Page 28 of Venomous Lies
My space was plain, small. There was a single bed shoved into a dark corner, and a large armchair sat in front of an empty fireplace with a stack of books beside it. The fire and a small floor lamp were the only sources of light in the windowless room.
I glided across the wooden floor to the armchair and sat down. Instead, I focused on the newest stack of books I had dug up over the past few days, all revolving around the topic of necromancy. My efforts to figure out what this killer was doing had all been fruitless thus far. The missing pieces of the victims seemed too deliberate to be simple keepsakes, but for all my efforts, I couldn’t figure outwhatthey were doing.
A hint of messy hair, copper skin, and a teasing smile flickered across my mind.
My mate.
He would have known or at least had an idea of whatwas going on. A necromancer of great strength, he would have savored having the upper hand, baiting me to force the information from him.
But he was dead, had been for centuries, and all I had left were cruel memories and cold nights that felt icy even to me.
If I had his grimoire, I could’ve found my answers within its pages. Perhaps, I could try to find his book.
It would take considerable time and resources to track it down… though not impossible.
With the right planning, I could leave and be back in a few days’ time without missing too much. Falke and Ambrose could handle things in my absence and keep me updated of any changes.
Bricriu and Isla… They would be a problem.
Bricriu and I had an agreement, an arrangement, that would be affected by his bond with Isla.Would she try to put a stop to it?
I ran my tongue over my teeth, remembering the taste of his blood on my tongue just last night. So fucking rich and intoxicating… The fae’s blood was powerful, and I could never help myself from taking just a bit more than necessary to savor the taste of it.
With a weary laugh, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
As soon as we walked into the library, I could smell them. Bricriu’s scent, so familiar, was twined with hints of jasmine, vanilla, and amber… Isla Hallowes.
My attention had been laser focused on them. Immediately, I’d walked upstairs to find them as if I had no choice in the matter. If only I had been alone when I sensed them… though maybe it was for the best that things hadn’t played out that way. Even with my begrudging attraction to her, I couldn’t tell if I’d want to join in or attack her for being with my blood donor.
Her mate.
Life was one twisted, cruel joke.
There was something about the witch, I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had been unwillingly drawn to her since the moment I met her. That unfiltered mouth, the spark of mischief in her hazel eyes, those curves for days… She was magnificent.
I hated every ounce of interest she drew from me, but I had felt the same way about Bricriu at first.
They each reflected the parts of myself that I tried to hide. While I had started to accept that with Bricriu, I resented the hell out of it when it came to Isla. Not once in my long life had I preferred women. Only a few here and there had ever sparked more than a passing interest.
The taunting promise of more lingered with every interaction, and I loathed it.
I didn’t want to feel like this again. All that want and need wrapped up in another person… It was a feeling I remembered well, along with the bitter loneliness that engulfed me after my mate died.
It was something I promised I’d never go through again. It wasn’t something I could survive again.
Shaking my head to physically force my mind back to my work, I stood up and walked over to the magicked paper on my desk.
I will be gone for a few days, at most. There’s something I need to get that might prove useful to us.
If I can find it.
Falke’s clipped and abrupt script appeared almost instantly.
What do you need us to do to cover for you?
Make sure Ambrose doesn’t kill anyone until I’m back.
I resent that. As if the centaur could stop me if I felt so inclined.
