Page 19 of Venomous Lies (Greywood Conservatory for the Arcane #2)

Isla

SATURDAY

“ M iss Hallowes?! Why the fuck?—?”

My brain short circuited when I whirled around. Demir was at Greywood, calling me fucking Miss Hallowes with twinkling amusement in his eyes. Then my mind caught up. Why was he with Professor Falke?

“I’d hazard you’ve decided not to finish that sentence,” Professor Falke drawled before looking at the people behind me. “We need to have a word with Miss Hallowes, then she can find you all again, I’m sure.”

“We’ll meet you at the dorm after,” Z said before waving for all of the others to follow her, including Bones. He started talking to Wells as they walked away.

My mate looked over his shoulder and nodded in acknowledgment before he turned back to my friends.

Echo didn’t protest Bones joining them, but I did notice he stayed on the far side, keeping his distance from him.

At the moment, I’d take it as a win. Later, I could start questioning why he was acting so different .

Right now, my brother, of all people, was standing in front of me with a professor.

“We have some questions for you,” Professor Falke began, stepping close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “Have you seen anything suspicious happening on campus lately?”

Besides me making Allison’s mouth disappear?

‘I don’t think that’s something you should necessarily volunteer, beastie.’

‘Well, of course not,’ I replied sarcastically. ‘But what counts as weird here? All the dead bodies, no information, the technology ban ? —’

‘True, but maybe come up with an actual answer since they’re standing here, waiting for one they can actually hear.’

Smartass.

“Just the dead bodies, lack of answers from the conservatory about what’s going on, and the communication ban that just recently started. Outside of that, no, I haven’t seen anything I would categorize as strange here, Professor and…” I gestured, waiting to see how Demir would introduce himself.

Just why the fuck is Demir here, anyway?

Cas sighed in frustration. ‘Solid start, beastie.’

“This is Demir,” Falke answered since my brother had remained silent. “He’s a colleague of mine.”

I blinked slowly, staring at the centaur, then my brother, wondering what that meant.

Did Falke work for Onyx, like Demir and Mom?

Or was Demir dispatched here for some kind of job?

My brother’s face gave nothing away. He stared blankly at me, his hair stirring in the breeze as he waited for me to keep talking.

What the hell is going on here ?

Either way, this shit definitely did not involve me, and my plate was already overflowing.

“Did you have any other questions for me, Professor?” I asked as I started to step away, creeping in the direction of my dorm. “If not, there’s something I need to do for herbology over the weekend, and I really need to get started?—”

“Miss Hallowes,” Professor Falke grumbled, stepping forward as if to stop me from leaving. Apparently, my evasions were noticed and not appreciated. Before he could continue, Demir smoothly stepped forward, taking over the conversation.

Or at least he attempted to.

“The conservatory is not required to share information with the students,” Demir said, his voice as bland as his face. “So, if you?—”

“How would I be able to give you information if I’m unsure what is noteworthy or not?” I cut in smoothly. “Since, as you just said, I don’t have all the information.”

“We could start with discussing the disturbance that just occurred in the dining hall. Did you see anything?” Falke intervened, shooting Demir a look to be quiet.

“An disturbance?” I questioned, keeping my tone and face neutral.

‘This is going to go well.’

‘Give me commentary later,’ I hissed.

“Someone attacked a student in the hall, and another student ran out of the building in a panic. Not a normal occurrence here,” Professor Falke stated, his hooves and legs moving as if he were shifting his weight.

“I’m not sure I can really expand on anything that happened. I was there, sure, but I was minding my own business and getting breakfast with my friends.” I shrugged. “Who was attacked?”

“Witnesses said you were involved in the altercation,” Demir said, an eyebrow arching as he studied my face. “Would you like to rethink your answer?”

“What proof do you have that they’re telling the truth? Besides, maybe the important question to be asking would be why something happened at all.” I laughed softly. “Regardless, I have a project to work on and more important things to think on. Professor Falke, if I could be excused?”

“But—” Demir started, but he quieted when Falke held up a hand.

“We’ll see you around, Miss Hallowes. But a word of caution, we will be keeping an eye on you.”

I nodded in acknowledgment then started walking back to my dorm.

Why the fuck is Demir here? And why did his presence set off every alarm in my mind?

Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t going to have a good reaction to me being mated. The longing looks and glances I’d ignored in the past would be unavoidable once he realized I was tied to a fated mate.

Just when Echo was somewhat calming down, life had to add more uncertainty to my plate. This was going to be a complete fucking shit show. Honestly, the story of my life right now.

‘There could be a good reason that he’s here, something that isn’t bad news,’ Cas proposed as I drew closer to the dorm buildings.

‘Like what? And how does he know Professor Falke?’ I countered, taking a deep breath as I neared my dorm building. ‘Could he work for Onyx with Demir? ’

‘How much do you know about the company that your mom and brother work for?’

‘Really not that much. Do you know anything about it that I don’t?’ I added when he didn’t reply right away.

‘I don’t think so,’ Cas answered slowly. ‘But it’s always good to ask questions. Maybe we will find out.’

