Page 74 of Librarian

“She’s drunk?” I guess, though I can’t really be sure.

“Absolutely shitfaced,” North agrees. “For the first time ever, apparently.”

“Dibs not dealing with a hungover boss,” Lambert calls.

“She’s a cute wee lightweight,” Jasper protests, sipping his own beer. “How bad can she really be?”

I raise both brows at that, wondering if he’s optimistic or just hit his head.

“Sober Kyrith whacks people around the head with books for fun,” North points out.

“Well, this is our last round,” Lambert announces. “So make it last. It doesn’t look like she wants to leave any time soon.”

At least they’re being somewhat sensible. Leo and Kyrith are the only two in our group who’ve drunk enough to actually be affected. Even beyond us, the gathering is more sober than usual. The McKinleys might be here for a good time, but no one has forgotten the threat outside.

My thoughts come to an abrupt halt as Kyrith’s fingers clutch the ruffles of her skirt, pulling the fabric up her legs, revealing another inch of skin.

She looksmessy. Maybe that’s why I’m so captivated. The only other time I’ve seen her this wild and free was on my pianowhile I made her come so hard that even now, days later, her scent still lingers on the keys.

Someone passes in front of her, and the corner of my mouth tightens at the interruption. Soon, she’s swallowed by the crowd entirely. I stand, craning my body to try to find her again.

“What?” I demand when Jasper’s cocky smile lands on me. “Letting her out of our sight is irresponsible.”

“Enjoy getting put on your arse,” Leo mutters, draining his glass before pouring another.

“I think you’re the one most at risk of that,” I retort. “How are the Ó Rinn runeforms going?”

His head falls to the table, and I smirk, certain that the barb has landed.

Then he mumbles, “Finished.”

I gape at him. “Finished?”

That’s not possible. There must have been dozens of them.

“I sent off the last one to my uncle this morning. Kyrith figured out there was a pattern to the degradation after the first three. She’s been beating herself up over how ‘simple’ it was.” Leo stabs his fingers into his hair with a groan. “It was so fecking complicated I still barely understand what she did but…it worked. Took her less than a week. Ó Rinn is free.”

He says the last vacantly, staring at his drink like he’s wishing it were poison.

This will change everything. A significant branch of the Ó Rinn family tree is freshly liberated from a curse that’s haunted them for generations. Without that ensorcellment, they’re no longer social exiles. No one will fear a friendship with them. All because of her.

They’ll still bear the scars for years to come, but I’m willing to bet their loyalty to Kyrith just became rock solid.

“That’s awesome!” Lambert crows, all smiles and sunshine and completely ignorant of the enormity of what Leo just told us. “Dude, you did it.”

Leo shakes his head, then shoves out from the bench. “I need some air.”

“What’s gotten into him?” North frowns at his retreating back. “You would’ve thought he’d be happy.”

I would’ve thought it was obvious. “That was his last excuse to be around her for any significant length of time.”

With that, I abandon the lot of them and walk around the room, searching for Kyrith. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Lambert leave the table as well, heading after his brother. Better him than me.

All thoughts of both of them disappear when I catch sight of the Librarian again. I don’t know who convinced her to leave her hair down, but right now the tips of it are flirting with the crease of her ass, begging me to sink my fingers into the mass of it and tug.

I lean against a pillar and settle in to watch as she loses herself to music that would ordinarily make me grind my teeth, yet somehow, right now…it isn’t scraping my eardrums like it normally would.

Eddy has disappeared, and Kyrith is dancing completely alone, her eyes closed in bliss. She wobbles on her heels, and my hand is half-raised to catch her before I force it back down.