Let my fires protect you || Kaz Brekker X Reader

10.A bond that can not be broken

Three months had passed since then, things automatically went back to normal with Kaz, by that I mean he ordered me to do something and I did it without question, then in the evenings I would sometimes climb through his window, we'd talk about random bullshit, we'd never go to personal stuff though, or we'd just stay there in silence, he'd work on strategy or paperwork and I'd just enjoy the silence his office offers.

 If I wasn't with Kaz though I'd either be on a mission or with Nina eating sweet treats and talking about our lives, I'd learned that the man she was trying to save was a Fjerdan named Matthias, she didn't go into specifics and I didn't bring it up, it was a subject that clearly hurt her. This was now a bi-weekly thing, she'd finish her shift, I'd finish whatever obligation I had and then I'd go steal waffles or literally anything with lots of sugar in and then go to her. 

Tonight was a special one though, I really wanted Nina and Inej to meet so I literally dragged Inej outside of the slat while she was sharpening her knives so she could. "Where are we going?" she asked me as we left the barrel, "I want you to meet someone, Nina, the heartrender Kaz had me recruit." Inej smiled and started to overtake me, "What are you waiting for? I've been wanting to meet her too, you know?" 

"We have to go steal from the bakery." Inej smirked and I rejoined her side, we climbed the walls of a building and started jumping from roof to roof until we reached the bakery's roof. The place had tried to increase it's protection after I started stealing from their stores but it never really worked, fire was a really good lock pick. Inej and I dropped into the locked bakery, it was closed now, I always came after it closed. My senses were overwhelmed by the smell of fresh bread and sugar, another of the few pleasant smells that Ketterdam had. Inej had chosen some waffles and donuts and I already knew Nina and her would get along swell.

We left and what awaited us was far from pleasent, four stadwatch guards surrounded us. I put my hands up in surrender, I look behind me and see Inej on a far rooftop, baked goods in hand. "Hello." I say, "So, you are the waffle thief?" I laughed at the nickname, that is not a nickname I wanted added to my list, "Do you know who I am?"

"Brekker's phoenix." I rolled my eyes, I may be indebted to Kaz, I owed him my loyalty and Per Haskell my flame but I was no one's. "Wrong, I'm the last face you'll ever see if you don't let me go. Wait, actually that reminds me, you should probably see my entire face, you know, just for comfort and, clarity." I lift my mask and the guard's face contort into one of fear, it was a nice difference, once men looked at me with lust in their eyes more blood in their dicks then brains now it's completely different and I adored it, "We'll let you off, just this once."

"Thank you." I smile and bow slightly, I jump onto the roof of the bakery and run back to Inej, "If Kaz finds out about this..." I put my hand out to stop her, "Kaz already knows about what I do when I go to Nina, he won't care about this." Inej smiles and we continue forward to the White Rose. 

~

"You brought your friend." Nina goes to shake Inej's hand, "I've heard so much about you, I'm glad to finally meet the wraith." Inej smiles and sits down putting the waffles and donuts on Nina's table, "I heard you like these." 

"You don't have to bring them everytime, you know?" I did know but she was struggling even more with her payments to Per Haskell and I liked seeing the smile on her face when she saw them. "I know." Nina gave me a warm smile thanking me for what I do and I gave her a curt nod. "I have a question for both of you." she says as she bites into a waffle, "How do you deal being in a mile radius of Kaz? I mean, he's insufferable." Inej is the first one to speak, "You'll get used to him, he's a lot to manage but as you spend more time with him you grow to respect him, he's an amazing strategist and is capable of getting us out of impossible situations." she perfectly described Kaz, I mean it was different for me, I immediately wanted to be loyal but that was because I yearned for the freedom only he could give me. "And you?" Nina's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "Oh, I guess it's because he gave me my freedom and that made me learn to endure him." The answer was true just not entirely, I could deal with Kaz because he was impressive and a comfort to be around, he was a realist not an idealist so if I wanted answers and not bullshit about my legend then I'd get them from him. This answer was good enough for Nina though because we continued to talk about random things, Nina and Inej got along like a house on fire, we laughed, talked, and ate the baked goods we had stolen. I felt a bond form between us, one unyielding, true, it was nice to have it.

"Shit." I say, the sun had started to rise and we needed to get back, get in a few hours of sleep before we were sent off to do something. Currently, the Dregs and other gangs were at an uneasy peace, it wouldn't last long though, I was sure of it. The Black Tips were becoming a problem so Inej and I were monitoring their activities, Kaz had ordered me away from the Dime Lions because they were known to work with slavers, slavers who would shove me in a metal coffin and sell me to the highest bidder. "I'm sorry but we have to go." I pull Nina into a hug for the first time and she accepts it, I was glad I could do things like this now with Nina, that we had known eachother long enough and the Menagerie although it lingered in my very being, started to feel distant. Inej shook Nina's hand and we left back to the slat. 

A/n - this was just a short chapter to fully establish Nina and all the girls bond so there was very little of Kaz but the main SoC plot starts next chapter. Woohoo!