Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(33)

I tried to have him come back down so we could get on with practice, but the stubborn bird had plans of his own. Spend time with her, he ordered. I internally rolled my eyes at the meddlesome creature before turning my attention to Lucie. Her hair escaped from behind her ears again when she nodded.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but” her voice was hesitant as she looked to her right towards the target down range. “How do you shoot the arrows, I know you said you can see through Grigori, but is that… I mean I don't really…” I smirked as she struggled to ask her question, probably trying to not offend me

“It was challenging at first. I had actually gotten used to relying solely on my other senses before Grigori came to me. All of a sudden, I was able to see everything from an aerial view,” I explained, fiddling with the bowstring. I purposely ignored the burning in my throat as I talked. “Once I got used to the way he sees things, I was able to retrain myself in relation to his position.”

“So you weren’t always blind?” Her face was soft as she looked at me. I felt my jaw clench, pushing the memories away before they could force their way out of the door I had managed to lock them behind.

“No. I… I do not want to talk about it,” I ground out, trying hard not to snap at her. She did not mean anything by it. Standing quietly for a moment, her eyes unfocused, nibbling on her lip.

“I’m afraid of the dark. Like really scared. I have a nightlight,” she admitted randomly. I was sure my confusion to her statement was apparent on my face.

“What?” I had no clue where that came from. She shrugged in response before turning to face me.

“We all have things we don’t want to talk about. Just know that if you ever do, want to talk about it I mean, I’m here,” I felt my body loosen, the tension of the past falling away at the sincerity in her voice. I held my hand out in her direction and pulled her to me once she placed her hand in mine.

Holding her tightly I whispered into her hair, “Thanks, babe, it means a lot to me.” I have not spoken about that night in what felt like a lifetime. All of the guys already knew what happened, and I have never cared enough to give anyone else an answer. But the fact that she shared even that ostensibly small secret with me at this exact moment had to mean there was a deeper reason behind it. It was a show of trust, her willingness to provide me with a look into herself knowing I would want to understand the meaning, but would not ask her to explain just as she had not pressured me. I realized I had just been standing there hugging her and released her.

Grigori chose that moment to swoop out of the tree allowing me to focus on the target. I raised the bow till my arms were level with my face and pulled the bowstring. Determining the direction and strength of the wind, I focused on the angle Grigori was projecting to me. Once I had a feel for the variables of my shot, I took a deep breath. Releasing the arrow, it hit dead center. I heard Lucie gasp.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” her voice was filled with awe. “Do you think you could show me how to shoot? I’ve never shot a bow before.” I smirked in her direction, could she be any cuter?

“I would love to,” motioning for her to come stand in front of me, I handed her the bow and wrapped my arms around her to grab her hands. Her skin was smooth and soft under my rough fingers, her body was radiating heat against my chest as her hair brushed the bottom of my jaw. I explained as much as I could without hurting my throat, how to shoot as we pulled the arrow back. Leaning my head down, I whispered in her ear, her vanilla scent surrounded me.

With Grigori as my eyes, I knew her stance was correct, focusing more on my sense of touch. I moved closer, almost flush against her and tucked her hair behind her ear, my lips brushing the top of it. She shivered in my arms, and I could not decide if I relished or regretted the decision to tease her as I felt the blood rush to my jeans. What are you doing? I questioned myself, unable to process why I was doing what I was. I had closed myself off from everyone in recent years. So, why her?

Focusing back on the task at hand, I lowered my arms placing my hands on her hips, to make sure her position hadn’t changed while I was lost in thought. It had not, you just want to touch her, Grigori pushed the observation to me. I was gentle in my movements, not wanting to disturb any of her injuries. She drew a deep breath, inadvertently brushing against me with her ass, as she released the arrow. Shit. I clenched my teeth as my hands tightened slightly on her waist. I heard the thunk and with Grigori’s help, saw it on the second ring.

“Not bad, babe,” I teased softly, nudging her to lean against me. Lowering the bow with a chuckle, she dropped her head back onto my left shoulder. She sighed contentedly, molding herself to me. She wasn’t short by normal standards, so her ass was at just the right height to torture me. My jeans grew tight, I could only hope she would not feel my reaction to her.

“That was fun,” I could hear the smile in her voice. Turning towards me, her nose brushed against my jaw. Her hands squeezed mine where they rested on her hips. “Thank you for this, Nik. I really needed some time away. I liked having you to myself, maybe we could, I don’t know, hang out like this again.” She leaned forward, pressing a lingering kiss to my jaw. I stood stunned as she shuffled away quickly, picking up her messenger bag as she left. She kissed me, my jaw dropped as my pulse raced. I checked my phone, plenty of time. There was no way I could get through class with the way I was feeling. I quickly packed up my stuff, messaging Cam to meet me in our dorm.