Pints and potions, p.10
Pints & Potions, page 10
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 you feel it 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 fruit I’ve conjured.” 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. This is 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.
He cursed himself for a fool when her happiness disappeared and pink tinged her cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I guess I was just excited you were able to utilize magic for the first time on your own.”
“No, Piper. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m an insensitive prick. ’Tis a fine moment we’re sharin’, and I thank you and your family for it.” He presented the apple to her with a return kiss. His lips lingered, and he brushed his mouth across hers a second time. “You’ve given me the gift of magic, even if it is fleeting, and it’s one I can never repay.”
Her smile was so open and honest, his heart beat an irregular tattoo.
“I’m honored to have had a small part, Cian. Truly. Maybe we’ve broken the O’Malley curse without trying. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”
“It would be grand, indeed.”
The wind kicked up and whipped long strands of her unbound hair across her cheeks. With gentle fingers, he smoothed it back. Pausing, he held her captive within his grasp and lowered his head to hers. He couldn’t stop himself from kissing her more fully. From tasting the unique strawberries and cream flavor that only her lips provided. Nor from shifting forward until the entire length of their torsos were touching.
Their kiss went on for what seemed like forever, but they were interrupted all too soon, and Cian was irate by the intrusion of so perfect a moment.
15
The ground rumbled beneath Piper’s feet and she didn’t know if it was Spring sending a message or whether an actual earthquake was in progress. Half drugged by Cian’s kisses; she was slow to react. The earth shifted, and she clutched at him as her knees buckled. But he offered no stability and fell right alongside her as the ground parted, dumping them beneath layers of dirt. As she landed, her ribs connected with the pointy edge of an underground boulder, and she cried out when Cian’s body slammed into hers.
The walls of the cavern where they found themselves entombed echoed his multitude of curses. “Are you hurt, love?”
Other than a garbled groan, she couldn’t make a sound. The effort it took to produce that much was excruciating, and she couldn’t quite catch her breath.
“Piper!”
The frantic demand required an answer but she couldn’t respond with anything more than a small squeak.
“Piper, I need you to tell me you’re all right. I can’t see a bloody thing.” His hands traveled over her head and scalp, feeling for injuries, before moving on to her neck and lower. “Where are you hurt?”
She cried out as his fingers probed her ribs, and he cursed again.
“All right, darlin’, I’ll go at this a little more gently, okay?”
He felt along her arms and legs, then returned to probe her ribs but with a feather-soft lightness that triggered her tears and gratefulness for his consideration. It hurt to inhale, and she couldn’t manage a deep breath, but if she was careful, she could pant in short spurts without causing herself excessive pain.
“Conjure… fire… Cian. Flame… won’t… hurt… you.”
“Should I conjure a wooden torch just in case?” He sounded wary but determined.
“You… could.”
Small flickers of teal light appeared to her left and through those glimpses, she saw the wooden handle of the torch in his fist. She wanted to smile and offer praise, but the sharp stab in her chest prevented anything other than complete stillness. Each attempt at an inhale felt like a hot poker to the chest.
“Fire, dammit!” he shouted.
Ignoring the agony shifting her body caused, she blindly reached in the general direction of his arm. “Try… again.” With a quick push of her magic, she leant him what he needed, and the flame sputtered to life.
The light was enough for her to see his face and the wonder associated with creating something from nothing. Cian quickly dismissed his surprise and turned his worried gaze to her.
“Thanks for the assistance. Let’s assess the damage, huh?”
With an economy of movement, she snapped her fingers to remove her shirt. The chill was immediate, and she shivered as the cool, damp air permeated her bones. Had she been in full health, she could’ve warmed herself with her abilities. As it was, she would be freezing in no time.
“Neat trick,” he murmured as he propped the torch handle against the rib-busting boulder. “Want to teach me how to heal you?”
“Can’t… novice.”
“Fecking hell.” He lifted his face toward the opening, roughly two stories above them. “I suppose levitation is out.”
She’d have snorted if she was capable, but her pain was too great and now spreading throughout her entire upper body. “Cian,” she croaked. “Worse… get-ting… dizzy.”
His countenance blanked but from what she could see of his eyes, they looked wild and on the verge of panic.
