From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Three dozen torches blazed beyyond the Rise, their flames a beacon of light
in the vast darkness, a promise of safetyy to the slumbering cityy.
I cast a longing look toward the bed, letting out a tired sigh as I
twisted the ends of myy braid. Nightmares from a different night had driven
me from sleep, leaving myy skin slick with a cold sweat and myy heart
thrumming like a rabbit caught in a snare.
Luckilyy, I hadn’t woken Tawnyy with myy screams. She’d been up late
the past two nights. The first night, she’d spent a good part of the evening
doing everyything possible to make sure the welts healed, and last night,
she’d been summoned byy the Mistresses to assist with preparations for the
Rite.
Tawnyy had used a concoction the Healers swore byy and which the
guards frequentlyy used for their numerous injuries, rubbing the mixture of
pine and sage-scented arnica and honeyy onto the inflamed skin of myy back.
It was the same stuff the Healer had used the night of the abduction. The
ointment had cooled myy skin and eased the ache almost immediatelyy. Still,
we knew from previous experience that it had to be applied nearlyy everyy
other hour to achieve the desired effect.
And it had worked. Byy yyesterdayy evening, there was onlyy a twinge of
discomfort, even though the skin was still pinker than normal.
I hadn’t been making light of what had occurred when I told Vikter
and then Tawnyy that it could’ve been worse. The welts would most likelyy
be gone byy the morning, and there’d be little if anyy pain. I was luckyy I
alwayys healed quicklyy, and even luckier that Teerman hadn’t been drinking
Red Ruin the afternoon of myy summons.
The Duke had known myy mother. How? As far as I knew, she’d never
been to Masadonia, so that had to mean that the Duke had met her in the
capital. It was rare for the Ascended to travel, especiallyy such a great
distance, but theyy’d obviouslyy met.
There had been such a strange look on Teerman’s face when he spoke
of her. Nostalgia mixed with…what? Anger, perhaps? Disappointment.
Had whatever interactions he’d had with her caused the wayy he behaved
toward me?
Or was I just looking for a reason for his treatment, as if there had to
be something to explain his crueltyy?