THIS IS REAL

Spoiler Notice

This analysis covers the events of Chapter 70, "THIS IS REAL," in full detail. It discusses the pivotal intimate scene between Hawke and Poppy and reveals critical character moments that reshape the entire narrative. If you prefer to experience the story firsthand, bookmark this page and return after reading.

Summary

Chapter 70 is told entirely from Hawke’s first-person perspective as he and Poppy consummate their relationship. The chapter opens with Poppy dropping her robe, revealing her body to him without reservation. Hawke is struck breathless by her bravery and beauty, cataloging every scar as a testament to her strength. He carries her to the bed, determined to make this first experience perfect for her despite his own overwhelming desire. Intimacy unfolds with Hawke guiding Poppy, paying reverent attention to her scarred skin and ensuring her pleasure. As they join, he struggles to maintain gentleness, but Poppy’s bold response—wrapping her legs around him—shatters his restraint. In the throes of climax, an even darker need surfaces: his vampiric hunger. His fangs graze her throat, and he nearly bites her before wrenching control back. Afterward, still joined, he makes her promise to remember that what they shared was real, no matter what happens in the days to come.

Key Events

• Poppy bares herself completely, and Hawke regards her body and scars with reverence, not revulsion.
• Hawke carries Poppy to the bed and begins their first sexual experience, deliberately holding back his own desires to prioritize her comfort.
• He kisses each set of scars on her body, honoring them as marks of her survival.
• Hawke performs oral sex on Poppy, referencing Miss Willa’s diary and drawing her first orgasm from her while she maintains eye contact.
• Poppy, guided by Hawke, explores his body and touches him for the first time, causing him to tremble and plead with her not to stop.
• Hawke asks for her verbal consent, and she gives it clearly.
• He penetrates her slowly, apologizing for the initial pain and waiting for her body to adjust.
• Poppy initiates movement herself, then curls her legs around him, making Hawke lose his controlled gentleness.
• As Poppy climaxes a second time, Hawke’s vampiric instincts surge; his fangs extend and graze the skin over her pulse.
• He forcefully suppresses the hunger, horrified by the overwhelming desire to feed from her specifically.
• In the aftermath, Hawke asks Poppy to promise she will never forget that this moment between them was real.

Character Development

Hawke reveals unprecedented emotional depth and internal conflict. His narration exposes a profound sense of unworthiness; he calls her a goddess and himself a bastard unworthy of her. This self-loathing coexists with a fierce protectiveness and desire to give Poppy a perfect first experience. Crucially, his vampiric nature nearly surfaces uncontrollably. The hunger he feels for her blood is explicitly tied to her as an individual, not a generic need for sustenance, which rattles him deeply. The chapter ends with his desperate need for validation that their connection was genuine, foreshadowing the betrayal he knows is coming.

Poppy demonstrates the bravery and boldness Hawke admires. Although she trembles, she hides nothing. She asks questions, voices her confusion, and then matches his passion with her own, actively participating and initiating movement. Her promise at the end, though given with hesitation, shows her trust in him even as she senses something beneath the surface.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Scars as Testaments
Hawke explicitly treats Poppy’s scars—from the Craven claws on her arm to the marks on her thighs and belly—as objects of respect and beauty. He kisses them deliberately, a physical act that reframes her wounds as symbols of resilience rather than imperfections.

The Duality of Hunger
The chapter builds a direct parallel between sexual desire and vampiric bloodlust. Hawke’s physical need for Poppy intermingles with the instinct to bite her, and the two urges peak simultaneously. His struggle to suppress the bite mirrors his struggle to control his physical passion, linking intimacy and monstrosity.

Realness and Memory
Hawke’s urgent request that Poppy remember “this was real” transforms their physical union into an anchor against future revelation. The theme underscores the central tension of his deception: he knows his identity as Casteel will shatter her trust, so he clings to the genuine emotion underpinning the lie.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the singular most intimate turning point in Hawke’s narrative arc before the truth of his identity is exposed. By filtering the scene entirely through his consciousness, the book transfers reader sympathy to him at the moment of maximum vulnerability. His near-loss of control with his fangs is the clearest foreshadowing yet that Hawke is not merely a guard, but something fundamentally other. The internal revelation that he has never felt such a simultaneous need for a mortal’s body and blood recontextualizes every previous interaction with Poppy. The chapter’s closing plea cements the emotional stakes; whatever destruction follows, the reader and Poppy both have Hawke’s raw confession that this connection was authentic.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Hawke insist Poppy keep her eyes open during intimacy?
Hawke’s request serves multiple purposes. He wants Poppy to be fully present for her first experience, not retreating into herself. More selfishly, he craves witness to the effect he has on her—he says explicitly, “I want you to see what you do to me when you touch me.” This need for her visual confirmation ties to his deeper insecurity that he is undeserving of her, feeding his desire to see her desire reflected back.

2. What triggers Hawke’s vampiric instincts to surface during sex, and why does this disturb him?
The instinct surfaces as Poppy reaches climax and his own release follows. The combination of her unguarded pleasure, her vulnerable throat, and the overwhelming sensory input of their bodies joined pushes his control to its limit. What disturbs him is not the hunger itself but its specificity: he has gone weeks without feeding and knows he does not need blood for survival, yet he craves her blood in a way he has never craved a mortal’s before. This personal, emotional dimension to his bloodlust is unprecedented and terrifying.

3. Analyze the significance of Hawke’s demand for a promise at the chapter’s end.
Hawke is acutely aware that his deception is about to collapse. The promise he extracts—that Poppy remember this moment was real—functions as his emotional insurance. He knows she will soon see him as Casteel, the Atlantian prince and kidnapper, and will doubt every word and touch he ever gave her. By anchoring the reality of their connection in her memory now, he hopes to preserve a core of truth that might survive the coming betrayal. The moment is manipulative and heartfelt in equal measure, epitomizing his internal fracture.

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