Page 218 of Blue Moon Mistress

“Kind of, but it takes time.”

“Time we have?” Johnny asks.

“Yes.”

Walking all of my supplies out to the barn, I finally go back for the book with gloves and a ventilator. Mold mixed with magic is not something anyone wants to inhale.

The four of them are hovering and so, I shoo them away as I walk the book around to the barn. It won’t go inside my house, not until the mold is gone and it’s safe.

It takes some gentle prying and, in one instance an actual knife, but once the pages are all separated and I’ve slid parchment between each, I can go at the cover with a soft brush and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide—modern witches, modern solutions, after all.

By the time I take off the ventilator and toss the gloves into a bin for cleaning and cleansing, the guys have crept back into the barn. I think they thought they were being sneaky.

“All done?” Chase asks, eying the tome like it’s a piece of roadkill.

“Not yet. Mold isn’t the only thing that’s been growing on those pages. Want to help me lift this tub?”

“We’ve got it.” Johnny says as he and Joshua go to the metal bin and drag it from the place below the shelves bolted on the northern wall. “Jesus, what’s in this thing?”

“Salt.”

“Just salt?”

“Mhmm. I’m going to bury the book in it for a few hours, see if we can calm the spells down before we open them up.”

They help me dig away some of the salt and place the book inside. It’s probably harmless now, but it’s not something I want to risk right now—no point in adding to the chaos.

“What are we going to do for the next few hours then?”

I glance outside. Cleaning it had taken longer than I expected and dusk has turned the sky a dim gray. “Let me get cleaned up, then let’s go for a drive.”

“Anywhere particular?”

“Yes. I’m driving.”

I head inside, laughing as they grumble and call me a tease.

They don’t figure it out until I turn off the highway.

“We’re going to visit your grandmother?” Thomas asks, and the others shift. I hope it’s nerves, not concern.

“Yep. I figured it was time for you to meet her.”

“We haven’t even met your dad yet.”

“In our family, she’s more important.”

When I park the car, I leave the engine running. “I am going to go up first, make sure she wakes up without any problems and then send the wolves back for you. Okay?”

“Are we allowed to argue?” Joshua asks.

“No.Never.” I meet their smiles and shake my head. “You can come up now, if you want, but you’ll have to stay outside the fence and she might be grumpy I’m waking her upagain. Remember, she buried herself.”

“Fine, but don’t take too long.”

“We’re not particularly happy about you being alone right now…”

My grandmother is out of the ground before I get there, and I hesitate at the entry gate. “Were you waiting for me? Or do you get up often?”

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