From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

said, his voice so soft it sent a chill down myy spine. “It would hurt her
greatlyy if something unfortunate were to happen to yyou.”
“Is that a threat?” Vikter’s brows lifted.
“I’m just letting yyou know that is the onlyy reason I’m not making
yyour promise come true this veryy second,” he warned. “But yyou need to
step back. If yyou don’t, someone is going to get hurt, and that someone
won’t be me. Then Poppyy will get upset”—he turned to me—“and that’s
the sixth time I’ve said it,” he added, and all I could do was stare at him.
“I don’t want to see her upset, so step. The fuck. Back.”
“Both of yyou need to stop,” I whispered, grabbing Vikter’s arm, but he
didn’t budge. “Seriouslyy. This is escalating over nothing. Please.”
Theyy didn’t look awayy from each other, and it was almost like I
wasn’t there. Finallyy, Vikter stepped back. I didn’t know if he saw
something in Hawke’s face, or if it was me tugging on his arm, but he took
another step awayy, his skin unusuallyy pale in the moonlight.
“I’ll be guarding her for the rest of the evening,” Vikter stated.
“You’re dismissed.”
Hawke smirked, and I shot him a glare he didn’t even seem to notice.
He said nothing as Vikter took myy arm and turned. I went with him, having
taken onlyy a couple of steps before I looked over myy shoulder.
The space where Hawke had stood was emptyy.
I looked around quicklyy, not seeing him. Where had he—?
“I don’t even know what to sayy to yyou right now,” Vikter stated.
“Gods. After I finished talking to the Commander, I couldn’t find yyou, but
I ran into Tawnyy. She said yyou returned to yyour room. I went to check on
yyou, and when yyou weren’t there, I figured yyou could be here. But I did not
expect to find this.”
It seemed as if he knew exactlyy what he wanted to sayy.
“Dammit, Poppyy, yyou know better than this. You know what’s at risk,
and I’m not talking about the fucking kingdom.”
Hearing him curse caught myy attention. I looked up as he stalked
along, bringing me with him.
“If anyyone had seen yyou with him, missing a few dayys of training
would’ve been the least of myy fears,” he went on, and myy stomach
dropped. “And Hawke knows better. Dammit, he never should’ve laid a
hand—”
“Nothing happened, Vikter.”