✨ DARK PARADISE ✨ Kaz✖️OC.

Our love is six feet under

They had never seen Kaz so bloodied and banged up—broken nose, split lip, one eye swollen shut. He was clutching his side, at least one of his ribs was broken, and when he coughed into a handkerchief, there was blood on the white fabric. His limp was worse than ever, but he was still standing, and Anika and Pim were with him.

Anika was concerned, but she tried to hide it. She'd seen the raven haired Shu girl at the Slat, right before Kaz took his rightful throne. Aeolian was there all along—being his shadow. They'd protect each other at all cost, they'd die for each other.

"All Saints!" Jesper said. "So I guess that went well?"

"About as well as expected." Kaz huffed.

Matthias shook his head in something between admiration and disbelief. "How many lives do you have, demjin?"

"One more, I hope." Kaz replied.

Kaz wriggled out of his coat and managed to yank off his shirt, leaning on the sink in the bathroom.

"For Saints' sake, let us help you," said Nina.

Kaz gripped the end of a bandage in his teeth and tore off a piece. "I don't need your help."

"What is wrong with him?" Nina grumbled as they went back to the sitting room to drill Colm on his cover story.

"Same thing that's always wrong with him," said Jesper. "He's Kaz Brekker."

A little more than an hour later, Aeolian walked into the purple sitting room with a wide brush combing her long black hair.

"Didn't you go to the embassy?" Nina asked.

Aeolian nodded put the brush down, it was late afternoon and the suite was ablaze with gold light. She looked like a butterfly, in that light. She reached into her pocket and handed Kaz a note.

"Who did you meet with?" said Kaz.

"Genya Safin and Zoya Nazyalensky." Aeolian sat down besides Kuwei.

Wylan looked at Aeolian. "The Tailor? She's at the embassy?"

Kaz raised a brow. "We all know where Nina's loyalty lies."

Nina winced slightly. "I didn't tell them about Kuwei."

"Did you state our terms?" Kaz turned to Aeolian.

"Yes, they'll be at the hotel baths in an hour." She was tying her hair up in a braided ponytail.

"Does Genya have the skill to restore Wylan's features?" Kaz asked Nina.

"I don't know," said Nina.

She's the First Tailor, the most gifted, a legend. Anything might still be possible.

"Kaz," Wylan said. "I'm done being someone else."

Kaz shrugged, but Aeolian knew he was getting exactly what he wanted. At least in this case, it was what Wylan wanted too.

"Won't there be hotel guests at the baths?" Jesper asked.

"I had them reserve the whole place for Mister Rietveld," said Nina.