of snakes & crows || kaz brekker

─ 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

[13|| chapter thirteen]
an unveiling of
your dark past

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

━━━━ EAD WASN'T EXPECTING it.

Perhaps that's why when Kaz barged through the door and slammed her against the wall, the crow of his cane tight against her freshly bandaged throat, she almost screamed. He looked a little conflicted, his eyebrows knit together, but also plenty angry, judging by the veins protruding in his skin.

"Saints!"

He kept a foot of space between them, but both of his hands were tightly wrapped around his cane, pressing her down hard with a strength she would've never known was hiding in his muscles. If he put any more weight behind his hands, he'd surely block her windpipe and kill her in minutes. For some reason, she wasn't too alarmed at the thought. Maybe because she had a false hope he didn't have the guts to do such a thing to her.

"Hold up your arm." Kaz demanded, face flushed. "The one with the snake."

Ead's stomach turned. This is not how she pictured something like this happening. Kaz pinning her against a wall under different circumstances might've elicited a very different reaction than the one she gave now.

         She scoffed. "No."

"Do it. Now." Kaz spat.

Ead tried to keep her face clear of any emotion that might give her away, but her pulse was uncontrollable, the heat in her face slowly increasing with each moment that passed. His breath hit her forehead and smelled faintly of alcohol. "You're not as scary as you think, bastard."

A dark smirk lifted on Kaz's face. "You say this as if I didn't have my cane against your throat."

Ead drew a deep breath through her nose with a roll of her eyes. "Which is hardly a threat at all. Not when I know all of your weaknesses."

Kaz's eyes flashed, but his smirk grew. "I think you forget that I do too. Shall I reveal the Viper's identity to the public?"

Ead's jaw snapped shut, clenching hard. "You wouldn't. I know you wouldn't."

"Show me your arm, Ead." Kaz said slowly, each word emphasized.

With another roll of her eyes, Ead complied, like she always did when he asked her of something. So much bite just for her to give in. Just how much of a fool could she be tonight?

"I've been noticing something odd about this tattoo of yours..."

Kaz studied the snake with calculating eyes, catching sight of something almost instantly. He grabbed her arm with his hand, running his thumb across the area where her scar lay half hidden by the red ink. Goosebumps rose at the cool touch of his glove, which made her look away in embarrassment. She knew he could see it. Angered by his keen eye, she jerked her knee into his stomach to get him off. He stumbled back, but she didn't hit him hard enough to take the breath from his lungs.

"You're from East Ravka." Kaz said when he recovered, though it looked like he was confirming a suspicion he didn't want to believe. "From the other side of the Fold."

"Do you want a reward?" Ead mocked, brushing off her dress. "Yes. I am. Bravo, you figured me out, bastard."

His jaw set the way hers had moments before. "You know a way across the Fold and you kept that from us the whole time? We've only got so much time before Dreesen's boat sails."