Page 20 of The Banshee and the Warlock

A laugh bursts from me, and I hastily cover my mouth with my hand. "Sorry, it's just that one is kind of funny."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, it's funny the first time. But I've been hearing those kinds of comments since before I should even have known what they meant."

"Sorry."

She shrugs. "Not your fault that people are idiots. But if you're going to make jokes about my abilities, just make sure they're better than that."

"I promise I won't make one."

"That's all I ask. And if you do end up dating Cethin, maybe get him to have a word with his friend about that. I'd be much more amenable to flirting if he was at least creative about it."

"I'll make sure to casually drop that into the conversation I'm definitely not going to have."

Nati sighs. "Fair enough. Are you done? We should get going so we're not late." She nods towards my plate.

"Yeah." I push my empty plate back, still feeling a little guilty about just leaving it, even if that's what we're supposed to do.

I get to my feet and look over to where Cethin is sitting, disappointed to realise he's already gone. I guess I'll just be counting down the hours until our Potions class later.

Chapter 9

Cethin

The moment the door to the Potions classroom opens, everything within me goes on high alert, and I look up to find Anja making her way inside. Every part of me screams that she's my mate, and that I should tell her so that we can start the process of creating the bond between us and she can be mine in all kinds of ways.

But I know I can't. I have to hold myself back for her sake. She doesn't seem to be having the same reaction to me, which must mean that she hasn't felt it. That's not unheard of, not everyone feels the mate reaction, and while she doesn't know what she is, it must be one of the species who doesn't feel it. And I don't want to push her too far and scare her away.

"Hey," she says brightly as she reaches her seat beside me.

I smile at her, enjoying every moment of her presence, and the fact that she seems to light up when she's around me. At least that's a good sign for when I do tell her that she's my mate. I feel bad for keeping it from her, but I don't want to add the pressure of it to her, especially when she seems to be struggling with whatever it is that's happening in her dreams. "Hi. Ready for another class full of questioning the darker sides of magic?"

"I only do that to you," she says with a small laugh as she starts to unpack her stuff.

"I appreciate the commentary. It's all useful for our essay," I respond.

She lets out a groan and takes a seat. "I'd forgotten about that. When is it due?"

"Just before the holidays, we've got time. But if you want to get started, we can schedule some library time next week." And I'm not just saying that because I want to spend some time alone with her. Though I do. It would be good to get started.

She wrinkles her nose in an adorable way. "Do you have to make it sound so clinical?"

"How else would you like me to say it? We're talking about studying, not making out in the library." Even as I say it, images and thoughts about what that might be like flash through my mind, and I wonder if it might not be the worst idea.

"Next week sounds good," she murmurs, an enchanting blush rising to her cheeks.

Perhaps I'm not the only one who likes the idea of spending some time alone in the library. Though there might be better places for the two of us to be together.

"Good afternoon, class," Professor Fairburn says cheerfully, cutting off any chance of a continued conversation. "Today we're going to be attempting a sleep charm."

Anja lets out a frustrated sigh. "Great, I'm going to fail."

"You're not," I assure her, though I'm not entirely sure about that. She's passable at the potion side of things, but her charm work leaves something to be desired.

"Everything you may need is in the rooms. You have thirty minutes. I shall be walking around the classroom to observe and give corrections when they're needed," the professor says with a clap of her hands.

"Let's get started with making a fool of myself," Anja mutters.

"That's not going to happen." Because I'm not going to let it.