“Don’t,” I warned, stepping away. Not that it did any good.
“I feel gifted to see this boy before anyone else you know. You have a boy.” Faith gripped hard on my arm.
I swatted her. Still, she did not let go as I hushed her. “I do not have a boy.”
“A man really. I mean, look at him. I always thought he had funny hair, but now that I’m looking at him, I rescind my previous comment. It suits him.”
“Faith.”
“Lu?” She raised her eyebrows in an oddly similar yet menacing way.
“Stop it. He’s here as a …”
Her eyes glittered.
“I’m helping him with a report.”
“Seems like that’s becoming quite the habit.”
“Can you act at all natural?” I asked.
“I’m all natural,” Faith said, genuinely confused from her chunky footwear all the way up to her fluffy hair.
“Right.”
“Just give me a chance. I’ll be perfectly good. I’m always good to your friends.” She meant Vadika, and that was true.
I nodded, turning back around to head back to Ryan.
Only he was now behind us, peeking his head in.
“Hey, sorry. I actually have to head out,” Ryan said slowly, shifting his backpack higher up on his shoulders. “I didn’t realize the time. I promised one of my housemates I’d get an early dinner with him before he went to train.”
“Oh, of course,” I said. It was more than perfect to get him out of here. I could only picture Faith following me back upstairs. “I’ll see you.”
“Sorry about that before. Lu didn’t want me to embarrass her,” said Faith. Because, of course, she did.
Ryan grinned, getting more comfortable where he stood in the doorway of the glass office. “That’s too bad. She didn’t properly introduce us.”
I sighed, waving a hand between the two of them. Now, there was no turning back. “Faith—she’s a part of my coven actually.”
His eyes widened before they turned back to Faith. “The librarian, right? Neat.”
“He thinks we’re neat, Lu.” Faith spread her glossed lips.
“I heard.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ryan. Lu told us all about you the other day.”
“Oh, did she?” His gaze cut back to me as I stood with my arms crossed. “Were you talking about me, Lu?”
“All terrible things.”
He put a hand to his chest in mock sadness.
Faith snorted. “It was nice that you kept her company in the library. She really needs to get herself a new roommate, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know her roommate, but Lu was actually helping me out, I think, more than the other way around. I’ve been slacking up until now.” He nodded down toward his leg, which he threw out with the help of balancing on his crutch. “Lu set me straight.”
