The silverstone gleamed against my skin, the spider rune winking at me like an old friend. It was a little disconcerting, seeing my rune as an actual object after all the years of it being branded into my hands. But it was also a welcome feeling.
“What do you think?” Owen asked.
“It’s perfect,” I repeated in a much stronger voice. Absolutely perfect.
I loved the necklace, truly, I did, and it was one of the most thoughtful presents that anyone had ever given me. No doubt, Owen thought that he’d been giving me a cherished piece of my past by crafting the necklace. He had, but he’d also given me something even more important for my future: a weapon to use against Madeline Monroe.
Because the entire necklace was made of silverstone, which meant that it would absorb my magic, just like my spider rune ring, and I planned on stuffing the metal with as much power as it would hold. I had a feeling that I’d need the extra reservoir of magic in the coming days.
Behind me, Finn let out a long, loud, put-upon sigh. “Way to overachieve, Grayson,” he muttered. “You totally ruined the new toaster I got her.”
I laughed, then turned, wrapped my arms around Owen’s neck, and kissed him for all I was worth.
“Enough of that,” Phillip called out. “You can thank him in private later.”
Owen and I broke apart, laughing.
My friends gathered around me, oohing and aahing over the necklace. The only one who didn’t join in the revelry was Silvio. He sipped a glass of ginger ale and stood in the corner, as calm and stoic as ever. Every once in a while, he would give me a measured look. He knew what was coming as well as I did: Madeline Magda Monroe wanting to burn my world to a crisp before she killed me. But for tonight, he was willing to ignore it.
And so was I.
So I laughed and smiled and ate birthday cupcakes and opened the gag gifts that everyone had gotten for me, including Finn, who had somehow found a toaster that featured a giant black spider perched in a web on the side. I promised him that I’d use it at the Pork Pit. I pushed all thoughts of Madeline from my mind and savored this time with my friends and family.
Because I had a sinking feeling that this would be the last birthday I ever celebrated with them.
But there would be time enough to worry about Madeline, Emery, Jonah, and their schemes tomorrow. Tonight I would enjoy my birthday and remember that this was what was important—my friends, my family, and the memories we made together.
They were what mattered, they were the ones I was determined to protect, and they were what I would be fighting for in the days and weeks to come.
Happy birthday to me.