The Apple of My Eye -Kaz Brekker (Complete)

Chapter Three

"I'll tell you a secret, Hanna. The really bag monsters never look like monsters."

Her eyes were starting to fill with tears, her bottom lip trembling. Kaz wished she wouldn't cry.

"Did you come to eat me? Da says monsters eat children who don't go to bed when they're told," she said.

Kaz wondered what type of parents would do something like that: control their children through fear. He promised himself he would never do that to Jordan.

"They do," he answered. "But I won't. Not tonight. If you do two things for me. First, you must crawl into bed. And second, you must never tell anyone you've seen us, especially your da, because if you do, I'll slit your mother's throat and then your father's, and then I'll cut out the hearts of all those sweet slobbering hounds. I shall save Duke Silverhanunch for last so that you will know it's all your fault." She looked about to pass out from fear, tears rolling down her cheeks. Good. She was about to do what he asked. "Do you understand?" he pressed, and she nodded. "Now, now, no tears. Monsters see tears and it only whets their appetites. Off to be with you, and take that useless Maestro Spots along too."

She started moving up the stairs again. Glancing worried at Kaz once she was on top.

He forced a smile, feeling pity for her, and put a finger on his lips. She nodded; her promise of silence. He waved with his fingers as she walked away.

Wylan moved from the door and followed Kaz down the steps. "How could you say something like that to her? She's just a child!"

"We were all children once."

"But –"

"It was that or snap her neck and make it look like she fell down the stairs, Wylan. I think I showed remarkable restraint. Move!"

Kaz didn't manage a single wink of sleep that night.

The image of an older Jordan crying in silence, terrified of getting her loved ones killed because she saw what she shouldn't haunted him throughout the rest of the week, even in the moments he managed to fall asleep.

He wrote a very short letter as soon as he could, a single word in it: HEARBEAT, and sent it to Spentch, who did not give him confirmation of Laura's reaction, but didn't tell him she was in danger either.

Silence was good for once.

Crooked Kingdom – CHAPTER 26

Kaz was now satisfied with his memorized route to his future, Inej beside him, worried eyes over his frame. He knew it was time. He fished in his pocket for a paper with a pale green seal and handed it to her.

She looked at it, taking it from his hands, stammering in surprise.

"My contract," she whispered.

"I don't want you beholden to Per Haskell. Or me," he said. "I trust you enough for you to have that, Inej."

"How?" she asked. "The money –"

"It's done. It's paid for."

He had used some of his money for it. Even under torture she had kept important information about his daughter safe; Jordan's existence was still a secret between Spentch, him and Inej inside the Dregs.

She pressed the envelope to her chest.

"I have no words to thank for this," she said.

"Surely the Suli have a thousand proverbs for such an occasion."