Poppy And Hawke Quotes

You're an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature.

When you listen to me, I think the stars will fall.

That was very naughty,” Hawke chided, snatching the sword out of my hand as if I hadn’t been holding onto it. “You are so incredibly violent.” He dipped his chin and whispered, “It still turns me on.

Would you love to hear that I really like you?" he asked. My heart skipped a beat, but I ignored the stupid organ. "Would you be sad if I said no?" "I'd be devastated.

Poppy, you wound me. In my heart,” he said, placing his hand over his chest. “Again.” “Don’t whine. You’ll heal. Again,” I snapped. “Unfortunately.

The tender hug didn't fix the world. The pain and anger were still there. But Hawke was so warm, and his embrace was...gods, it felt like hope, like a promise that I wouldn't always feel this way.

Tiny coils of tension formed in my stomach. Part of me wanted to be reminded of what I surely had not forgotten. Thank the gods, the smarter, logical part of me won out. "There was nothing worth remembering." "Now you insult me after throwing a dagger at my face? You've wounded my tender feelings.

I reacted without thought, slamming my elbow into his stomach. Casteel grunted out a curse. “Please don’t fight atop the horse,” Delano called out from somewhere behind us. “None of us wish to watch Setti trample either of you.” “Speak for yourself,” came Kieran’s droll voice. Casteel straightened behind me. “Don’t worry. Neither of us will fall. It was just a love tap.” “That did not look like a love tap,” Naill commented. “That’s because it was a very passionate one,” Casteel replied. “You’re about to get a love tap to your face,” I muttered under my breath. Casteel curled his arm more firmly around my waist as he laughed.

Why did he have to have such a...charming grin? It was the kind I knew numerous others had fallen prey to. I doubted any of them regretted that fall. I knew I didn't.

Most people aren’t as insane as you,” I said in a throaty voice that wasn’t mine. “That’s not a very nice thing to say.” He scraped harder with his sharp teeth, just below where he’d bitten me before, and I gasped as my body jerked. “And the truth is, you like my brand of insanity.

But he also filled the air with a certain type of unquantifiable tension, as if the room were electrified. Anyone around him had to be aware of that.

But there was nothing to be done or found here other than what was most likely reality, and what did I believe about truth? That it often could be terrifying, yes. But with truth came power. And I was never one to hide from the truth.

I hate you.' 'No, you don't.' 'And I'm about to stab you,' I warned. 'In a very violent manner.' Concern flickered across his face as he lowered the book. 'Now that, I believe.

Not everything was a lie, Poppy. Not everything.

If you wanted to kill me, you should've aimed for the head, Princess. But worse yet, you forgot.' 'Forgot what?' 'That it was real.

You know this shirt was beyond repair, right?' 'Wha-?' The sound of cloth tearing was my only explanation.

You can't do anything wrong. How have you not learned that yet?

Lust was not love, it was not loyalty, and it was not long lasting.

Oh, poor sweet Poppy. He’d mixed me up with my freak brother. If he couldn’t even handle being on stage, he wouldn’t last a second with Viol.

Hawke?' I whispered, my heart crashing like thunder. 'Kiss me. Please.

You are nothing to me if you're dead.

You know what I would love right about now?' 'For there to be no talk of giant, people-eating rats?

Algunas cosas, una vez dichas, cobraban vida propia.

It hurts.' 'I know.' Misreading what I said, his gaze latched on to mine. 'I'm going to fix it. I'll make the pain go away. I'll make it all go away. You won't carry one more scar.

I have a feeling if you don't leave, he's just going to stand there and drain precious air from my room-' 'While looking exceptionally handsome, ' he added. 'You forgot to add that.

But you know how easy it is to be yourself when you wear a mask.' His voice was low as his gaze held mine. 'How anything you want becomes achievable when you can pretend that no one knows who you are.

Hawke took a step away from the door. “I’m not just going to hold you. I won’t stop at kissing you. My fingers won’t be the only thing inside you. My need for you is far too great, Poppy. If I stay, you will not walk out this door the Maiden.

You still out there, Princess?” My lips parted as my eyes widened at the sound of his voice. It was Hawke. In that room. I couldn’t believe it. “Or have you fallen to your death?” He continued. I briefly debated the merits of jumping. “I really hope that’s not the case since I’m pretty positive that would reflect poorly on me since I assumed you were in your room.” A pause. ”Behaving. And not on a ledge, several dozen feet in the air, for reasons I can’t even begin to fathom but am dying to learn.”? “Dammit,” I whispered, looking around as if I could find another escape route. Which was stupid. Unless I suddenly sprouted wings, the only exit point was through the window. A heartbeat later, Hawke stuck his head out and looked up at me. The soft glow of the lamp glanced off his cheekbone as he raised his brow. “Hi?” I squeaked. He stared at me a moment. “Get inside.” I didn’t move. With a sigh so heavy it should’ve rattled the walls, he extended his hand toward me. “Now.” “You could say please,” I muttered. His eyes narrowed. “There are a whole lot of things I could say to you that you should be grateful I’m keeping to myself.” “Whatever,” I grumbled. “Move back.” He waited, but when I didn’t take his hand, he disappeared back into the room, grousing under his breath. “If you fall, you’re going to be in so much trouble.” “If I fall, I’ll be dead, so I’m not sure how I’d also be in trouble.” “Poppy,” he snapped, and I couldn’t help it. I grinned.

