Page 12 of When Ashes Fall

“No one does.”

“I’d hold your tongue, child, unless you want me to rip it out,” Malakor snarled.

When Knox planted one hand on the table, his claws raked the surface. “You make one move against her, and you’ll be wearing your intestines as a necklace.”

My mother’s smirk vanished as she gazed from him to me and back again. His earlier statement about me being poison had made her think… and me as well… that he had little care for me. His defensive position and the ruthless tone of his voice indicated that might not be true after all.

We would never be the old us again. All hope of that was dead, but a little surge of optimism filled me.

Maybe we could be something different. Something more.

“She’s my prisoner, and while she’s here, no one will mistreat her,” Knox stated.

And just like that, my hope burst like a bubble of soap chomped on by a dog. When would I get it through my thick head that I was nothing more than a means to an end for him?

“Do not threaten me, boy,” Malakor hissed.

“Easy, easy,” Alwin encouraged as he held up his hands. “We are all reasonable men and women and will discuss this issue as such.”

Devnair bent and whispered something into the king’s ear. Alwin listened before nodding.

“My brother-in-law has made a suggestion that I think we’ll all agree with,” Alwin said. “He’ll take the young lady for a walk while we talk rationally about this.”

My eyebrows rose at the revelation Devnair was Alwin’s brother-in-law. Such a connection must have granted him a fair amount of power in the elf kingdom of Terra.

While I liked Devnair and didn’t think he meant any harm, I was reluctant to leave. “Since you’re all discussing me, I think I should stay,” I said.

Alwin had maintained an air of calm joviality, but now his eyes glittered like black ice. “I think we can all agree you have no choice in this.”

My teeth ground together as I bit back an angry retort. Outside of Gizzi, Devnair might be my only ally in this room, and I couldn’t risk enraging the elf king by arguing with him. And his stony countenance said he wouldn’t tolerate any more arguments, even if they were about my life.

Warm breath tickled my ear before Lyra spoke. “It’s best if you go willingly and quietly. If you fight this, it could push Knox over the edge.”

I turned my head to meet Lyra’s lime-green eyes; the sympathy in them surprised me as her gaze willed me to go. Reluctantly, I nodded.

If, while I was gone, they decided to return me to Nightshade, I’d let Gizzi bite whoever he wanted. If I got killed in the process, so be it; death was far preferable.

CHAPTER NINE

Briar

“Dromon will go with them,” Knox stated.

At least he’d gotten over his earlier irritation with his friend. That made me feel a little less guilty, since I was the cause of their brief fight.

“That’s not necessary,” Alwin said. “She’ll be quite safe with Devnair.”

Hostility thrummed through the room as Alwin and Knox stared at each other. When Alwin looked away, Knox turned to Dromon. “Don’t let her out of sight.”

The wolf shifter bowed his head. “I won’t.”

Knox’s severe gaze landed on me. “Do not go far.”

I bristled over his command. “Don’t worry, your currency won’t run.”

We glowered at each other until Dromon grasped my arm and steered me around the table. On wooden legs, I walked toward Devnair.

When I was passing my mother, she seized my wrist. Her touch sent an icy blast through me as the rose on her wrist seared my flesh.