THESE BROKEN VOWS (Kazbrekker x Fem!reader) [ book version]

CHAPTER 7

MATTHIAS P.O.V🐺

Matthias would be atoning for the mistakes he'd made in this life long
into the next one, but he'd always believed that despite his crimes and
failings, there was a core of decency inside him that could never be
breached.

And yet, he felt sure that if he had to spend another hour with Alys Van Eck, he might murder her just for the sake of a little quiet.

The siege on the lake house had gone off with a precision that Matthias
couldn't help but admire.

Only three days after the girls were taken, Rotty had alerted Kaz to the lights that had appeared on Eil Komedie.

Kaz had sent out Bhagya to confirm this information and she came back that night with a wide grin of confirmation, along with the fact that
boats had been seen coming and going there at odd hours, often carrying a young Suli man.

He'd quickly been identified as Adem Bajan, a music teacher indentured to Van Eck for the last six months.

He'd apparently joined the Van Eck house hold after Wylan had left home, but Wylan wasn't surprised his father had secured professional musical instruction for Alys.

"Is she any good?" asked Jesper.

Wylan had hesitated, then said, "She's very enthusiastic."

It had been easy enough to surmise that Inej and Y/N were being kept on Eil Komedie, and Nina and Bhagya had wanted to go after them immediately.

"He didn't take them out of the city," Nina said, cheeks glowing with color
for the first time since she'd emerged from her battle with parem . "It's
obvious he's keeping them there."

Maybe they were going to find their girls after all.

†††

Alys had quieted and was sitting with her hands folded on her belly,
releasing small, unhappy hiccups.

She made a lackluster attempt at
removing her blindfold, but Nina had been clever with the knots.

Matthias glanced at Kuwei, who was perched across from her at the table.

The Shu boy just shrugged.

Nina sat down next to Alys. "Would you um ... like some tea?"

"With honey?" Alys asked.

"I, uh ... I think we have sugar?"

"I only like tea with honey and lemon."

Nina looked like she might tell Alys exactly where she could put her
honey and lemon, so Matthias said hurriedly, "How would you like a
chocolate biscuit?"

"Oh, I love chocolate!"

Nina's eyes narrowed. "I don't remember saying you could give away my biscuits."

"It's for a good cause," Matthias said, retrieving the tin. He'd purchased
the biscuits in the hope of getting Nina to eat more. "Besides, you've barely touched them."