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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Algunas cosas, una vez dichas, cobraban vida propia.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hawke placed a hand on the hilt of his broadsword and bowed slightly, his gaze never once leaving mine. 'With my sword and with my life, I vow to keep you safe, Penellaphe,' he spoke, voice deep and smooth, reminding me of rich decadent chocolate. 'From this moment until the last moment, I am yours.

Correction,' he said, and then he laughed as the trickle of blood seeped down his neck. It wasn't a harsh laugh or a patronizing one. He sounded amused. 'You're an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature.' Pausing, he glanced down. 'Nice weapon. Bloodstone and wolven bone. Very interesting...' His gaze flicked up. 'Princess.

So, he was just making sure you're still alive and-' 'Breathing?' Hawke suggested, startling both of us. He stood a mere foot from where we sat, having moved with the stealth of a trained guard and the quiet of a ghost. 'Since I am responsible for keeping her alive, making sure she's breathing would be a priority.' My shoulders stiffened. How much had he overheard? Tawny made a poor attempt to smother her giggle with a napkin. 'I'm relieved to hear that.' 'If not, I'd be remiss in my duty, would I not?' 'Ah, yes, your duty.' She lowered her napkin. 'Between protecting Poppy with your life and limb and gathering spilled crystals, you're pretty busy.' 'Don't forget assisting weak Ladies in Wait to the nearest chair before they faint,' he suggested. Those strange, mesmerising eyes glinted with a hint of mischief, and I was... as transfixed with him as I'd been with the Ladies in Wait. This was the Hawke I'd met in the Red Pearl. A well of pain hidden behind a teasing and charming personality. 'I am a man of many talents.' 'I'm sure you are,' Tawny replied with a grin while I fought the urge to reach out with my senses. His gaze flicked to her, and the dimple in his right cheek appeared. 'Your faith in me warms my heart,' ...

Thank you.' 'No insincere thanks are required or needed. It is my duty to keep you safe.' He paused. 'Even from treacherous staircases.' I took a dee, even breath. 'My gratitude was not insincere.' 'My apologies then.' I didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning, and I'd bet that stupid dimple was gracing the world with its presence.

Thank you.' 'No insincere thanks are required or needed. It is my duty to keep you safe.' He paused. 'Even from treacherous staircases.' I took a deep, even breath. 'My gratitude was not insincere.' 'My apologies then.' I didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning, and I'd bet that stupid dimple was gracing the world with its presence.

After all we shared? You throw a dagger at my face?' 'All we shared? It was a handful of minutes and a few kisses,' I said, and the truth of that struck me with startling clarity. That was all we'd shared. Gods, I was so... sheltered. Because in my limited experience, it had become... so much more to me. The wake-up call that it was only a few kisses was utterly brutal. 'It was more than a few kisses.' His voice dropped low. 'If you've forgotten, I'm more than willing to remind you.' 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.' 'Tender feelings?' I snorted. 'Don't be overdramatic.' 'Hard not to be when you threw a dagger at my head and then cut my neck,' he shot back, his grip on me surprisingly gentle compared to the hardness of his tone. 'I knew you'd move out of the way.' 'Did you? Is that why you tried to slice open my throat?' His golden eyes burned from beneath heavy, thick lashes. 'I nicked your skin,' I corrected. 'Because you had a hold of me and wouldn't let go. Obviously, you haven't learnt anything from it.' 'I've actually learned a lot, Princess. That's why your hands and your dagger aren't getting anywhere near my neck.' His thumb slid over the inside of my wrist as a reminder, and my fingers spasmed around the handle of my weapon. 'But if you let go of the dagger, there's a whole lot of me I'll let your hands get close to.

Once you get to know me, you'll find that I can be quite benevolent.' 'I have no intention of getting to know you.' 'So, you just make a habit of sneaking into the rooms of young men and seducing them before running off?' 'What?' I gasped. 'Seducing men?' 'Isn't that what you did to me, Princess?' His thumb made another slow sweep along the inside of my wrist. 'You're ridiculous,' I sputtered. 'What I am is intrigued.

