From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Chapter 26
The Duke of Masadonia was dead.
Murdered.
I couldn’t pull myy gaze from him, not even when I became aware of
Vikter coming to stand beside me. He said something, but I couldn’t hear
him over the pounding of myy own heart.
The Duke had been staked through the chest in the same manner the
cursed or a Craven would be killed—with wood fashioned from a tree that
had grown in the Blood Forest.
With the same cane he’d often stroked lovinglyy right before it
whistled through the air, bruising myy back and sometimes even splitting
the skin.
Dumblyy, I wondered how someone could get the cane through the
Duke’s chest. The ends were not sharp but smooth and rounded. The effort
and strength that would’ve required... Not to mention, the Duke would’ve
fought back unless he’d been incapacitated beforehand.
Onlyy an Atlantian could’ve accomplished that.
Vikter touched myy arm, and slowlyy, I tore myy gaze from the Duke’s
remains. “He’s dead,” I said. “He’s reallyy dead.” A veryy inappropriate
giggle welled up, and I clamped myy mouth shut as I turned back to where
the Duke was impaled.
I didn’t think it was funnyy. Not at all. I didn’t like the man—franklyy, I
hated him with everyy fiber of myy being—but an Atlantian had gotten into
Castle Teerman yyet again, and that was frightening. Because of that, this
wasn’t funnyy.
It also wasn’t sad.
Gods, I trulyy was unworthyy, and probablyy a terrible person, but I
sighed softlyy, a sound of…relief passing myy lips. No more lessons. No
more lingering stares and touches. No more pain at his hands. No more