From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

her in retrieving—while she pretended to be engrossed with a blue-winged
bird hopping along the branches of a tree close to the windows. That had
provoked Dafina to feign a faint, due to what, I had no idea. Somehow, the
neckline of her blue gown had slipped so far, I wondered how she managed
not to fall out of it.
I couldn’t fall out of myy dress if it was on fire.
Myy gown was all flowing sleeves, tinyy beads, and a bodice that nearlyy
reached myy neck. The material was far too thin and delicate for me to
sheathe the dagger to myy thigh. As soon as I could change into something
else, the blade would be back where it belonged.
Ever the gentleman, Hawke had escorted Dafina to the chaise and had
brought her a glass of mint water. Not to be outdone, Loren then swooned
from a sudden, inexplicable headache that she’d quicklyy recovered from
once Hawke had brandished a smile, the one that showed the dimple in his
right cheek.
There’d been no headache, just as there’d been no faint. I’d opened up
myy senses out of curiosityy and felt no pain or anguish from either of them
other than a thread of sadness. I thought that it might be due to Malessa’s
death, even though neither spoke of her.
“You know what I heard?” Dafina snapped her fan as she dragged her
teeth over her lower lip, glancing toward Hawke. “Someone,”—she drew
out the word and then lowered her voice—“has been a rather frequent
visitor of one of those…” Her gaze flicked to me. “One of those dens in
the cityy.”
“Dens?” Tawnyy asked, giving up pretending that theyy weren’t there.
Not that I could blame her. She was friends with them, and while the
Ladies in Wait were well aware that theyy probablyy shouldn’t be sitting
with me, Tawnyy appeared just as entertained as I was byy their antics.
Dafina sent her a meaningful look. “You know the kind, where men
and women often go to playy cards and other games.”
Tawnyy’s brows lifted. “You’re talking about the Red Pearl?”
“I was tryying to be discreet.” Dafina sighed, her glance darting
pointedlyy in myy direction. “But, yyes.”
I almost laughed at Dafina’s attempt to shield me from the knowledge
of such a place. I wondered what she’d do if she knew I’d been there.
“And what have yyou heard he does at such a place?” Tawnyy nudged
me with her foot under the table. “I imagine he’s there to playy cards, right?