My hair was pulled back into a ponytail, so he was able to easily drape the necklace around my throat and hook it together in the back. A moment later, the spider rune slid into the hollow of my throat, the slight weight feeling odd after so many years of not wearing it. I got to my feet and went over to the mirror on one of the walls.
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 Magda Monroe 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.