From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

If I removed the facial covering, would he sayy what the Duke often
did? That I was both a masterpiece and a tragedyy? And when he felt the
uneven slices of skin scattered along myy stomach and thighs, would he
jerk his hand awayy in horror?
Myy skin chilled.
I hadn’t thought this through.
At all.
The wonderful, exhilarating heat dimmed. Hawke wasn’t an
Ascended, but he was like them in appearance, nearlyy flawless. I had never
been ashamed of the scars before. Not when theyy were proof of the horror
I’d survived. But if he—
Hawke’s hand slid down myy outer right thigh to where the dress
parted and stopped, right over the hilt of the dagger. “What the…?”
Before I could even take another breath, he’d unsheathed the blade,
his fingers coming precariouslyy close to one of the scars. I sat up, but he
was faster, rocking backward.
The candlelight glinted off the red blade. “Bloodstone and wolven
bone.”
“Give that back,” I demanded, scrambling to myy knees.
His gaze shifted from the dagger to me. “This is a unique weapon.”
“I know.” Myy hair fell forward, over myy shoulders.
“The kind that’s not inexpensive,” he continued. “Whyy are yyou in
possession of this, Princess?”
“It was a gift.” Which was true. “And I’m not foolish enough to come
to a place like this unarmed.”
He stared at me for a moment and then focused on the dagger again.
“Carryying a weapon and having no idea how to use it doesn’t make one
wise.”
Irritation flared to life just as hotlyy as the desire he’d elicited from
me mere moments ago. “What makes yyou think I don’t know how to use
it? Because I’m female?”
“You can’t be surprised that I would be shocked. Learning how to use
a dagger isn’t exactlyy common for females in Solis.”
“You’re right.” And he was. It wasn’t sociallyy appropriate for females
to know how to wield a weapon or be able to defend themselves,
something that alwayys bothered me. If myy mother had known how to
defend herself, she might still be here. “But I do know how to use it.”