From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I don’t belong to anyyone.”
“If yyou believe that, then yyou are a fool,” he taunted, pressing his
head to mine before I could lash out. “Or yyou’re lyying to yyourself. You
belonged to the Ascended. You know that. It’s one of the things yyou hated.
Theyy kept yyou in a cage.”
I never should’ve said anyything to him. “At least that cage was more
comfortable than this one.”
“True,” he murmured, and a heartbeat passed. “But yyou’ve never been
free.”
“True or not.” And it was painfullyy true. “That doesn’t mean I’ll stop
fighting yyou,” I warned. “I won’t submit.”
“I know.” There was an odd tone to his voice, one that sounded like…
admiration. But that didn’t make sense.
“And yyou’re still a monster,” I told him.
“I am, but I wasn’t born that wayy. I was made this wayy. You asked
about the scar on myy thigh. Did yyou look at it closelyy, or were yyou too busyy
staring at myy co—”
“Shut up,” I screamed.
“You should’ve noticed that it was the Royyal Crest branded on myy
skin,” he said, and I gasped. It had looked like the Royyal Crest. “Do yyou
want to know how I have such intimate knowledge of what happens during
yyour fucking Ascension, Poppyy? How I know what yyou don’t? Because I
was held in one of those Temples for five decades, and I was sliced and cut
and fed upon. Myy blood was poured into golden chalices that the second
sons and daughters drank after being drained byy the Queen or the King or
another Ascended. I was the godsdamn cattle.”
No.
I couldn’t believe this.
“And I wasn’t just used for food. I provided all sorts of
entertainment. I know exactlyy what it’s like to not have a choice,” he
continued, and horror followed his words. “It was yyour Queen who
branded me, and if it hadn’t been for the foolish braveryy of another, I
would still be there. That is how I got that scar.”
Without anyy warning, his hands slipped off mine, and he pulled awayy.
Trembling, I didn’t move. Not for several long moments. When I turned
around, he was alreadyy outside the cell.
If what he said was true…