Smoke and Survival (Best Wishes Book 2) Read online

  Smoke and Survival

  Book 2 of the Best Wishes Series

  A.J. Macey

  Blurb:

  What do you do when your past comes back to haunt you? Fight back...

  Life at Redwood Supernatural University is about as predictable as you could imagine a supe college would be—mean girls, douchebags, drama, and a lot of studying—but things are looking up. The Bitch Crew has started to leave me alone, and Justin has been expelled. With that nasty mess out of my way, it looks like I can finally focus on figuring out what is going on with my guys and our budding relationships and getting a hold on my powers.

  That is until the nightmares that plague my dreams come to find me in my new life.

  At least this time when I face my tormentor, I won’t be alone. I’ll have the support of my friends, a powerful supernatural, and six guys who are determined to keep me safe from my past.

  I got this...I hope.

  Warning:

  The Best Wishes Series is a WhyChoose/Reverse Harem saga featuring MMFMMMM meaning there is M/M content, and the female main character doesn't have to choose between her love interests.

  This book contains references involving PTSD, sexual assault recollections, domestic violence, and other themes that some readers may find triggering.

  Contents

  Smoke and Survival

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Smoke and Mistletoe

  Acknowledgments

  Also by A.J. Macey

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by A.J. Macey

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover: JodieLocks Designs

  Editing: Ms. Correct All’s Editing and Proofreading Services

  Formatting: Inked Imagination Author Services

  Dedicated to:

  My daughter, Evelyn Rose.

  Just close your eyes and dream.

  Smoke and Survival

  Book 2 of the Best Wishes Series

  By A.J. Macey

  1

  November 1st

  Thursday Morning

  Lucienne

  “Lucie baby.” His voice was soft in my right ear. “You feel so fucking good.” Muscled arms sat on either side of my head as his lean stomach and chest pressed into my breasts. I stared blankly at the ceiling, everything feeling numb. He’ll be done soon, I mentally chanted. He pulled back to look down at me. His deep brown eyes were hard and cold, but his mussed dark hair and hard face transformed into a black wolf. I went from being naked on his plaid sheets to a formal dress on damp grass. Screams ripped through me when the wolf’s mouth curled into a harsh snarl. When I tried to push away, sharp teeth tore into my neck. My screams turned to flooded gurgling while pain seared through me…

  I shot up, my body shaking and covered in sweat. The sharp movement disturbed the wrap around my chest which caused a painful pulling on the healing puncture wounds. Sucking in sharp breaths, I realized that Hudson and Dante were crouching in front of me, their hands openly stretched toward my shaking body. Both Dante’s green eyes and Hudson’s luminescent lavender eyes darted around the planes of my face, wide with fear. The rest of my guys were hovering behind them looking on with worried expressions. Running a hand down my face, I pushed the loose hair that had escaped my braid out of my vision.

  “Lucie?” Hudson reached up and cupped my left cheek, his warm voice quiet and hesitant. The heat of his honeyed skin curbed the last of the tremble in my limbs.

  “Sorry, I was having a nightmare.” The words were scratchy from sleep as I looked around Dante’s massive frame for my water bottle. Reaching around him to grab it, an involuntary wince scrunched my face as the bandage around my ribs tugged at the torn skin. He turned slightly before he snatched it off the floor and handed it to me. I gave him a tiny smile while I rubbed my injury to ease the pain. “Thanks, Dante.” I took a big gulp of water, hoping the cool liquid would soothe the roughness in my voice.

  “What was the nightmare about?” Cam asked once I handed my water bottle back to Dante. Carefully stretching before answering, my back popped satisfactorily in response.

  “Noah, then he transformed into wolf Justin...” I hesitated, not sure I wanted to say anything else. I knew they were all struggling with what had happened last weekend.

  “What else, Love? We know there’s more than that. You were thrashing and doing this strangled scream.” Logan glanced down at me with a knowing look, a brown eyebrow raised and his lips pursed. He crossed his tan arms over his chiseled chest and waited. Rubbing the back of my neck, I pressed my lips in a thin line. These brats know me too well.

  “No one saved me this time, and he bit me,” I forced out, the hard stare I directed at Logan clearly displaying that I wasn’t happy about having to tell them the rest of the nightmare. “Getting your throat ripped out is not an awesome dream.” I shifted to standing before looking at the clock. 8:45 AM. Good, plenty of time. “I’m going to shower. Cam, will you be able to help me wrap my gauze?” I hitched a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the bathroom as I collected the socks that I had kicked off before falling asleep. Cam nodded as he moved toward my room to grab the first aid kit Dr. Ingress had prepared for me.

