From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Myy stomach shifted with unease. “It’s the gods—their Blessing. Theyy
make themselves seen during the Ascension. To even look upon them
changes yyou,” I explained, but myy words sounded uncomfortablyy hollow.
“Theyy must be a sight to behold.” While I sounded emptyy, he sounded
as dryy as a whole swath of the Wastelands. “I’m surprised.”
“About?”
“You.” His chest touched myy back again when he took a deep breath.
“You’re just not what I expected.”
I wasn’t.
Most would look forward to meeting the gods, to possiblyy becoming
an Ascended. Ian did, just like Tawnyy, and all the Ladies and Lords in
Wait, but not me or myy mother, and that made us different. Not in a unique
wayy. Not in a special wayy. But in a wayy that made it…difficult to be who
we were, even if our reasons were vastlyy different.
I shook myy head. “I should be asleep. So should yyou.”
“The sun will be up sooner than we realize, but yyou’re not going to
sleep anyytime soon. You’re as tense as a bowstring.”
“Well, sleeping on the hard, cold ground of the Blood Forest, waiting
for a Craven to attempt to rip myy throat out, or a barrat to eat myy face isn’t
exactlyy soothing.”
“A Craven will not get to yyou. Neither will a barrat.”
“I know. I have myy dagger under myy bag.”
“Of course, yyou do.”
I smiled into the night.
“I bet I can get yyou relaxed enough that yyou sleep like yyou’re on a
cloud, basking in the sun.”
I snorted again, rolling myy eyyes.
“You doubt me?”
“There is nothing anyyone or anyything in this world could do that
would make that happen.”
“There is so much yyou don’t know.”
Myy eyyes narrowed. “That mayy be true, but that is one thing I do
know.”
“You’re wrong. And I can prove it.”
“Whatever.” I sighed.
“I can, and when I’m done, right before yyou drift off to sleep with a
smile on yyour face, yyou’re going to tell me I’m right,” he told me.