Page 21 of Venomous Lies (Greywood Conservatory for the Arcane #2)

Isla

MONDAY

I f I can just adjust the temperature…

Slam.

I blink a few times as a familiar face comes into view above me.

“Miss Hallowes, if you’re not paying attention, things like that will happen in a fight. Not even magick will save you then.” Professor Falke didn’t reach down to help me up, but he did back away so I could get up on my own.

“Noted, Professor,” I replied with a quick nod, brushing the dirt and leaves off my clothes. I shivered as a breeze stirred the chilly morning air around me.

He watched me closely for a moment before bringing his attention back to the class.

“Isla, are you?—?”

“I’m good.” I smiled absently at Wells. “My brain is just focused on my potion.”

He nodded in understanding, then his gaze returned to Falke, who was talking about different techniques.

I tried to focus, but honestly, my mind just wasn’t in it today. A passing thought hit me about skipping my Familiars class, but I knew I’d never hear the end of it from that professor. Not that I particularly cared at the moment, but I probably would later.

Right now, though, I had other important things to think about—aside from my potion.

Z and Aizel weren’t talking to each other, and I still had no idea what happened during the few minutes I was gone the other day.

Echo kept looking like he was going to say something then thought better of it.

My brother Demir was around here somewhere even though I hadn’t seen him since Saturday.

Cassius and I still hadn’t had a chance to talk…

I thought my life was going to get easier, but it had proven to do anything but that.

At least there hasn’t been another attack or lockdown.

“Class is over. Get your things and be someone else’s problem for the rest of the day!” Falke yelled, causing me to jump. “I would advise everyone to come better prepared for the next class. It wouldn’t be good to be unprepared for your tests.”

Test?!

“I’ll catch you up after breakfast,” Wells reassured me.

“Was I really that out of it today?” I asked, falling into step beside him as we headed for the dining hall.

“Can I butt in and say yes?” Echo answered from Wells’ other side.

“Depends, are you speaking to me now?” I replied sarcastically, arching an eyebrow at him as I pulled the strap of my bag higher up on my shoulder.

“I’m trying to,” Echo answered as he came to a halt, forcing other students to go around him. I stopped as well, facing off with my friend, my arms crossed in front of my chest. “But if you don’t want?— ”

“What I wanted was for you to talk to me after everything happened!”

“You were busy getting mated, so I think that particular thing falls on you .”

“Not right after!” I yelled, stepping closer to poke him in the chest.

I immediately froze, however, when he flinched back, fear in his gold and green eyes. His shoulders hunched in, a haunted expression coming over his face. He just stood there, waiting for me to keep going, to hit him.

‘I’m going to kill someone.’

‘Not right now because he’ll think you want to kill him, beastie.’ Cas replied, rage-filled ice coating his words.

“Echo,” I said softly, gently moving my hand until it was down at my side.

“Maybe this should be a private conversation,” Wells suggested, slowly approaching Echo. “We could go back to the dorm?—”

“What the fuck did you do?”

At the sound of Aizel’s angry growl, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge.

“We were talking, Aizel,” I replied evenly, fighting to keep everything under control. Erasing Allison’s mouth was all fun and good, but I didn’t want to lose control of any magick with my friends, even if we were fighting.

“Yes, this is what my brother does when you’re just talking. ”

“Don’t take out your frustration on me, Aizel,” I warned. “We were just trying to sort things out. It’s not always a smooth process, but that’s all that was going on.”

Aizel glared at me, but just as he opened his mouth Echo spoke.

“Brother, I’m fine. Just… flashbacks. All we were doing was fi guring things out, or trying to before…

” He gestured helplessly at himself before his hands fell to his sides in defeat.

Everyone was silent, like they were trying to figure out what to say that wouldn’t set someone off. “Did you manage?—?”

“No,” Aizel answered, combing his fingers through his hair and tugging at the ends. “Zhara won’t stay in one place long enough for me to talk to her about anything.”

Despite my anger and frustration, my brain homed in on what Aizel had said. What happened between him and Z? Why were they still fighting? I looked between the two brothers but didn’t find any answers in their expressions.

I wonder if I can get Z alone to ask her what happened.

“I’m getting coffee,” Aizel rumbled. “It’s too damn early for this, and I’m fucking exhausted.”

He stormed away from us, the other supernatural beings rushing out of his way as he went. We all watched him go off, and Echo let out a long sigh as he straightened up.

“I should go.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, bitterness filling me. I really fucking thought we’d just have it out and move past it. I guess not. “Aizel needs you.”

