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

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT.

                "Boy, am I happy to see you guys," Jack grinned as not just Wyatt appeared, but Everett, Mira, Graham, Lavender, Philomena, and Ender showed their faces, breaking down the wall one rock at a time.

"Violet!" Lavender tried to peer through the hole, grabbing at more and more rocks, her nails chipped. "Violet, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay," Violet said, and glanced over her shoulder at the thorn bushes across the far wall. "The Seer, however, is not."

"Dear me," Ender frowned, not seeming to care about his pristine white robes as he eagerly took a rock from the wall and set it aside. "What happened?"

Violet glanced at Quartz. "It . . . doesn't matter."

"Are those thorn bushes?" Wyatt gaped. "Ooh, did Prince Quartz kill her? Graham, move, I want to see!"

"Our kings are stuck in there, brat," Graham grunted, managing to pull a particularly large boulder out with one hand, leaving Wyatt speechless. "Leave the swooning for later."

"No," Wyatt said in a strangely high-pitched voice, watching Graham's muscles bulge. "I think I'd like to swoon right now, thanks."

"Looks like your messengers did their job," Quartz grinned at Violet who surprisingly shared his smile.

"Did their job, indeed," Everett huffed and grumbled. "Imagine me, beginning to go frantic over where my king was, only to find the werewolves running rampage through the halls, chasing—wouldn't you know it—a bunny. You are so very fortunate that I suspected it was a messenger. I wouldn't be surprised if the bunnies declared war on the werewolves by morning!"

Jack smiled. He really had no idea how uneasy he'd been without his friends until he got to see them. "I know I worried you—"

"Worried?!" he snapped, his purple eyes narrowed dangerously. "Mira almost ate it!"

"He's forgiven me," Mira murmured, holding the bunny and petting between his ears with two fingers. "We're good friends now."

The bunny shivered in Mira's arms nervously, and Jack considered offering him a whole sack of carrots in payment and apology.

"Right," Jack said and warned Tiberius who was holding an arm out for him, "Don't even think about it, you're going first." To Lavender and Philomena, he said, "Either of you ladies happen to have a healing potion?"

"Always!" Philomena perked up, rummaging through her deep dress pockets, the bottles clanking together.

"Why?" Lavender tried to push through the opening, searching them. "Is Violet hurt?"

"I'm fine, Lavender," she said. "It's Tiberius."

A grim, tense silence fell on the other side of the wall as Tiberius climbed through with grunts and groans. Jack climbed out after him to find Philomena already spreading the serum over his injury.

"Yikes," Wyatt murmured at the sight of the thick, raw scar, and put his hands on his hips. "I'm always coming to save you, aren't I? What would you guys do without me?"

"Run out of air, was the likeliest possibility," Quartz said, helping Violet out, and Everett tugged on Jack's elbow.

Casting glances over his shoulder at the fairy prince, he asked under his breath, "Jack, what happened? Did Quartz get you stuck down here?"