Monsterland Mayhem (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

25. Craze

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CRAZE

What the fuck just happened? I wonder, my head pounding as my eyes slowly open.

There’s water everywhere.

Soaked in blood.

What in the hell? I sit up, splashing the warm liquid all over the marble siding.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Krolic says. “About fucking time, too.”

“What?” I blink. “Why the fuck am I in a bathtub?”

“Because you were covered in blood and bleeding out,” Catum mutters. “I had to do something to heal you quickly. But it still took two fucking days.”

“ Two days ?” I try to jump out of the tub, but my usual agility fails me, my head forcing me to fall right back down in the bath.

“You’re making a mess,” Krolic chastises.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I snap at him. “I’ll just drown instead.”

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 an ogre 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 a potential mate. Definite mate .

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 even met her 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. A shadow self would 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.”

I nearly tell him to fuck off, but the bloodied towel in my hands suggests he’s right. I toss the soiled linen into the still-draining bath, where it disappears along with the water.

“What’s the plan?” I ask as I step under the cold spray. It’ll warm up soon. But I don’t fucking care about the temperature. I care about our lost time and how we’re going to get our Omega back.

“Storm the palace,” Catum says.

I snort. “Sure. I would love that. But we need an army. What’s the real plan?”

“Storm the palace,” Krolic echoes.

I gape at both of them. “You’ve had one too many cups of my tea, mates. That’s a suicide mission.”

“Not exactly,” Krolic murmurs. “We’ve been busy while you’ve been napping.”

I arch a brow. “I wouldn’t say I was napping .”

“Regardless, we’ve met with some old friends of yours,” Krolic goes on.

“Friends?” I repeat. “I have no friends.” Except for the two assholes watching me shower right now.

And Ailsa.

I would like to call her a friend, too.

As well as a cock-sucking goddess.

But I’ll discuss that nickname with her later. When we find her. Because we will find her. And I’ll kill anyone who has touched her, I decide as I begin shampooing my hair.

“Brandt,” Krolic tells me. “And the Tweedle brothers.”

My hand stills. “ What ?”

“I had a little conversation with them about why they tried to attack Ailsa. It was very… enlightening.”

“Did they call her fertile like the snout men did?” I wonder aloud.

“They did,” Krolic confirms. “Only, they don’t remember why they felt that way, and they were rather horrified by their own actions.”

I stare at him. “So they felt… possessed?”

“So it would seem,” Catum drawls. “Just like Baroness Clarice.”

“Just like Baroness Clarice,” Krolic echoes. “To say Brandt and the Tweedle brothers were livid by this revelation… would be an understatement.”

“But are they free of her hold?” I ask.

Catum and Krolic grin. “They are now,” Krolic tells me.

“How?” I wonder aloud.

“By pledging their fealty,” Krolic says, making me blink.

I blink at him. “What?”

“We realized the snow creatures up here have never been impacted by her magic—because they swore fealty to me ages ago. Apparently, it’s as simple as a vow.” Krolic shrugs. “So as we said, our plan is to storm the palace. And while you were getting your beauty rest, we gathered some friends to help.”

I ignore the jibe about my beauty rest and focus on what matters most. “You really have been busy.”

“Yes,” both men say.

“This is still going to be a suicide mission,” I tell them. Because the fealty thing feels too easy. “But fuck it. I’m in.”

I earned my Mad Hatter title for a reason. This reason. If my best friends want to storm a fucking fortress to rescue our Omega, then I’m the right Enforcer for the job.

I finish rinsing my hair and skin, then turn off the water and grab a fresh towel.

There’s really only one thing left to say.

“I’m going to need my cards.”

Because the Queen of Hearts is going to pay. That bitch is going down, even if it means sacrificing myself in the process.

Time to play.