20. Isla
Chapter 20
Isla
WEDNESDAY
T he conservatory didn’t tell us anything more about the missing student the next day. In fact, everything was business as usual for the next week. To everyone else, it was almost like it never happened, but I couldn’t let go of it.
Cassius cautioned me to be careful but didn’t dissuade me from trying to figure out what had happened. No professor was saying anything, and most of them seemed to be piling a bunch of work on us, probably a tactic to keep us from asking more questions. Too bad I had a lot of other things on my mind, too.
The morning after the lockdown, I’d woken up entwined with not only Echo but Wells. Zhara and Aizel were cuddled together on the couch opposite us, still asleep when the three of us stirred. Wells had turned bright red and jerked himself away, though that could have been because his hands were on Echo rather than me. After that, he’d averted his gaze and practically ran out of the suite without another word. Echo had asked whether I was okay, then dropped the matter entirely. Yet another thing that was left untouched.
The lack of communication was driving me up the wall, not that I was great at facing things when it came to feelings or the possibility of relationships. My ex-boyfriend was insecure when it came to emotional talks, sex, and even any kind of PDA. It was fine at first, but before long it was just plain exhausting. Until we finally broke up, it had felt like I was responsible for the weight of everything in our relationship. Of course, he hadn’t seen things that way.
The conversation had been spun into a mess that could be summed up into me being called unreasonable, bitchy, and whatever other hurtful words he could throw my way. He didn’t take it very well when I explained that me, the communicative partner, being called unreasonable was laughable. My ex was a vindictive excuse for a partner, and while I’d like to say I’d risen past all of his bullshit unscathed, that wasn’t entirely true.
I didn’t know how to stop another relationship from turning into my previous one, so even though the silence on the guys’ ends was maddening, I sure as fuck wasn’t going out on a limb to break it. They needed to show me that they were interested before I took a leap. Otherwise, the likelihood of ruining a friendship was just too high.
So far, all signs pointed to this awkward avoidance being our new status quo. Echo and Aizel had been gone the weekend after the lockdown, and although Echo had seemed more at ease than he had before they left, something was still unsettled within him. Aizel had left him alone, focusing on Zhara instead, and I gave him space as best I could. It wasn’t exactly easy when you lived with someone, and they were one of your few friends on campus.
That was how I found myself at the library, trying to focus on one of the many stupid assignments. Aizel, Echo, Zhara, and Wells were at the table with me, everyone lost in their busy work. Some shuffling distracted me, and I saw Bones walking in.
‘You’re supposed to be studying,’ Cassius drawled.
‘I studied. Now, I’m bored out of my fucking mind, ’ I countered. ‘Sitting here quietly is driving me insane.’
‘It’s called schoolwork.’
‘Then you do it, ’ I replied sullenly.
Cassius’ soft laugh made goosebumps erupt down my arms. I rubbed them, acting like a sudden chill had hit me.
‘As you told me before, that would be cheating.’
‘I hate you.’
‘Not even remotely believable, beastie.’ He paused for a beat then continued. ‘You could ask them about what happened at the greenhouse.’
‘Aizel and Zhara don’t know about the greenhouse though,’ I pointed out. At least, I assumed that they didn’t know about it because neither of them had brought it up. Echo had remained distant, and Wells was so busy anytime I tried to get him alone to ask him about what had happened. ‘Besides, there are more pressing things at the moment.’
‘You mean the mystery of the missing student or the fact that you woke up in a sandwich the morning afterward?’
I bit my lip, grateful that no one could hear Cassius like I could.
“Isla? Are you okay?” Zhara asked, her voice hushed. Concern shined in her blue eyes as she studied me.
“Fine. Just bored.” I managed a half-smile before shaking my head. “Sorry. I think I’m just getting antsy, sitting here and doing nothing.”
“You could do your homework,” Aizel pointed out, dodging out of the way when I tossed a pen at him. “I’m just saying!”
“Not helpful,” I shot back without any real heat. “I think I just need some fresh air, then I’ll be back at it.”
