Page 7 of Venomous Lies
“Awesome. I just don’t want to lug this around if I don’t have to,” I told him while I lifted my laptop bag. “You ready?”
“Let’s go.”
Wells stood and offered me a hand up, effortlessly assisting me when I accepted. We brushed off our clothes then started for the dorms, making small talk as we ignored the misty rain that started to fall.
A quick pit stop at my room, then we were on our way. Wells refused to tell me much about the shop, seeming to enjoy my curious questions as he led the way through the forest. My surprise rose when we didn’t head toward thenearest human town. Instead, we headed a bit west. After a while, he stopped and held out a hand to me.
Glancing from the offered hand to his face, I tilted my head in silent question.
“I don’t like to do this around a ton of people. Gets distracting.” He smiled at me as I arched an eyebrow, unsatisfied with that explanation.
“Do what?”
“The shop is by the coast. Sometimes, when I need to decompress, I find water to be near.” Wells shrugged and looked beyond me into the forest. “I find the ocean to be calming. The last time I was there, I found this shop.”
“And you’re just going to ‘beam me up, Scotty’ to get us there?”
Wells burst out laughing. After a few minutes, he managed to get himself together enough to reply. “It’s magick, yes. Trust me?”
The funny thing was… I did. We’d only been friends a few weeks, but there was something about Wells that exuded trustworthiness.
“Okay.”
I slipped my hand into his, and a second later, I was hit with the sense of déjà vu.
The world around us was blurry, so I kept my gaze on Wells, who stayed focused on me. It was just like how I’d arrived at Greywood with Bones and equally as disorienting.
Our feet hit the ground, and he immediately grabbed my waist, keeping me upright. I swore, if people kept traveling like this, I was going to have to make a potion or something for the nausea.
Note to self: look that up or ask Cassius when he comes out of hiding.
“You feeling okay? I know it can be a disconcerting way to travel if you’re not used to it. At least the shop isn’t far from here.”
I nodded a few times while I got my stomach under control. Once my body settled, I thanked him for keeping me steady. He let go and stepped back, the sheen of sweat on his brow and pale complexion the only hints as to how the magick had taxed his body.
Wells wasted no time leading the way through a forest that was similar to the one we had just left. The cooler fall weather had settled into the area, lulling the plants into their seasonal slumber. Leaves covered the ground. The hint of salt grew stronger as we kept walking, and a new sound registered among the others, calling me forward.
Picking up my pace, I walked past Wells, speeding up until I was almost running through the forest. Finally, the trees came to an abrupt end. There was a small dirt road, and right beyond it was a sight that took my breath away.
There was a big rock cliff that stretched as far as I could see and a small sandy beach down below. Waves crashed into the huge rocks that jutted up from the ocean, and the loud calls of some animal filled the air. My body jolted, startled by the unfamiliar noise. What was that?
“Sea lions,” Wells said from behind me, his voice startling me enough that I jolted. “At least, Ithinkthey’re sea lions. Don’t quote me on that.”
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, completely in awe of the sight before me.
More than a little bit of me was jealous that he could easily magick himself here to get away. Even if we never got to the shop, this view was worth the trip.
I’d only ever seen the ocean twice before, and that was while the water was much calmer. Here, it was almost as ifthe water were slamming its fist against the land, demanding its attention.
“The shop is right down there.”
I glanced over, my eyes following my friend’s pointed finger. There was a small house along the top of the cliff with a sign right beside it. The building was just far enough away that I couldn’t read it, but the fact that I’d still be able to see the waves from the shop’s windows made me begrudgingly start heading that way.
“Next time, can we sit on the beach?” I asked, keeping my focus on the water below. I trusted Wells to lead me safely to the shop.
“We can bring some stuff and just spend the day down there,” Wells agreed. “Though, there’s no way I’m getting in the water. It’s frigid.”
I snorted, amused by his warning glare. I tried to play innocent, hoping my dream of pushing him in wasn’t written too clearly on my face. The chill in the air made me all too aware of how much colder the ocean would probably be, too. Like me, Wells had siblings, which was probably why he’d read my mind. I would totally push one of my brothers into the water.
