“So,” I said, taking a deep breath, “I just draw the ward on myself with my magic, and then we test it with the cord?”
“Yep. The ward should feel right to you. Trust your instincts,” Koa advised.
“I could test it first, Little Boss.” Foster pushed off from the doorframe. “Just in case something goes wrong. Moon magic is the same as lunar power. Just one’s for wolves and the other’s for humans.”
The offer touched me, but this wasmycreation.Myward.Mychance to protect myself from ever feeling that horrible, empty violation again.
“Thank you, Foster,” I said, “but I need to do this myself.”
He nodded, seeming to understand, but Brumous nosed at the hem of my dress.
“Not now, sweet boy.”
With a quiet chuckle, Foster scooped him and cuddled him like he was a Pomeranian and not a humongous dire wolf.
This had to work. It justhadto. My mouth went cotton-dry. But what if it didn’t? What if it failed? What if I screamed? What if—
“Serafina.” Koa’s voice sliced through the panic. He held up a heart-shaped lollipop wrapped in plastic. “Blood sugar. Now.”
“Yeah, honey. Can’t have you passing out in the middle ofProject: How Many People Does It Take to Support Their Witch?” Zane smirked.
“One to overcomplicate, one to get it right, and one to make dick jokes about apotheosis-level magic,” Koa shot back.
“Apotheo-what-sis? We’re wrapping her in fairy floss, not summoning Baphomet.”
Zane’s jokes shattered the fear, and I giggled around the cherry-flavored candy.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pen, a green one that reminded me of Casimir’s eyes. Zane held the mirror for me as I unbuttoned the top of my dress just enough to expose the skin over my heart. With Koa holding my notebook open to the final design, I began to draw a crescent moon that formed the outer boundary, with intricate lines crossing through it like a net designed to catch and redirect energy. As I worked, I poured my magic into each stroke, feeling the familiar tingle of lunar power flowing through the pen and into the design.
“How does it feel?” Koa asked.
“Like moonlight settling onto my skin,” I whispered, concentrating on getting every line perfect.
When I finished, the ward glowed for a moment before the light faded, leaving behind the glittery green lines. I took a deep breath and nodded to Casimir.
“I’m ready.”
“I’m going to wrap this around your upper shoulders.” He held up the enchanted cord. “If the ward works, you shouldn’t feel any dampening of your gift.”
I nodded, steeling myself. The last time I’d felt my magic blocked, it had been Arabesque’s cruel hands performing the siphoning ritual, leaving me hollowed out and broken. The memory made me tremble.
“We’re here.” Koa’s warm hand found and squeezed mine. “Nothing bad will happen to you, Seri.”
“Yeah, pumpkin,” Zane added, his eyes unusually serious. “We’d burn the world down first.”
“All right.” I straightened my shoulders. “Let’s do this.”
Casimir draped the faerie cord around my shoulders, and everyone watched as he adjusted it to make full contact. I closed my eyes, waiting for that horrible, draining sensation, the feeling of my power being torn out of me.
Nothing happened.
My eyes flew open, and I reached for my magic and felt it respond immediately. I summoned a small sphere of moonlight to my palm, and it formed without resistance, floating above my hand.
“It’s working,” I gasped. “I can still use my magic!”
The realization hit me all at once. It worked. Itworked!
The ward I’d created wasactuallyworking, protecting my magic. After all the research, all the failed attempts, all the tear-filled nights, I’d done it. I’d found a way to protect myself.
