Page 94 of Venomous Lies
In some places, the grass looked red because so much blood had soaked into it.
Wolves, kelpies, and shifters of all kinds were sprawled around, trying to catch their breath and recover from thefighting. Even with my inexperienced eye, I could tell we had suffered many losses.
What the hell had happened?!
Isla slowed as we got close to the library, then she came to a stop. She looked not toward where her brother was leading us, but to the forest, her mismatched eyes seeming almost far away.
Was she trying to get to her greenhouse? Now?
What was calling her?
Even Junichiro was searching the trees as if searching for the answers to those questions.
“Witchling.”
Isla snapped out of it, spinning around and gasping as my mouth went dry.
Standing on the other side of us was her mate, Bricriu, in his full bone fae form—seven feet of bones, long white hair in a braid down his back. He smiled menacingly at his mate. The stark ivory of his form only highlighted the bright-red blood splattered all over him… along with a few other things I didn’t want to acknowledge.
What the hell had he done to his opponents? Torn them apart?
Probably best not to ask.
“Bones!”
Without hesitation, she rushed over to him and leapt into his arms, snuggling in as Bones wrapped his arms around her.
She murmured soft things that I couldn’t make out as she tucked her head against his neck. I didn’t miss how tightly she held onto him or the way he closed his eyes and squeezed her close.
“Who hurt you?” he muttered, his long fingers running throughher black hair.
“I know everyone is going to ask the same things over and over again. Why don’t I give the answers just once?” she suggested as she leaned back, though she didn’t attempt to get down.
“Then I’d suggest we get back to the library,” Professor Junichiro said, nodding in the direction of the building. “Before we attract more attention.”
As if his words had reopened my senses to the world around us, I suddenly realized how silent it was and shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. We were the center of attention, with all the nearby survivors watching us as if they were just waiting to see what we’d do next.
A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I swallowed hard. There was no way. I had to be imagining things… But as Isla and Bricriu started following the professor’s lead, I saw the familiar face again.
“Wells?” Isla called.
“You all go ahead. I just want to check something, then I’ll be right there,” I told her with a smile, waving them on.
I forced my expression to remain calm, not wanting to alarm her.
I had to be seeing things. There was no way he’d be here.
But I had to be sure.
Isla and the others just nodded, and I waited for them to be almost at the library before I followed him.
Ignoring the people that were recovering, I slunk between buildings until I was suddenly slammed into the side of one.
I grunted at the impact of my body against the stone and heard a familiar laugh in reply.
“Well, if it isn’t Wells Hawthorne, the disgraced witch.”
“I don’t know if we can even call him that. After all, hisfamily disowned him,” a vicious voice mocked from behind the man grinding my back into the stone. “Guess we should just call you Wells of no coven.”
