Page 77 of Pints & Potions

Her cat-like blue eyes turned a dark and stormy gray. A corresponding clap of thunder sounded outside and the resulting rumble shook the walls of the inn. “Careful, Cian. There’s no telling what I’d do if I thought you didn’t love me anymore.”

With a contemptuous scoff, he gripped her elbow and escorted her none-too-gently out of the room, down the hallway, and out the front door. “Don’t come back, Moira. You’re not to set foot in this house again. Nor the pub.” He leaned forward until they were practically nose to nose. “And you may not fear me, but I’ve right powerful friends in Alastair Thorne, Hoyt Thorne, and Ryker Gillespie. They’ll happily see your arse take a one-way trip to hell for hurting Piper’s feelings the way you have.”

Her fury was palpable, and a small part of Cian worried about her retaliation. She wasn’t a novice witch, nor was she afraid to use her abilities to cause havoc. In fact, it wasn’t hard to imagine she was behind many of his family’s misfortunes as well as his and Piper’s more recent bad luck.

It begged the question: how did she get past the wards? Thorne magic wasn’t impossible to break, but Cian suspected it would take multiple witches working together to do it.

Lucky, Bridget’s beloved black cat, chose that moment to cross Moira’s path. The feline hissed as he danced sideways, ready to attack her given the slightest provocation. Animals had an innate sense if a person was good or bad, and Cian would trust Lucky’s instincts every time.

With a guttural growl that rose to a screech, Lucky launched himself at Moira’s ankle and clawed for all he was worth. The fiendish glee Cian felt when he saw her face pale was sure to score him points with the devil.

“Get this fucking cat off me!” she screamed.

Fear for Lucky’s safety had Cian scooping up the cat. He doubted Moira was above hurting the little beast. “Goodbye and good riddance to you, Moira.”

“Watch your back, Cian,” she warned.

He heard the promise in her voice, and knew to take heed. It was doubtful she’d try anything with everyone on guard. Moira was nothing if not deliberate. She’d take the time to regroup.

Cian eyed the staircase. A large part of him wanted to have it out right now, but Piper wouldn’t hear him. She’d been too distraught for reason when she’d fled. Later, after he’d washed away the evilness still clinging to his skin from that she-devil Moira, he’d tell Piper the truth of his feelings and pray she’d forgive him for being too slow to react. He’d confess he’d been stunned stupid by Moira’s arrival.

A quick text informed Piper they needed to talk in the morning. In it, he asked her not to leave until they had. With his second, he notified Bridget and Ryker of his plans to head to the bar and asked they check the strength of the wards when they got back. If he switched jobs with Bridget tonight, he could bartend, drink his fill, and not worry their houseguests would be left unprotected. But his first priority would be to wash the taste of Moira out of his mouth.

28

Piper was leaving. And Cian was a total ass because he hadn’t come after her, which meant he fully intended to let her go. Her chest ached and it legit felt like her heart was literally breaking in two.

Engaged!

After all this time, he claimed to still be engaged to Moira. One would think death—or a faked death in that horrid bitch’s case—would void any promises made. And had that not been enough, the fact she’d double crossed him and ruined his career should’ve put a damper on his things.

“Dick!”She threw her stuff on the bed, then dug her suitcase out from underneath with an aborted sob.

Why had she expected better from a man who, a mere ten days ago, was a self-proclaimed player and who refused to open up to real love? Did he seriously only want affection that came from that lying skank Moira? Anyone could see her aura was peppered with ugly and she had no true emotion to give.

But who was Piper to question the tastes of men? Chalk it up to her fucked-up radar.

She didn’t bother folding her clothes as she dumped one item after the other into her suitcase. And when she got to the Lucky Charms t-shirt Cian had given her just yesterday as a memento of their first time together, she balled it against her mouth to muffle a rage-induced scream.

All Cian had asked was that Piper not do to him what Moira had. Yet the second the other woman had returned from the dead, Cian had abandoned Piper like yesterday’s news. Whatever the two of them had begun to build couldn’t stand up against whatever it was he’d desired from Moira. His heartstillremained frozen to all others. Piper included.

She momentarily paused what she was doing and looked around her wrecked room. It was as if a cyclone had struck when she wasn’t paying attention. A small shiver of unease struck. Her rage had created this destruction. Another reason she avoided magic; in the wrong hands, without mindfulness, it was lethal.

Wasting no more time, she used Liz’s sure-fire packing enchantment to finish the chore as she went to retrieve her toiletries from the bathroom. She caught her tear-ravaged reflection in the mirror.

How ridiculous was she to let someone turn her world upside down with lies and half-truths again?

No more.

She was done with romantic love.

Her gaze dropped to her flat stomach. Pressing a hand to her abdomen, she promised herself that she’d only ever bend over backwards for her little munchkin from here on out.

She’d gotten pregnant the first time they’d had sex. The instant his sperm connected with her eggs, a sensation of rightness hit her, and she’d known. She supposed she could urinate on a stick, but she didn’t need to. The additional magic coursing through her was too strong to discredit.

The Goddess had finally seen fit to entrust another’s life into Piper’s keeping. She wouldn’t let either the baby or Isis down. She’d stop trying to be mortal. The Goddess had granted her abilities for a reason and to deny the gift felt sacrilegious. She wouldn’t continue to disrespect her gifts any longer.

Bathing her face in cold water, she mumbled a quick glamour spell to eliminate the evidence of her breakdown. She didn’t feel any less tired or worn down, but her entire countenance glowed with vitality and beauty.

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