“Isla—”

“We’ll talk later, Echo.” I forced a smile. “It’s not like we share a suite or anything.”

Echo glanced from where his brother had gone, to me, then back a few times before muttering a thanks and going after him.

“Isla…” Wells started.

“I think I’m going to head to my room, actually. Grab some hot tea then check on the potion before our familiars class. See you there? ”

“Yeah,” he replied softly.

“Lunch after?”

“Sounds like a plan.” He gave me a crooked smile and walked off.

Great, now I’d hurt his feelings along with whatever that was with Echo.

‘I can’t fucking win, Cas.’

‘Get some tea, beastie, and calm down,’ Cas reasoned. ‘Echo was trying to talk to you, and Aizel is upset with Zhara, not you. You already knew he was protective of his brother, and we just saw some evidence as to why.’

I didn’t reply, but I mulled over what had just happened and didn’t happen , unsure what to make of everything. Echo had flinched because I started yelling. No… he flinched when I started to move toward him while yelling.

Anger coursed through me when I imagined someone hurting Echo in any way. Sure, we were all kinds of fucked up right now, but that didn’t mean I didn’t care.

The suite was quiet when I arrived, but as soon as I opened the door to my room, I came to an immediate stop.

It was a wreck.

Clothes were everywhere. Shoes had been tossed around, and books were scattered all over my bed. What the actual fuck happened here?!

‘Beastie?’ Cassius had noticed my stillness.

Movement in the corner of my eye drew my attention. Black smoke covered the mirror then dissipated to reveal Cassius examining the mess that was my room. Tangled, messy black hair fell across his tan, tattooed face as he scowled.

‘What the fuck?’ he muttered.

‘Who would do this?’ I replied, some of my anger dying down when I noticed that nothing was actually destroyed .

‘Well, let’s take a look at our options, beastie,’ he deadpanned.

‘There’s the incubus that you rode out a rut with before you two had a falling out.

A fae professor that kissed you and is still waiting for an answer to his advances.

The bullies from the first day whose leader no longer has a mouth thanks to you somehow using fae magick. There’s also ? —’

‘Okay, I get your point. I have options,’ I snarked as I put my bag of tea down on my dresser. ‘Thankfully, nothing looks broken, just thrown about. I should clean up before I make myself tea. Are you going to help me look at everything or just provide unwanted commentary?’

‘Just for that, you can be alone,’ he retorted then disappeared from the mirror.

And people say women are dramatic.

Just as I sighed and bent down to start cleaning up the mess, I heard some rustling in the suite. My brow furrowed as I slowly straightened up. Maybe Aizel and Echo came back to talk?

“Aizel? Echo?” I called out. When there was no answer, my heart started beating faster. Panic made my voice go higher as I spoke again. “Zhara?”

‘Isla, you need to leave. Now,’ Cassius ordered, reappearing without warning. The stern tone of his voice had me jumping to obey.

But it was too late.

My bedroom door was thrown open, and a dark blur rushed me.

Before I knew what was happening, I was on the floor with the heavy weight of someone on top of me.

I fought my attacker with everything in me, bucking my body to dislodge them, but it was no use.

They had the clear advantage. Large hands pinned me to the ground, presumably tired of my attempts to get free .

‘Isla! Watch out ? —’

Shadows along the edge of the room solidified then stalked toward me. Primal fear filled me, making me scream before I could register what I was doing.

A ringing filled my ears, and blood wet my tongue.

They’d hit me.

“Aren’t you a pretty little thing?” an unfamiliar voice cooed in my ear. “They said they needed blood, but they didn’t specify how I was to get it… Don’t worry. You’ll live through the experience, but I do need you to be a little more quiet. We don’t want to be rude, do we?”

That was when the approaching darkness pounced onto me. It was as if the shadows themselves had become alive. Their hands slammed into me, taking my vision and oxygen with them.

‘Cas! What ? —?’

‘Let me try to help.’

‘Help?’ I tried to push past the fear of blindness, tried to find a way to breathe, but it was happening too slowly.

‘I can take over to help fight them off, beastie. Let. Go.’

Without an ounce of hesitation, I did as he ordered. Relief filled me when Cassius’ power rushed past me and filled my body.

A voice that sounded like mine, yet not, snarled in the distance. It was rare that I’d willingly let Cas take over my body, and now I’d let him do it two times in a week. What I would remember? Would voluntarily letting him take the lead make a difference?

The magickal darkness took over then, snuffing out my awareness, though I vaguely registered pain in my legs.

‘Cas… Be careful.’