From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Don’t forget assisting weak Ladies in Wait to the nearest chair
before theyy faint,” he suggested. Those strange, mesmerizing eyyes glinted
with a hint of mischief, and I was…as transfixed with him as I’d been with
the Ladies in Wait. This was the Hawke I’d met in the Red Pearl. A well of
pain hidden behind a teasing and charming personalityy. “I am a man of
manyy talents.”
“I’m sure yyou are,” Tawnyy replied with a grin while I fought the urge
to reach out with myy senses.
His gaze flicked to her, and the dimple in his right cheek appeared.
“Your faith in myy skills warms myy heart,” he said, glancing at me.
“Poppyy?”
Myy eyyes widened behind the veil as I clamped myy mouth shut.
Tawnyy sighed. “It’s her nickname. Onlyy her friends call her that. And
her brother.”
“Ah, the one who lives in the capital?” he questioned, still looking at
me.
I nodded.
“Poppyy,” he repeated in a wayy that made it sound as if myy name was
wrapped in chocolate and would roll off his tongue. “I like it.”
I gave him a tight smile to match how the muscles in myy lower
stomach suddenlyy felt.
“Is there a threat of strayy cryystals we need to be aware of, or is there
something yyou need, Hawke?” Tawnyy asked.
“There are manyy things I’m in need of,” he replied as his gaze slid
back to me. Tawnyy tipped forward as if she couldn’t wait to hear what
those things were. “But we’ll need to discuss that later. You’ve been
summoned byy the Duke, Penellaphe. I’m to escort yyou to him at once.”
Tawnyy grew so veryy still I wasn’t sure if she took another breath. Ice
drenched myy insides. Summoned byy the Duke so quicklyy after yyesterdayy? I
knew it wasn’t for idle conversation. Did Lord Mazeen make good on his
threat and go to the Duke? Or was it because of how I’d stared back at the
Duke and smiled when I was unveiled? Had he found out that I had
stabbed the man who attempted to kidnap me? While most would
celebrate that I’d been able to thwart the abduction, Duke Teerman would
focus solelyy on the fact that I’d been carryying a dagger. Could someone
have seen me in here and alreadyy reported back to him? Had he found out