Page 11 of Baneful Magick

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 thecigarette 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 fornefarious reasonsor 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 notIwho 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.

Chapter 5

Isla

SATURDAY

The greenhouse looked like it could fall apart any minute.

Dirt covered warped glass had overgrown plants creeping over every surface. I wasn’t sure how long it had been neglected, but enough time had passed for their growth to rip apart the metal beams. Walking further inside, I had to carefully step over vines and climb through others. The crumbling paint that fell down on me in the process was of no consequence. It was the greenery that I cared for. When I reached the center, I found a real oddity, a small room made of glass that time hadn’t touched.

I tried the door, shocked to find that it opened easily, no creaking despite the state of the building. Inside, there was a large gothic black chandelier holding candles that sparked to life when I entered. The space was oddly clean.

No dust or musty smell from disuse hung in the air. There was a black metal daybed pushed against the far wall and a desk on the opposite side stacked high with papers, books, and a small lamp that looked to be lit by witchfire.

A few rugs were thrown about to make the room seem cozy and inviting, but it definitely seemed to be used as an office more than anything else. My internal alarms, the few I hadanyway, were telling me that I was trespassing. The sensation made me back up and close the door before I was found, though I didn’t leave the greenhouse itself. I was too enraptured by the call of the seemingly otherworldly plants that filled the space. My power told me that they were magickal flora, and the siren whispers caressing my skin like a lover spoke to how dangerous they were.

I’d wanted to plant magickal flora back home, but my moms always said no. They pointed out how they could easily become invasive, and once I was faced with the fact that they’d kill the other plants I loved, that was that. But still, the powerful hum of their magick along my skin made me wish I had fought harder for them.

At least I could check out some here at Greywood.

Another whiff had me crinkling my nose though. I made a mental note to ask about the lavender that was in here as well… Lots of people enjoyed the smell, but I’d take the smell of crisp grass or rich earth over that obnoxious scent.

‘You should probably find your dorm, beastie. You can play in the dirt another time.’

I rolled my eyes at Cassius’ commentary, but I didn’t disagree. This wasn’t a dorm, and I had walked off before any instructions were given as to what we were supposed to be doing.

‘You can come back.’

‘You’re just upset there are no mirrors. That means you can’t give me some judgy look for how I handled the fae who brought me here.’

Talking outside drew my attention as Cassius grumbled something about me being impertinent, which I chose to ignore. Curious, I headed for the door and walked out into the cool night again just as a woman passed by, cursing out the phone in her hands.

---