From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,58

Duke looked up from his paper, his coolly handsome face giving me no indication of what was about to occur. “Please, close the door, Vikter.”

The stately room stood out in too-vivid detail as Vikter moved to obey the request. The Royal Crest painted in gold on a white marble wall behind the Duke was blinding, and the bare walls were in stark contrast to the black chair rails that ran along the length and width of the room. There was only one chair besides the one the Duke sat in. That was a plush, cream-colored wingback chair that the Duchess usually occupied. The only other seating options were polished limestone benches placed in three neat rows.

The room was as cold as the Duke, but it was far better than the chamber he usually preferred. The one I’d been summoned to far too often.

“Thank you.” Teerman nodded at Vikter, his smile close-lipped as he lowered the paper to the desk. His black, fathomless eyes flicked to where I stood, just inside the door. His mouth tightened as he motioned me forward. “Please sit, Penellaphe.”

Legs oddly numb, I forced myself to cross the short distance, wholly aware of Hawke’s gaze tracking my every step. I didn’t need to look to know that he watched. His gaze was always that intense. I sat on the edge of the middle bench, folding my hands in my lap. Tawny took the bench behind me, while Vikter moved to stand to my right so he stood between me and the Commander and Hawke.

“I hope you’re feeling well, Penellaphe?” the Duchess said as she sat in the chair beside the desk.

Hoping that I was only asked simple yes and no questions, I nodded.

“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried that attending the City Council so soon after your attack would be too much,” she said.

For once, I was beyond grateful for the veil. Because if my face were visible, there’d be no hiding how ridiculous that concern was. I’d been bruised. Not seriously injured or shot through the chest with an arrow, as Rylan had. I would be fine—I was fine. Rylan would never be okay.

“What happened in the garden is why we’re all here,” the Duke took over, and muscles all along my neck and back began to tense. “With the death of…” His fair brow pinched as disbelief whirled through me. “What was his name?” he asked of the Duchess, whose forehead creased. “The guard?”

“Rylan Keal, Your Grace,” Vikter answered before I blurted out his name.

The Duke snapped his fingers. “Ah, yes. Ryan. With Ryan’s death, you are down one guard.”

My hands curled into fists. Rylan. His name was Rylan. Not Ryan.

No one corrected him.

“Again,” the Duke added after a pause, a faint twist of his lips forming a mockery of a smile. “Two guards lost in one year. I hope this isn’t becoming a habit.”

He said it as if it were somehow my fault.

“Anyway, with the upcoming Rite, and as you draw closer to your Ascension, Vikter cannot be expected to be the only one keeping a close watch on you,” Teerman continued. “We need to replace Ryan.”

I bit the inside of my cheek.

“Which, as I am sure you realize now, explains why Commander Jansen and Guard Flynn are here.”

I might’ve stopped breathing.

“Guard Flynn will take Ryan’s place, effective immediately,” the Duke said, confirming what I had already guessed the moment I walked into the room. But hearing him say it aloud was an entirely different thing. “I’m sure this is surprising, as he’s new to our city and quite young for a member of the Royal Guard.”

I was wondering exactly that. The Duke sounded like he too was questioning it.

“There are several Rise Guards in line to be promoted, and bringing on Hawke is no slight to them.” The Duke sat back, crossing one leg over the other. “But the Commander has assured us that Hawke is better suited to this task.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Guard Flynn may be new to the city, but that isn’t a weakness. He’s able to look at possible threats with fresh eyes,” Commander Jansen spoke up then, nearly parroting what Vikter had said before. “Any number of guards would’ve overlooked the potential of a breach occurring in the Queen’s Gardens. Not due to lack of skill—”

“Debatable,” murmured the Duke.

The Commander wisely continued without acknowledging the comment. “But because there is a false sense of security and complacency that often comes with being within one city