She closed hers. If he lost it, she might give in to the desire to freak out, too. Struggling to focus, she magically probed the area of her chest. If she had to guess, she’d say she’d broken at least two ribs, one of which had the tip impaled in her right lung. There was no way she had the concentration to move and mend the rib or save herself with a teleport. Even if she could, the landscape where they’d been standing was most likely altered now from the earthquake.
“Cian… go for… help.”
He looked at her as if she’d lost her damned mind. “I can’t leave you, Piper, even if I could climb out. Can’t you zap us out of here?”
“Can’t… teleport.”
“I don’t know how or I would in a hot second.” Ragged and raw, his voice told her it was killing him not to be her hero.
Inhaling as deeply as she dared, she said, “Picture the… pathway by… the falls.” She gulped air. “Ground beneath… feet.” Sucking in another flimsy breath, she finished with, “What it… looked like… when… we arrived.”
“I can’t leave you alone.”
The nagging fatigue got the best of her, and she succumbed with a small shiver and a shallow exhale.
* * *
Cian knelt beside Piper and felt for a pulse. Her skin had quickly lost all color and currently resembled the palest parchment. Whipping off his coat, he covered her in an attempt to keep shock at bay. As clammy as her neck was, he figured he was too late. Waiting for rescue was no longer an option despite his violent objection to abandoning her down here to get help. If he didn’t act soon, she’d die.
What had she said about teleporting? He struggled to recall word for word.
“Picture the pathway by the falls. Ground beneath feet. What it looked like when we arrived.”
He’d just closed his lids when he heard the horrifying sound of continuous thunder. The ground grumbled and released another shudder. Eyes wide and straining, he searched for the source, but the shadows were too heavy and refused to reveal their secrets.
From above, loose dirt and handfuls of small stones rained down upon them. The knees of his jeans absorbed the first small trickle of frigid water. The second rippling wave soaked the material halfway up his thighs.
Left with no choice, he prayed to the gods that he wouldn’t cause Piper more injury as he scooped her up. Right as he geared himself up to attempt a teleport, Knox appeared next to him. Cian wanted to weep like a wee babe, so strong was his relief.
“Keep a firm grip on her. I’m going to get you both out.”
Before he could manage a nod, they were back at his home and strong arms were reaching to take Piper from him.
“You are going to get a horrible reputation and likely sign your death warrant with Alastair if you keep showing up with her unconscious like this,” Ryker said as he helped lay Piper on the dining room table.
Ignoring him, Cian addressed GiGi. “She’s having a rough go of it. If I had to guess, I’d say collapsed or punctured lung. I didn’t find any other injuries when I examined her after the drop.”
GiGi nodded as she held her hands in the air a few inches above Piper’s chest. “Yes. Definitely her lungs.” Sparks of purple-hued light traveled from her palms and were absorbed by Piper’s body.
“Her lips are blue, sweetheart,” Ryker warned with a sharp look at his wife. “Work quickly.”
She gave a barely discernible nod.
Spring forcefully shoved Cian aside and took the place across from GiGi. “What do you want me to do, Aunt G?”
“I’m concentrating on her lungs. Do a magical scan of her body and check that we aren’t missing anything.”
As Cian anxiously observed, Spring used her hands to trace Piper’s outline, and like GiGi, she didn’t lay a finger on her, instead manipulating energy for a tool. When Spring reached Piper’s feet, she gave a small shake of her head. “All clear. Just the ribs and lungs.”
“As I thought,” GiGi said grimly. “It’s odd, though. It’s like something or someone is trying to prevent me from healing her. I’m getting major resistance.”
“What? Who the bloody hell would do that?” Cian snapped out the questions.
Ryker gripped Cian’s shoulder. “Let’s do a search of the area. You start upstairs and I’ll take the property.”
Knox stepped forward. “It’ll be faster if I help.”
“Want me to check the pub? I can see if Bridget’s noticed anything out of the ordinary,” Spring volunteered.
Her husband didn’t look happy about letting her go off alone, but he gave her a tight smile. “Please be careful, Spring,” he said roughly. Leaning in, he closed his eyes and kissed her temple, and in the simple gesture, Knox allowed them all to glimpse the depth of his love for her.
