𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃//𝐊𝐚𝐳 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐤𝐞𝐫

𝐗𝐕𝐈.

CHAPTER I6

Love and War

     After a few moments alone to gather her thoughts—Brynn had told Sasha to go back to the suite with the others while she handled the rest with Kaz—she let Genya back in. And with her was Kaz, who didn't look happy in the least about being there, in the room that smelled of old clay.

Brynn sat on the settee, resting her eyes, as Kaz settled down across from Genya. At first, she had wanted to watch Genya heal his injuries, but decided against it when she saw how Kaz looked at her hands, as if she was getting ready to torture him.

There was only one thing she could do as she waited. Ponder what changes she was going through.

She'd been a Healer. Maybe parem had changed her abilities to go from dealing with the body to dealing with the mind. That must've been how she could see into Genya and Sasha's mind, into the memories they'd kept locked away.

Then what happened to her Inferni abilities? Was she just going to be able to see into peoples' minds for the rest of her life and nothing else?

Get a grip, she told herself. Her parem-influenced abilities could still appear. She just had to be patient.

"Brynn."

She hadn't realized she'd nodded off again until Kaz's voice woke her up. Brynn sat up and opened her eyes. Kaz stood a few feet away from her, Genya was gone. When she stood up, she noticed the changes the Tailor had made to his injuries.

His nose was set, the swelling on his eye had been reduced so he could actually see, and it looked like he wasn't in as much pain as before. But it still looked like she could have done more.

Brynn frowned. "You know she could have—"

"She didn't know when to stop," said Kaz. He checked his watch. "Let's go. It's later than I would have hoped."

Should she tell him? How would he react? Tell her off, say that it's ridiculous?

Wait, why do I care what Kaz Brekker thinks of me? Brynn thought as she stood up and limped with Kaz out of the room. Unless...

This is love and war, Brynn, a second voice told her. And it always has been.

"Brynn?" Kaz asked.

Brynn glanced at him and pushed off from the wall again, shuffling past him. "I'm fine."

"I never asked." The steady rhythm of Kaz's cane against the floor filled the silence until he spoke again. "The Tailor said something happened."

She sighed, but kept going. "She was right."

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?"

This time, Brynn stopped and faced Kaz. But she didn't dare look him in the eyes. "I don't know exactly what happened, but something definitely did. I...saw stuff when I looked into Genya's and Sasha's eyes. And I don't think it's a fluke, either."