From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,61

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.”

Closing my bedroom door behind me, I leaned against it and exhaled raggedly. He’d said my name when he took his vow as my guard. Not what I was but who I was, and that was…

That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.

With my sword and with my life, I vow to keep you safe, Maiden, the Chosen. From this moment, until the last moment, I am yours.

That was how Vikter had sworn his oath, as did Hannes and then Rylan.

Had the Commander not informed Hawke of the correct words? I couldn’t imagine he’d forget. The look on the Duke’s face once Hawke had straightened could’ve set fire to wet grass.

Tawny spun to face me, the pale blue gown she wore swishing around her feet. “Hawke Flynn is your guard, Poppy.”

“I know.”

“Poppy!” she repeated my name, practically shouting it. “That!”—she pointed to the hall—“is your guard.”

My heart toppled over itself. “Keep your voice down.” I peeled away from the door and took her hand, pulling her farther into the chamber. “He’s probably standing outside—”

“As your personal guard,” she stated for the third time.

“I know.” Hearth thumping, I pulled her toward the window.

“And I know that this is going to sound terrible, but I have to say it. I can’t contain it.” Her eyes were wide with excitement. “It’s a vast improvement.”

“Tawny,” I replied, slipping my hand free of hers.

“I know. I recognize that it was terrible, but I had to say it.” She pressed her hand to her chest as she glanced back to the door. “He’s quite…exciting to look at.”

Indeed.

“And he’s clearly interested in moving up in the ranks.”

Her brows knitted as she turned back to me. “Why would you say that?”

I stared at her, wondering if she’d paid any attention to what the Duke had said. “Have you ever heard of a Royal Guard that young?”

Tawny’s nose scrunched.

“No. You haven’t. That’s what befriending the Commander of the Royal Guard will do for you,” I pointed out, heart thumping. “I cannot believe that there was no other Royal Guard just as qualified.”

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then her eyes narrowed. “You’re having a very strange, unexpected reaction.”

I crossed my arms. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You don’t? You’ve watched him train in the yard—”

“I have not!” I totally had.

Tawny cocked her head to the side. “I’ve been with you on more than one occasion as you watched the guards train from the balcony, and you weren’t watching just any guard. You were watching him.”

I snapped my mouth shut.

“You seem almost angry about him being named your guard, and unless there’s something you haven’t told me, then I have no idea why.”

There was a lot that I hadn’t told her.

The suspicion in her gaze grew as she studied me. “What haven’t you told me? Has he said something to you before?”

“When would I have had a chance for him to speak to me?” I asked weakly.

“As much as you creep around this castle, I’m sure there is a lot you overhear that doesn’t actually require you speaking to someone,” she pointed out and then stepped forward. Her voice lowered. “Did you overhear him say something bad?”

I shook my head.

“Poppy….”

The last thing I wanted was for her to think Hawke had done something wrong. That was why I blurted out what I did. Or maybe it was because I had to say something. “I kissed him.”

Her lips parted. “What?”

“Or he kissed me,” I corrected. “Well, we kissed each other. There was mutual kiss—”

“I get it!” she shrieked and then took a visible deep breath. “When did this happen? How did this happen? And why am I now just hearing about this?”

I plopped down in one of the wingback chairs by the fireplace. “It was…it was the night I went to the Red Pearl.”

“I knew it.” Tawny stomped her slippered foot. “I knew something else had happened. You were acting too weird—too worried about being in trouble. Oh! I want to throw something at you. I can’t believe you haven’t said anything. I would be screaming this from the top of the castle.”

“You’d be screaming it because you could. Nothing would happen to you. But me?”

“I know. I know. It’s forbidden and all that.” She hurried over to