The Wolf Crown (The Wolf Kings #2) (MLM)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX.

                Once again, and perhaps only twice in his lifetime now when coming face-to-face with an unknown creature who seemed to want to decide Jack's future for him—and though he knew he ought to have tensed as everyone else had and ready whatever weapon he could pull out of his satchel—the first thing Jack did in response to such a legitimate threat was say—

"Come again? Sorry, I—I think I still had some of the Seer's voice in my ear, what'd you say?"

"You heard me correctly, Jack Hunter," the Shadow Wolf's voice grated on, "I have been sent . . . to destroy you."

The words ignited something feral in Tiberius as his lip pulled back from his fangs and his eyes widened, almost glowing in their intensity.

The Shadow Wolf, believing that Tiberius's eyes were made of gold, shifted uncomfortably. "I do not wish to . . . but I have no control over his whims . . ."

"You mean my father," Quartz growled, stepping forward. "Because he woke you up, right? Now he's trying to kill us? He'd really go that far?"

The Shadow Wolf looked from Violet to Quartz and back to Tiberius, unwilling to look away from the only source of gold nearby. "King Elm is not aware of your presence here. . . . He is hunting only the human king . . . the very threat to his plans . . ."

Tiberius's fangs, if it was possible grew and turned sharper, like an extra set of daggers in his mouth, his back arched, his fur sticking up. Jack gripped his fur tight enough to hurt and moved closer. He didn't know if it was for Tiberius or himself.

Quartz scoffed, but he wasn't smiling. Stars glittered on his knuckles, raring to attack. "Jack Hunter's a threat because he stopped one werewolf from stealing a piece of rock? How paranoid can dad get?"

The wolf's shadows flickered, his silver glimmering in the cave, like he was barely managing to stand there instead of attacking as he'd been ordered to do.

"King Elm's prophecy . . . had warned him of his downfall . . . at the hands of Jack Hunter . . ."

No one moved. No one breathed.

Until Violet finally whispered, "Jack is going to stop King Elm?"

"King Elm's death is uncertain. . . . It is my own death he fears . . . for he loses then his greatest weapon . . ."

Violet's eyes narrowed. "And you've just decided to inform us of Jack's importance against you?"

"Because you want to die, don't you?" Jack said, frowning. "You don't just want to go back to sleep, you want it to end." He huffed, "Look, we can help you, okay? Violet made this cloth"—he pulled it out of his coat pocket and held it out—"if we just use this to cover the silver on you, then maybe the werewolves will stand a chance and we can end King Elm's attack before—"

Jack cut off as the Shadow Wolf, faster than even Tiberius, stooped down in a flurry of black clouds and seized the cloth. Jack watched it sink into the depths of his shadows, the Shadow Wolf watching him impassively. At least, Jack thought he was impassive. He couldn't tell this creature's expression at all, but if the cloth made the slightest difference, he couldn't say.

He shook his head. "I don't understand," he said. "If you don't want my help, then . . . are you going to hurt me?"

Tiberius moved a leg to shield him once again.

The Shadow Wolf's darkness trembled like a vicious cloud during a storm. "No . . . I will not . . . but I cannot return without the promise that I have stopped you . . . or he will know . . . and see the death through . . ."

"No one will harm him," Violet said darkly, lightning dancing between her fingers, "not if I have anything to say about it."

"You . . . Lady Witch . . . are blinded by your own grief . . . and so King Elm does not fear you."

Violet's dark eyes fractured and though she looked like she might cry, she clenched her jaw and stepped forward, shielding Jack's other side.

"You," she said, her anger making her words shake, "will not touch him."

"I have no wish to," the Shadow Wolf rumbled, but Tiberius kept his narrowed eyes on him, "but I cannot let you leave. . . . Any of you . . ."

The Shadow Wolf split apart, encircling them in darkness. The ground shook and Jack held onto Tiberius, Violet catching Quartz's hand, and as the shadows came closer and closer, Jack started to well and truly panic. If those shadows touched them, they'd be poisoned, and there was no cure for that here.

"Stop it!" Jack demanded. "We can still help you, Crescent Castle—"

"Crescent Castle will fall by dawn . . . King Elm will see to that . . . but I will spare you four . . . for perhaps . . . in the ashes of your people . . . you may still find a way . . . to someday destroy me . . ."

"NO!" Jack screamed, or maybe it was Quartz, but it was too late. Rubble fell over their heads and before Jack could so much as wipe the dust from his eyes, the cave collapsed with a sound of a violent waterfall, Tiberius barked, shoved Jack out of the way of a stalactite, and then silence fell.

When the shadows faded, Jack was on the ground, and they were caved in. Quartz was giving Violet, who'd also fallen, a hand up and Jack waved the dust away, coughing.

"Tiberius?" he choked, and almost fell back down on his trembling legs, the panic he'd felt in his chest now in his throat as he looked desperately for any spot of dark caramel. "Tiberius!"

"I'm here," Tiberius groaned, and Jack found him back in human form, stumbling away from the entrance that was now a wall of rocks, clutching his shoulder.

Jack let out a whimper and ran into his arms, clutching his shoulders. Tiberius clutched him tightly, but Jack couldn't miss the low groan in his voice. He pulled back and realized Tiberius's shoulder had a deep gash, too much of the flesh torn for Jack to call it a cut, his chest soaked in blood.

"Y-You're hurt."

"It's all right," he said, sweat beading his brow and his voice ragged. "It was just one of the rocks, it scraped me—"

"Violet!" Jack called. "Violet, we need you!"

"What?" Violet rushed over, eyes wide on the gash in Tiberius's shoulder. "Oh dear," she mumbled, "I . . . oh, the herbs! I can make something with the herbs."

"Jack, I'm all right," Tiberius tried.

"Sit down," Jack said, wrapping an arm around Tiberius's naked waist and trying to get him to sit on a cluster of rocks. "You—you shouldn't be exhausting yourself."

"I'm okay, my love."

"Jack's right, Your Majesty," Quartz said grimly, "that's a little more than a papercut, you need healing."

"We don't have time," he said, grabbing Jack's elbows. "Didn't you hear what the Shadow Wolf said? King Elm is sending him to Crescent Castle. We may only have . . ."

Tiberius's words slurred and his eyes fluttered as he collapsed against Jack's chest. "Tiberius? TIBERIUS!"

***

Hear ye, hear ye! I will be taking a break next week, so no new chapters on the 21st, but I plan to hopefully be back on track on the 28th. We are officially five chapters and an epilogue away from the end, people. I'll see you at the finish line.