4. Isla
Chapter 4
Isla
SATURDAY
‘Wake up, beastie.’
What the fuck?!
‘Cassius! Let me ? —’
‘Now! Someone is here.’
I forced my body to stay relaxed in bed although all my senses were on high alert. Something was off, but it wasn’t in my room. I could feel something different, something sinister , nearby.
‘Do you know where it is?’ I asked him, but the spirit remained silent and watchful. It felt like he was preoccupied.
I didn’t take it personally. The fact that Cassius had even given me the warning at all showed just how far our bond had come. In the beginning, he wouldn’t have done that. Hell, he’d build up my dread and anxiety until whatever happened was so much worse than it could have been. At one point, I was almost medicated because of him terrorizing my mind.
But our relationship changed the older I got, thanks to me finding myself and my backbone. One time, I got so pissed I covered every mirror I passed at the academy for a year so I couldn’t see him. After I lashed out a third time, not even my classmates disturbed them. Mirrors were the only way I could see the spirit that resided inside of me.
Anyway, over time, we went from childhood enemies to tentative friends. Eventually.
Slipping out of bed, I grabbed the loose tank top and silk shorts that I was planning to wear to sleep before I got too hot. No use facing whatever this was naked as the day I was born. Cautiously, I made my way out of my room, carefully checking every nook and cranny as I went to make sure my family was safe.
‘They aren’t inside,’ I commented to Cassius. ‘I’m going to check my garden.’
‘Take a weapon.’
I snagged a baseball bat one of my siblings had left by the door. Ignoring the ache in my hands, I played with it a bit. I got used to the weight then slipped outside. Every sense was on high alert, trying to figure out where the silent threat was coming from. I couldn’t even put my finger on what was off, but something was. Then it hit me all at once when I placed a hand on my garden gate.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
The crickets were silent, and there wasn’t a single rustle from a squirrel or bird flying through the forest surrounding our home. The fae earlier didn’t stop the animals in their tracks so it couldn’t be him. What the hell could make the entire forest freeze in fear?!
A gentle breeze blew by, and that’s when I felt it.
Cold. Curious. Calculating.
‘Isla. Behind you.’
Cassius never called me by my name. Ever.
I turned around, keeping my bat firmly in my hand, and saw that I was in fact not alone. In front of me stood a type of high fae that I thought was only a legend.
He was tall, probably close to seven feet, but I'd be lying if I said that was what caught my eye. His hair was pulled into a single braid down his back, which only emphasized the bony horns that jutted from his temples and curled up and back. They weren't smooth, like the solidness of a femur. Instead, they were ridged and segmented, almost as though they were stolen pieces of spinal column.
My eyes traveled to his, noting the way their lavender stare dismissed the bat in my hands before switching back to my face.
A bone fae.
He smiled at me, the expression showing off his fanged teeth. They only made him look more sinister. His body was a mix of thin skin stretched over bone, with none of the raw, red sinew of exposed muscle. It was as if the skin had worn away along his jaw and cheeks, leaving behind stretched lines of remaining flesh.
His body was partially adorned with bones, though I couldn't be sure whether they were affixed to him like they were some kind of clothing, or if they were a part of him. Skulls rested atop his shoulders, and each of his movements made the bone fixtures shift. There was a soft, hollow clinking sound each time they clicked together.
It was oddly soothing, though I doubted that was the intention behind the noise. There was no hint of fear when he faced me, but then again, I doubted my skills with poisons could protect me from him if he wanted to hurt me.
“This is new. Not going to run from me?”
“I’d hate to be boring,” I sassed, ignoring my internal warnings to run. I took what reassurance I could from Cassius’ silence. Silence has to be better than warning me to run or fight, right? “Another fae in my garden… I guess I should feel privileged.”
“Fancy talk will get you nowhere, witch. You’re coming with me.” His voice was so deep, I felt the hum of it in my bones.
I shrugged, attempting to hide my shuddered response to his tone. The weird thing was that even though he had distantly felt like a menacing presence, I felt nothing but safe now that I was standing in front of him. There was almost a sense of ease that enveloped me, and it relaxed me. I knew I should feel wary, but I was so worn out from the party and the conservatory situation that I didn’t have it in me to panic.
Plus, if I could survive graduating from a witch academy, I could survive anything. Or at least that was what I told myself.
“Okay. Could I at least grab my things first?”
“What?” he asked, the smile slipping away as his brow furrowed.
