Page 46 of Venomous Lies
“No one is askingyou, 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 wasgone.
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 lookedaround the dining hall. “It won’t be long until professors come in.”
“But wouldn't she?—?”
