Noble’s wolf was …ripping away from him. Not his wolf’s soul—or whatever that transparent spirit thing was, but his actual furry wolf. It peeled away from his skin as my grandfather stood firmly at Noble’s head, his wolf held by the jaws, and yanked upward away from Noble’s face. Honor’snewwolf was practically crawling out of Noble’s body. Getting to my feet, I reached around Honor’s black furry belly and heaved with a grunt.
Noble screamed bloody murder, thrashing against Rage and Justice, who still pinned him down. With a lurch, I tumbled back as Honor fully separated from Noble. Still holding on to his wolf, I braced for impact. I crashed into the couch and then I fell backward with Honor on top of me. After a stumble, he got on all fours and stared into my eyes. I could see it in his hazel eyes. I could seehim.
“Honor?” I croaked.
Leaning forward, he licked my cheek and then sat back on his haunches with a wolfish grin.
I burst into laughter and tears, wrapping my arms around his neck. “It’s you. It’s really you.”
Rage stumbled forward, “I hear him. It’s him.”
Honor spun, looked Rage in the eyes, and then jumped up on his hind legs and licked his brother’s face.
Grandpa Geoff helped Noble sit up, and Justice held out the bottle of the healing elixir I’d made earlier.
“Noble,” Grandpa said. “You okay?”
Noble swallowed some of the healing elixir, his eyes wide and wild, but he nodded. “Honor?”
The black wolf bounded across the room, licking each of us before settling at Noble’s side. All of the brothers embraced the black wolf, and Grandpa Geoff looked at me and smiled.
“Thank you.” I squeezed his hand. “If there is anything I can ever do for you—”
Grandpa Geoff leaned forward. “There is one thing…”
Okay, he kind of jumped on that favor quickly. It must be urgent.
“Anything,” I assured him. This man had my back from day one, I wouldn’t deny him.
“Nai, I need you to—”
The cabin door burst open and Kaja came in panting. “The king and his men are here.”
Chapter 12
Even knowingKing Declan would come eventually didn’t prevent my heart from thundering against my ribs at Kaja’s declaration.
“Now?” I muttered, grinding my teeth. I glanced at Rage, the muscles in his neck corded and taut as he rose. Why couldn’t we catch a break and have Declan get struck by lightning or something?
“Let him come,” Rage snarled, his voice more wolf than human. “He needs to pay for all he’s done.”
Speaking of that … I turned to my grandfather. “Declan had Surlama put a curse on Rage’s mother.”
The more I explained, the more the high mage shook his head.
“Is there any way you can help us break it?” I asked—begged, in fact.
“With Surlama dead, the only way…” He pursed his lips. “I’ll have to go back to the mage lands. I have plenty of spellbreaker root in my workroom. With Dark Row burned down … it’s the only place I know where to get some.” He gave Justice a withering glare.
Justice winced. “Sorry about that.”
I frowned. “About what?”
Justice ran a hand through his dark hair. “When Declan showed up at Surlama’s and it was clear they were in league together … I sort of flipped out … and burnt her tent down.”
A sly grin pulled across my face, and Rage clapped him on the back.
“But I didn’t mean for the entire place to catch fire!”
