Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(50)

When I thought of just how crazy it was to think of myself in a relationship with six men, I laughed even harder until tears streamed down my face, causing Sadie to laugh as well. We went back and forth like that until we had the attention of everyone in the shop. It was quite a while before we were able to calm down. After our goodbyes, I made my way over to the library to start studying. I couldn't hide the smile on my face at the thought of the easy friendship Sadie and I had fallen into. Or the idea of maybe having all of my guys to myself, if they would even consider it that is...





15





September 21st

Friday Midday

Nikolai





Cam and I made our way across the quad towards the library, coffee cups clutched in our hands. One for each of us and a giant cup for Lucie, figuring she would need caffeine after the late night of board games. We all ended up staying up until two, and she had to meet with the dean at eight o’clock in the morning, then head to work at eleven. Grigori, who had been flying overhead, perched on my shoulder when Cam pulled open the front door of the library. The head librarian was sitting behind the counter, meaning Lucie was on book returns.

“Go look for her or wait?” I asked Cam quietly, noting the large crowd scattered around the study areas of the library.

“I don’t want to sit here with everyone, I’ll use my RV,” nodding, I trailed after him. RV, remote viewing, would essentially allow him to see through her eyes. It was not particularly invasive, especially if he only did it for a moment and did not use his sensory scrying power in tandem with it. We stepped to the side while his eyes became unfocused. Once cleared, he turned towards the fantasy portion of the library. It did not take long to reach the edge of the section, but as we neared the shelf she was behind, her voice cut through the air.

“Seriously? Why do you always have to do this shit when I’m working? I’m clearly fucking busy, go find someone else to harass,” her words were sharp, conveying her anger. While she did not seem to be against cursing, I had not heard her do it often in normal conversation, so it was a little surprising, to say the least.

“Because you clearly aren’t listening. You’re going to regret not staying away from them,” Grigori rustled his feathers on my shoulder, wanting to see who was threatening our Lucie. I looked over to Cam to see his eyes unfocused. Probably eavesdropping.

“See, you keep saying that and we’ve had these damn impromptu meetings almost every week since the beginning of the semester. I go to shelve books, you come insult me, tell me to stay away from Dante and Hudson, I tell you no, you threaten me, then I walk away. Every single time. Can we just skip ahead to the part where you actually try something or leave me the hell alone?” Her voice now laced with exhaustion. Stay away from Dante and Hudson? Are these the bimbos they are dating? My hands began fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, my irritation making me restless.

“Just watch your back, bitch,” a southern accent called out, definitely Madison. Several sets of footsteps sounded on the carpet going in the opposite direction. When Cam’s eyes focused they were cold, his face had hardened. Sharp incisors flashed as his lips pulled back in a snarl. As quickly as it had happened, he shook his head and was once again calm. I had been messing with my shirt while we listened, managing to twist my fingers up in the fabric. Untangling myself, we moved around the edge of the shelf once the footsteps had faded.

“Lucie,” I whispered roughly into the silence, my throat throbbing at the word. She jumped slightly and looked at us with weariness in her eyes. “We come bearing caffeine.” My smile was crooked as Cam held out her giant coffee. Those adorable dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled, although the weariness still shadowed her face.

“Thanks, guys, I really need it.” Sighing, she took the coffee and started chugging. “So, how much did you hear?” I shifted from one foot to the other, uncertain of how she would feel about us eavesdropping.

“From the ‘seriously’ part. How long have they been giving you issues about Dante and Hudson?” Cam’s voice was hard and clipped. Lucie focused her attention on him, the infliction of his tone was not lost on her. Instead of deflecting like usual, she told him what he wanted to know.

“Well, Claire warned me away from Dante that first Friday after the semester had begun. Then the rest of them a few more times afterward. Hudson was included once he started dating Britney or whatever,” her arm waved absently as she angled to face the cart, grabbing another stack of books.

“They have an issue with them being friends with you?” I questioned in a low tone.

“They have an issue with that, me being near them, talking to them, generally existing in their presence,” she sighed. “Every time it’s the same ‘you’ll regret it’ speech.”

“Why have you not told them?” My brows furrowed. Why would she put up with this for so long without saying anything?

“They wouldn’t stay with girls like that,” Cam added.

“The fact they’re dating them at all makes me question their sanity,” she chuckled ruefully. “But they seem happy, I’m not going to get in the way of that. That’s what those bitches would do, and I’m not going to stoop to their level,” shelving the last book, she chugged more of her coffee before turning to face us.