Page 50 of Venomous Lies
Loved and hated in equal measure… He had done nothing halfway.
Opening my eyes, I focused on the way my fingers fiddled with the full glass in my hand. Rich, red wine laced with Cassius’ blood. A barely tolerable substitute for the real thing, but this wasn’t about substance.
I needed to be close to him to help ward off the bad memories.
I had stored vials of it, but there wasn’t much of it left. In fact, I was down to the last two.
Bringing the glass up to my lips, I took a slow sip, savoring its sheer power and richness along my tongue and down the back of my throat as I swallowed.
I closed my eyes and let memories wash over me, the centuries of coldness fading away at the sound of his laughter and the taunts he’d thrown my way. No regard for who and what I was… Brazen.
He was a refreshing change and a welcome one, eventually at least.
A smile curled my lips even as I realized that my cup was empty.
When I opened my eyes, my body froze at the sight of Bricriu. He was walking into the woods with Isla and her friends.
What in the world are they doing?
Before I could try to think of an answer, a knock sounded on my door. It slammed open a moment later, stealing away my chance to speak.
Ambrose stalked into my room, followed by Falke in his human form and a man I hadn’t met before.
“There’s been an incident,” the former said with no other introduction.
“While I was gone?” I asked quietly, ignoring the growing tension in the room.
“This morning,” the unfamiliar man answered. Long, straight black hair fell down to his waist, blending in with the darkness of his clothes. “A student was… spelled in the dining hall.”
“Are they?—?”
“Alive, for now,” Ambrose replied with a smirk. He flopped down in the chair across from me. “Though how long she lives remains to be seen.”
“Tell me.”
“It seems the witch that was attacked no longer has a mouth,” Falke replied, crossing his arms in front of his body. His discomfort was betrayed by the subtle twitch of his fingers and the way his weight shifted from side to side. Whether it was from the description of the attack or being in his human form, I couldn’t tell.
“Excuse me?” I blinked a few times, trying to process what he had just said.
“Face is the same, but the witch’s mouth looks like it’sbeen erased,” Ambrose replied, more than a little gleeful. “To be honest, it looks like a great piece of spellwork.”
“How in the world?—?”
“Fae magick.” Ambrose’s smirk transformed into a grin.
“Okay.” I looked between the three of them, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “There’s more, say it.”
“A witch was the one who wielded it,” Falke said.
“A witch by the name of Isla Hallowes,” the mystery man replied.
Well, that’s just fantastic.
Chapter 16
Bricriu
SATURDAY