“You mind company? I could use some time to stretch my legs before I do any more,” Wells asked, looking at me expectantly. I blinked at him a few times, surprised that he was actively seeking to spend time alone with me.
“Sure.” I nodded toward the front doors after I managed to rein in my reaction.
We remained silent until we were outside. I sighed, cracking my neck on both sides before settling down on the stairs. A soft rain had started, shadowing the quad in one of those magical dreary evenings. Just enough sunlight peeked from behind the clouds, so it wasn’t too dark, and the vivid dewy greens made my magick itch under my skin, wanting to come out and play.
Wells silently sat down beside me on the stone steps. There was a new level of awareness between us now, making me conscious of every breath and shift as he made himself comfortable.
“We should probably talk about it,” Wells suddenly said, his voice soft and unsure.
I looked over at him, eyebrows raised. “Talk about…?”
“The greenhouse,” he replied. He turned his body so that he could look out at me and the quad at the same time.
“Ah yes,” I replied ruefully. “I remember magick rushing through me when I touched the door then waking up on the ground with Echo.”
“That’s it?” he questioned, leaning forward.
“Yup,” I answered. “What happened?”
Wells searched my face for a minute, and whatever he found there made him lean back a bit. I could feel Cassius homing in on Wells, also waiting to see what the witch would say.
“When the magick filled you, you spoke a prophecy. Some of it seemed to linger in you, though, at the end.”
‘Lingered?’ Cassius asked, and I found myself saying it aloud at the same time. At least I thought it was me asking.
“I told you I’m a weaver.” He waited until I nodded in acknowledgment. “I can see the flow of magick around people and sometimes even places. Whatever used you to share the prophecy is different from your innate magick, and some of it still lingers inside of you.”
“You can see magick? What does mine look like?” I asked. The idea of someone else’s magick invading my body was too much. It was so violating to even contemplate.
“Green and black twined together,” he replied softly, his eyes shining with unspoken emotion. The moment sat between us, heavy, until he roughly cleared his throat.
“How much of the other magick is still there?” I asked.
Wells stared at me, and something in his gaze shifted. I could feel the weight of his magick. The air was thick with his gift, and his fingers began to move as if he were pushing something out of the way. Maybe it was a thread of magick only he could see.
“Glimmers of it, but most of it is you. There is… something else, but I can’t tell what it is.”
Cassius let out a relieved huff of breath before he faded into the background. Whatever information clicked for him wasn’t something he was going to share with me yet. Completely in character for him.
Wells blinked a few times, then he scooted further away from me, looking out at the quad again. His face heated, the blush covering his cheeks and neck as he purposefully avoided my stare.
“Why do you pull away?” I asked, unable to help myself. I hadn’t wanted to be the one to bring this shit up, but the best laid plans often went awry.
“I wasn’t the only one to pull away,” he countered. Okay, so that wasn’t the most helpful answer, but at least he wasn’t going to dodge the subject change.
I licked my lips, knowing he was right. I had stepped back at the library and before with Echo. “We just got here, and I’d hate to ruin friendships by making things complicated. Besides, my last relationship… It wasn’t the best.”
“Did they hurt you?” he practically growled, and I shook my head vehemently.
“No, no, nothing like that. I guess the best way to put it is that I was the person who carried the entire relationship. If we went on a date, I planned it. I asked him out. The only times we texted were if I messaged first. Hell, even initiating sex fell on me.” I shrugged. “It was exhausting and doing that again isn’t going to happen. I can communicate, but it’s a two-way street from the beginning, or the relationship just becomes a fucking dead end.”
Wells didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Half of me wondered if I had made him uncomfortable, but the other half didn’t care.
“Witches have multiple partners, at least they almost always do,” Wells said softly. “The person I dated at my academy wasn’t good at balancing that, and in the end, she dumped us all right after graduation. She claimed she wasn’t ready for anything serious.”
“We are young when we graduate from academy,” I ventured. I couldn’t say I liked how she’d handled it, but I also understood it.
He nodded in agreement. “True. But then I found out she’d only dumped me . She’d kept the others. Apparently, she didn’t want to make me feel bad, but it was so much worse finding out the truth through someone else. It made me feel like they were all just laughing at me.”