‘Maybe. ’

‘Now, to just figure out this potion and make it by the end of the weekend.’ I sighed, rolling my shoulders as if that would help me at all. ‘I have no idea how I’m going to do this.’

‘With some help, it shouldn’t be too bad. Plus, you have access to magickal plants instead of just the mundane.’

‘Now, I just need to get to the greenhouse and figure out who I’m taking.’

‘You mean how to get out of taking the others?’ Cas asked dryly.

‘Do you disagree with my instincts?’

‘The greenhouse magick did not bond with me . It bonded with you alone, beastie. The only gut you should be listening to is yours… A piece of advice I never thought I would give you.’

‘No faith in me.’

‘I know you too well to have that much faith in you.’

‘Rude! Honestly, Cas.’

Cassius laughed before fading to the back of my mind, letting me focus on my surroundings again. Students nearly jumped out of my way, but I ignored both them and the silent starters

Finally, I made it upstairs to my suite. As soon as I reached for the door, it swung open to reveal Z storming out.

“Z! What’s the?—?”

“If he comes looking for me, you didn’t see me,” she snarled. By the end of the sentence, her voice actually became a growl and her blue eyes began to glow. Curly red hair streamed behind her as she ran downstairs, and presumably out of the building, using her supernatural speed.

“Zhara, that’s not—” Aizel’s exasperated words came up short when he realized it was only me there. “Do you know where she went?”

He ran a hand through his hair as his green and gold eyes scanned the dorm hall.

“She ran outside,” I offered, “but I have no idea where she went. What happened?”

“A misunderstanding,” he said curtly, already hurrying down the stairs.

‘Well, that takes care of them not joining you in the greenhouse,’ Cas offered.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen them so much as argue,’ I said, already chewing my lip. ‘Hopefully, it’s not a big thing.’

Cassius just hummed as I headed to my room. Over the next few minutes, I gathered everything I needed to bring to the greenhouse and headed out. The more time I had to work, the better it was going to be.

Hopefully.

JULIAN

Screams ricocheted in my mind, tearing through memories I never wanted to relive and bringing old wounds to the surface.

A beard scratching my chin.

Cold nights with only our heated breaths between us.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I mentally pushed away the darker memories that tried to surface. No way could I even contemplate those right now.

I’d save those for the darkest night before I let myself remember them… I could tear myself apart without worrying about any potential collateral damage.

The grimoire was nowhere to be found—not a trace of it or even a hint of his magick.

Granted, it was a very, very old book, but my mate had been powerful.

A travesty, the supernatural world had said of his death. A loss for our community.

Others celebrated his demise with as much passion as I’d mourned it.

Loved and hated in equal measure… He had done nothing halfway.

Opening my eyes, I focused on the way my fingers fiddled with the full glass in my hand. Rich, red wine laced with Cassius’ blood. A barely tolerable substitute for the real thing, but this wasn’t about substance.

I needed to be close to him to help ward off the bad memories.

I had stored vials of it, but there wasn’t much of it left. In fact, I was down to the last two.

Bringing the glass up to my lips, I took a slow sip, savoring its sheer power and richness along my tongue and down the back of my throat as I swallowed.

I closed my eyes and let memories wash over me, the centuries of coldness fading away at the sound of his laughter and the taunts he’d thrown my way. No regard for who and what I was… Brazen.

He was a refreshing change and a welcome one, eventually at least .

A smile curled my lips even as I realized that my cup was empty.

When I opened my eyes, my body froze at the sight of Bricriu. He was walking into the woods with Isla and her friends.

What in the world are they doing?

Before I could try to think of an answer, a knock sounded on my door. It slammed open a moment later, stealing away my chance to speak.

Ambrose stalked into my room, followed by Falke in his human form and a man I hadn’t met before.

“There’s been an incident,” the former said with no other introduction.

“While I was gone?” I asked quietly, ignoring the growing tension in the room.

“This morning,” the unfamiliar man answered. Long, straight black hair fell down to his waist, blending in with the darkness of his clothes. “A student was… spelled in the dining hall.”

“Are they?—?”

“Alive, for now,” Ambrose replied with a smirk. He flopped down in the chair across from me. “Though how long she lives remains to be seen.”

“Tell me.”

“It seems the witch that was attacked no longer has a mouth,” Falke replied, crossing his arms in front of his body.

His discomfort was betrayed by the subtle twitch of his fingers and the way his weight shifted from side to side.

Whether it was from the description of the attack or being in his human form, I couldn’t tell.

“Excuse me?” I blinked a few times, trying to process what he had just said.

“Face is the same, but the witch’s mouth looks like it’s been erased,” Ambrose replied, more than a little gleeful. “To be honest, it looks like a great piece of spellwork.”

“How in the world?—?”

“Fae magick.” Ambrose’s smirk transformed into a grin.

“Okay.” I looked between the three of them, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “There’s more, say it.”

“A witch was the one who wielded it,” Falke said.

“A witch by the name of Isla Hallowes,” the mystery man replied.

Well, that’s just fantastic.