I don't let him tug me toward the door just yet.
When he hits my resistance, he turns with a questioning gaze. “You okay?”
"They can wait another minute.” I step in close and wrap my arms around him. Solid. Warm.
My intention to hug him is to make him feel better, but as I turn my face into his neck and breathe in his magical essence,my world rights even more. “You never need to minimize how sad you are about your mom or how lonely life looks without her. Not with me. I understand better than anyone."
He hugs me tighter, his hands pressing flat against my back. "I know you do.”
Before I let him tug us back to reality, I give him a quick kiss on his cheek and ease back. "We'll figure it out together."
He winks and smiles wide enough to flash a dimple. "You bet your ass we will, Hallowind. Now, come on. Let's see what the others have figured out."
Wylder and I head downstairs, our footsteps tracked in every creak of the wide plank floorboards and the sigh of every step as we descend. The murmur of voices drifts out from the kitchen—familiar, upbeat conversation that makes Hallowind House feel alive.
Before we reach the kitchen table where the others have gathered, Izzy turns and rushes forward. Her eyes are bright with excitement, an encouraging contrast to her usual quiet demeanor. "Wow, you look so much better. Power-napping agrees with you."
"Yeah, thanks. I feel a lot better." I meet the concerned gazes of the others. "So, if we're all here ready to roll, I'm assuming we've got the spell ready to keep Tharuzel out of my head?"
Izzy tilts her head from side to side. "Yes, and no. After talking with Sebastian and your mom, we changed plans. They had another spell in the works, so we went with their idea."
She holds out what looks like a glowing silver button, no bigger than my thumbnail. The surface shimmers with intricate patterns that shift and pulse like liquid mercury.
"And what is this?"
"It's next-level awesomeness," Izzy says.
I take the tiny device from her palm, turning it over carefully. The metal feels warm, alive somehow, and the glow intensifies where my skin makes contact. Without fully understanding what it is, I sense that it's been designed specifically for me.
I meet Sebastian's gaze across the kitchen. "This is what you and Mom have been working on?"
"It is. She's a marvel, your mother."
Yeah, she is.And while I knew they'd been holed up in Mom's workroom working on something over the past few weeks, I assumed they were researching ways to help Mom's struggles, or maybe developing a tracking spell to find my sisters.
The realization that they've been focused on helpingmeinstead sends warmth spreading through my chest. "So, what is it?"
Sebastian smiles. "It's a neuro-inhibitor. The base is forged silver alloy infused with protective wards, then layered with enchantments designed to create a metaphysical barrier around your neural pathways. The energy signature you're seeing is the active shielding spell cycling through its defensive protocols."
I stare at him blankly.
Asher snorts beside me. "Dude."
I laugh. "Uh… one more time for those of us who don't possess uber-tech geek speak?"
Sebastian's mouth twitches as he shrugs. "It will shield your mind so no one can penetrate your memories or control your thoughts."
“So Tharuzel won't be able to spy on us?”
“Or anything else." Sebastian holds out his hand for the device. "May I?"
I nod, passing it back to him.
He gestures to the chair Asher has already pulled out for me. "Sit. I'll need you to be as still as you can, and I'll need access to your neck."
Settling into the seat, I sweep my blue hair over my shoulder and tilt my head. The kitchen falls quiet—even Somebuddy and Nobuddy stop their snuffling exploration of the floor beneath Orion's chair.
Sebastian's fingers are gentle as he secures my head with one hand and touches a spot directly behind my right ear with the other. "You'll feel a sharp sting when it activates, then a cold sensation as it bonds with your skin. I won’t lie, it’ll hurt, but the discomfort should fade as soon as it implants."
