Page 37 of Pints & Potions

She sent a barely perceptible chin tilt in Piper’s direction. “You couldn’t find a better mate if you looked the entire earth over,” she murmured to him. “Think about it.”

There was no more discussion after her comment. Or at least not for him.

He inhaled sharply as the wave of magic from the others connected and flooded his body. The sensation was heady and stomach churning at the same time. He worried his cells couldn’t contain all the amped-up energy and that he’d spontaneously combust.

Piper tightened her fingers with a reassuring squeeze.

Sweat broke out along the length of his upper torso, his stomach cramped, and the loss of his breakfast was a distinct possibility. As the pain was at its worst, he wondered if the curse would kill him rather than allow magic to return to his cells.

The world around him became retina-searingly bright and crisp. All of his senses heightened, and the change made him wonder if all witches walked around with this intense awareness. Cian closed his eyes and only opened them when everyone released hands. He still clung to Piper’s, though, and she didn’t rush to pull away.

“What did you feel?” she asked.

“Nothing like ever before. The world around me is in sharper contrast. Is it normal?”

“I lost the use of my magic once. When it returned, I had a similar experience as yours. You’ll get used to it after a while.”

He frowned down at her. “Used to it? This won’t go away after the enchantment is over?”

She shrugged. “No way of knowing. Could be your dormant magic woke up forever, or could be that it’s all temporary, but I suspect you can do things you couldn’t before.”

“Like what?”

“The possibilities are endless, but let’s try something simple.” She called out to the waiting group. “Go ahead. We’ll be along shortly.”

“We should stick together, Piper,” Ryker warned and circled his index finger to indicate the darkened forest around them. “It’s not safe to separate.”

“You’re welcome to wait, but I’d like Cian to try conjuring. We won’t be but a minute.”

The others exchanged uneasy glances, but eventually wandered off.

“You can show me tonight, darlin’, if the magic lasts that long. We should probably stay where it’s safe with your family.”

“No one knows we’re here and five minutes won’t hurt anything, Cian. Hold out your hand and visualize an apple forming. You should build it from the core outward. In your mind, picture the seeds, the core, the flesh, then the skin.”

He stared at his palm and tried to will an apple into existence. Nothing but a few sparkly lights appeared.

“Again,” Piper encouraged. “This time, close your eyes and concentrate on each individual element of the apple until youfeelit growing.”

Cian did as instructed and managed to produce a piece of fruit the size of a large grape. He grunted his dissatisfaction.

“Really, that’s not bad,” Piper said with a laugh. “For someone who’s never done this, it’s a good start. Toss that and try again.”

Once more, he closed his eyes and focused on the task at hand. Visualizing a larger core with more seeds, he built the fleshy part of the apple in layers, finishing with a shiny ruby-red skin.

Piper’s happy laugh prompted him to open his eyes.

He sucked in a breath at what he saw.

There, in the flat of his palm, was a perfect apple.

“Oh, Cian! You’ve done it! It’s better than any fruitI’veconjured.” She flung herself at him, and he caught her with one arm, laughing incredulously along with her.

Over her shoulder, he stared at his creation with awe and a whole lot of pride. “I can’t believe I did it.Thisis what true magic feels like?”

“Yes!” She pulled back to kiss him hard and fast. “Yes, you beautiful man! Yes!”

“You sound like I’ve proposed to ya, darlin’,” he teased.

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