Page 35 of Venomous Lies
Sorting through everything, I realized he had included packs of pens. Each one was pre-labeled with the names of my classes, and I swallowed hard as I realized just how much work he had put into this. When I opened the notebooks, I saw scrawls of notes.
Oh shit! How long has this hair dye been in?!
I ran to my bathroom, distracting myself with rinsing out the hair dye. If I washed it an extra time or two, trying to keep my mind busy, well… That was my prerogative.
‘You can’t run from everything forever, beastie.’Cas’ voice echoed in my mind.
‘No, but I learned from the best, so I can run for a bit longer.’
‘Not fromthis.’
Chapter 11
Isla
THURSDAY
Class 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 Iconsidered 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 knowexactlywho 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 waspulled 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.”