A wildly discordant mash of gongs and war drums drowned out the lute music from the front of the parade. Merchants hawked their wares every time they turned a corner, screaming prices with the sort of urgency that she associated with evacuation warnings.

Your name isn't Hawke Flynn. You're him! You're the Dark One.' 'I prefer the name Casteel or Cas,' he replied then, his tone hard and distant. 'If you don't want to call me that, you can call me Prince Casteel Da'Neer, the second son of King Valyn Da'Neer, brother of Prince Malik Da'Neer.' I shuddered. 'But do not call me the Dark One. That is not my name.

Stop calling me that!' I squirmed. 'And you should stop doing that,' he said, his voice rougher, deeper. 'Then again. Please continue. It's the perfect kind of torture.' ... 'You're sick.' 'And twisted. Perverse, and dark.' The rough stubble of his chin dragged over my cheek, and my spine arched in response. He seemed to get even close as his fingers spread over mine. 'I'm a lot of things-' 'Murderer?

I can't do that. Right? I mean, I don't have... the, uh, parts for it.' 'Parts?' Kieran coughed. 'What have you been filling her head with?' The Prince slid him a bland look. 'Teeth. I do believe she means these.' Curling his upper lip, he ran his tongue over one fang, and my stomach dipped and twisted in a mixture of pleasure and unease. 'They don't need that. They just need your blood for them to complete the Ascension.

I plotted to take you from everything you knew, and I did, but that's nowhere near the worst of my crimes. I've killed people, Poppy. There is so much blood on my hands that they will never be clean. I will overthrow the Queen who cared for you, and many more will die in the process. I am not a good man.' He swallowed hard. 'But I am trying to be right now.' ... 'I don't want you to be good.' Without even realising it, I had lifted my other hand, fisting the front of his shirt. 'I want you.

I hate you.' I scrambled to fold myself back up into my blanket cocoon. 'See, that's the problem. You don't hate me.' I had no response to that. 'You know what I think?' 'No. And I don't want to know.' He ignored that. 'You like me.' My brows knitted together as I stared out over the small clearing. 'Enough to be wildly inappropriate with me.' A pause. 'On multiple occasions.' 'Good gods, I'd rather freeze to death at this point.' 'Oh, right. We're pretending none of that happened. I keep forgetting.' 'Just because I don't bring it up every five minutes doesn't mean I'm pretending it didn't happen.' 'But bringing it up every five minutes is so much fun.

This is highly inappropriate,' I muttered. His answering chuckle stroked my nerves in all the wrong- and right- ways. 'More inappropriate than you masquerading as a wholly different kind of maid at the Red Pearl?' My jaw snapped shut so quickly and tightly, I was surprised I didn't crack a molar. 'Or more inappropriate than the night of the Rite, when you let me-' 'Shut up,' I hissed. 'I'm not done yet,' he said, his chest pressing against my back. 'What about sneaking off to fight the Craven on the Rise? Or that diary-?' 'I get your point, Hawke. Can you stop talking now?' 'You're the one who started this.' 'Actually, no, I did not.' 'What?' A low laugh left him. 'You said, and I quote, "this is wildly, grossly, irrefutably...' 'Did you just learn what an adverb is today? Because that is not what I said.' Hawke sighed. 'Sorry.' He didn't sound sorry about it at all.

I'm sorry, for... not... protecting you.' His face blurred as I stared at him. 'The blood wasn't pouring from the wound as freely now. 'You have protected me. You still will.' 'I... didn't.' His gaze trekked over my shoulder to where Lord Mazeen stood. 'I... failed you... as a man. Forgive me.' 'There's nothing to forgive you for,' I cried. 'You've done nothing wrong.' His dulling eyes fixed on me. 'Please.' 'I forgive you.' I rocked forward, dropping my forehead to his. 'I forgive you. I do. I forgive you.' Vikter shuddered. 'Please don't,' I whispered. 'Please don't leave me. lease. I can't. I can't do this without you. Please.' His hand slipped from mine. I drew in air, but it went nowhere as I lifted my head, looking down at him. I frantically searched his face. His eyes were open, his lips parted, but he didn't see me. He didn't see anything anymore. 'Vikter?' I pressed down on his chest, feeling for his heart, for just a beat. That's all I wanted to feel. Just a heartbeat. Please. 'Vikter?' My name was whispered softly. It was Hawke. He placed his hand over mine. I looked at him and shook my head. 'No.' 'I'm sorry,' he said, gently lifting my hand. 'I'm so sorry.' 'No,' I repeated, my breath now coming in short, rapid pants. 'No.

