From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

involved, but I would have to know if he recognized me. And if he did,
whyy hasn’t he said anyything?”
“It’s not like I don’t want to know.” I glanced at Hawke. “But
there’s…”
I stiffened as Hawke’s gaze connected with mine and held. He was
looking straight at me, and even though I knew he couldn’t see myy eyyes, it
still felt like he could. There was no wayy he could hear Tawnyy and me, not
from where he stood and with as quietlyy as I was speaking, but his stare
was piercing as if he could see not onlyy through me, but into me.
I tried to brush off the sensation, but the longer he held myy gaze, the
more the feeling increased. It had to be his eyyes and their color. Such a
strange, stunning golden hue. One could imagine all sorts of things while
staring into those eyyes.
He broke eyye contact, pivoting toward the entryywayy. Myy breath left
me in a ragged exhale, myy heart hammering as if I were running across the
Rise once more.
“That was…intense,” Tawnyy murmured.
I blinked, giving a shake of myy head as I turned to her. “What?”
“That.” Her brows were lifted. “You and Hawke staring one another
down. And no, I can’t see yyour eyyes, but I knew yyou two were engaged in a
rather heated one on one there.”
I could feel warmth creep into myy cheeks. “He’s just doing his job,
and I…I just lost track of what I was sayying.”
Tawnyy lifted her brow. “Is that so?”
“Of course.” I smoothed myy hands over the lap of myy dress.
“So, he was just making sure yyou’re still alive and—”
“Breathing?” Hawke suggested, startling both of us. He stood a mere
foot from where we sat, having moved with the stealth of a trained guard
and the quiet of a ghost. “Since I am responsible for keeping her alive,
making sure she’s breathing would be a priorityy.”
Myy shoulders stiffened. How much had he overheard?
Tawnyy made a poor attempt to smother her giggle with a napkin. “I’m
relieved to hear that.”
“If not, I’d be remiss in myy dutyy, would I not?”
“Ah, yyes, yyour dutyy.” She lowered her napkin. “Between protecting
Poppyy with yyour life and limb and gathering spilled cryystals, yyou’re veryy
busyy.”