Crooked Crows

6| Kaz

  K a z 

  Listening to Inej's stories of being out at sea just made Kaz want her more. He wanted to run his hands through her dark hair, to have his hand trail down her spine to the small of her back, to have their lips pressed together and tongues exploring the inside of their mouths. Although Inej could try as hard as she wanted to pretend like she was okay after the retelling of how she got her scar, Kaz knew there was more to it than she let on. And he was going to find out. Tonight's the night, Kaz thought to himself.

  Since Inej has been gone, Kaz has done his best to try and get better accustomed to physical contact without any barriers. He stopped wearing his gloves, has knocked out and killed with his bare hands, he's allowed Pim and Anika to pat him on the back or give a quick handshake. It might not have been much, but to Kaz, it was a damn good effort. He was trying to pull himself together to be good enough for Inej.

  But, because Kaz was a creature of habit, a very selfish creature of habit, he was doing this also so he could finally be able to fulfill the desire he's had since he first met Inej in the Menagerie. Sure, Kaz has been attracted to other people, but none came close to how Inej made him feel. She made his heart beat faster with every smile, the dull ache of his bad knee disappeared whenever her laugh filled the room, and the deep pit of his stomach tingled whenever she looked at him through her long, black lashes. Kaz was just a teenager, seventeen, after all.

  When the chatter died down while waiting for Wylan's house servants to prepare and serve dinner, Kaz took the opportunity to steal Inej away from the group. He didn't have to say anything or motion for her to come with him, he just knew that if he took his leave to explore the mansion, Inej would likely follow. And, because Kaz could sense her presence when no one else could, he knew that she had followed him out into the gardens.

  This garden had very little colour due to the lack of blooming flowers. It was just an empty field of green grass and tall, green hedges that surrounded the small fenced in area. At the center were the three stone Kerch fishes, each blowing water from their mouths into the fountain below. Kaz could feel Inej's presence as he walked along the path that ran parallel to the house.

"What really happened to the person who killed Alexis?" Kaz asked quietly, not even bothering to turn to look around for Inej in the shadows.

  She was quiet for a few moments before finally sighing, "I gouged out his eyes and stabbed him straight through the heart." She said it with such ease, not even skipping a beat. Kaz stopped suddenly in his tracks. Her voice came from his right, so he turned around, while quickly scanning the roof above before she jumped down and walked up beside him.

  It was rare that Kaz was surprised. He was surprised when Inej had snuck up on him when she was still indentured to Tante Heleen at the Menagerie and he was surprised when his crew escaped the Ice Court only to be greeted by soldiers in the harbor. Hearing Inej so calmly retell how she killed someone by first taking out their eyes surprised him. It must have been all over his face because the next second, Inej continued talking.

"I don't know what came over me. It was all dark and the only thing I could see was her blood. She died because of me," she paused, taking in a sharp breath before continuing. "I saved her from one slaver just so she could die at the hands of another," Inej said as she brought her hands up to her face, covering her eyes while letting her head hang low in disappointment.

"Inej," Kaz said before he hesitantly reached a hand out, cupping her cheek with his bare palm. She dropped her hands and looked up to meet his gaze. "You saved that girl from being a slave and she died a hero while trying to save others. She must have known what she was getting into when she joined your crew." He let go of his cane, letting it crash softly onto the green grass below them as he brought his other hand up to her face.

  They stood in silence before Inej took a step towards Kaz and closed the distance between them. It was so sudden, Kaz dropped his hands and almost took a step back before he realized what was happening. She brought her face just mere inches away from his, so close he could feel her warm breath against his lips as he dipped his head down to get closer.

  Kaz closed his eyes and felt the water come rushing in. He took two deep breaths, willing the terror to leave his body and mind, before he opened his eyes again to take in the look on Inej's face. She was so beautiful and the light from the setting sun made him forget why he didn't like being touched in the first place. He leaned down further, until finally, ever so slightly, their lips touched.

  Kaz had never felt such warmth spread through his body before. Her lips were soft and plump and all he could think about is what it would be like to bite them, or if she bit mine. After a peck that seemed to last hours, but only seconds, Inej pulled away. Did I do something?

"Kaz, wha-" she started, looking up at him dumbfound.

"Sorry, I just thought..." he tried to finish his sentence as he straightened back up but he didn't know what to say. She pulled away from him. I thought this is what you wanted? This is what I wanted. Before he could think too much into his humiliation over being rejected, she pulled at his shirt collar, forcing his head to move towards hers, until their lips were together again.

  He expected the water to begin rising, to see Jordie's decaying body flash before his eye's and remind him of why he is the way he is, but it never came. Jordie's face stayed out of his mind as he let Inej's tongue explore his mouth.

"Kaz..." Inej moaned as she pulled back from his lips and started planting kisses along his jaw and then his neck. She brought her mouth back up to his.

  What the hell do you do now, Brekker? He thought to himself, letting his arm circle around Inej's waist and pulling her closer. I know... He bent his knees slightly, allowing him to mov his hands down to her thighs and pick her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked her to the side of the house and held her propped up against the wall, all while continuing to kiss her. She was now trapped in between Kaz's body and the wall of Wylan's house. How did they get here?

  If someone had told Kaz a year ago that he would be able to walk around with his hands bare, let alone kiss someone, he would have told them they were a fool. A bigger fool than Jesper at the losing tables. He couldn't help but be proud of himself for coming this far, over coming such a huge vulnerability that left him paralyzed. What kind of fear could he bring down on the Barrel now that he was basically free from Jordie's grasp?

"Inej?! Kaz?!" Wylan called out as he rounded the corner to the garden. "Dinner's read- OH!" Kaz and Inej stopped kissing to look up at a blushing Wylan, standing in the middle of the walkway and looking everywhere and anywhere in the garden but at them. "Oh... uhh... I'm sorry, um, yeah, dinners ready!" He took off running back to the house.

"We should probably go..." Inej said as she slowly let her legs fall from their spot around his waist and back onto the solid ground. Her hair was a mess, completely knotted in the back from being rubbed up against the siding. Kaz couldn't help but smirk at the sight.

"Yeah," he replied, looking at her lips as he licked his own. He quickly ran his hands through his hair, brushing it back into place before stepping away from Inej and walking towards the entrance to the dining room. Wow.