it.’
“So, Camden, how have you been, son? Hopefully well. Is the library exhibit research going as planned?” Jonathon started, conversation flowing easily between us as we moved from topic to topic.
“Lucie mentioned you having strong mental abilities, is that right?” I asked when there was a lull in our conversation. “Do you have any suggestions on how to handle dream leaking?”
“Is this you who’s leaking them or is it something you’re noticing from another person in your friends?” His question was something I expected, but for some reason, there was an odd note within it that made me hesitate.
“Lucie, actually. It seems to have just started last week, and it’s relatively sporadic, but I’m not sure how strong they’ll continue to be, and with them being night terrors…” I trailed off, figuring he knew what I meant. “We’re also wondering if you know anywhere within the archives there would be some family trees. The guys and I have been trying to look into a familial connection between Lucie and Mireille Bonheur since she went on her trip to Fae, but we’re not finding much.”
“Ah, that is a name I haven’t heard in a long time.” His tone was sentimental as he sighed. “There might be one within the archives in the library. I can put in a request with Muriel for you and your friends to be allowed down into the book shelving areas. I’m assuming it’s a surprise for Lucie?”
“We don’t want to give her false hope.”
“I understand. I’ll see what I can do. As for the dream leaking, I will talk to Alex and see if on a few of their scheduled sessions we could work on it. The upmost important thing is to try and keep her calm during her sleep, but seeing as how they’re due to intense trauma, I will work on finding an alternative until her mind can heal.”
We spent another little while talking, but that sentimentality in his voice when I mentioned Mireille Bonheur continued to plague me. Jonathon knows more than he’s telling me.
I’m sure of it.
Dante
“When are tryouts?” Austin questioned, his gaze excited as he looked at me. Benji listened with rapt attention as he stuffed yet another cookie into his mouth.
“Later in the spring, that way we can announce the new team right at the end of the semester and spend the summer preparing for next year. If we make it to the world championships, it may be moved until after that since that’s at the end of June. Why? Interested?”
“Interested in what?” Lucie asked, stepping up next to me and grabbing the bottle of soda on the counter.
“Kohl team tryouts,” I said.
“You’re going to try out, right? You’d be amazing with your smoke and reality warping!” Benji added excitedly, making Austin shake his head with a chuckle. Lucie looked shocked, her eyes wide, and after a split second she shook her head.
"Uh, I'm not athletic. At all," she tried to tell us. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized she had grown since the beginning of the semester when we first talked about Kohl during our library date. If she continued to grow into her powers the way she was, she'd be a force to be reckoned with on the field. "Oh, no. You have your thinking face on. Don't even think about it, Dante."
"Why not? You said you like to go for runs and yoga, you know how to fight, and Benji's right, you'd be amazing on the field," I told her, Benji perking up at my validation.
"You can't be serious. How do you know I wouldn't crack under the pressure or be fucking terrible?" she tried to argue, but I waved her off.
"We could practice. I won't make you, but would you at least consider it?"
"Consider what?" Landon asked, his bruised face appearing over Benji's shoulder, Logan right behind him.
"Lucie's going to try out for the Kohl team," Austin said, smirking at her glare.
"Really? Yes!" Logan and Landon cheered together, doing some kind of odd dance in excitement. "Remember Rick and Titus said they'd help you practice too, so you have like five people willing to show you the ropes and figure out what position you'd be good at," Logan reminded Lucie.
"Ugh, fine! I'll practice. I will try it, but"—she waved, cutting the twins off—"if I don't like it or if I suck, you can't push me into it. Okay?"
"Deal," I said, the twins echoing the sentiment right as I heard a ruckus behind me. Turning, I found Dean Renaud and Sadie both dancing around to nothing. “What the hell?”
“I don’t know! I can’t stop,” Sadie explained, giggling as Dean Renaud started to do the disco. The twins high fiving gave it away, but when Hudson came over looking smug, I felt my jaw drop.
“What? You couldn’t believe we wouldn’t have just a little fun. This time though, Hudson helped,” Logan teased before pointing to Lucie. “At least she’s enjoying it.” Glancing over, I found her clutching onto the counter in an attempt to stay standing, laughing so hard her face was red and tear streaked.
“This isn’t funny, Lucie,” the dean tried to lecture her but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading. “All right, it’s a little funny. Is this going to just wear off at some point, gentlemen?”
“Yeah, in another ten or so seconds. It’s only formulated to work for thirty seconds on the first bite. Don’t worry, your cupcake will be safe to eat,” Hudson explained through his laughter. As soon as Sadie and the dean finally calmed, Sadie grabbed an empty plastic cup and chucked it at the three of them with a harumph.
“Come on, Lucie, let’s go have some girl time. Away from immature little boys,” she sassed, her tongue sticking out and hooking an arm around Lucie’s, dragging her giggling into the living area. The dean shook his head, giving a half-assed glare, but didn’t lecture them as he stuffed another bite of the cupcake in his mouth.
“These are actually very good, in case anyone is willing to get a bit of exercise,” he said, walking over to Jonathon who had just waved to Cam. Turning, I started refilling my cup with some more of the alcohol I had been drinking through the party when Cam’s honeyed voice filled my ear.
“Don’t forget, alpha, you owe me,” he whispered, his tone heated.
Damn it all to hell.
Lucienne
“Dude, I’m so full,” Char murmured, flopping back against the cushions. “No more treats or food. For like, ever.”
“Agreed,” Sadie whined, slumping into Harlem who rolled her eyes and smirked, wrapping an arm a
round Sadie as they cuddled.
“You two are so adorable,” I cooed. Sadie blushed behind her purple glasses while Harlem scoffed, neither arguing my point. “How was your guys’ weekend getaway?”
“It was good, not a lot of relaxing, if you know what I mean,” Sadie explained, her brows waggling. Plugging my ears, I went ‘la la la.’
“I don’t tell you about my sex life with the guys so no thank youuuu.” I sing-songed the last word, my fingers still in my ears. Glancing over at Charlie, I smirked.
“Oh, hell no, boo. Don’t even start with that look.”
“Do what? I wasn’t going to do anything. I was just going to ask about how it’s going with Gabe and Elijah.” Sadie picked up on my words, sitting up straight with a glimmer in her eyes.
“Oh, girl, dish. Right freaking now,” Sadie commanded playfully, scooting to the front of her seat. Getting up, I shot Char a triumphant grin, her narrowed gaze following me as I walked over to the treats. While Charlie and Sadie had gorged themselves, I had not.
“Hey, sweetheart,” my mom said as I neared her. She and Alex were talking, both relaxed despite the ruckus the party was making, but I noticed the most change in Alex.
While he stood upright, his shoulders were less tense, the slight wrinkles he had around his eyes crinkling as he laughed. It was nice to see, if I was being honest, to see everyone I cared about or had helped me in the recent months be so happy and laid-back.
“Oh! We’re almost to midnight!” Mom randomly called out, pulling me from my dazed state. “Everyone grab your glass and we can cheers for the New Year!” Alex took it upon himself to help her hand out the plastic cups with champagne in them around the room.
“Ready? Ten, nine, eight…”
We all counted down, my guys collecting around me as we did so until we finally hit midnight. Cheers and little poppers went off around the room, everyone pressing their cups together as we toasted. As soon as we took our sips, each of my guys gave me a peck and a sweet sentiment, my heart filling more and more until I didn’t think it could grow any more.