Page 18 of Venomous Lies (Greywood Conservatory for the Arcane #2)

Isla

SATURDAY

“ Y ou know, when you say you want to sleep with me, that means you actually need to sleep, right?”

I huffed a laugh as I looked over my shoulder at Bones. He was laid out on his makeshift bed, watching me flip through my grimoire.

“I did sleep,” I told him with a grin. “But I need to work on my potion for herbology so I can show this new professor that I deserve to have a mentor for my specialty. There’s no way in hell he’s going to say I’m inept at the only thing my power can fucking do.”

Bones nodded slowly then began to feel around for his sunglasses. He looked tempting sprawled out in his bed, though I had to admit he looked good all the time. In this form, his short hair was messy from sleep, but when he sat up, his fingers easily fixed it.

Damn fae.

I was sure my hair looked like an entire damn mess.

After having dinner together Thursday, we had to rush back to our rooms before the curfew went into effect. Yesterday, Bones tracked me down for an earlier dinner then invited me to stay with him for the night.

I thought he wanted sex, but instead, we spent the night talking and actually having quality time together. I told him about my moms and siblings, along with the insanity of my home life—wonderful craziness but craziness all the same.

He told me about his parents and the way he’d been abandoned as soon as was acceptable by bone fae standards.

I learned about how he fought for his place among his people and the moment when he’d been surprised by the offer to attend Greywood.

It was his chance to get away from people who would never let him stop fighting to prove he deserved to live.

My anger heated with the memories of all he had shared with me.

I instinctively knew it was just the surface of his trauma, but I already wanted to snap their necks and rip their bones out for my mate.

One day.

“Witchling.”

I blinked a few times then looked back at Bricriu as I licked my lips. “Sorry, just lost in thought.”

“Bloodthirsty thoughts from the expression on your face.”

“A few,” I admitted before returning my gaze to the mostly blank book in my hands. “But I really need to start on this, or I won't get any sleep at all ‘til the potion is done.”

“Do you need help?” he offered.

I chewed my bottom lip, going over just what I needed to do for a potion of decay. I’d first found it in one of the old notebooks I’d discovered at the academy, and it was now one of my favorites. With Cassius’ help, I’d researched it, but now was my chance to finally make it myself.

The best place to do the crafting would probably be in my greenhouse. It certainly would be the most secure place so no one would accidentally get hurt.

And there was a bed there, so I could stay with it all weekend and get my work done. But having someone else there, even for a visit, might help me remember to eat. Plus, they could get me tea.

An absolute necessity.

“Yeah, that would be great, if you don’t mind. I could also get some of the others to help me too… I bet Wells would be perfect if I can find him. Do you?—?”

“I don’t mind the witch,” Bones said easily with a shrug. “Whoever can help is fine with me. After all, they’re your friends and I’m your mate.”

I shivered at the possessive declaration.

“You certainly are.”

Bones stood up slowly, his joints cracking as he stretched.

In my mind, his form shifted to his full fae form.

Silver-white hair lengthened, twisting into a braid that flowed down his back.

His skin thinned until it revealed the bones that created his form, including the horns jutting from his head.

“Witchling?”

Along the outside of his form I could see strands of purple and a hint of green twining around him. My lips parted in awe of the beautiful fae that fate had tied me to and the magick I could see and feel around him.

I never saw myself having a mate, and hell, I didn’t even want one, but I couldn’t find it in me to regret us being brought together.

Was this because of the mate bond? Or could it be due to us spending more time together?

Either way, emotions were getting involved.

I knew without a doubt that he was someone I was growing to not only want, but need.

“Isla?”

His hand touched my cheek, making me jolt, and when I blinked, all I saw was his usual form.

“Yeah, we should find Wells and some tea. I definitely need some tea.”

“Might I suggest you put on all your clothes first.” Bones kept his hand on my cheek. “As much as I like the view, I might have quite a few more bones to add to my collection if the entire school saw it.”

“Can I put in a request for how some of them are going to be used when it happens?” I asked as I started to laugh.

