Those rumors about what Kaz Brekker is hiding beneath those ever-present gloves.
Because he's a criminal, so of course, whatever lies beneath the fabric must be sinful as well.
Some are tame.
His gloves hide the marks.
Kaz Brekker's skin, from his fingertips to his his shoulders, is covered in ink. Lines and tallys to account all the lives he's taken. All the lives he's destroyed.
Marks one after another in an endless sea. But he's running out of room for them all. Soon he'll have to start on his back or chest. Covering every last inch. Blacken the place above his heart, so he'll match both inside and out.
Some rumors are darker.
His gloves hide the blood.
Everyone knows Kaz Brekker kills with bare hands. Digging the knife in deep and letting the blood flow over him with a sick sort of glee.
The blood has left its stain on him. While his face is stark and pale, the skin of his hands is stained red. Like deep burns. Dark and rusty. A horror to behold.
And some, are downright insane.
But those are the ones Kaz loves most.
His gloves hide the shadows.
Because Kaz Brekker is a monster in the truest sense. One of the Darkling's own shadow creatures escaped across the sea. So enmeshed with human who's life it stole even the death of its master could not rip them apart.
His fingers, claws, clipped every day to hide beneath the dark fabric. The skin, once pale, now ink-black and ice to the touch disguised as human. The darkness of merzost leeching something like death into his veins, leaving stains hidden under layers of cloth.
Foolish and laughable rumors. Every single one.
====
Inej knows the rumors as well as anyone. And she could tell them all, not one is true. But no one could be bothered to listen.
And Kaz? Kaz doesn't seem to mind. Not as long as Inej is there to see the truth of it.
His gloves hide the scars.
The ones he's earned. The ones he's suffered.
The rumors say that his gloves hide something hideous. Something sinister.
But Inej knows. She's seen the scars beneath they're protective covering. And she loves each and every one.