Do you typically question those on the Rise who you don't recognise like this?' I challenged. 'What an odd method of interrogation.' 'Only pretty ladies with shapely, bare legs

Am I unaware of a new recruitment policy where half-dressed ladies in cloaks are now needed on the Rise?' he asked. 'Are we that desperately in need of protection?' Anger hit my blood like wildfire. 'Desperate? Why would my presence on the Rise signal desperation when, as you've seen, I know how to use a bow? Oh, wait. Is it because I happen to have breasts?' 'I've known women with far less beautiful breasts that could cut a man down without so much as blinking an eye,' he said. 'But none of those women are here in Masadonia.

You're so incredibly violent.' He paused. 'I think I like it.

I came back for you that night.' ... He had come back. 'Just like I told you I would. I came back for you, and you weren't there,' he continued. 'You promised me, Princess.' A smidgen of guilt formed within me, and I wasn't sure if it was for lying to him, or the throwing the dagger at his face part. Probably both. 'I... I couldn't.' 'Couldn't?' His voice had dropped again, becoming lower, thicker. 'I have a feeling that if there's something you want badly enough, nothing will stop you.' A harsh, bitter-sounding laugh escaped me. 'You know nothing.

You are...' His stare was intense and unblinking, as he sheathed his sword at his side. 'You're absolutely magnificent. Beautiful.' I jolted, shocked. He'd said that I was beautiful before once he saw my face, and he sounded like he'd meant it then. But now? He'd spoken words which too often meant nothing and too rarely meant everything.

I have her.' ... 'Do you?' 'With my sword and with my life.

You tell a lot of lies, Princess.' 'Don't call me that,' I demanded. 'I like it better than what I'm supposed to call you. Maiden. You have a name. It's not that.

Would you rather I was poetic about how I'm charmed by your beauty, even though I can only see half your face? Which, by the way, from what I can see is pleasing. Would you rather I tell you I'm captivated by your eyes? They are a pretty shade of green from what I can tell.' I started to frown. 'Well, no. I don't want you to lie.' 'None of those things were a lie.' He tugged on the bow as he dipped his head, brushing his lips over mine. The soft contact sent a wave of awareness through me. 'I told you the truth, Princess. I'm intrigued by you, and it's fairly rare anyone intrigues me.

You're still lying on me.' 'I know.' I took a breath. 'It's quite rude of you to continue doing so when I've made it clear that I would like for you to move.' 'It's quite rude of you to barge into my room dressed as-' 'Your lover?' He raised a brow. 'I wouldn't call her that.' 'What would you call her?' Hawke appeared to mull that over while still sprawled halfway across me. 'A... good friend.' Part of me was relieved that he hadn't referred to her as something derogatory like I'd overhead other men do before when speaking of women they'd been intimate with, but a good friend? 'I didn't know friends behaved this way.' 'I'm willing to wager you don't know much about these sort of things.' The truth in his statement was hard to ignore. 'And you wager all of this on just one kiss?' 'Just one kiss? Princess, you can learn a wealth of things from just one kiss.

Watch your step. You trip and fall here, you're likely to take me out on your way down.' I huffed. 'I won't trip.' 'But you just did.' 'That was a rarity.' 'Well, then, I feel honoured that I bore witness to it.

You are most definitely not who I thought you were,' he murmured. 'How did you know?' I blurted out. 'Because the last time I kissed the owner of this cloak, she damn near sucked my tongue down her throat.' 'Oh,' I whispered. Was I supposed to have done that? It didn't sound like it would be something enjoyable.

You are quite demanding.' He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. 'I imagine a Princess to be demanding.' 'I am not demanding,' I stated. 'Get off me.' He arched a brow. 'Really?' 'Telling you to move is not being demanding.' 'We'll have to disagree on that.' He paused. 'Princess.

You shouldn't call me that.' 'Then what should I call you? A name, perhaps?' 'I'm... I'm no one,' I told him. 'No One? What a strange name. Do girls with a name like that often make a habit of wearing other people's clothing?

I'll tell you who I am, although I have a feeling you already know. I'm Hawke Flynn.' 'Hi,' I said, feeling foolish for doing so. The dimple in his right cheek deepened. 'This is the part where you tell me your name.' My lips nor my tongue moved. 'Then I'll have to keep calling you Princess.

The least you can do is tell me why you didn't stop me,' he said before I could give in to the curiosity and reach out with my senses. I had no idea how I could answer when I didn't fully understand it myself. One side of his lips quirked up. 'I'm sure it's more than my disarming good looks.' I wrinkled my nose. 'Of course.' Another short, surprised-sounding laugh left him. 'I think you just insulted me.' Chagrined, I winced. 'That's not what I meant- 'You've wounded me, Princess.' 'I highly doubt that. You have to be more than well aware of your appearance.' 'I am. It has led to quite a few people making questionable life choices.