I reached for his hand but stopped. 'If someone saw me... saw you-' 'Saw us? Holding hands? Dear gods, the scandal.' Another quick grin surfaced., and this time, the dimple appeared. 'No one is here.' He glanced around the hall. 'Unless you see people I can't.' 'Yes, I see the spirits of those who've made bad life choices,' I replied dryly.

You're such a bad influence,' I murmured as I placed my hand in his.' Hawke curled his fingers around mine. The weight and warmth of his hand was a pleasant shock. 'Only the bad can be influenced, Princess.

After you, Princess.' I turned, eyes narrowing as he stepped aside. 'You need to stop calling me that.' 'But I like it.' Brushing past him, I lifted the hem of my skirt as I stepped onto the slight rise. 'But I don't. 'That's a lie.

I was wrong earlier when I said you looked lovely,' he said. 'What?' 'You look absolutely exquisite, Poppy. Beautiful,' he said, giving a little shake of his head. 'I just... I needed to tell you that.

It used to be a place of refuge,' he said. 'Now, it's become a place of nightmares. But it can only stay that way if you let it.' 'If I let it? How do I change the fact that Rylan died out there?' 'You don't.' I stared up at him. 'I'm not following where you're going with this.' He stepped closer, dipping his chin. 'You can't change what happened in there. Just like you can't change the fact that the courtyard ued to give you peace. You just replace your last memory- a bad one- with a new one- a good one- and you keep doing that until the initial one no longer outweighs the replacement.' I opened my mouth, but then I really thought about what he'd said. My gaze travelled to the darkness beyond the door. What he's said actually made sense. 'You make it sound so easy.' 'It's not. It's hard and uncomfortable, but it works.' He extended his bare hand, and I looked down, staring at it as if a dangerous animal rested in his palm- a fluffy, cute one that I wanted to pet. 'And you won't be alone. I'll be there with you, and not just watching over you.

I don't want you getting too cold, ' he added, his breath warm against my temple. He was so much taller, even sitting as straight as I was, my head still didn't reach his chin. 'I feel like that's an important part of my duty as your personal Royal Guard.' 'Is that what you're doing right now? Protecting me from the cold by pulling me into your lap?' 'Exactly.' His hand was against my side, the weight like a brand. I stared at what I thought might be his throat. 'This is incredibly inappropriate.' 'More inappropriate than reading a dirty journal?' 'Yes,' I insisted, heat creeping into my face. 'No.' His deep chuckle rumbled through me. 'I can't even lie. This is inappropriate.' 'Then why?' 'Why?' His chin grazed the top of my head. 'Because I wanted to.' I blinked once and then twice. 'And what if I didn't want to?' Another chuckle sent an acute shiver through me. 'Princess, I'm confident that if you didn't want me to do something, I'd be lying flat on my back with a dagger at my throat before I even took my next breath. Even if you can't see an inch in front of you.

Is this why you led me out here to this place?' 'What is this, Princess?' 'To be... inappropriate.' 'And why would I do that?' he asked, his voice dropping low as his hand touched my arm. 'Why? I think it's pretty obvious, Hawke. I'm sitting in your lap. I doubt that's how you normally hold innocent conversations with people.' 'Very rarely is anything I do innocent, Princess.' 'Shocker,' I muttered.

So, you're suggesting I led you out here, instead of toward a private room with a bed' - he dragged the tips of his fingers down my right arm- 'to engage in a particular type of inappropriate behaviour?' 'That's exactly what I'm saying, though my room would've been a better option.' My heart had already started pounding the moment my rear ended up in his lap. Now, it felt as if it were going to explode out of my chest. 'What if I said that isn't true?' 'I...' My stomach fluttered as his fingers found their way to my hip. 'I wouldn't believe you.' 'Then what if I said it didn't start off that way?' His thumb moved against my hip. But then there was the moonlight and you, with your hair down, in this dress, and then the idea occurred to me that this would be the perfect location for some wildly inappropriate behaviour.' 'Then I... I would say that's more likely.' HIs hand glided over the thin, gauzy material of the gown. 'So, there you have it.' 'At least, you're honest.

Tell you what, I'll make you a deal.' 'A deal?' 'If I do anything you don't like...' Hawke's hand slid down my thigh, causing my breath to catch. Through the dress, his hand closed over the dagger. 'I give you permission to stab me.' 'That would be excessive.' 'I was hoping you'd give me just a measly flesh wound,' he added. 'But it'd be worth finding out.' I grinned. 'You're such a bad influence.' 'I think we've already established that only the bad can be influenced.' 'And I think I already told you that your logic is faulty.

