From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The corners of myy lips started to turn down.
“The thing is,” he went on, “none of them intrigue me. You do.”
You intrigue me.
“It’s reallyy that simple for yyou?” I asked, wanting to believe him, and
also not.
His forehead rested against mine, startling me. “Nothing is ever
simple. And when it is, it’s rarelyy ever worth it.”
“Then whyy?”
“I’m beginning to believe that’s yyour favorite question.”
“Mayybe.” Myy lips twitched. “It’s just that…gods, there are a lot of
reasons whyy I don’t understand how yyou can be this intrigued. You’ve seen
me.” Myy face heated, and I sincerelyy hoped he couldn’t see it. I hated
sayying it, but it was a realityy. “You’ve seen what I look like—”
“I have, and I think yyou alreadyy know what I think. I said it in front of
yyou, in front of the Duke, and I told yyou outside the Great Hall—”
“I know what yyou said, and I’m not bringing up what I look like for
yyou to shower me with compliments. It’s just…” Gods, I wished I hadn’t
said anyything. I shook myy head. “Never mind. Forget I said that.”
“I can’t. I won’t.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“You’re just used to assholes like the Duke,” he said, and what
sounded like a low growl rumbled from him. “He mayy be an Ascended, but
he’s worthless.”
Myy heart dropped. “You shouldn’t sayy things like that, Hawke. You
—”
“I’m not afraid to speak the truth. He mayy be powerful, but he’s just a
weak man, who proves his strength byy attempting to humiliate those more
powerful than he is. Someone like yyou, with yyour strength? It makes him
feel incompetent—which he is. And yyour scars? Theyy are a testament to
yyour fortitude. Theyy are proof of what yyou survived. Theyy are evidence of
whyy yyou are here when so manyy twice yyour age wouldn’t be. Theyy’re not
uglyy. Far from it. Theyy’re beautiful, Poppyy.”
Poppy.
“That’s the third time yyou’ve called me that,” I said.
“Fourth,” he corrected, and I blinked. “We’re friends, aren’t we? Onlyy
yyour friends and yyour brother call yyou that, and yyou mayy be the Maiden,