“I’ll take it into consideration, witchling, but just get dressed.”

With a quick, teasing smile, I carefully put my grimoire down and picked up the clothes I’d brought. Knowing I was going to get dirty today, I didn’t bring anything I would be upset about getting covered in dirt.

The square neckline of my short-sleeved black dress subtly showed off my cleavage and came down to a few inches above my knees.

The material was solid black until my upper thighs where it became fishnet with a solid black flame design that reached my hips.

No one would be able to see the design unless my dress shifted up when I sat down, but I loved knowing it was there just for me.

A pair of all-black boots completed the outfit.

Thankfully, I had a hairbrush with me, and with just a little bit of work, I managed to tame my hair.

Instead of complaining about the wait, Bones watched me with interest as I grabbed my makeup bag.

My quick routine included foundation, eyeliner, mascara, and a black lipstick.

Topping it all off with setting spray, I was ready to be in the garden and making potions.

We left his place and made our way to the dining hall without running into many people. Maybe Wells will be there too, and I wouldn’t have to search around campus.

Thankfully, Wells was easy to find.

He was sitting there with Z, Aizel, and Echo.

“Why don’t you go talk to them while I grab our breakfast? Besides tea, what do you want?” Bones asked.

“I want a large London Fog and a bagel with cream cheese please,” I replied, looking up at him with a smile. The people around us were watching and whispering, but I ignored them.

“I’ll meet you at the table when I’m done.”

Then he was gone. Students stumbled out of his path in order to avoid any contact, and I smirked at their cowardice before heading toward my friends’ table.

“Hey, guys.” I stopped at the side of the table instead of taking the empty space beside Z.

“Hey,” Z said, side-eyeing Echo. He was silent, his eyes trained on his food, but at least he wasn’t storming off yet.

“Wells, are you doing anything today?”

“Besides homework,” Wells replied after a beat, “nothing. Why?”

“We have a new herbology professor. Have any of you met him?” I looked between them, and everyone, including Echo, shook their heads. “Well, to sum it up, he had some choice words about all the students in his class, and I said there was no way he was kicking me out of the class for my specialty. ”

“Oh gods,” Aizel murmured as he tried and failed to contain his groan.

“I told him I’d be there Tuesday regardless of what he decided about me and I wanted him as a mentor.”

“Isla!”

“What?!” I shrugged. “He came in out of nowhere?—”

“He’s the professor!” Wells retorted.

“And that means he can just arbitrarily decide people aren’t good enough to be taught by him?

I haven’t seen any reason to be so impressed by him that he could just toss me out of class.

” I snorted. “Anyway, he said if I made my best potion by the next class and brought it in, he’d evaluate it and decide if he’d mentor me.

So that’s what I’m working on this weekend, and I was wondering if you’d mind helping me? ”

“Just Wells or—?” Z started to ask, but she interrupted herself when she caught sight of something behind me. “Shit.”

“Well, well, well,” an unfortunately familiar voice grated behind me. “If it isn’t Isla and her band of freak friends. Heard you stooped so low as to fucking bond with that bone thing , but I had no idea it was true until this morning.”

Every fucking fiber of my being went from hot to frozen as I spun around to face Allison, the build-a-bitch Barbie, and her cronies behind her.

“Allison, it wouldn’t—” Wells tried to caution her.

“No one is asking you , Hawthorne—not that you can still lay a claim to the name.” She sneered at him. “From what I heard before this bullshit academy cut off communications, you were dead and buried according to your family. Maybe we should let President Thatcher know to update your records. ”

Wells' face paled as everyone around us fell silent.

My hands started to shake, and a rumbling echoed in my ears as my stomach turned over. Flashbacks of the bullies I’d had to put up with over the years kept coming into my mind as Wells’ face fell beneath his hurt and anger.

“Leave him alone, witch,” Echo threatened. His eyes darkened—black, jagged lines coloring the white of his eyes as he stared Allison down.

“As if you have the right to talk to me, incubus. I’ve heard all about your kind.”