I'm the Maiden, Hawke,' I reminded him- or myself, I wasn't sure. 'And I don't care.' My eyes flew open in shock. 'I can't believe you just said that.' 'I did, and I'll say it again. I don't care what you are,' Hawke's hand slid off my neck. A moment later, I felt his palm flatten against my cheek with unerring accuracy. 'I care about who you are.

Tell me about the conversations you and your brother escaped? The ones that drove you to the caverns. Tell me why you refuse to take the throne even when you know your brother won't be fit to do it when you free him,' I demanded. 'Tell me why you thought it was okay in the first fucking place to kidnap me and use me as random before you even knew me!' Frustration crowded my throat. 'Tell me why it never occurred to you to mention the Joining. Tell me about Gianna, Casteel. Does she care for you? Does she want this engagement? Do you care for her? He exhaled roughly, shaking his head, but I wasn't done. 'Tell me why you never told me the truth about Spessa's End until I was here? Was it because you didn't trust me with that information? Tell me about her. The one you loved and lost because of the Ascended. Tell me what happened to her. Will you even say her name?' My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, and my anger overwhelmed my senses, blocking out his emotions completely. 'Tell me how you can stand to be near me when I represent the people who took so much from you. Tell me why you really came to my room tonight. Tell me something that matters. That is real.' Casteel's chest rose with a heavy breath. 'You want something real?' 'Yes.' 'I came to your room tonight to learn if what you said at dinner was true. That I was the first person to ever seen you. That I was the first thing you ever chose for yourself. That you chose me when you knew me as Hawke, and even after you learned the truth, you still chose me,' he growled, his eyes luminous. 'I came here tonight to learn if you really felt like you were betraying Vikter and Rylan, all the others and yourself. I came here to see if that'd changed. Was all of that real, or were you just pretending?' I took a step back, entirely too exposed, and it had nothing to do with the ridiculous nightgown. I hadn't expected him to go there. I wasn't sure why, but I hadn't. He shook his head as he barked out a short, humourless laugh. 'Yeah. Silence. As usual. That's why there was never a reason to tell you any of those things you've demanded from me.' I stared up at him, hands and arms trembling. 'I don't know what you want from me.' 'Everything,' he bit out between clenched teeth. 'I want everything.

There is one more thing I need. Something that I've needed for days. Weeks. Months. Maybe forever.' The bridge of his nose brushed mine. 'But I know you won't allow it. Not like this.' The pounding in my chest moved lower. 'What... what have you needed for so long?' 'You.' I shuddered. 'So, maybe, just for a few minutes, when no one is looking- when there's no one but us- we can pretend.' Leaning into the cupboard, I felt dizzy, as if I weren't getting enough air into my lungs. 'Pretend?' 'We pretend that there's no yesterday. No tomorrow. It's just us, right now, and I can be Hawke,' he said in the heated space between us. I shook once more. He touched my cheek, sending a bolt of awareness through me. His fingers drifted over my chin, my lower lip. 'You can just be Poppy, and we can simply share a kiss.' 'A kiss?' He nodded. 'Just pretend.' His lips now a whisper against my cheek. 'Just a kiss.

You are exceptionally skilled at being disobedient,' he growled. 'Only second to your talent of driving me crazy.

Just like you need to understand that there is no way out of this. You belong to me.' My heart turned over slowly. 'Don't you mean I belong to the Dark One?' 'I meant what I said, Princess.' 'I don't belong to anyone.' 'If you believe that, then you are a fool,' he taunted, pressing his head to mine before I could lash out. 'Or you're lying to yourself. You belonged to the Ascended. You know that. It's one of the things you hated. They kept you in a cage.' I never should've said anything to him. 'At least that cage was more comfortable than this one.' 'True,' he murmured, and a heartbeat passed. 'But you've never been free.' 'True or not.' And it was painfully true. 'That doesn't mean I'll stop fighting you,' 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. 'You're still a monster,' I told him. 'I am, but I wasn't born that way. I was made this way.

That was very naughty,' Hawke chided, snatching the sword out of my hand as if I hadn't been holding onto it. 'You are so incredibly violent.' He dipped his chin and whispered, 'It still turns me on.

You hit like you're angry with me.

Damn,' Kieran drew the word out. 'Should we intervene?' Delano asked, sounding concerned. 'No,' Elijah answered with a chuckle. 'This is the best thing I've seen in a while. Who would've thought the Maiden could throw down?' 'This is why you don't mix business with pleasure,' Kieran commented. 'Is that the case?' Elijah whistled. 'My money is on her then.' 'Traitors,' gasped Hawke...

Why didn't you say anything? This could become infected.' It took everything in me to keep my arms at my sides. 'Well, there really wasn't a lot of time, considering you were busy betraying me.' His eyes narrowed. 'That's no excuse.

