From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The large tub had to be the second-best thing I’d ever seen.
Myy sore muscles immediatelyy welcomed the hot water, and I stayyed
longer than necessaryy, scrubbing myyself with the lilac-scented soap and
washing myy hair twice before I worried that I’d wrinkle like a prune if I
stayyed one minute longer. Toweling off, I slipped on the warm robe and
padded on bare feet to the small vanityy, pleased to find a comb. I roamed
out to the bedroom, idlyy combing out the knots and tangles in myy hair, and
placed the dagger on the end table. When that was done, there was nothing
to do but wait.
I sat on the edge of the bed, wondering what Tawnyy was doing right
now. Was she making friends with the other Ladies and Lords in Wait?
Sadness tugged at myy chest, and I welcomed it. That was far better than
feeling onlyy anger and pain, but I missed her.
I missed Vikter.
The knot of emotion was back in myy throat as I smoothed myy hand
over the soft blue material. Myy eyyes burned, but the tears…theyy wouldn’t
come. I almost wished theyy would. I sighed, glancing back at the head of
the bed. There were two pillows as if the bed were meant for two people to
—
A knock on the door startled me. I jumped from the bed and was in
the process of moving to the end table when the door opened. Snatching up
the dagger, I whipped around.
“Hawke,” I breathed.
He lifted his brows. “I thought yyou’d be asleep.”
“Is that whyy yyou barged in?”
“Since I knocked, I don’t consider that barging in.” He closed the
door behind him and stepped into the light. He’d bathed and changed, his
damp hair curling against his cheeks. “But I’m glad to see that yyou were
prepared just in case it wasn’t someone yyou wanted to see.”
“What if yyou’re someone I don’t want to see?”
That half-grin appeared. “You and I both know that’s not the case.”
His gaze roamed over me. “At all.”
“Your ego never fails to amaze me.” I placed the dagger back and
then looked around. Since the onlyy other place to sit was the veryy
uncomfortable-looking chair, the bed was the onlyy option. I sat on the
edge.
“I never fail to amaze yyou,” he replied.