❛ ʻʻ .. it's strange how fate
keeps bringing us together .. 〞
in which a girl who can see a person's fate from the touch of a hand falls for the one boy fearing human touch.
━━ KAZ BREKKER
frenemies to lovers, slowburn
shadow & bone - crooked ki...
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xxvi. anyone who had a heart – Randvi
THE anger Randvi felt subsided sooner than she would have liked.
Kaz hadn't waited around for her, nor had she returned within the hour.
It had been Jesper who waited around for her to return, Jesper the one to lead her to where the others had camped for the night. They had trekked two miles out of Upper Djerholm to a spot off a road leading to the Ice Court. It was surrounded by trees, hidden by a tangle of shrubs.
Night cast darkness above, the moonlight creeping its way through gaps between trees. A low fire had been ignited, flames dancing with the shadows it cast against the shrubs. Inej slept silently to the side, as still as the world around her. In an instant Jesper had disappeared to keep watch with the others, and in his place Matthias returned.
Kaz was nowhere to be seen. For once Randvi was thankful.
Randvi took a seat besides Matthias on the rocky ground, briefly letting her gaze watch over Inej.
"She was worried you wouldn't come back," Matthias said quietly, the ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Inej never worries." Randvi corrected with a smile. "She has too much confidence in the world."
"Or she cares about you."
A sudden guilt washed over her, making her shiver. Randvi hadn't been the only one abandoned that night years ago in Ravka. She had abandoned Inej and Jesper, why? Because she'd been selfish, even after Inej had shown her nothing but selflessness. Randvi had failed her. Perhaps she was a bad person. Wylan was right, she was being punished.
She deserved to be punished.
"Here," Matthias said, pulling his coat off his body and wrapping it over Randvi's shoulders. "You may tell me you can survive in your own country without my help, but you need it more than me."
A smile returned to her lips, wrapping the fur coat tightly against her body, bringing her knees to her chest. She hadn't realised just how cold she'd been. Ketterdam and the Wandering Isle had softened her up. Eivor would have laughed at her.
"What were your family like?" Randvi asked, eyes darting to Matthias.
She had heard days ago Matthias had lost his family to Grisha as a child. Perhaps he could be the one to understand how Randvi felt. But he wasn't responsible for his families death, said a taunting voice from somewhere deep within her.
"They were good people, kind people. The type of people you'd want to be proud of you."
"They'd be so proud of you, Matthias." Smiled Randvi, nudging her elbow into his side, sparking a gentle laugh from Matthias.