You're a monster.' Hawke's eyes flared an intense gold, and they weren't normal. They'd never been natural. 'You finally see me for what I am.' I did. He was a thing of nightmares hidden in the guise of a dream, and I had fallen for it. I fell so hard.

Why would you say that?' 'Are you seriously asking me that?' Yes I am. It doesn't make sense.' 'You don't make sense.' I hit his shoulder- or chest. Some extremely hard part of him. Hawke grunted. 'Ouch.' I so did not hit him hard enough for that. 'You're fine.' 'I'm bruised.' 'You're ridiculous,' I retorted. 'And it's you who makes no sense.' 'I'm the one sitting here being honest. You're the one hitting me. How do I not make sense?' 'Because this whole thing makes no sense.' Frustration rose swiftly through me, and I started to stand, but the hand on my hip stopped me. Or I let it stop me. I wasn't sure. And that was even more irritating. 'You could be spending time with anyone, Hawke- any number of people you wouldn't have to hide in a willow tree to be with.' 'And yet, I'm here with you. And before you even begin to think it's because of my duty to you, it's not. I could've just walked you back to your room and stayed out in the hall.' 'That's my point. It makes no sense. You can have a slew of willing participants in... whatever this is. It would be easy,' I said. Pretty Britta came to mind. I was sure he'd had her. 'You can't have me. I'm... I'm un-have-able.' 'I'm confident that's not even a word.' 'That's not the point. I'm not allowed to do this. Any of this. I shouldn't have done what I did at the Red Pearl,' I continued. 'It doesn't matter if I want.' 'And you do want.' His whisper danced over my cheek. 'What you want is me.' My breath caught. 'That doesn't matter.' 'What you want should always matter.' A short, harsh laugh left me. 'It doesn't, and that's another thing that isn't the point. You could-' 'I heard you the first time, Princess. You're right. I could find someone who would be easier.' His fingers traced the line of my mask from my right ear and along my cheek. I had no idea how he could see. 'Ladies or Lords in Wait, who aren't burdened by rules or limitations, who aren't Maidens I'm sworn to protect. There are a lot of ways I could occupy my time that don't include explaining in great detail why I'm choosing to be where I am, with whom I choose.' The corners of my lips started to turn down. 'The thing is,' he went on, 'none of them intrigue me. You do.' You intrigue me. 'It's really that simple for you?' I asked, wanting to believe him, and also not. His forehead rested against mine, startling me. 'Nothing is ever simple. And when it is, it's rarely ever worth it.

It's just that... gods, there are a lot of reasons why I don't understand how you can be this intrigued. You've seen me.' My faced heated and I sincerely hoped he couldn't see it. I hated saying it, but it was a reality. 'You've seen what I look like-' 'I have, and I think you already know what I think. I said it in front of you, in front of the Duke, and I told you outside the Great Hall-

I'm not afraid to speak the truth. He may be powerful, but he's just a weak man, who proves his strength by attempting to humiliate those more powerful than he is. Someone like you, with your strength? It makes him feel incompetent- which he is. And your scars? They are a testament to your fortitude. They are proof of what you survived. They are evidence of why you are here when so many twice your age wouldn't be. They're not ugly. Far from it. They're beautiful, Poppy.

Poppy. 'That's the third time you've called me that,' I said. 'Fourth,' he corrected, and I blinked. 'We're friends, aren't we? Only your friends and your brother call you that, and you may be the Maiden, and I'm a Royal Guard, but all things considered, I would hope that you and I are friends.' 'We are.' And we were. His hand flattened against my cheek, and a sigh shuddered through him. 'And I'm not... I'm not being a good friend or guard right now. I'm not...' His hand slid, and his fingers curled around the nape of my neck for a few seconds before he slipped his hand away. 'I really should get you back to your room. It's getting late.

You don't have to ask me twice, Princess, and you never have to beg.

I was seconds from taking you to the ground and becoming a very, very bad guard.

I need to get you back, Princess.' 'I know.' But still, I held onto him. He chuckled, and I grinned into his shoulder. 'You have to let me go, though.' 'I know.' I sighed, yet I remained where I was, thinking that the moment we stepped outside of the willow, we would be back in the real world, no longer in our haven where I was Poppy, and who I was mattered. 'I don't want to.' He was silent for so long that I feared that I'd said the wrong thing, but then his arm tightened around me again. When he spoke his voice was strangely rough. 'Neither do I.

Do you understand what she is?' he demanded, voice so low it was barely audible. 'Do you even understand what you could've caused if anyone other than I had come upon you two?' I stepped forward. 'Vikter-' 'I know exactly who she is,' Hawke shot back. 'Not what she is. Maybe you've forgotten that she's not just a godsdamn inanimate object whose only purpose is to serve a kingdom, but I haven't.

