Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(20)

“February 9th, we went to the beach. You wanted me to spend it doing something I love and not around…,” I trailed off realizing what I was about to say.

“Very good, now I want you to look around you and tell me a few things you see,” Char was always good at pulling me out of the depths of my attacks, back to the here and now.

“I, uh, see beige painted walls, a TV that’s turned off, and the guys,” my voice lowered at the end. Are they my friends? Acquaintances? I barely spent any time with any of them. I heard Char ask me to name them.

“Logan and Landon, Nikolai, Camden, Hudson, and Dante,” I named each as I looked around the circle. The tension in the room was still extremely high, barely restrained anger rolled off of them in waves, but each of their eyes saturated with worry as they watched me.

“Good boo, glad to have you back. I have to let you go since my shift is starting, I just wanted to check in on you after the last couple of days. I’ll text you when I’m off alright?” I mumbled an affirmative and nodded to Cam, indicating he could hang up since he was holding my phone. I took a deep breath, steeling my resolve for the upcoming confession.

“So, I’m just going to put this out there,” I wrapped my arms around my middle, my jacket doing very little to fight the cold running through me. “I haven’t had the best experiences in the last few years, so I suffer from anxiety. I don’t really want to talk about it. Maybe down the road, but not today,” my words were rushed to explain before I could chicken out. While the guys didn’t look pleased that I wasn’t willing to spell it all out right then and there, they didn’t object.

“Alright princess, just remember what I said earlier okay?” Hudson added from the armchair to my left. I was about to nod when an extremely loud growl emanating from my stomach echoed throughout the room easing the tension. Everyone burst out laughing.

“I guess it’s time to feed you,” Dante joked from his seat. Nik pushed off and stepped into his room, reemerging with socks and boots while the guys stood and made their way from the dorm into the hall. “Let’s go get some food, don’t want to have the poor woman starve.” The relief I felt when they dropped the subject for more lighter topics left me breathless, tension melting away from the guys with each step we took towards the dining hall.

“I have a question,” I started after nodding thanks to Nik who held open the front door of the building allowing us to filter into the quad, “is it rude to ask what type of supernatural someone is? I know what Hudson is, same with Logan and Landon. So, if it isn’t, what kind of supes are you guys?” I stumbled through the questions quietly. The easy-going conversation with Sadie from dinner the other day was nothing like this. I felt my social awkwardness in full force while I walked between Dante and Cam.

“Technically it is, at least when it comes to strangers, but we aren’t strangers,” Dante informed me flashing me that incredible smile. When it comes to strangers, huh? Turning my head to Hudson who was walking behind Dante, I narrowed my eyes at him. He seemed to read my mind because he gave me a smile, his hand running through his hair. I wonder if it’s as silky as it looks.

“I’m not like normal supes,” he shrugged indifferently. “I couldn’t resist talking to the beautiful girl on the rolling ladder,” he waggled his eyebrows at me, and I saw Dante roll his eyes.

“Don’t let him fool you, he tries to charm anything with tits,” Logan interjected before Hudson could say more, who balked at the statement.

“Excuse you,” he puffed his chest up as he addressed the twins. They had taken up a position where they were walking in front of us. “I might charm them, but at least I don’t hit it and quit it like you two.” I felt my eyebrows raise at the information and turned my attention to the twins. Spinning around to face us, their backward steps were confident despite not looking where they were going.

“At least they know ahead of time what they’re in for, we just haven’t found someone who can handle both of us,” Landon followed Hudson’s lead and gave me a suggestive eyebrow wiggle that had Cam snickering. I couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled up in my chest at the ridiculousness of the conversation.

“That’s all fine and dandy, but none of that answers my second question,” I tried to get them back on the previous topic. The safer topic, I whispered in my head, thinking of a twin sandwich was enough to make me drool. “What supe type are you guys?”

“I’m a fae, with elven descent,” Hudson chimed in at the same time the twins gave me their answer.

“Daemon, as you know,” he gestured between himself and Landon. His tanned hand pointed at Cam, “this one is a vamp.” I turned to look at him. He gave me a wide smile in response, pointy canines catching my attention before he ran his tongue over them suggestively, ending with a wink. My blood pounded through my veins at the thought of him biting me, his eyes heated behind the black frames he wore. Can vampires detect my pulse? Smell my arousal like in the books? Because if so, I’m so fucked. Nik poked his head around Cam looking in my general direction while Grigori perched on his shoulder pulling my attention from Cam’s knowing stare.

“Warlock,” his gravelly voice was low, but not quite low enough to be lost in the crowd of the quad. He turned his attention back towards the walkway as we curved towards the dining hall.