Cian experienced a thickening in his throat and he blinked, amazed he could be moved to deep emotion by the witness of an innocent kiss. His gaze dropped to Piper, his throat thickened even more, making speech impossible. With a light stroke of his fingers along her midnight locks, he silently begged her not to die.
Wasting no more time, they spread out to search for whomever might be trying to harm her.
16
Twenty minutes later, they were all back in the dining room without any answers and no closer to finding the culprit.
“How is she?” Cian asked gruffly.
“Better,” Bridget told him from a chair in the corner. “Carrick is minding the pub. Spring and I set up a protective barrier with Gran’s crystals. The wards seem to be holding.”
Cian tugged his sister to her feet and gave her a tight hug. He was exceedingly grateful for the affection and support of his family. Whenever the chips were down, they rallied around one another and made the world right again. Perhaps familial love was their true magic. “Thanks, Bridg.”
Stepping to the table, Cian gazed down into Piper’s pale face. Her color wasn’t quite normal, but it was better than the ghostly gray when they’d first been rescued from the cave in. Her lips were no longer blue but the pretty petal pink they normally were.
GiGi had worked tirelessly, it seemed, utilizing her magic to heal Piper.
“I owe you a debt of gratitude I can’t repay,” he told her.
Her eyes were soft as she looked up from her task. “No. She’s family.”
“But she was targeted because of me.”
“You don’t know that, Cian.” A deep frown settled between GiGi’s perfectly groomed brows. “She’s a Thorne, and our family comes with its own baggage.”
“If you were being targeted, why would they try to prevent Piper from healing?” Ryker asked with a thoughtful look down at her still face. “You just met her this weekend, and other than Bridget’s connection to GiGi through the coven, you have no ties to the Thorne family.”
Cian couldn’t argue with Ryker’s logic, yet in his heart of hearts, he was convinced this was in some way connected to him.
As GiGi soldiered on with the healing, Cian stroked Piper’s dirt-encrusted hair back from her forehead. “It’s time for you to wake up, Piper me love. You’ve worried the lot of us, to be sure. With every second you delay; my life remains in peril from Alastair.”
Her thick, dark lashes fluttered, but her lids stayed shut.
“I know you hear me, darlin’. Fight to return to us now.”
Her eyes flickered back and forth behind her closed lids.
Unable not to, he ran a thumb lightly over her parted lips. “Come back to us, Piper,” he commanded in a stern voice.
With a low moan, she opened her eyes. The color was muddied by her pain, and Cian’s heart contracted. “There you are, my beautiful cailín.”
A tear trickled down to her hairline. “Hurts.”
“I know, but GiGi is attemptin’ to make it better. You need to work from the inside out to help her.” He brushed her lips with his. “Pull strength from me if you need it, darlin’, just heal for me now.”
A shuddering sigh escaped her lips and her lids closed.
For a second, Cian’s heart stopped until he realized she hadn’t passed out or died on him. He pressed his cheek to hers. “Don’t be scaring me like that. This old heart can’t take it,” he murmured.
“Sorry.” The whisper was barely audible, but he heard.
“No problem. Let’s get you better.” He clasped one of her hands in his and touched his nose to hers in a butterfly kiss. “I think it’s all about the visualization of healthy lungs and cells, right? Let’s do that together.”
“Keep talking to her,” GiGi ordered urgently. “It’s working. I can feel the ribs knitting the way they should.”
Relief so great, Cian closed his eyes and compressed his lips as he inhaled deeply. The tension left his body, and optimism replaced it. “Picture pink tissues and open airways, darlin’.”
Within ten minutes, Piper was sitting up and breathing normally once again, much to everyone’s relief.
“You had us worried, child.” GiGi cupped Piper’s cheek and kissed her forehead. “Please don’t do that again.”
“I’ll try not to,” Piper responded wryly. “Does anyone know what caused the cave in? Spring?”
“No, but I’d bet my favorite rare orchids it wasn’t a natural occurrence,” she replied.
“It wasn’t.” All eyes shifted to Knox. “I didn’t say it earlier, but I felt malevolence in the air right before the earth shook. No one was in the area, though. If they were, my magical feelers couldn’t find them.”
