From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I frowned, not even sure I wanted to know whyy he’d asked that, but I
answered honestlyy anyywayy. “I know Vikter cares about me. He’s like…he’s
like I imagine myy father would have been if he were still alive. And I’m
like Vikter’s daughter, who never got to take a breath. But he would stop
me.”
Hawke said nothing.
“So, would yyou?” I repeated.
“I think I would be too curious to find out exactlyy how yyou planned to
escape to stop yyou.”
I coughed out a short laugh. “You know, I actuallyy believe that.”
“Will she report yyou to the Duke?” he asked after a moment.
Pressure settled on myy chest as I looked at him. He was staring out
the window. “Whyy would yyou ask?”
“Will she?” he asked instead.
“Probablyy not,” I said, lyying all too easilyy. The Priestess probablyy
went straight to the Duke. “She’s too busyy with the Rite. Everyyone is.” As
the Duke would be, so I might get luckyy and at least have a delayy between
now and when I would inevitablyy be summoned. Hopefullyy, that meant that
Hawke would also get luckyy. If he were removed from his post, it was
unlikelyy that I would ever see him again.
The sadness that thought brought forth meant that it was far past time
to change the subject. “I’ve never been to a Rite.”
“And yyou’ve never snuck into one?”
I dipped myy chin. “I’m offended that yyou’d even suggest such a
thing.”
He chuckled. “How bizarre that I could think that yyou, who has a
historyy of misbehaving, would do such a thing.”
I grinned at that.
“You haven’t missed much, to be honest. There’s a lot of talking, a
bunch of tears, and too much drinking.” His gaze slid to mine. “It’s after
the Rite where things can get…interesting. You know how it is.”
“I don’t know,” I reminded him, even though I had an idea of what he
spoke of. Tawnyy had told me that once the ritual of the Rite was
completed, and the Mistresses and stewards took the new Ladies and Lords
in Wait, and the Priests left with the third daughters and sons, the
celebration changed. It became more…frantic and raw. Or at least that was
what I’d interpreted from Tawnyy, but it seemed too bizarre to imagine the