You're not being very nice, but at least you're talking. That's progress.

Ten.' His brows knitted. 'What?' 'Ten times, you've called me Poppy.' One side of his lips tipped up. The faintest trace of the dimple appeared. 'I like calling you that, but I like calling you Princess more.' 'Shocker.

It's okay, you know?' 'What is?' 'Everything that you're feeling,' he said. 'And everything that you're not.

You should’ve noticed that it was the Royal Crest branded on my skin,” he said, and I gasped. It had looked like the Royal Crest. “Do you want to know how I have such intimate knowledge of what happens during your fucking Ascension, Poppy? How I know what you don’t? Because I was held in one of those Temples for five decades, and I was sliced and cut and fed upon. My blood was poured into golden chalices that the second sons and daughters drank after being drained by 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 exactly what it’s like to not have a choice,” he continued, and horror followed his words. “It was your Queen who branded me, and if it hadn’t been for the foolish bravery of another, I would still be there. That is how I got that scar.” Without any warning, his hands slipped off mine, and he pulled away. Trembling, I didn’t move. Not for several long moments. When I turned around, he was already outside the cell. If what he said was true… No. It couldn’t be. Gods, it could not be. Suddenly unbearably cold, I folded my arms around myself, crossing the chains. Hawke stared at me through the bars. “Neither the prince nor I want to see you harmed. As I’ve said, we need you alive.” “Why?” I whispered. “Why am I so important?” “Because they have the true heir to the kingdom. They captured him when he freed me.” I thought that the Dark One was the only heir to the Atlantian throne. If what Hawke said was true, it could only mean...“The Dark One has a brother?” He nodded. “You are the Queen’s favorite. You’re important to her and to the kingdom. I don’t know why. Maybe it has something to do with your gift. Perhaps it doesn’t. But we will release you back to them if they release Prince Malik.

His chin lifted. “You can choose not to believe anything I’ve said, but you should so that what I’m about to say doesn’t come as such a shock to you. I will be leaving shortly to meet up with King Da’Neer of Atlantia to tell him that I have you.” My head jerked upright. “Yes. The King lives. So does Queen Eloana. The parents of the one you call the Dark One and Prince Malik.” Shocked, I couldn’t move as he turned to leave, but he stopped. And Hawke didn’t look back as he said, “Not everything was a lie, Poppy. Not everything.

Hawke’s lips grazed my cheek and then found mine. He kissed me softly, sweetly. “Don’t forget this.” I touched his jaw. “I don’t think I ever could.” “Promise me,” he said, seeming to not hear me as he lifted his head. His gaze snagged with mine. “Promise me you won’t forget this, Poppy. That no matter what happens tomorrow, the next day, next week, you won’t forget this—forget that this was real.” I couldn’t look away. “I promise. I won’t forget.

I hope you realise that no matter what anyone has ever told you, you are more worthy than anyone I've ever met.' My heart squeezed in the best way. 'You haven't met enough people, then.' 'I have met too many.' He lifted his chin, kissing my forehead. He leaned back, sliding his thumb along my jaw. 'You deserve so much more than what awaits you.

I know you're not going to admit it,' Hawke said, voice low and thick. 'But you and I both know that I was right.

You think you hate me now? If I do what you're asking, you'll want to murder me.' He paused, and his lips curved upward. 'Well, you'll want to murder me more than you already do. You don't have control of yourself right now.

I was dying. 'No, you're not,' he argued, and I realised I'd said the last part out loud. 'You cannot die. I will not allow it.

That's where you're wrong, Princess.' His eyes glowed a fiery amber as he glared down at me. 'You don't have options when it comes to your own well-being and your own foolish stubbornness.' 'Excuse me?' 'I won't let you weaken or starve yourself because you're mad. And i do get it. I get why you're upset. Whey you want to fight me on everything, every step of the way.' He took that step toward me, and my spine locked up as I refused to back away. His eyes burned brighter. 'I want you to, Princess. I enjoy it.' 'You're twisted. 'Never said I wasn't,' he retorted. 'So, fight me. Argue with me. See if you can actually injure me next time. I dare you.' My eyes widened as I lowered my arms. 'You're... there's something wrong with you.' 'That may be true, but what is also true, is the fact that I will not let you put yourself in unnecessary danger.' 'Maybe you've forgotten, but I can handle myself.' 'I haven't forgotten. I won't ever prevent you from lifting a sword to protect your life or those you care about,' he said. 'But I won't let you shove that sword through your own heart to prove a point.

Even though you want nothing more than to not feel what you do. I want to hear you say my real name.' 'You're a bastard.' I whispered. One side of his lips curled. 'Some people call me that, yes, but that's not the name I'm waiting to hear, Princess.

I saw nothing in the darkness. But I felt everything.