  Slipping into my room, I opened the top drawer of my dresser and dug out a pair of black panties and a matching black bra. I heard my guys slowly shuffling about in the shared living room, most likely pulling out new clothes for the day. We had gotten into a routine the last three days of who showered when and whose turn it was to grab food for everyone. Next, I grabbed the rest of my outfit from various hangers: a pair of skinny jeans, my belt, a cami, and a plain, forest green sweater.

  Once I had my change of clothes for the day, I headed back out through the living room and into the empty bathroom. The water warmed up as I unwrapped the current dressing around my breasts and ribs that held the gauze to my sternum. The puncture wounds were scabbed over, but Dr. Ingress wanted to keep them covered to reduce any irritation from my shirt or bag strap. Vicious red streaks surrounded the puncture wounds. The weight of his paw had left behind bruises in such dark, deep blues and purples that they nearly looked black on my fair skin. It wasn’t as bad as I had expected, and I was surprised that the weight hadn’t broken any bones in my chest. It certainly felt like he was crushing me to death. Stripping out of the rest of my pajamas, I quickly undid my braid and brushed out my hair before stepping into the steady stream.

  My tense muscles relaxed slowly the longer the hot water poured down my shoulders. I made sure to keep my chest facing away from the water, having learned on Tuesday that it stung to have the spray hit my injury. I slowly worked my way through my shower routine of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a poor attempt of shaving my legs, taking my time no
t to rip open the scabs. After turning off the water, I dried my body and stepped out of the shower onto the plush bath mat. With my hair wrapped up in the towel, I pulled my panties up my legs and secured my bra around my torso before I knocked on the door to let Cam know I was ready for a new wrapping. I was stepping into my jeans when the door opened. Me being bent over with my lace covered ass toward him was absolutely not on purpose. Nope, not at all.

  “Doll,” Cam murmured, my nickname rough with heated desire. I slid the jeans up my thighs and looked at him over my shoulder as I buttoned them.

  “Yes?” My question was filled with faux innocence.

  Setting the medical supplies on the counter, Cam came up behind me. His hands were cool on my flushed skin as his fingers trailed around my sides to my stomach. The soft material of his shirt pressed against my back, his cock against my ass, rigid and confined in his dark jeans. I was mostly facing the mirror, able to look into his half-lidded hazel eyes as he stared at me. The multi-faceted irises were barely visible around the rapidly expanding pupils.

  “Did you do that on purpose?” He leaned down slightly to be closer to my right ear. The warmth of his breath caressed my skin, and goosebumps formed under the soft heat.

  “Do what?” I tried to continue my charade, but my lips twitched as I attempted to hide my triumphant smile.

  “If you wanted my attention, then you’ve certainly gotten it.” His long fingers gripped my hips tightly when I pressed my ass back into him, and his jaw clenched. A harsh exhale brushed my skin, and I felt him harden even more against me. He kept eye contact as he bent his head and kissed his way up my shoulder to my neck right over my tattoo. His left hand shifted to pull the towel off my hair, moving the damp strands to sit over my left shoulder. The tips of his fingers traced over the top of my breast as he nibbled my neck, the sharp point of his canines barely scraping my skin. I couldn’t hold back my moan at the building heat in my core any longer.

  Turning to face him, I let my fingers get tangled in his messy bed head. He pushed me up against the counter, gripping my hips roughly once more. His mouth pressed against mine urgently, moving with increasing fervor. I opened my lips and Cam bit down, not hard enough to break skin with his fangs, but the delicious sting drew a moan deep in my throat. He shifted his hips forward, grinding his cock against me as I slid my tongue against his. The restrained roughness in his movements urged me to push him past his control, to fully release the predator hidden behind his disarming glasses and parchment scent. I had gripped his hair tightly, intent to draw that animal out with a tug, when a knock sounded on the door.

  “You two almost done?” Sadie questioned through the door, her words slurred slightly from sleep.

  “Almost,” I called out, trying not to smile. Cam’s face was flushed, his eyes twinkling while he watched me. His soft lips pressed against mine briefly before pulling away and pursing in an attempt to hold back a laugh.

  Stepping back, he grabbed the gauze squares off the counter, layering them on my puncture wounds. I held them in place and lifted up my elbows allowing him to wrap the bandage around my back until it was tight enough to hold everything in place. Once it was secured, I pulled on my black cami. When Cam held out my sweater for me, I couldn’t stop smiling at the sweet gesture. Taking it with a soft ‘thanks’, I slid it on. I headed out of the bathroom first with Cam trailing right behind me. I smiled brightly at Sadie, my dimples prominent on my cheeks as she glared at me, cranky about being up.

  “Good morning,” I drawled.

  “Mhm,” she mumbled an agreement, “I’m sure it is.” Her glare turned into a nosy look with a narrowed gaze and a smirk. Clearly, she knows what I was doing. I chuckled when her eyebrows wiggled suggestively, before turning back into my room to toss my dirty clothes in the hamper. Quickly grabbing my knee-high boots out of the closet, I dug out a clean pair of socks before going out to sit on one of the open armchairs.

