Page 15 of Venomous Lies (Greywood Conservatory for the Arcane #2)

Isla

THURSDAY

C lass had started twenty minutes ago, but Ms. Belvedere was nowhere to be found.

My brow furrowed, I looked around the class for any sign that someone knew where she was, but everyone seemed just as confused as I was. A few students seemed relieved, using the time to relax, though a few others looked to be doing work for other classes.

“Bones,” I said, leaning closer to the bone fae who tilted his head in my direction to indicate he was listening. “Is she usually late like this?”

“Not that I can remember,” he replied with a shrug.

“You don’t seem concerned.”

“It’s not just the students that have to fend for themselves here at Greywood,” a person in front of us answered.

A girl was looking back at us. A slender, light brown hand pushed back some of her long box braids that had gotten into her face. The girl gave us both a relaxed grin and introduced herself as Talullah.

“But my friends call me Tallie.”

“Does this mean we’re friends?” I asked, head tilted as I considered the other student. She studied me in the same way that I was studying her. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but that only intrigued me.

“Guess we’ll find out, Isla. Oh yes, I know exactly who you are. You two are the talk of the campus with your mating bond and all.” She nodded at my arm where my mate mark was clearly on display.

“Well, at least I can say I’m not boring,” I replied tartly.

Talullah laughed softly while Bones let out a long breath beside me.

“More people are comfortable talking to me now that they know we’re mated,” he commented grumpily.

“You’re welcome.” I smirked at him, laughing loudly when he glared in return.

“Guess the sisters of fate got your two threads right,” Tallie said with an odd note in her voice. I was still watching her, but her gaze had moved past me, watching something outside the greenhouse. “Well, what do we have here?”

The door to the greenhouse slowly opened before someone walked in.

Without turning around, I knew it wasn’t Ms. Belvedere. The Ms. Frizzle-esque teacher didn’t wear heels, and I could hear the distinct sound of boots on stone.

They kept a brisk pace, so it took only a moment for the Asian man to reach the front of the room and place his leather bag on the desk. He didn’t look like someone who spent much, if any, time in the dirt, so I was confused why he was here.

He had on an old-fashioned white button-up shirt with olive pants.

When he turned to fully face us, the brown leather straps on his upper thighs and torso immediately became apparent.

What could they be for? His black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, though a few strands fell across his stern face as he looked over the class.

I wondered what he was seeing besides the obvious surprise on my and my classmate’s faces.

The pure golden eyes of a predator scanned us all.

For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of surprise when his gaze met mine, but his stoic, emotionless mask took its place before he continued his inspection of my classmates and the greenhouse.

Moving to sit on the edge of the desk, his arms crossed, he began to address us.

“Ms. Belvedere is no longer teaching this class. She has been teaching in my stead while I took care of some… matters of a personal nature.” He paused, studying us all some more and letting the tension build before continuing.

“I can see that she has made this class more introductory than I care for. There will be no class today, as I will be reevaluating every student’s placement.

If I deem you not ready or able to handle my coursework, you will be placed in another class. You’re dismissed.”

He waved a hand to shoo us out of the class while everyone stared at him in silent shock. His back now to us, he started to remove things from the desk and toss them into the trash bin beside it, presumably to make room for his things.

Slowly, we made our way out of the greenhouse. It wasn’t until we were all out of the building that students began to speak.

“What the fuck?—?”

“Who does he think?—?”

“Wonder if I can get into?—?”

Everyone started breaking off into groups, but Tallie remained where she was, standing there with Bones and me.

Her hair was longer than I’d originally thought, with her braids going all the way down to her waist. She wore waist-high black jeans and a white cropped t-shirt that only accentuated her figure.

She arched an eyebrow and struck a pose.

“Like what you see, witch?”

“I love your jeans,” I told her after an exaggerated once over, but I finished the statement with a genuine smile.

“Thanks!” She grinned. “Hopefully, we’ll all still be in the class once he gets done with his power trip.”

“He’s not throwing me out of this class even if I have to get Thatcher to approve it.” I clicked my tongue, a surge of power filling me at the thought of this class being taken away from me.

“I think, given your abilities, mate, that you’re just fine,” Bones said dryly as he lit a cigarette.

“I’ll leave you lovebirds to it. See you around campus.”

With a jaunty wave, Tallie was gone, leaving Bones and me standing in silence near the greenhouse.