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

The truth is not designed to ease fears,' Vikter responded. 'Is that why we tell lies, then?' Hawke questioned, and I pressed my lips together.

If you need me, knock.' She paused. 'Princess.' I groaned. Hawke chuckled. 'I really do like her.' 'I'm sure she'd love to hear that.' '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.' I snorted. 'I'm sure.

Is it okay for me to enter?' I asked, clasping my hands together. 'Or should I wait out here while you inspect under the bed for stray dust bunnies?' Hawke looked over his shoulder. 'It's not dust bunnies I'm worried about. Steps, on the other hand? Yes.

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.

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 a brow. 'Hi?' I squeaked. He stared at me for 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 quite sure how I'd also be in trouble.' 'Poppy,' he snapped, and I couldn't help it. I grinned.

Hawke stared back at me, almost curiously. 'Interesting.' The corners of my lips turned down. 'What is?' 'You.' 'Me?

If I'm going down-' 'You'll go down fighting,' he finished for me. I nodded. 'Like I said, you're very brave.' 'I don't think it's bravery.' I returned to staring at my hands. 'I think it's... fear.' 'Fear and bravery are often one and the same. It either makes you a warrior or a coward. The only difference is the person it resides inside.' My gaze lifted to him in stunned silence. It took me a moment to formulate a response. 'You sound so many years older than what you appear.' 'Only half of the time,' he said. 'You saved lives tonight, Princess.' I ignored the nickname. 'But many died.

I ask only one thing of you.' ... 'The next time you go out, wear better shoes and thicker clothing. Those slippers are likely to be the death of you, and that dress... the death of me.

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. -Hawke

I'm sure it was one of the most important things to have happened to you in a long time.' My eyes narrowed. 'You have an over-inflated sense of involvement in my life if you really think that.' 'I think I have a good grasp on just how much of a role I play in your life.' 'Doubtful,' I parroted back. 'I do wonder if you actually believe half the lies you tell.' Tawny's gaze snapped back and forth between us. 'I am not lying, thank you very much.' He smiled, showing off the dimple in his right cheek. 'Whatever you need to tell yourself, Princess.' 'Don't call me that!' I stomped my foot. Hawke lifted an eyebrow. 'Did that make you feel good?' 'Yes! Because the only other option is to kick you.' 'So violent,' he chuckled.

You shouldn't be in here.' 'I'm your personal guard,' he replied. 'I can be wherever I feel I am needed to keep you safe.' 'And what do you think you need to protect me from in here?' I demanded, looking around. 'An unruly bedpost I might stub my toe on? Oh, wait, are you worried I might faint? I know how good you are at handling such emergencies.' 'You do look a little pale,' he replied. 'My ability to catch frail, delicate females may come in handy.

Penellaphe and I do not to speak,' he said, his gaze never leaving mine. 'I can assure you that she is safe with me, and I'm sure that whatever I'm about to discuss with her, she'll tell you all about it later.' Tawny crossed her arms. 'Yes, she will, but that's not nearly as entertaining as witnessing it.

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.

Half of her face is a masterpiece,' the Duke murmured, and my skin flushed cold and then hot as my stomach twisted. 'The other half a nightmare.' A tremor coursed down my arms, but I kept my chin high and resisted the urge to pick up something, anything, and throw it at the Duke's face. The Duchess spoke, though, saying what, I wasn't sure. Hawke's gaze remained fastened on mine as he stepped forward. 'Both halves are as beautiful as the whole.

She is safe with me,' Hawke added. I was. And I wasn't.

He raised his brows as his gaze travelled the length of my bare leg. 'Scandalous,' he murmured. A growl of annoyance burst from me. He laughed. 'And such dainty little slippers. Satin and silk? They're as finely tailored as your leg. The kind of slipper no guard of the Rise would wear. How astute of him. 'Unless they are being outfitted differently than I am,' ...

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

You are so violent,' Hawke all but purred. 'You keep saying that, but I'm really not.' Hawke laughed again, the sound deep and real. 'You really aren't all that self-aware.

You still out there, Princess?' My lips parted as my eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Hawke. 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 you 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.