Page 93 of Venomous Lies
“We got separated during everything,” she replied, chewing her bottom lip. Her face scrunched up in disgust. “I need to get the bleeding to stop.”
“I can help with that,” a bland voice offered out of nowhere, making us jump.
The new professor that had helped heal Isla was suddenly just there. He had a calm expression, though I could sense his concern when he looked Isla over, cataloging injuries.
“What happened to your hand?”
She shrugged it off. “I’m not worried about my hand. My head is the real problem.”
With a hum, he carefully approached and softly asked her if he could take a look. When she said yes, he examined her head and her hand before letting out a soft sigh.
“Nothing too serious, head wounds are just notorious for bleeding. We need to get to safety first, then I can helpwith this.”
“I thought you said?—”
“Nothing is life threatening,” he said, cutting the kelpie off. “There are others that are more seriously injured that I need to prioritize. Let’s go.”
“First, we need to take care of Thatcher,” Demir said, starting for the building Isla had just run out of.
“No need,” Isla called out, making her brother stop in his tracks. “It’s being taken care of.”
I swallowed hard at the power in her voice and the menacing aura that suddenly surrounded my friend.
She was terrifying, awe inspiring, and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.
“What do you mean? What have you done?”
“What was needed to survive,” Isla said. “We can see about Thatcher once things have settled.”
“You don’t make the calls here, Isla.”
“No, brother,youdon’t make the calls here. You’re on Greywood grounds, Demir. This isn’t your place. It’s mine.”
Junichiro stepped in between them. “Isla is right. We have more important things to do than worry about that man.”
“Like what? What could possibly be more important than that?” Demir argued, bristling at the other man’s interference.
“How about her mate who’s ready to tear this entire school apart because she’s missing? Or the others that seemed just as concerned about her absence. Yes, Isla is your sister, but that doesn’t mean you’re the only one that cares about her well-being.”
They had a stand-off, Demir and Professor Junichiro staring each other down. It felt like the world was holding its breath, waiting to see what they would all do. Isla, onthe other hand, had turned her entire attention to the herbology professor.
“When and why did it start getting lighter?” Isla asked all of us once Demir gave in. He growled in annoyance before stomping off, leading the way somewhere. Slowly but surely, that dangerous presence around Isla eased. It hadn’t faded completely, but it was no longer right on the surface of her aura.
“Not sure why,” I answered, “but I’m glad. Fighting in that darkness wasnoteasy.”
“Where are the others? Bones, Z, Aizel?”
“I’m not sure,” I replied as the three of us continued following Demir at a safe distance. “We were all separated during the fighting.”
“But we were all at the library at the beginning,” Demir called back to us, letting me know he could clearly hear our conversation. “Might as well go there to try to find everyone.”
“That makes sense.”
“I hope they’re okay,” Isla replied. Worry lined her face as she looked around us, searching for the others. “Are you sure you’re okay, Wells?”
“Yeah.” I grinned at her, hoping to put her at ease. “Honestly, it was just something I said that upset him. Your brother has a bit of a hairtrigger temper.”
As the dark faded more and more, we could make out the shambles left of the campus. Buildings stood, but there were bodies all over, not all of them whole. People rushed around, trying to escape some unseen force.
