He grunts.
And Catum sighs. “We’ll clean it up later. What matters is bringing you up to speed.”
“Up to speed on what?” I ask, laying my head back against the marble siding and closing my eyes. “Did I get attacked by anogre again?” Those things are always trying to beat me to a pulp, and I definitely feel like one of them snuck up on me. Probably hit me in the head with a stone bat or some shit.
“The Imposter King has Ailsa,” Catum tells me, causing my brow to furrow.
Ailsa Marvel.
Potential mate.
No, not apotentialmate.Definitemate.
My eyes fly open as I force myself up and out of the water again. This time, Krolic simply throws me a towel rather than giving me a hard time about making a mess. I catch it but don’t use it, instead gaping at Catum as my memories begin to resurface.
We were in this very bathroom, talking to Ailsa about the mating rituals. A little about Crimson. Then we decided… on plan Z.
I made the portal.
And we…
I frown. “I don’t remember what happened after stepping into the portal.” It’s all a blur, like a big black hole.
“My sister happened,” Krolic growls as he bends to begin emptying the massive tub. It won’t take long, magic whirling through the air to speed it along and clean up the mess left behind. Krolic’s worries are for naught.
At least about the bath.
His concerns regarding his sister, however, are definitely proving valid.
“What did she do?” I demand, needing to understand, to fill in the gaps of my missing memory.
“She set a trap.Above ground,” Catum mutters, the words seeming to irritate him. “The fucking cat warned us not to take Ailsa above ground. I thought he meant in Monsterland. But no, he meant to her realm.”
“Which is sometimes referred as going above ground,” I translate, realizing what he means. “Fuck.”
“Yeah,fuck. She’s been hiding in plain sight the entire fucking time.” Catum sounds furious. “I evenmether as Baroness Clarice but didn’t pick up on her presence at all. She’s been playing us for two fucking years.”
“Longer than that,” Krolic says, sounding just as furious.
But I… I’m a little lost on a key part of this conversation. “Baroness Clarice?”
“My sister is Baroness Clarice,” Krolic says through his teeth. “Or rather, she’s turned the woman into a puppet of sorts. Ashadow selfwould be the appropriate term, I suppose.”
“She’s basically possessed her, and she’s existing inside her as though she is her,” Catum explains. “It’s fucked up.”
“Clearly,” I mutter. “Heart can’t even shift into a wolf. That’s why she was never strong enough to rule.”
“She still can’t shift,” Krolic says. “But it seems she’s tapping into other magic—old, dark magic—to solidify her rule in varying ways.” He sounds irritated by that, probably because it’s the first we’re hearing of it.
But it could explain how she managed to kill their parents and brothers.
And also how she escaped prison all those centuries ago.
Catum folds his arms. “The cat’s cryptic riddle included a part about how she’s always been one step ahead of us. We assume this is why.”
“Just as we hope the part about Ailsa being the key to bringing Heart down—a queen against a queen—is also accurate,” Krolic adds.
“Exactly.” Catum moves to turn on the shower. “You need to rinse, Craze.”
