┍━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━┑

CHAPTER FOUR
pekka rollins

┕━━━━━━ ★ ━━━━━━┙

Celestine's strolling down the streets of Ketterdam by herself, hands in her pockets, knife in her hip holster, the necklace Jesper gifted her dangling around her neck, completely undisturbed.

Anyone who knew Celestine Allaire knew she was under fierce protection by two of some of the most feared people in Ketterdam— Blythe Tarasov and Kaz Brekker.

A single hair touched on her head by someone who meant her harm would mean slit throats, excruciating torture, practically anything to do with extreme violence was sufficient enough for Dirtyhands and the Viper.

This meant that whenever the Sparrow bounded down the streets of the Barrel, barely even a glance is spared in her direction, so when two suit-clad men show up out of nowhere, eyes burning holes into the back of her head, she knew something was up.

She was being followed, most definitely, but the Soulbearer didn't know by who.

Originally, Celestine was making her way towards the Viperidae Estate, but now that she's aware of two six-foot-tall men on her tail, she changed her course, rounding a corner and walking back in the direction of the Crow Club instead.

Anxiety flooded Celestine's chest when they quickened their pace, causing her to do the same, shoving people's shoulders in order to get away.

When things like this happened, which was rare but did happen on occasion, Celestine always had someone with her— whether it be one of the Crows or Viperidae, Gris or even Blythe on the small chance she decided to leave her fortress of a home.

She was never too worried, but now that she was alone, and foolishly letting her emotions get the best of her, listening to the pounding of her heart against her ribcage, she turned into an alleyway— one with a dead end.

Saints, you really are a bloody idiot, sometimes, Allaire.

Instead of showing the anxiety etched into the features on her face, Celestine steeled herself, her face completely stoic as she whirled around to, not two, but three men closing in on her.

"Who are you, and what the bloody hell do you want?" She breathed, anger laced into her tone.

They don't speak, they only draw in on her, and the middle one is the first to swing at her face.

Celestine, despite her ever-growing nerves, effortlessly dodged the blow to the face, and thrusted out her leg, the heel of her boot slamming against the man's sternum, making him tumble to the ground, completely winded.

The one on her left grabbed her forearm, wrenching it behind her back, pushing her against the wall, sliding her face across the bricks.

The Soulbearer inhaled deeply before she reared her head back, her head smacking against his forehead.

The man reeled back, his suit sleeve lifting and Celestine glared at the ink on his arm— Dime Lions.

"You have no business here," She snarled, just as the one on her right swung at her but she moved her head in time to let his fist connect with the brick wall behind, a sickening crunch filling the air, "Leave."

The man cried out in pain, cradling his fist to his chest just as the first guy pushed himself back up off the ground.

Celestine's too preoccupied with the Dime Lion clinging to her arm that, when she finally does get him off with an elbow to the face and a foot to the bend of his knee, she missed the first man she hit advance towards them, swiping a knife at her face, catching her cheekbone.

His hands then yank at her hair and whack her head against the wall.

Celestine's vision blurred, the world spinning on it's axis and before she could reach for her knife at her side, a needle's jabbed into her neck, sending her spiralling into a dreamless sleep. 

When Kaz Brekker heard a thud coming from near his window, he never thought that, instead of Inej, he'd be seeing two grown men making their presence known in his office.

He stood still for a moment, assessing the two strangers, and realised one had a splatter of blood decorating his left cheek.

Alarm bells ring in Kaz's head and he rammed the top of his cane into one's ribs, sending them stumbling backwards.

He swung at the other man who caught his cane mid air, twisting it from his grasp and then shoving Kaz's head down to smack against his desk, leaving him disoriented enough for the man to restrain him.

Kaz thrashed in his hold, breathing harshly at the hand holding his arm in place and the other firmly against his chest.

His hair's tousled and there's blood dripping down the side of his head when Pekka Rollins stepped into the room, "Evening... Mr. Brekker, is it?"

"You're a long way from home." Kaz snarled, as Pekka whistled for one of his men to follow him in, "Am I? Like you were earlier?" Pekka sat down in a chair in front of Kaz, staring him down, "Where you took a grisha from the Orchid."

"The Orchid isn't Dime Lions turf."

