❛ ʻʻ .. it's strange how fate
keeps bringing us together .. 〞
in which a girl who can see a person's fate from the touch of a hand falls for the one boy fearing human touch.
━━ KAZ BREKKER
frenemies to lovers, slowburn
shadow & bone - crooked ki...
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xxxix. the end of the world – Randvi
THE BLUR OF chaos ended, and finally Randvi could see the world around her again. The sea was flat, not a breeze in the air, not even a sound from any of the crew.
Not a sound from Inej.
Get the money and the girl. Van Eck's words echoed over and over again, no matter how much she willed them into silence. They taunted her, mocked her, chipped away at what little fight she had left in her.
The girl. Had Randvi really thought Van Eck meant her? Had she really thought that Kaz would look to her in his moment of weakness? He would always choose the Wraith – his Wraith. She wanted to be angry with Kaz, Djel, she wanted to lash out and make her thoughts known, but she couldn't.
She felt stupid for ever believing Kaz, stupid for having believed she could be needed.
"Van Eck will send soldiers and Grisha to search for Kuwei," said Matthias.
"He won't find him. Or Nina."
Jesper was staring at Wylan, his eyes roving over the black hair, the golden eyes. "Why?" he said at last. "Why would you do this?"
Wylan shrugged. "We needed leverage."
"That's Kaz's voice talking."
"I couldn't let you all walk into a hostage exchange thinking I was some kind of insurance."
"Nina tailored you?"
"The night we left Djerholm."
"That's why you disappeared during the journey," said Jesper. "You weren't helping Matthias care for Nina. You were hiding."
"I didn't hide."
"You ... how many times was it you standing beside me on the deck at night when I thought it was Kuwei?"
"Every time."
"Nina might not be able to put you back, you know. Not without another dose of parem. You could be stuck like this."
"Why does it matter?"
"I don't know!" Jesper said angrily. "Maybe I liked your stupid face."
The questions burning Randvi's mind finally spilled out. She could have wished them into silence, kept to herself and let Kaz snap at someone else, but she wouldn't. She needed to know ... what? If he'd meant the words he'd said back in the ship? If he'd tricked her again? If she'd been stupid enough to fall in love with him?
But the thing about falling is knowing how to land. And what terrified Randvi was that she didn't know how to land – Inej did. She had fallen too hard too fast, and the ground was growing ever closer.
