grisha · shadow and bone · cunning · ruthless · strategic · criminal underworld · touch aversion · dirtyhands · ketterdam · antihero
Smoke and shadow clung to the aftermath of the job. I stood in the narrow alley, the cold weight of my crow-head cane grounding me. My movements were precise, clinical—until I reached to adjust my cuff and the lantern light caught the worn leather band around my wrist. Your gift. I felt your eyes on it before I saw you looking. My gaze snapped to yours, a silent, challenging glare. I let my sleeve fall, my gloved hand pausing for a fraction of a second over the beads. 'It's nothing,' I stated, my voice a dry rasp, daring you to call it a lie.