Page 48 of Pints & Potions

“Anyone else have a clue what she’s talking about?” Ryker asked with a frown.

“I might, but I want to see how this plays out,” GiGi replied with a mysterious smile. Her full-fledged grin was smug when Piper returned with the O’Malley grimoire.

The soft glow emanating from the cover increased in strength with each step she took in Cian’s direction, and by the time she reached him, it was brighter than the noon-day sun. Squinting against the glare, he accepted it when she passed it off to him. In his hands, the grimoire resembled a dusty old tome, no light to be seen.

“I don’t understand,” he confessed, fighting discomfiture at his lack of magical knowledge. “How are you able to turn this on?”

Ryker snorted behind him, then grunted.

Cian could only assume the man’s mind took a side trip to naughty-ville and his wife gave him the express train ticket back to reality with an elbow to his ribs.

“Give it to GiGi, please,” Piper instructed without acknowledging his question.

He complied and noted that although a slight shimmering appeared in the etchings, GiGi’s touch didn’t cause the same effect as Piper’s.

“Pass the book around to all of you with magic,” he urged, growing more curious about how the grimoire would respond to the others. “It’s like it’s alive,” he murmured.

With the exception of Knox, whose god-like powers caused the design to flare bright for an instant then die out, the others only sparked the same response as GiGi.

“It’s never woken up that I recall.” Cian traced the pattern of the tree’s roots on the cover after it was returned to Piper, watching as the heatless fire flared up from the engraved leather. “What is it about you?”

“Us,Cian. I believe it’s responding tous. The first time I traced the pattern, like you’re doing now, the response was similar to when I first entered with it. Of course, it lit, but not to this degree. It never flared as brightly, and it becomes more active the closer I am to you.” She stared down at the illuminated cover, her expression thoughtful and a little awed.

“If this is like our family’s grimoire, you should be able to ask and have it respond,” Hoyt informed them.

Spring’s head came up and her astonished expression morphed into delight. “Of course! I’d forgotten about that neat little feature.” Bubbling over with excitement, she stood, crossed to Piper, and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Ask it what you want to know. Ask it why it responds to you.”

With a deep inhale, Piper met Cian’s eyes. “Do you want to do the honors?”

Did he? His heart rate increased with each second he delayed answering. What would he do if the bloody thing portended some cataclysmic event because Piper had arrived and disrupted his world? Knowing he was being ridiculous, yet unable to help himself, he withdrew his hand. “No.”

The grimoire went dark.

They all stared in bemusement.

“Think it ran out of battery juice?” GiGi asked dryly.

“I think Cian ran out of hope,” Ryker replied in a soft, serious tone.

Cian lifted his head and glared. “Hope for what?”

“The second you shut down, so did the book.”

He’d barely heard Ryker for the blood rushing to his head and the pulse pounding in his ears, but he managed.

“Tell me I’m wrong, man. Tell me you didn’t back off from fear,” Ryker demanded.

Cian’s frantic gaze darted between Ryker, Piper, and the grimoire. “I can’t.”

“It’s okay, Cian,” Piper said. “We can try another time.”

Her gentle understanding shamed him. This wasn’t her problem. She could walk away and leave him to whatever enemy decided to darken his door. But there she stood—brave and beautiful—prepared to uncover whatever mischief might be written on the pages, and also ready to yield to his wishes on the matter should they not align with hers.

“This type of magic is new to you, son,” Hoyt said, not unkindly. “No one can blame you for being skittish.”

Cian wanted to rail at the man for suggesting he might be ‘skittish’ but couldn’t, because Hoyt had spoken true.

With a muttered curse, Cian reached for the heavy tome and Piper’s hand. “I’m certain we’ll live to regret this, darlin’, but if you’re willin’ so am I.” The grimoire seemed happy with his decision and the illumination was more intense this time around. “At least this fecking thing is thrilled.”

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