STRANGER, jesper fahey

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Honestly, she didn't really feel like having her face more recognised than it had to be as she sighed quietly, risking a step back to glare, dark eyes glistening and sharp in the ferocious wind, looking at the building for any sign of a weakness she could exploit so she wouldn't have to stumble through those bastard doors and suffer the annoyance of socialisation. Kaz had only asked her to come to him and only him when she'd finally be able to stand on her own two feet again, apparently rather quick to use his advantages...well, her advantages as his weapon in his desire to make Ketterdam bow, and that was the way she'd rather it stay.

She never said she'd join the dregs, join his murder of crows...she just agreed to be his killer.

But then her gaze caught something, something that she could use to her advantage as a smile curled at the corner of her bruised lips...staring up at the open window that seemed almost to be waving in the harsh winds like it was welcoming her...and who was she to ignore such a calling? Her hands moved, shifting into a familar dance as the air began to grow restless and cold, pulling around her mortal corpse, wrapping around her like a sping coiled as she took a deep breath...then let it go as she was lifted off of her feet, slamming herself into the walls opposite to throw herself higher before she finally hooked her fingers over the window still, and pulled herself up with a flourish.

"You should really lock your windows Kaz, you never know what the wind might drag in-"

It was almost easy, the affectionate taunt upon her tongue, like a sister joking with her brother, annoying him because she simply could...but whatever Gwen was going to say died in her mouth and left ash in its place when she looked up from pretending to brush dirt off of her shirt to find five pairs of eyes, eyes she definitely remembered when they'd witnessed her torture, now watching her with various expressions varying from confusion and interest...all the while her brother stood with his back to the vanity behind him, not even trying to hide a dark grin at the abrupt horror maiming her features as she seriously debated throwing herself back out of the window.

"I'll keep that in mind, have a seat."

Oh you bastard, you absolute fucking bastard, she thought, lips twisting into a dangerous snarl, wanting to slap that stupid smug look off of his face as she refused to even spare his other crows a glance, slowly lowering herself in the chair furthest away from everything while trying desperately to keep her gaze from wandering over to a familar figure who made her chest suddenly ache with a longing that would be her ruin.

Jesper didn't seem suprised to see her, not really, not at all, in fact, he hadn't even lifted his head at her presence, seemingly content to just sit in the corner, cleaning his pistols repeatedly, long fingers swift and talented like they always were...and she despised the fact that she felt hurt by his indifference, as if it wasn't well deserved because saints, looking at him, pretending he wasn't all she thought about, all she'd dreamed about since the moment she'd met him was tearing her apart, and everything she wanted to say, to do, leap across the room, fall down to her knees and beg for forgiveness, press kisses to those calloused palms and pray for mercy, maybe even apologise until she was blue in the face.

Her greedy heart was miserable and hungry, and the blood of his silence told her everything she needed to know as she looked at him. Their every meeting, their every touch, exchanged look...it was all sweet cruelty, because she'd been carving her darkness into his flesh all the while he called her beautiful, calling her incredible and soft and worthy...he wasn't paying enough attention to her destructive nature, and now they were both suffering the consequences.

"I didn't expect you for another few days at least, that excited to start working for me?" Kaz's rather depressing voice was a welcome distraction as it pulled her back to him, that rough drawl grating on her unsuspecting ears like nails upon chalk as he stared her down carefully...and she knew that he had seen where she'd looked at, knew he had noticed her weakness the moment she'd stepped inside the room...and she knew that she didn't care in the slightest as she shrugged and ignored the pain that laced through her at the simple movement.