“I’m going to go in there.”

“That’s probably not the best idea,” Bones advised before taking a long drag, “but you do what you want.”

“You’re not going to try to stop me?”

“Why would I do that?” He raised his eyebrows in question as a puff of smoke filled the air between us. “I told you to be yourself, and this is much more your personality than whatever was going on before.”

I studied Bones, a man I really didn’t know all that well, feeling both happy and confused. Who was he?

My mate.

That was odd to even think. I was definitely going to have to use that more often so I could get used to it.

‘I think you’d have to spend more time with the fae, not just fucking, to figure that out, beastie.’

‘Why do you pick times like this to open your mouth?’ I complained.

‘Because this is what I’ve been reduced to for entertainment.’

“Go stir up whatever mess you want. I need to figure some shit out,” Bones said, distracting me from Cas’ sarcasm for a moment.

“Did you want to meet up for dinner later?” I asked right as he started to walk away.

Bones looked over his shoulder and gave me a slight smile. “See you then, witchling.”

For a second, I watched him walk away before taking a deep breath to fortify myself.

“Okay,” I said under my breath. “Let’s do this.”

‘A bad choice, but go for it as usual,’ Cas snarked as I marched toward the greenhouse.

Regardless of the professor’s dismissal, I was about to barge back in there. No way was some random stranger coming in here and jeopardizing my position in the one class that I specialized in.

Fuck that.

JUNICHIRO

Without even looking up, I knew it was her when the door of the greenhouse flung open.

The magick that had slammed me back into awareness was striding toward me with a violence I hadn’t encountered in centuries. I had figured it would take time for me to find the one whose powers had tugged at me, but the quick unveiling wasn’t the biggest surprise.

Her appearance was .

She looks like her .

“Professor, I would like a word,” she demanded as she stopped beside my desk.

“By all means then,” I replied blandly, refusing to look up from the papers I was trying to make sense of. “Trying to sort through this paperwork is especially tedious with silence, so please fill it with whatever you’ve come in to say.”

“Are you always such a fucking asshole, or did you save this attitude especially for your students?”

“Unfortunately,” I deadpanned, “this is my personality for everyone, so students won’t get any special treatment. Is that what you came in to ask me?”

“No,” she almost growled in irritation. “I came to say that I will be in this class on Tuesday whether you determine that I should be here or not. This is my specialty, and no professor is going to waltz in here and take that away from me just because he finally decided to show up and start doing his job.”

I hummed as I tilted my face up to look at her.

She glared at me, black hair falling around her face as she placed her hands on my desk and leaned closer.

“Just know, whoever the hell you are, since you didn’t even bother to introduce yourself, you’re not getting in my way.”

“Are you threatening me, witch?” I asked softly, my warning clear as I sat back and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Because I can tell you now that wouldn’t be wise.”

“I highly doubt that me saying I’ll be in class next week could be considered a threat.” She arched an eyebrow at me, seemingly unaffected by my irritation. “But we can certainly ask for a second opinion if you wish. ”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at her, but she returned my silent challenge until she smirked and stood up straight. She fussed with her clothes and her bag strap before smoothly turning around to leave.

“Your name, witch?”

“I believe I still need yours, Professor,” she sassed over her shoulder.

“Junichiro,” I told her as she grabbed the door handle.

“Isla Hallowes,” she replied, her exit interrupted when I called out her name.

“On Tuesday, bring me your best potion along with a complete set of notes on the process by which it was created. If it’s acceptable, you may stay,” I told her evenly, holding up a hand to cut off the questions or commentary I could feel building up inside of her.

“You said this was your specialty. Prove it. Bring me your best, or don’t bother showing up at all. ”

“I already know you’ll be my teacher in this class, Junichiro. That’s a given. When I come in with my potion on Tuesday, it will be to prove you should be my mentor . I won’t waste my time on anything less.”

“You have quite the ego to live up to, Miss Hallowes, and I have high expectations. See you Tuesday.”

With a nod, she rushed outside as I sat back in my seat, staring at where she had been standing.

A mentor, huh?

An interesting turn of events, but I couldn’t deny that it would be useful for my purposes. I’d figure out what it was about her that called to me.

Then I could leave and get back to my freedom.

Greywood was a prison I had no desire to stay in.

Not for long.