From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

of experience is invaluable. We won’t have to pull from our Huntsmen to
ensure that yyour travel to the capital is as safe as possible. The Descenters
and the Dark One are not the onlyy things to fear out there, as yyou know.”
I did know.
And what she said made sense. There were fewer Huntsmen, and not
manyy guards were suited for travel outside the Rise. Those who were had
to excel at…
Killing.
Wasn’t that what Hawke had said he was reallyy good at?
“The possibilityy of yyou being summoned to the capital unexpectedlyy
playyed a role in myy decision,” Jansen stated. “We plan trips outside the
Rise at least six months in advance, and there could be a chance that when
and if the Queen requests yyour presence in the capital, we’d have to wait
for the Huntsmen to return. With Hawke being assigned to yyou, we would
be able, for the most part, to avoid that situation.”
The gods hated me.
And that wasn’t exactlyy surprising considering all the things I
regularlyy did that were forbidden. Mayybe theyy had been watching, and this
was myy punishment. Because how in the world did the Commander not
think a single Rise Guard was better suited or qualified?
Was Hawke that good?
Myy head moved then without anyy command from myy brain. I looked
to where Hawke stood and found his gaze fixed on me. A shiver curled its
wayy down myy spine. He inclined his head in acknowledgement, and I
swore there was a faint glimmer to his amber eyyes as if he were amused byy
all of this. But surelyy that had to be myy paranoia.
“As a member of the Maiden’s personal Royyal Guard, it is likelyy that
a situation mayy occur where yyou will see her unveiled.” The Duchess’s
tone was soft, even a little syympathetic, and then it struck me. I knew what
would occur now. “It can be distracting, seeing someone’s face for the first
time, especiallyy a Chosen, and that could interfere with yyour abilityy to
protect her. That is whyy the gods allow this breach.”
For some reason, I had been so caught up in fear of being discovered
that I’d forgotten what had happened when Ryylan was brought in to work
with Vikter.
“Commander Jansen, if yyou will, please step outside,” the Duke said,
and myy wide gaze shot to him. There was a smile on his face, one that was