I should be asleep. So should you.' 'The sun will be up sooner than we realise, but you're not going to sleep anytime 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 my throat out, or a barrat to eat my face isn't exactly soothing.' 'A Craven will not get to you. Neither will a barrat.' 'I know. I have my dagger under my bag.' 'Of course, you do.

I bet I can get you relaxed enough that you sleep like you're on a cloud, basking in the sun.' I snorted again, rolling my eyes. 'You doubt me?' 'There's nothing anyone or anything in this world could do that would make that happen.' 'There is so much you don't know.' My eyes narrowed. 'That may 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 you drift off to sleep with a smile on your face, you're going to tell me I'm right,' he told me.

When you listen to me, I think the stars will fall.' He followed me down so he spoke just above my ear. 'I wish I could capture this moment somehow.' 'Well, now I want to lift my head again.' 'Why am I not surprised?' The sweep of his touch drifted lower, now below my navel. 'But if you did, then you wouldn't find out what I have planned. And if I know anything about you, it's that you're curious.

Why did you go to the Red Pearl, Poppy? Why did you let me kiss you under the willow?' I opened my mouth, but his lips brushed the curve of my cheek, stealing my words. 'You were there to live. Isn't that what you said? You let me pull you into that empty chamber to experience life. You let me kiss you under the willow because you wanted to feel. There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.' His lips coasted back up my cheek, sending a fine shiver over my skin. 'Why can't tonight be that?

You can't sleep beside me,' I hissed. 'I'm not.' With the edge of his blanket in hand, he draped it, along with his arm, over me. The heavy weight of his appendage settled at my waist, stunning me for a few precious moments. 'What do you call this, then?' 'I'm sleeping with you.' My eyes opened wide. 'How is that any different?' 'There's a huge difference.' His warm breath coasted over my cheek, causing my pulse to dip and then rise. I stared at the darkness, every part of my body focused on the feel of his arm around me. 'You can't sleep with me, Hawke.' 'And I can't have you freezing or getting sick. It's too dangerous to light a fire, and unless you'd rather I got someone else to sleep with you, there really aren't many other options.' 'I don't want anyone else to sleep with me.' 'I already knew that,' he replied, his tone both teasing and smug. Heat blasted my cheeks. 'I don't want anyone to sleep with me.

You shouldn't look at me like that.' His voice had thickened. 'Like what?' 'You know exactly how you're looking at me.' He closed his eyes. 'Actually, you might not, and that's why I should leave.' 'How am I looking at you, Hawke?' His eyes opened. 'Like I don't deserve to be looked at. Not by you.' 'Not true,' I told him. 'I wish that was the case. Gods, I do. I need to leave.' He rose and backed up, his stare lingering. I didn't think he wanted to leave at all. He took a deep breath. 'Goodnight, Poppy.

And it was strange to know myself and be so certain when I'd spent so long not knowing myself- never really being allowed to discover who I was, what I might like or dislike, what I'd want or need. But I knew now. I had known the moment I had asked him to stay. I knew what the consequences could be. I knew what I was, and what was expected of me, and I knew I could no longer be that. It wasn't what I wanted in life. It had never been my choice. But this... this I wanted. Hawke was who I wanted. This was my choice.

Hawke wasn't the catalyst. He was the reward.

You are so damn beautiful,' he whispered, his voice thick. 'And so unexpected.

That will be intriguing.' He paused. 'And torturous since you'll be riding with me.' My heart skipped over itself as I looked over at him. 'And why is that intriguing? And torturous?' One side of his lips curved up. The dimple appeared. 'Besides the fact that it will allow me to keep a very close eye on you? Use your imagination, Princess.' My imagination didn't fail me then. 'That's inappropriate,' I told him. 'Is it?' He dipped his chin. 'You're not the Maiden out here. You're Poppy, unveiled and unburduned.

I thought you'd be asleep.' 'Is that why you 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 you were prepared just in case it wasn't someone you wanted to see.' 'What if you'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 only other place to sit was the very uncomfortable-looking chair, the bed was the only option. I sat on the edge. 'I never fail to amaze you,' he replied. I smiled. 'Thank you for proving what I just said.

I... you're perfect.' His expression tightened. 'No, I'm not. You deserve someone who is, but I'm too much of a bastard to allow that.' I shook my head, unsure how he couldn't see that he was deserving. 'I disagree with everything you just said.' 'Shocker,' he said, and then he curled his arm around me.

It didn't matter if the gods found me unworthy because I was worthy of this- of laughter and excitement, of happiness and anticipation, of safety and acceptance, of pleasure and experience, of everything Hawke made me feel. And he was worthy of whatever consequences came from this because this wasn't just about him. I knew that from the moment I'd asked him to stay. It was about me. What I wanted. My choice.

