The door opens into the foyer of Claus Palace.
I race in, slam it shut, and drop back against it.
The foyer is empty, the lights low. It’s like eight in the morning in Ireland—which makes it, what, five here? All the better, then, for me to slide to the ground, collapsing in the dark, my eyes snapping around like I can find a solution to what an absolute idiot I was.
My dream guy.
Prickling numbness starts in my fingertips, creeps up my arms. I cup my hands over my face to breathe into my palms but the rising panic makes me think of Loch putting that ice on my neck and guiding me down from the spiral.
I rock over my knees, suffocating, no way down this time, no path that’s safe.
“Kris? Shit, dude—”
“Kristopher!”
Coal’s footsteps thud on the stairs; Wren’s heels clack up the hall to my right.
“You gotta warn us before you come back like that! All that new security we set up since the wholebreak-inthing needs to—Kris? What happened?”
Coal rushes the rest of the way and drops in front of me, his hands going to my shoulders, trying to get me to sit back.
“What’s wrong?” he asks in such an unwavering tone that it eases me upright.
Wren is behind him, already dressed for the day, concern drooping her face. But she steps back, gives us space.
I roll my wet eyes shut because god, I’m such an idiot.
I say that, “I’m such an idiot. I’m such an—”
“Hey, hey—stop, breathe. Whathappened?”
“It was him. Loch. He was the one stealing from us. Which I knew, but I—” My head drops back against the door, body sinking, betrayal is an anchor and I am moored in place. “I thought he was doing it to stand up to his uncle, but they were working together.I was so stupid. God, Coal, I playedright into their hands—”
“Wait—how do you know? What—”
Haltingly, fighting off that panic, I explain about Loch reclaiming his throne yesterday. Malachy coming this morning.
I leave out all the stuff in between.
Somehow, I think Coal knows anyway.
“Loch admitted he was stealing from us.” My throat gets smaller, smaller. “But he didn’t tell me it wasbecause of Malachy.That he and his uncle have been working together this whole time, they planned to use methis whole time.He let me go on about—about how I felt and—I bet he was laughing at me because itworked.I did exactly what they wanted me to. I dropped everything. I told him I didn’t care about the stolen magic. I gave up all my responsibilities here fornothing.”
“Kris.” Coal grabs my shoulder. He’s in pajamas, hair flattened—I woke him up. Shit.Why did I do this—“Kris, god, look at me.Stop.You said he took back the throne from his uncle, right? So maybe he didn’t have a choice before. Maybe—”
“Don’t defend him.”
“I’m not trying to defend him.” Real fury surges up Coal’s face. “I’m trying to find any excuse I can not to go back to Ireland and murder him.”
My head hangs down, and Coal tugs on me again.
“Come on. Stand up. We’re not having this conversation in the foyer.”
“I woke you up. Go back to bed—I’m sorry I—”
“Shut the fuck up.” Coal gets me to my feet. “How many times have you scraped my ass off the floor? So shut up and let me be the one to take care of you, because if I don’t, I really will go kill the king of another Holiday.”
I relent. He hauls me up the stairs, Wren following with my bag.
