I held up the necklace. “Thank you. It saved my life.”

He shifted into his human form, tall and broad, black haired with dark eyes. Handsome, I suppose, but his coloring made me think of Coal which only made my stomach hurt. “Yeah, it probably will again. Keep it.”

Tucking it back into my vest I nodded. “I have a question for you, since you know the mother goddess maybe better than I do.”

He snorted and reached for a long stalk of fern. “Viv can be a sassy wench. What did she do this time?”

Viv? The mother goddess had a name and Griffin knew it? Another time I would have to ask him about it. “She took away my ability to use the earth, and then when I wanted it back, made me swear my life to her.”

His jaw dropped. “She didn’t.”

“She did. But I don’t know what that means.” I rolled my shoulders, fatigue and frustration vying for my attention.

Griffin let out a long low whistle. “Means a lot of things. One of which she can take your life away for no reason other than she chooses to. Or she could force you to do her dirty work, yeah?”

I blinked several times, not comprehending his words. “Dirty work?”

He froze, his nostrils flaring. “Later, we’ll discuss it later. But be wary, yeah? She’s got her hooks into you good now.” In a flash, he shifted back to his wolf form and bolted away. The forest around us, though, was far from silent. I heard the footsteps and recognized the cadence. So, he’d followed me here. Interesting.

“I’m beginning to think he doesn’t like me,” Ash said.

I turned to face him. “Maybe you just smell bad. Maybe I should be upping your pedicure to a full day at the spa.”

He laughed, reached out, and took my hand. A single tug and I was in his arms. “Enough talking with those lips. They have better things to do.” He kissed me, his mouth sweet like the honey his eyes made me think of.

I dug my hands into his hair and held him tightly to me, his touch making my skin sing. I pulled back, and took a slow breath. “Where do we go from here?”

His eyes searched my face. “I don’t know. Our lives will always be on the line; that is our job.”

“And you can’t always protect me,” I said. “I am no longer a little girl needing to be watched over. I am not the heir to the throne. I am not a princess.”

Ash didn’t let go of me, and through our hands I could feel the tension rise in him. He glanced over his shoulder. “Things are about to get ugly, Lark. Whatever happens, just follow my lead.”

Through the trees, four Enders ghosted toward us. Dressed in black leather with bright red hair topping each of them off, there was no doubt where they were from.

The Pit.

“Do we fight?” I tensed, reaching for my weapons.

“No. Your father has commanded us to go with them.”

And suddenly I understood the kiss.

Ash was saying goodbye.

They surrounded us and it took everything I had in me to hold still, to allow them to stand behind me. My shoulder blades itched as though a knife blade were being held there, just a hairsbreadth from my skin.

Manacles were clamped over my wrists as my arms were jerked behind me. I was spun around to face a very familiar face. Red flaming curls and orange eyes glittering with barely suppressed hatred.

I gave her a tight smile. “Hello, Magma.”

“Ender Larkspur, you are to be tried for the murder of three Enders hailing from the Pit.” She yanked me forward forcing me to stumble. A steady calm flowed over me.

I looked at Ash, his hands behind him in manacles too. “Looks like your pedicure will have to wait. I think we’re going back to finish what we started.”

Whoever was trying to kill me from the Rim was going to have to get in line, because Fiametta was about to get her shot at me first.