Kaz Brekker never made decisions out of fear, only spite. Everybody knew that. However, rules were made to be broken whether they were personal or not.
The truth was, Kaz Brekker had tried to have Katarina Levitksy killed. More than once. He didn't like to admit it, but he was terrified. Terrified of her. Kaz would protect anyone before he would protect himself, so what was so wrong about being selfish this one time? He had to, he told himself.
Katarina Levtisky hurt almost everything she touched, as though it was a fairytale, the thing she touched would shrivel up, turn grey and soon or later it would die. He knew this, and it was foolish of her to think he didn't.
Nobody stepped in that club without him knowing everything about them.
She killed her parents. The whole house went up in flames because Katarina was angry. Imagine if that happened in the palace, he reasoned, she gets everyone caught, he never sees Jesper or Inej again, better yet– she kills them.
She wasn't the sun-summoner, he knew that, but a Deuci was just as valuable to everyone he went against, and Kaz couldn't be sure that Katarina wasn't one of them. He'd be damned if he let her poison his crows from the inside out. And he refused to let her tear him apart, he had to do something.
But now it all came to a screeching halt, the dots were connecting one by one and the Bastard of the Barrel had never felt so foolish. He would rather have somebody killed than face the truth, he wasn't sure why she had such a profound effect on him; matter of fact he despised it, but he couldn't let her die.
Not at the hands of a guard.
That is, of course, because Katarina Levitsky had done just what he hoped she wouldn't. She had poisoned him from the inside out, with the finest kind. She had torn him apart, seen all the bad parts and hadn't run for the hills. Why? He couldn't begin to make sense of it, but now he was sure— no! He was certain.
Kaz Brekker was infatuated with Katarina Levitsky. And Kaz thought she deserved a more honourable death than that, after everything she'd been through. Maybe she deserved to die by the hand of someone worthy— someone different. Someone like Kaz.
Only if she didn't kill him first.
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No mess, Kaz had said. Now there was a dead guard at her feet and Katarina had to almost jump out of the way from the blood pool that almost stained her shoes.
Thanks to Annika, her outfit was sure to help her blend in, and due to the Bauta that would further conceal who she really was. Something the palace seemed to be good at.
Making sure to barricade the door behind her, she creeped into Kirigan's chambers. Her back faced the room, since she was sure it would be empty, and closed the doors quietly. In, she thought to herself, pressuring her forehead against the wood.
