Page 117 of A Clash of Stars

I laughed out loud, probably louder than I should have.

“Don’t be weird, Griffin.”

“I’m not being weird, and I am being honest… I’m jealous of that bastard.” I turned my head back to look at him with a confused expression. “You’re a goddess. Evander would be so proud.”

I smiled, then my smile turned into a frown. I missed him. We had just professed our love for one another, and now I was miles away from him, with his best friend by my side, specifically my backside.

I’d swoon over Griffin if I were any other girlunrelatedto him. His scent was even attractive. He smelled like oak, solid and manly. His body matched his scent perfectly. His hazel eyes would easily distract anyone who talked to him. He was a smooth talker, but I had only seen one woman catch his attention, and I was curious to know more about her.

“So, Griffin…what’s going on with you and Lettie?”

He coughed as I caught him off guard.

“Eh, don’t know what you mean?”

I turned and nudged his ribs, and he let out a cry. A pathetic one.

“Okay, I know exactly what you mean… I just.” He paused, thinking about how to respond to my imposing question. “I just don’t know, honestly. I really like her. I think she likes me, but she pushes me away every time I get close to her. I can tell you that I only have eyes for her, but I think Evander will kill me when he finds out I like her.”

“Ooooooo, you like Lettie! Griffin and Lettie sitting in the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…” Griffin laughed, and I felt it vibrate through me. I noticed ahead of us was a large group of guards.

Shit.

“What are they doing?” I asked Griffin.

Griffin reached before me and grabbed the reins, halting the horse.

“It looks like the Asterian Army. They’re setting up their tools and weapons, and it looks like they are preparing for war.”

“Who are they going to war with? Which kingdom?”

He sighed. “My guess is yours first, then mine.”

Nervousness swelled inside of me. Suppose they were going to my kingdom. They would kill my people. What about Evander? Would he be okay?

“We will go around the field’s side, into the forest, but we have to be quiet. Once we get past that portion, we should be clear to Rhysette. We will meet with Lettie and Bethany in a city right inside the boundary at a safe house in Cypress.”

I nodded and let Griffin control the reins. I felt his strong arms trapping me before him and wondered why Lettie would try to push him away. If anything, she should be running to him.

We rode in silence, which felt like forever and a day. That was difficult for the two of us. We were talkers.

We moved past the guards, and no one saw us.

Thank the gods.

We finally made it to the small town of Cypress, or more so theonlyhome in this town. We approached a run-down wooden barn and a home with a few horses on the outside tied to a post. When we got closer, I saw a few familiar faces, Lettie and Bethany.

Bethany beamed with delight seeing my face, and I felt the same way about seeing her.

On the other hand, Lettie looked like she could murder me in cold blood. I realized what it looked like, Griffin pressed against me, so I thought I’d play it up a little to get a reaction out of her. I like Griff, and he was honest with me about his feelings. The least I could do is start that fire up for him.

Chapter 36

As I dismounted the horse, I “accidentally” rubbed a little too close to Griffin’s lap, which caused a little grunt to escape him. His eyes cut into me, and that’s when Lettie’s fury was on full display.

“What the abyss are you doing, Clara? You have a husband.”

I put my hands up in defense and smirked, knowing exactly what I was doing was working.

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