9

“She is furious,” I tell Torin. “She has every right to be, and I owe it to her to respect her wishes and stay away. But I won’t leave her entirely. I can’t, not when she needs me. Not when the climax of all this is so close at hand.”

“What are you going to do?” Torin eyes me, sipping his wine. He looks paler than ever, and there’s a hectic light in his blue eyes. When I arrived in his suite today, I pressed him to tell me what’s wrong, but he refused. Instead he demanded to know the latest chapter in my tale.

Perhaps, if I confide in him fully, he’ll open up to me. So I tell him my whole plan, including the part where I will almost surely die from wearing the anklet.

“The fuck, Killian?” he exclaims. “I can’t let you go through with this. What would your parents do without you? God-stars, what would I do? You’re not only my cousin, motherfucker—you’re my best friend. Are you doing this out of some ridiculous sense of misplaced guilt?”

“It’s not misplaced,” I retort. “Torin, I deserve this. Think about what I did—how I deceived her. The only way I can atone for that is by giving her everything I have. I’ve thought about this, trust me, and it’s the only way I can save her. I’m glad to do it.”

“I’ll tell Finias,” Torin says through clenched teeth. “Or I’ll tell my father. They’ll stop you.”

“They can’t,” I tell him, more quietly. “None of you can walk between the realms like I can. In the blink of an eye, I can be beyond anyone’s reach.”

“A fucking unfair advantage, if you ask me,” he growls.

“Maybe. But in this case, it enables me to sacrifice myself for the woman I love.”

“Love.” His lip curls in a sneer.

“Yes, love . I love her, I adore her. I would kill for her, and since I can’t do that, I’ll die for her instead.”

“And you’re telling me this, why? To cause me pain?”

“Because you demanded to hear my news,” I reply. “And because someone should know what happened to me, in case I don’t return. Someone will have to tell my parents, and úna.”

Torin stares at me, his eyes fierce and bright. “Laying this burden on me is unfair. You know that.”

“I do.”

He gets up from the sofa and stalks over to a large oval mirror on the wall. For several moments he stares at himself—skin as pale as snow, lips blood-red, hair black as night, and eyes like two blue stars. His beauty seems to have become more dramatic lately, and the effect apparently pleases him, because he gives his reflection a dreadful, secretive smile before turning back to me.

“If you die, I’ll pass on your message to your family,” he says. “But if you do come back, I’ll want something in exchange for the emotional torture you’ve put me through.”

“I expected no less.”

“I want to return to Sybaris,” he says. “I left something of myself there, and I need it back. ”

Frowning, I tilt my head. “Explain.”

“Maybe someday. It’s a long and sordid tale, having to do with a stolen heart and a poisoned apple. And now, cousin, you’d best be gone, before I think better of doing you this favor and decide to call for King Lir. I’ll wager he’s the only one who could interfere with your portal magic, and he will do it if I ask him to. Despite my faults, my parents are quite fond of me.”

“I’m going,” I assure him. “Tonight I will either set my darling free, or perish in the attempt. Either way, know that I love you.” I clamp a hand on his head and tousle his black hair, laughing when he knocks my hand away.

“Begone, lovesick idiot,” he grumbles. “And when you survive, remember to come back here and grant me my wish.”

“It’s a bargain.” I spit in my palm, and he does the same. As we clasp hands I sense a ripple of unfamiliar magic from him, but he pulls his hand away before I can fully explore it.