They both passed by Jaya on their way out the door on the far side, but just like Alaric and his friends, neither of them seemed to notice her presence. She stood there a moment longer, smiling a little to herself. She always did like when the underdog won. Even though that blue-eyed feral boy seemed rather grumpy, like a bear with a thorn in its paw.

Sliding out from behind the plant, Jaya walked to the nearest stacks. Nonfiction: Renaissance. She was reaching for one of the books when a deep male voice broke the silence. “Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of spies.”

Jaya jumped and spun around, heart slamming against her rib cage. A hulking figure stood in the doorway, but backlit as he was, Jaya couldn’t see his face. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth like glue.

“Who are you?” the figure demanded, walking forward slowly, features finally materializing.

It was the feral boy from just moments before. His head was cocked, electric blue eyes focused on her the way a wolf might study an interloper in the forest. Though Jaya’s pulse pounded furiously, she attempted a joke to defuse the situation, taking a page from Amma’s etiquette book. “Do you always go around quoting Jane Austen to strangers you meet in libraries? It’s very charming.”

He didn’t return her smile. His eyes were hooded, guarded, and his jaw was dotted with a few days’ worth of dark stubble. As he walked closer, graceful and silent, Jaya noticed how his broad shoulders took up the space with authority. His eyes seemed to alight on her rose pendant, like almost everyone’s did. Unlike everyone else, a shadow passed over his face as he took it in. His expression cleared so quickly Jaya could almost believe she imagined it, and he said, “You still haven’t told me why you were spying.”

Jaya crossed her arms and gazed straight into those lupine eyes, feeling her nerves fade and her temper bristle. How dare this scruffy, angry boy question her? And looming over her like some schoolyard bully? “I wasn’t spying. I hid there in case you needed help.”

He huffed, and what looked like a smile hovered at his lips. “Not likely.”

Jaya shrugged. “Well, I didn’t know.”

The boy’s expression softened a bit at that, and his shoulders relaxed. “No, I suppose you didn’t.” After a pause, he added, “You’re new?”

The tension between them dissipated. “I am. My name’s Jaya Rao. I’ve only just arrived here, and so I thought I’d explore. I knew I’d love the library.”

She waited for him to introduce himself, but he just nodded at the sign behind her. “You like Renaissance-era nonfiction?”

Jaya smiled a little, always happy to talk about books. “Of course. Although I read just about anything.”