“All of them?” I asked, shocked that even the others in the coven had been so cruel.
“Yeah,” Wells replied, and there was a catch in his throat that implied he was trying to keep it together.
“Having one partner is hard enough. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with multiple.” I shuddered at just the thought of it. “I mean, I know that probably won’t stay that way forever. Like you said, witches have multiple partners… It’s just that a relationship with only one person is complicated enough.”
He barked out a rough laugh and rubbed his face. “That’s an understatement.”
Just as I was about to say more, a hint of smoke hit my nose, then I heard the whisper of fabric against concrete.
Professor Ambrose’s silky voice broke the moment. “Miss Hallowes and Mr. Hawthorne.”
“Professor.” Wells immediately stood up, brushing at his jeans. “We were just taking a small break.”
Ambrose didn’t respond, but I could see laughter lighting up his orange and red eyes. He pursed his lips and gestured at the library door. “You’ve probably had plenty of fresh air by now. Miss Hallowes will be along shortly. I need to talk to her for a short moment.”
Wells hurried back inside and left me alone with the high fae. I stood up slowly, brushing at the black slacks I had on today.
“I have everything ready for class tomorrow, Professor.”
“What a good student you are,” he commented, stepping closer to me. He was almost too close, and I couldn’t help the shudder that ran through my body when smoke and a hint of sweetness surrounded me. “Walk with me. There is something I need to discuss without prying eyes.”
He held up his arm. I studied it, then his face, trying to figure out what was going on. My hormones wanted more than what he was offering.
‘Be careful, beastie. He isn’t one to trifle with.’
‘I need to know what he wants.’
‘I’ll give you two guesses, but only one will count,’ Cassius shot back.
I huffed. ‘There’s no way he wants me. He’s a professor.’
‘You’re not at the academy anymore. Everyone here is an adult, beastie.’ Cassius clicked his tongue when I threaded my arm through the fae’s . ‘You’re an idiot.’
The fae led me away from the library, toward the area where the greenhouse was standing among the trees like a safe haven. Ambrose’s gaze didn’t stray in that direction though, a mystery that would have to wait for another day.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked, unable to hold my tongue any longer.
“I overheard your discussion with your friend .” He made a face when he said that last word, like the very thought of Wells being friendly with me was distasteful.
“Meaning you were eavesdropping?” I challenged. When he narrowed his eyes on me, I found myself wishing I’d had the self-control to put a filter on my damn mouth.
“You are as bold as ever,” he murmured, turning to step into my space. I tried to step back to maintain some distance, but my back hit a tree. His gaze flicked up to the tree, and his smile turned into a cocky grin.
“Meaning?” I asked, very fucking aware that there would be no misconstruing what was going on if someone happened upon us.
The fae didn’t answer with words. He leaned down, his mouth sliding over mine with a heated kiss. I groaned the moment our lips touched, my body reacting before my mind could question what was happening. His moans filled my mouth, and he threaded a hand into my hair, tilting my head back so he could kiss me easier.
My body took over, wrapping my arms around him so I could press closer. I needed to feel him against me. This was stupid, all-consuming insanity. Goddess, it was fucking everything .
Ambrose took control, kissing me so thoroughly I couldn’t stand up on my own. When I was hanging on to him for some semblance of balance, he pulled back, masculine satisfaction darkening his gaze. He eyed my puffy lips, and I swore he stood a little straighter, seeming proud of what he’d reduced me to.
“I find words can be overrated most of the time. Actions are much more… efficient.”
“Odd coming from a fae.” I licked my lips. “But this seems to be coming out of nowhere, and you’re a professor?—”
“You’re an adult. Unlike those boys you’re used to, I can communicate just fine. This can be as simple as two people having needs and fulfilling them. You think on this for a bit, and I’ll be patient. Until tomorrow, anyway. See that you have the right answer by then.”
“The right answer?” I asked, but he was gone. I brought my hand up to brush my lips, but an icy voice froze me on the spot.
“You and your professor?”
Echo had seen us.
Shit.