Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(71)
Dante
I was completely done with Khloe. After what came to light at our group discussion, I wanted nothing more than to break it off, but saving Hudson was more important. Once we had him back, things between us would be over. If I was honest with myself, the only reason I’ve stayed with Khloe for so long is that I thought nothing would ever happen between Lucie and I. Why would she want to be with someone like me?
Khloe was jabbering away with her friends while I was standing with Hudson. I hadn’t taken my eyes off of Lucie since she entered the room. From my position, I could see Hudson sneaking glances every so often, varying expressions of longing and irritation flickering across his face. Poor guy, I knew the feeling. Having her be so close and yet so far away due to our current relationships was hell. She hadn't been coming around the other guys, which I couldn't help but feel guilty about knowing it had been my relationship to strain our friendship.
It was almost time for me to lead the girls and Hudson out of the main dining hall, I just had to stop looking at Lucie first. The dress she wore was stunning, accentuating the curve of her neck and her feminine figure. Watching her dance with Cam, Nik, Landon, and now Logan I didn’t feel any jealousy, just the pant of longing. It had stung a bit when I first found out Logan and Landon had slept with her, but when I think of their closeness, I only feel proud. I wanted her happy, and I know the guys do that for her.
That thought alone solidified my decision to break things off with Khloe. It wasn't right for me to deny them other company just to be able to warm my own bed at night. Not that we had actually had sex yet, my brain reminded me. I noticed the girls were getting slightly tipsy from the alcohol they had been slipping into their drinks for the last hour. Once Logan was finished with his dance, I gave the signal that we’d initiate our plan.
“Hey ladies, do you want to come with us to grab more alcohol? I know where they keep it in the back room,” the lie fell from my lips easily. I knew they were going to be out soon since I had stolen one of the bottles they had snuck in.
“That would be great, babe!” Khloe called out, her glazed eyes wavered over my face, unable to focus. I grabbed Hudson and pulled him along with the rest of us as we slipped into the hallway off to the side of the dining hall. As we got further from the dining hall, the music faded to a dull rhythmic thumping. Stepping into the front of the group, I steered them towards the kitchen and storage room. Leaving the door to the storage room slightly ajar, I turned back towards everyone. Cam’s persuasion could reach a target without him actually seeing them, which would help significantly in this situation and reduce any foreseeable problems. The light was dim, allowing the guys to slip in without being noticed as the girls and Hudson spread throughout the room.
“Hudson,” I called his name, and he turned to face me. “It’s time for us to talk,” the guys filed in next to me, creating a barrier between him and the door.
“Talk about what, I have nothing to say to you,” He scoffed, his voice was rough like it hadn’t been used in a long time. It looked as though he was being drained of everything that made him Hudson. Normally charismatic and confident, he now resembled a drug addict with shaky hands, sunken features, and pale, sickly skin.
“I need to do this Hudson, so I’m sorry,” Cam addressed him before his eyes glowed, the way they did when he was connecting to someone’s mind. The girls were standing silently in a half circle, Cam had been working on them the entire walk over here, leaving them in a hypnotic state. “Hudson, have any of these girls given you anything since you started seeing Brittney?” Power radiated throughout his voice as he persuaded Hudson to answer. For a long moment, only the sound of the leaky faucet and Hudson’s shallow breathing filled the space, before he moved to pull off his tuxedo jacket.
“Just this bracelet,” unbuttoning the cuff, he rolled up the left sleeve of his shirt to reveal a leather braid woven around a small piece of metal. The outermost portion of the metal didn’t have any embellishment, but when I cut it out of the binding, there was a small symbol on the back. Nik, with his affinity for runes, stepped forward, taking the engraved piece from my hand. Running his fingers over it, Grigori leaned over from his perch on Nik’s shoulder to get a better look. After examining the piece for a moment, his eyes snapped to Claire’s.
“Definitely a rune. Forced him to depend on negative emotion. Urging him to want to be near Brittney as opposed to being with us.” I felt my teeth grind together as Nik spoke. Why didn’t we see this sooner? Hudson’s behavior was so clear now, he was being controlled. Compelled to focus on the anger and resentment he had felt, I blamed myself that he’d been suffering. I should have seen this.
“Hudson, I’m going to pull back, alright? You’ll probably struggle for a little bit now that the rune doesn’t have control,” Cam’s eyes glowed again as he pulled out of our brother’s mind. Hudson shuddered and stumbled, the twins shot forward and caught his arms before he completely collapsed. A pained groan rumbled in his chest as he dangled practically boneless in Logan and Landon’s arms. The majority of his energy being spent on adjusting his mind to function properly without the rune’s interference.
“What happened?” Hudson’s voice was still rough, but at least now we knew why it had been that way. We gave him a rundown of what had happened in the last three weeks focusing on the fight and what the girls had done. By the end of our summary, he had straightened to his full height. A bit of his honey coloring coming back to his cheeks. His mouth was slashed in a harsh frown, jaw ticking in anger.