“I mean, you can get it if you want.” I gestured to my house. “Though I’d be careful. My ma is not a morning person…. or night person in this case. Basically, she just needs to wake up on her own, or you’ll wish you were anywhere else.”
The fae slowly shook his head, the bones clanking together with the movement. “You’re not going to fight me?”
“Am I supposed to?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He took another step closer to me. “Most do.”
“I’ve never had any fae sneak up to meet me, much less two separate ones. Now, I just feel special,” I replied calmly, disregarding my racing heart. Was it his nearness or the weight of his gaze on me? I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t fear that made me so aware of him, and Cassius’ silence was starting to get to me more than I wanted to admit. “Can I assume you’re from Greywood?”
“Yes,” he replied after a few moments of silence. “Your things will arrive at Greywood on their own. No need to get them yourself.”
“I need to tell my mom?—”
“There is also a note on your bed saying you are at the conservatory,” he interrupted, still studying me. “You’re really not going to fight?”
“I thought asking questions was rude.” I arched an eyebrow at him as I completely ignored the fact I had asked plenty of my own questions.
“You are strange.”
I grinned, leaning the bat against my garden gate. “Thank you.”
‘Beastie, what the fuck are you doing?’ Cassius finally spoke up.
‘Going to school, apparently?’
‘A little bit of a fight would be wise.’
‘But this is throwing him off more than fighting actually would. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a fae so confused.’ To that, Cassius had no response, but I could tell he wasn’t entirely happy with my reasoning.
“Come.” The high fae reached out a hand before freezing. Not letting him retract the offer, I took his hand and wrapped my arm around his to allow him to take me with him. He tensed at the touch, but it was surprise that I sensed within him, not dislike.
“To Greywood, or am I off to the fae world for all kinds of nefarious things?”
‘One day, beastie, you’ll need a filter between that mind and mouth of yours.’
‘I blame you for traumatizing me in my youth.’
The fae slowly blinked as if he didn’t know how to take my teasing, so I took pity on him and sighed dramatically. “Can I at least know what to call you? Or should I go with Bones?”
‘I swear to the gods I’ll haunt you in every next life if you get killed.’
‘Promise?’
A rumbling laugh ground out of the fae next to me before he grinned ferociously. “If you dare, witch.”
“I always do,” I purred. “Bones.”
Then shadows darker than the night enveloped us, and I lost all sense of direction. Up was down and left was right, but Bones was my constant. We stared at each other, forgetting everything else as we were transported to our destination.
Ignoring the way my stomach dropped when we stopped moving and landed, I kept my gaze on the fae in front of me. He shifted, and I let my arm slip away from him.
“I’d say good luck, but I do believe we will need it more than you will.”
That’s when I noticed that my hands no longer ached. Looking around, I saw I was indeed at Greywood Conservatory. Towering stone buildings stood all around me, and I was just one among a crowd of other supernaturals in various states of dress. Guess I wasn’t the only one snatched in the middle of the night.
Like a normal human campus, there were different types of buildings around us, encircling a large open space. The land and structures felt old, and there was a sense of magick in the air from both the Greywood itself and my not-so-calm peers, some of whom were still trying to fight off their “kidnappers.”
“This is going to be fun.” A smile took over my face, and I threw back my head with laughter when I felt the welcome of the forest behind me. I could feel the call of plants singing out to me, beckoning me to come explore.
Soon, my lovelies.
The people around us froze, students and kidnappers all shocked at my reaction. Their reaction was only made worse when I spun around to Bones and rocked up on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Until next time.”
With a two-fingered wave and a wink, I sauntered onto the grounds, not caring I was barefoot and wearing just silky shorts and tank top. Something about this place felt like home, and the opportunity to let loose was too delicious to let a thing like fear hold me back.
‘Fear is there to keep yourself alive.’
‘And if fear keeps me from doing things, is that even living?’
Cassius sighed, but I felt his begrudging respect. I strode purposefully past the stone buildings and followed the power thrumming inside of me until I came to a halt in front of a glass greenhouse.
It had obviously been abandoned a long time ago. Vines and plants grew wildly outside and inside of the building. Since no one was running after me, I reached out, finding myself unsurprised when the door loudly creaked. My breath caught in my throat once I saw what was inside.
It’s perfect.
brICRIU
I didn’t know what to make of her.
The witch.
Poison weaver.
She was going to be someone to watch out for.
Bringing first years to the conservatory was a right of passage, a test of our powers as second years and a way to give the professors an idea of the new students’ capabilities.