He kissed me softly, sweetly. 'Don't forget this.' I touched his jaw. 'I don't think I ever could.' 'Promise me,' he said, seeming not to hear me as he lifted his hand. His gaze snagged with mine. 'Promise me you won't forget this, Poppy. That no matter what happens tomorrow, the next day, next week, you won't forget this- forget that this was real.' I couldn't look away. 'I promise. I won't forget.

You're intriguing,' Hawke commented as Setti trotted ahead of Airrick. 'Intriguing is your favourite word,' I told him. 'It is when I'm around you.' I let myself grin because no one was watching, and I wanted to. 'Why am I intriguing now?' 'When are you not intriguing?' he said. 'You aren't afraid of Descenters or Craven, but you're shuddering like a wet kitten at the mere mention of a barrat.

Charles, a footman who had once worked on his father's farm and who loved animals, appeared and came over to help her prepare dishes of boiled chicken and brown rice for the cats and dogs waiting eagerly at their feet. When guests were staying, Charles often assisted with the care of her furry brood. Without asking, he set to work, even taking a few moments to gather fresh meat scraps for Aeolus, her wounded hawk, and cut-up apple and beetroots for Poppy, a convalescing rabbit who had an injured leg. He gave her several more apple quarters for the horses, who got jealous if she didn't bring them treats as well. Once all her cats and dogs were fed, Esme set off for the stables, laden pail in hand, Burr trotting at her heels. She stopped along the way to chat with the gardener and his assistant, who gave her some timothy grass, comfrey and lavender to supplement the hay she regularly fed Poppy.

¿Y qué opinaba yo de la verdad? Que a menudo podía ser aterradora, sí. Pero con la verdad venía el poder.

so, maybe, just for a few minutes, when no one is looking- when there's no one but us- we can pretend." "Pretend?" "We pretend there's no yesterday. No tomorrow. It's just us right now, and I can be Hawke, and you can just be Poppy, and we can simply share a kiss.

You're... you're nothing like I expected.' The way he said that sounded so genuine that some of my irritation eased. 'Was it my skill with an arrow or the blade? Or was it that fact that I took you to the ground?' 'Barely took me to the ground,' he corrected. His chin dipped, and his lashes lowered, shielding his odd eyes. 'All of those things. But you forgot to add in the Red Pearl. I never expected to find the Maiden there.' I snorted. 'I imagine not.

You're a decent person, Princess.' He sat back. 'That's why you care.' 'And you're not a decent person?' Hawke lowered his gaze. 'I'm many things. Decent is rarely one of them.

It's weird, isn't it?' 'What is?' His gaze met mine again, and I felt a hitch in my chest. I couldn't look away. I felt... ensnared. 'How it feels like I've known you longer. You feel that, too.' I wanted to deny it, but he was right, and it was weird. I said none of that because I didn't want to acknowledge it. Doing so felt like a start down a road I couldn't travel. Knowing that caused a deep, twisting sensation in my chest, and I didn't want to acknowledge that either.

I refuse to be helpless.' 'No one should be.

I hate this.' 'Hate what?' I asked, confused. Hawke didn't respond immediately. 'I hate talking to the veil.' 'Oh.' Understanding rippled through me as I reached up and touched the length that hid my hair. 'I imagine most people don't enjoy it.' 'I can't imagine you do.' 'I don't.' I admitted and then glanced around the room as if I expected Priestess Analia to be hiding somewhere. 'I mean, I'd prefer if people were able to see me.' He tilted his head to the side. 'What does it feel like?' Air hitched in my throat. No one... no one had ever asked me that before, and while I had a lot of thoughts and feelings about the veil, I wasn't sure how to put them into words even though I trusted Hawke. Some things, once spoken, were given a life of their own. ... 'It feels suffocating.' Hawke drew closer. 'Then why do you wear it?' 'I didn't realise I had a choice.' I looked up at him. 'You have a choice now.' He knelt in front of me. 'It's just you and me, walls, and a pathetically inadequate supply of furniture.' My lips twitched. 'Do you wear your veil when you're with Tawny?' he asked. I shook my head no. 'Then why are you wearing it now?' 'Because... I'm allowed to be without my veil with her.' 'I was told that you were supposed to be veiled at all times, even with those approved to see you.' He was, of course, correct. Hawke arched a brow. I sighed. 'I don't wear my veil when I'm in my room, and I don't expect anyone to come in other than Tawny. And I don't wear it then because I feel... more in control. I can make-' 'The choice not to wear it?' he finished for me. Nodding, I was more than a little stunned that he'd nailed it. 'You have a choice now.' 'I do.' But it was hard to explain that the veil also served as a barrier. With it, I remembered what I was, and the importance of that. Without it, well, it was easy to want... to simply want.

You shouldn't have done that,' I told him. 'I should've allowed her to hit you? In what world would that have been acceptable?' 'In a world where you end up punished for something that wouldn't even have hurt.' 'I don't care if she hits like a baby mouse, this world is fucked up if anyone finds that acceptable.