  The twins were lounging back in the loveseat like always while Nik headed into my room to change. Grigori fluttered off his usual perch of Nik’s shoulder to land on the back of the couch cushions when Nik walked past the twins. Dante and Hudson were packing their backpacks as Cam leaned against the arm of my chair, his parchment scent calming me as I pulled on my socks and boots, moving slowly to not disrupt my wrapping.

  “All right guys, I’m ready. Did we want to go grab breakfast?” Huffing, I leaned back in the seat. I looked around my guys and couldn’t help but smile. They hadn’t left my side since Dante had saved me from Justin.

  “Hell yes, I can always eat.” Landon hopped up with a jump and a boisterous clap. Logan followed, albeit more calmly, while Nik came over to help me out of the chair, Grigori shifting again to sit on his right shoulder. A blush spread across my cheeks and down my neck at the close proximity to Nik. So close that I could feel his power crackling as well as the hard planes of his cut torso brushing against my chest. I looked up between my lashes, enjoying my up-close view. His angular face was soft instead of cold and closed off, and a small tilt curled his lips. I suddenly became very aware that his hands were still wrapped around my own, his thumbs rubbing small delicate circles on my skin.

  A thud from somewhere else in the room broke the spell, but his smile remained as he squeezed my hands before stepping back and letting go. I internally shook myself the rest of the way out of the stupor I was in before calling out to let Sadie know we were heading toward the dining hall and that I’d see her later.

  The air was chilly, the small breeze cutting through my jacket despite having a sweater on as we made our way across the quad. Shivers ran down my spine and arms with each gust. Hudson was walking next to me with his hands in his pockets, so I slipped under his right arm, leaving it draped over my shoulders.

  “I’m cold.” I looked up at Hudson and pouted my lip out while giving him my best puppy dog eyes. He laughed and held me tight to his right side, his body warming me.

  “I’ll always keep you warm, Princess,” he admitted happily, sounding fully back to himself after the several weeks he had spent under the influence of the emotion-altering rune. I rubbed my cheek against his wool coat and let my head cuddle into his shoulder. I knew he was still struggling with what had happened, with everything he had said and done even though it wasn’t technically him. I wanted him to know I didn’t blame him. I had missed the hell out of him these last few weeks and being curled up against him felt like coming home after a long, tiring day.

  Gazing around the quad, I noticed the campus was slowly waking up for the day as more and more people filtered out into the grassy area. Most students didn’t have classes until ten like us, so the only people on the quad were people who had early classes—cue internal shudder—and those who were getting food. We filed into the dining hall, the smell of breakfast and coffee filling the nearly empty space. Quickly shuffling around the tables toward the kitchen and buffet lines, we filled our trays. I grabbed only a banana and small oatmeal since I wasn’t feeling hungry after my nightmare while the guys stacked their trays much fuller than mine.

  “That is all you are getting, Babe?” Nik questioned from behind me in line, and the gravelly nickname brought a smile to my lips despite the increasing roughness of his voice, the sound like sandpaper had scored his vocal cords. I nodded and turned to look over at him, his dark brown brows dipped low over his clouded glassy eyes. Grigori’s feathery head was tilted in question, his beady eyes staring intently at my tray.

  “I can’t ever really eat after I have a nightmare.” I shrugged, unsure what else to say. It’s just been that way for so many years that I haven’t given it much thought.

  “How often is that?” Dante asked as we weaved our way through the room toward one of the larger tables in the back. The few students who looked awake enough to form coherent thoughts glanced at us as we walked past, their eyes lingering on my injured face.

  “How often do I not eat or how often do I have nightmares?” I asked quietly, sitting
between Cam and Hudson and staring at my tray to avoid the looks I knew would be waiting.

  “Well, nightmares was what I meant, but how often do you not eat? I know you told me about it briefly earlier in the semester, but I thought it was something you were working on?” Dante’s brows drew together when I glanced up through my lashes. All my guys were looking at me with sad expressions except Nik whose blank face gave me nothing to go on. Ugh, pity, I hate that.

  “I have nightmares nightly, so I don’t have breakfast, and if I do, it’s like this where it’s something small and easy on my stomach in case I get sick. For other meals, it usually depends on how my anxiety is or how many flashbacks I have. It was pretty bad those first few days of the semester because of all the changes, but I have been working on it. I’ve been pretty consistent with lunch and dinner recently since my anxiety hasn’t been too bad, but…” I paused, remembering the text I had gotten last night. I hadn’t read it fully because I was half asleep when I went to bed. My heart raced as I dug out my phone. Please don’t be what I think it was.