Aizel tried to jump in next, but by that time, I’d lost any control I might have had.

I spun on my heel and punched the bitch in the face with careful aim.

Blood sprayed everywhere, and chairs flew backward as students jumped to get out of the fray without giving up their front row seats to the show.

Allison held her face as she cried out, and satisfaction filled me when bright-red blood started to seep through her fingers.

“You broke my nose!” she screamed in panic as her friends all rushed away from her.

“You’re lucky that’s all I did. Leave me and my friends alone.”

With a growl, she dropped her hands and began reciting a spell in a language I didn’t know. Wells started to get up and rush in front of me, but somehow, a strange magick filled my veins before it reached out to Allison.

Fear filled her face as it became harder for her to speak.

Allison’s mouth started shrinking, her lips becoming blurry until they disappeared completely. Her eyes widened, and muffled screams filled the space between us.

Her mouth was gone .

Alarm broke out, with students running away from us as I stared at her in shock and satisfaction .

“Holy shit,” Aizel whispered as Z whistled.

“She sounds so much better now,” Echo observed with amusement as he stepped closer to her.

Part of me wanted to question Echo’s sudden casualness with me, but I also didn’t want to ruin the moment. Even if all we could be was friends, then I’d take it. Right now, though, wasn’t the time to try to figure out our situation.

Currently, I had to focus on the witch whose mouth I’d stolen—a thought I never imagined would cross my mind.

Even as tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, Allison glared at him. She tried to hit him, but Wells was suddenly there, squeezing her wrist hard enough that her knees buckled from the pain.

‘Beastie… What the fuck was that?’ Cas spoke up.

‘I have no fucking idea,’ I replied, even my mental voice shaky. It was all I could do to maintain some outward fa?ade of calm.

Cas was quiet for a moment, and I could feel him considering the scene in front of us.

‘It almost looks like… fae magick.’

‘How—?’

‘Could it have something to do with the mate bond with a fae?’

‘Can mate bonds do that?’ I asked him curiously. ‘Did you get powers from Hellsing?’

‘No. But mate bonds are a mystery to everyone. It could be worth looking into.’

“Witchling, what is…? Well, that’s new.” Bones’ calm voice pulled me from my mental conversation with Cassius. He came to a stop behind me.

“We should probably leave her to it.” Echo looked around the dining hall. “It won’t be long until professors come in.”

“But wouldn't she?—?”

“How is she going to tell?” I asked, a sinister smile curling my lips at Z’s question. “Maybe this will be a good lesson for her to remember to whom she speaks.”

Wells dropped his hold on her as I laughed softly, then I headed outside without a backwards glance. Allison’s face had paled as I turned, as if she was just then realizing that I fully intended to leave her as she was.

I knew Bones would follow me outside, but I was more than a little surprised to find my other friends with him too.

Echo and Bones were studying each other, both of them wearing blank expressions. Z and Aizel were standing together with his arm around the wolf’s waist, holding her close. Wells approached me with his breakfast sandwich in hand and a coffee that had me wrinkling my nose.

“I need coffee like you need tea, Isla, so you’ll just have to deal with the smell of it,” he joked. “Do we want to talk about what just happened or avoid it and lose yourself in your potion making for now?”

“As if you even need to ask.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Obviously, the potion. Build-a-bitch Barbie isn’t going anywhere even though her mouth did. I think I have everything I need, and the rest will be at the greenhouse.”

“Is the professor going to be okay with you using their stuff?” Z asked.

“From my understanding, everything in there is free for me to use,” I answered vaguely, remembering that she didn’t know about the magicked greenhouse. Only Wells, Echo, and I knew anything about it.

Did I want to share that with others? Could I safely share it?

I knew I could trust Bones. My gut told me that I could trust her and Aizel, but there was something that made me hesitant to bring them with me. A passing thought had me wishing that I could reach out to my moms to get their opinions, but I wasn’t sure if I could share this with them either.

I had no idea why though.

“Miss Hallowes, a moment if you would.”