“A kiss is certainly new.”
Another guy snickered. “Can’t believe it took kidnapping a poor girl to get him a first kiss.”
The condescending voices had me clenching my teeth in irritation before I pushed it down. It would serve no purpose here.
Glancing to the side, I found Brad Golding and Otis Dair watching Isla walk away with a sway to her hips. I couldn’t really make out the details of her now that she was far away from me since my eyesight was shit even in my full fae form.
Jealousy hit me when I realized that they could see her perfectly fine, every detail of her body and the way she moved. I had drunk in that sight at her home. She was a fierce woman, who was ready to fight as she left her house to find me. I hadn’t even called to her with my magick, yet she was outside, searching for me, mere minutes after I transported to her yard.
Like she had sensed me on her own.
That was surely something to keep in mind because my kind weren’t easily detected by anyone. Just who was Isla Hallowes?
“If she kissed that guy, I don’t know how smart she could be.”
“Better watch out, or the freak will hear you,” another student whispered. Taunting laughter shot my way as they pulled the guy away from me. It was amazing how adults could act like children. Given our ages, you’d think they would know better. Reacting to their unoriginal comments wouldn’t garner any favors, not with the classmates who would always hate me or the professors who couldn’t care less about what we did so long as it didn’t affect them.
I started to head toward Kastor Hall to inform the professors I had completed my assignment. My classmates ignored me or rushed out of my way, their fear thick in the evening air. I wove my illusion magick around myself until I was in a human body. Grabbing my dark-tinted sunglasses, I put them on, knowing I would need them to protect my eyes in the bright lights inside the building.
Surprisingly, the hall wasn’t brightly lit when I walked in, but I didn’t take off my sunglasses. That would be unwise considering even the tiniest bit of bright light would be painful. Walking confidently down the familiar hallways, I made my way toward the large open lecture room where professors and other staff were waiting for updates.
“Bricriu! Here already. Do we need to help your student recover?” one of the professors called out with a mocking laugh.
“Unprofessional, Blackthorn,” a familiar smooth voice reprimanded, making the man teasing me fall silent. The fae that had spoken didn’t move from where I could vaguely see him sprawled out on a chair. “Maybe we should keep you with your calculations instead of being allowed near the students.”
“What was your student’s name?” another staff member cautiously asked, probably hoping to stave off a potential fight.
“Isla Hallowes,” I replied stiffly, ready to be away from here. I was curious as to where the witch had wandered off to. “She asked a few questions before I transported us here, but that’s it. She wandered off to explore the campus soon after we arrived.”
The professors didn’t comment on my curt report, and the staff member just nodded a few times, furiously typing away on her laptop.
“Am I done here?”
“You may go.” The staff member holding the door failed to keep the tremor from her voice.
I mockingly nodded at them before spinning on my heel and going outside. The moment the cool air hit my face, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a smoke, needing the nicotine to cool my frayed nerves.
Before I could grab my lighter, a spark of light appeared in front of me. Slowly, I leaned into the offered flame and lit the cigarette with a deep inhale. I dug out another smoke to offer to the man beside me. The older fae took it silently, and we both took a few long drags in the quiet solace of the night.
“Did she fight you?” Ambrose suddenly asked.
I laughed despite myself. “She asked if I was taking her to fae lands for nefarious reasons or taking her to Greywood since I was the second fae to come to her home. I take it the first one to visit was you with the invitation?”
“Careful, cousin. She’s dangerous.” His chilly tone would have warned off many, but I wasn’t an average person.
“Cousin… There is no familial tie to bind us together, professor . And she’s a student. Off limits. It’s not I who should be careful.”
Honestly, it wasn’t his words that shocked me. It was his tone. One meeting had made this professor ready to threaten me to stay away from her. Either he knew something about this witch that I didn’t, or he wanted her. Either way, I was just enough of a prick to be intrigued.
With that, I pushed off the wall and walked away from the other fae acting like I didn’t have a care in the world. That’s when a magicked whisper caressed my ear, making me stumble.
‘Fuck with me again, Bricriu, and you’ll regret it. As you said, there are no familial ties holding me back. No one would come to save you from my… darker tastes. Leave the witch alone.’
That mother… I spun around, but the fae was gone. Only the hint of sweet opium lingered in the air to prove he had been there at all. Too bad for him, the press of her lips on my cheek was stronger than the promise of his parting threat.
He’d just guaranteed that the last thing I would ever do was leave Isla Hallowes alone.