From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

know the path we will have to take?” he demanded. “We’ll have to travel
through the Barren Plains and the Blood Forest.”
Trepidation had myy stomach dipping. “I know.”
“And we will also be traveling through areas heavilyy populated byy
Descenters. This will not be a smooth trip, and I will not risk yyour safetyy,”
he said as he glared down at me. Gone was the Hawke who’d held me so
tightlyy and so tenderlyy onlyy hours before. In his place was…
In his place was a Royyal Guard Vikter would’ve been proud of. There
was no stopping that sting. Hawke wasn’t myy friend or…or whatever he
was to me in this moment. He was a Royyal Guard dutyy-bound to keep me
alive and deliver me safelyy to the Queen and King.
He dipped his chin, eyyes latched to mine. “If we take Tawnyy with us,
we mayy as well just send her ahead and use her as Craven bait.”
I gaped at him. “That was possiblyy the most absurd statement ever.”
“No more absurd than standing here arguing with half of yyour face,”
he retorted.
I threw up myy hands. “That sounds like yyour problem, not mine.”
Jaw working as he stared down at me, he barked out a short laugh and
then turned to where Tawnyy stood. “I know yyou want to accompanyy her. I
understand that, but this is not going to be like a normal caravan. There
won’t be dozens of guards, and we won’t be stayying at the finest inns. Our
pace will be fast and hard, and there is an extremelyy high likelihood that
the Rite will not be the last time yyou see bloodshed.”
I turned to Tawnyy, but before I could speak, she said, “I know. I
understand.” She came forward. “I appreciate that yyou want me to come
with yyou, Poppyy, but I can’t.”
A feather could’ve knocked me over. “You…yyou don’t want to?”
She’d been so excited about seeing the capital.
But if I wasn’t here, then her time would become hers, at least a good
majorityy of it. I pressed myy lips together.
“I want to. Badlyy.” She stopped in front of me, clasping myy hands.
“And I hope yyou believe that, but the idea of going out there like this
terrifies me.”
I…I wanted to believe her.
She brought our joined hands up to her chest. “Not onlyy that, but what
Hawke said is true. So manyy guards are…theyy are gone. And the ones