"Well, it's a new acquisition, hm," Pekka gave him a patronising smile, "You heard it here first— now," He signalled for one of his men to hand the crow-headed cane over as Kaz writhed, making the Dime Lion restraining him force him down once more, "Now, I know you saw Dreesen," Pekka informed him, "You got the jump on whatever job he has, I don't know the details, obviously, just that you have a little travel hazard ahead of you."

Kaz kept his glare on the man as he spoke, "So, here's the deal, you can do nothing, walk away from it and I'll tell Dreesen I'm taking over for you, then we're even—"

"Not even close." Kaz retorted and Pekka held up a finger, "Hang on," He turned to a Dime Lion standing where they made their entrance, "Bring her in."

The Dime Lion disappeared into the room before reappearing with a girl over his shoulder.

He threw her on to the ground, right beside Kaz, her head hitting his thigh momentarily before falling to the ground, enticing a nasty, and somewhat bloody, cough from the girl's lips,

Kaz doesn't need to look at the face to know whose beside him, the glint of the steel ring on the girl's middle finger is enough to tell him who it is, and he rolled his shoulders back and thrashed against the man holding him once more, his anger bubbling in his chest.

"The other option is," Pekka held the beak of the crow-head against Kaz's neck, forcing him to look at the brunette on the ground, at the damage him and his Dime Lions had caused, "I'll make you watch as I cave your Sparrow's head in with your cane and dump her in the harbour, hmm?"

For a moment there, Celestine thought that Death didn't sound so bad— especially with the pain shooting through her body, the throbbing pain in her cheek and the continuous thumping in her head.

"That first option seems better now, don't it?" Pekka taunted, ripping the cane away from his neck.

"Tell me, have we ever made a deal before?"

Pekka avoided Celestine's leg as he stood, but kept his gaze on Kaz, "You and me? Nah, otherwise you'd know better— or you'd be dead."

The man threw the cane onto the desk, and then ushered his Dime Lions out the way they came, leaving Kaz and Celestine alone.

Once he's sure they've left, Kaz's gaze drifted to the brunette beside him, "Celestine?"

She rolled onto her back with a wheeze, "Should've used my powers."

He shook his head, "Then you'd be as good as dead."

"I remember being close to death once, I'm pretty sure this is what it felt like." Celestine croaked, slowly sitting upwards, leaning her head against the desk, letting it lull to the side to study Kaz's expression, "They cornered me in an alleyway— three of them."

"No need to explain yourself, Celestine," Kaz assured, pushing himself up off of the ground, glancing down to the Soulbearer, "Can you stand?"

Celestine gripped the edge of the desk and hauled herself up, despite her knees shaking and the weak grip she had on the desk, "Apparently so."

Kaz clenched his jaw when the light illuminated his Sparrow's face, showing a dried blood trail of blood on the side of her face and scratches from when her face was scraped against the wall in the alleyway, "Did they hurt you otherwise?"

Celestine's hand went to her neck, "They injected me with something."

Kaz stilled, blue eyes locking with brown as she continued, "I don't think it was poison— I'd probably be dead, most likely a sleep drug."

At that moment, his hand twitched, itching to reach out to her, to touch her neck, to brush his gloved fingers over the tender patch of skin, and he almost did— almost.

"How do you feel?" He questioned, leaning on his cane, gripping it tightly.

"Tired, for the most part." Celestine answered and Kaz nodded in the direction of his bed and sink, "Clean up and then rest— I'll find Roman to inform Blythe."

"But Kaz—"

"This isn't up for discussion, Celestine," He stated flatly, "I'll be gone for a moment, but I'll lock the door," He allowed himself to soften his tone at the fear still painted across his Sparrow's face, "You'll be safe up here."

She nodded slowly, watching Kaz walk to the door, pushing it open to the staircase to his Club, "Kaz?"

He turned to her, arching an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Celestine leaned against the doorway to keep herself upright, "Just... be careful."

"Get some rest, Allaire." He told her before shutting and locking the door before descending down the staircase, leaving Celestine to sleep. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

this was originally going over 3,000 words
so i've had to cut almost half of this chapter
out lmao.

but, that also means a ( possible )
double update today!!

^^ don't get your hopes up though,
we'll see.

i hope you enjoy and if you guys have
any headcanons for celestine and kaz,
please comment them
here!!

i'd love to know them and maybe i'll even
try to incorporate a few <33

...