Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(41)

I had finally calmed my nerves by the time I returned the first cart and wheeled out the second one. I wasn’t paying attention and turned the corner to that asshole who was terrorizing Benji after orientation. Mr. Macho was making out with a petite blonde against the shelf, hands roved all sorts of places I didn’t want to see. Oh, of course, it had to be the one I needed to put books on! I huffed. When it rains, it pours I guess. Before I could turn around and leave, the asshole saw me.

“If it isn’t the little genie, today must be my lucky day,” his cruel voice called. When I didn’t respond and kept moving away, I heard hushed footsteps and a whiny female voice yelling.

“Justin, come back!” I’m just learning all sorts of names recently. I groaned, names of no one important.

“I’ll be back, just got to talk to this chick real quick,” he jumped in front of me blocking the aisle. “Don’t run away from me now, we were just getting started.” He towered over me, he had traded in the red sleeveless shirt and basketball shorts for a pair of loose jeans and a black long-sleeve shirt.

“I have nothing to say to you, now move,” my voice sounded tired now, even to my own ears. My nightmare-filled sleep didn’t allow for much rest, leaving my energy stores lower than usual after yesterday’s practical work. When he didn’t move, I only cocked an eyebrow. Trying to move passed him, I ended up getting cut off again. “Seriously dude, move. I have shit I need to take care of and standing here dealing with an asshole isn’t on my to-do list.” Smart Lucie, antagonize the bully when you’re all alone.

“I may not be on your to-do list, but you’re definitely on mine,” he closed the distance between us, trapping me between his chest and the book cart. His hands came up to wrap around my upper arms in a loose grip while he bent to whisper in my ear, “I believe it’s time to teach you what happens when you cross the big bad wolf.” My heart pounded in my chest at the feeling of his hands gripping my biceps, my hearing started to fade out leaving everything sounding muffled.



“You little bitch! You think you can go out without my approval?” His voice was loud and angry, “who were you talking to tonight? You were going to fuck him, weren’t you, you fucking slut!” His arms clamped down tightly on my upper arms digging into the healing bruises. I gasped at the sting of pain.

“I wasn’t talking to anyone, I only went because I needed to pick up notes from Sarah for chemistry!” I cried out as he shoved me back into the drywall. He crowded into my space, his hand gripping my jaw while his fingers dug into my pale, tear-stained cheeks.

“I know you were going behind my back, now you’re going to find out what happens when you think you can act like this…” The sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the room, pain blossomed on my cheek. My vision dimmed momentarily as I slid down to the tiled floor.



“What do you think you’re doing!” Muriel’s angry voice rang out yanking me out of the memory and back to the present. “You back away from her!” I felt Justin’s body rip away from me, cool air rushed to replace his heat. He shouted out in pain, my vision finally focused back on the scene in the library. He was pinned against the end of the bookshelf, invisible bonds securing his arms to his sides while he hovered a foot off the ground. Muriel’s green eyes burned with anger as she held him with her magic. She pulled out an old flip phone from her sweater pocket and hit a button. The sound of muffled ringing spilled from the earpiece as she pressed it against her wrinkled face. When the ringing stopped, Muriel spoke.

“I found a student attacking another student in my library. Fantasy section. I have him detained,” a quick response was given in the phone before she hung up. The silence around us was stifling. With a loud thunderclap, Assistant Dean Mastersen and Alex appeared out of thin air, two shelves over. Three security guards came barreling down the aisle shortly after, having chosen to use the front door. Troy, one of the night security guards, noticed me standing to the side and came over.

“Are you okay, Luce? Can you tell us what happened?” His baritone voice rang in the silence, but before I could respond, I was cut off by Alex.

“Thank you, Mr. Delancy, but I can take it from here. You handle this gentleman,” his voice was clipped and low in anger. He stepped up next to me and placed a hand on my back to guide me away from the cart. We walked in silence a few stacks away before curving down the aisle. “Alright, Lucie. First of all, are you alright?” I nodded unsure what to say. “Yesterday you mentioned that the man from your past was not currently aware of your location, is it safe to assume that is still true and that today’s events are unrelated?”

“Yes, I met Justin only recently,” I told him, fiddling with my hair that I pulled over my shoulder.

“I figured. However, I wanted to be sure. Can you tell me what happened?” I nodded and gave him a brief overview, leaving out the flashback.

“He said this was to teach you a lesson?” Alex’s tone was disbelieving. I went on to explain what happened after orientation, his face turning more and more severe the longer I talked. By the time I was done, his power was brushing in waves against me, tiny pinpricks washing over my skin. “I’ll make sure he is no longer an issue, Lucie. Will you be alright? I can increase any security for you if you feel unsafe,” I shook my head, I didn’t think he would be an issue after having to deal with a fuming Alex.