From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

get even closer as his fingers spread over mine. “I’m a lot of things—”
“Murderer?” I whispered, unsure if I was reminding him or myyself.
“You killed Vikter. You killed all the others.”
He stilled, and the next breath he took pushed his chest against myy
back. “I’ve killed. So have Delano and Kieran. I and the one yyou call the
Dark One had a hand in Hannes’ and Ryylan’s deaths, but not that poor girl.
It was one of the Ascended, most likelyy caught in bloodlust. And I am
willing to bet it was either the Duke or the Lord.”
The Lord.
Who’d smelled of the flower that Malessa had carried in earlier that
dayy.
“And none of us had anyything to do with the attack on the Rite and
what happened to Vikter.”
Gods, I wanted to believe that. I needed to believe I had not slept with
the man who’d playyed a role in Vikter’s death. “Then who did?”
“It was those yyou call Descenters. Our supporters,” he said, his voice
barelyy above a whisper. “There was no order given to attack the Rite,
however.”
“You reallyy expect me to believe the thing the Descenters follow
didn’t order them to attack the Rite?”
“Just because theyy follow the Dark One, doesn’t mean theyy are led byy
him,” he answered. “Manyy of the Descenters act on their own. Theyy know
the truth. Theyy no longer want to live in fear of their children being made
into monsters or stolen to feed another. I had nothing to do with Vikter’s
death.”
I shivered, believing what he said about his involvement and unsure
whyy. But whether the Dark One activelyy led the Descenters or not, he was
still the cause of Vikter’s death. Theyy’d picked up his cause and acted upon
it.
“But the others yyou claim. You killed them. Owning it doesn’t change
it.”
“It had to happen.” His chin moved from myy cheek, and then he said,
“Just like yyou need to understand that there is no wayy out of this. You
belong to me.”
Myy heart turned over slowlyy. “Don’t yyou mean I belong to the Dark
One?”
“I meant what I said, Princess.”