They might have been friends, part of each other's life for longer than they'd existed apart, but that didn't mean Caden would allow Darius to get away with something he'd have killed another man for even suggesting.
"Emotions have a way of clouding the judgment in even the best of us," Darius observed.
What hovered in the air was Fallon's name. Shea had changed him, put him on a different path than he'd originally intended. A less bloody but more difficult one that they had yet to determine the full consequences of.
"We've never been ones for tradition." It was a subtle jab at Darius who had gone against everyone’s expectations for him, to his own benefit. He was second only to Fallon. Had he followed the normal course of things he would likely have never become the power he was.
Neither would Caden. They made the rules work for them rather than live their lives bound by them.
"And if she does become a problem?" Darius asked.
Caden hesitated, knowing if he said the wrong thing, Darius would take matters into his own hands and eliminate Eva before she could ever become a threat.
"I'll do what I've always done and protect those I consider mine," Caden said.
*
Eva trailed the threewomen to a small house a few streets from the gate. The city was eerily quiet except for the Trateri securing the area for the night.
Fiona paused on the threshold. "Find a bed without a pack on it and its yours. My squad is in this building as well, so you can room with us. Laurell's squad is here, too."
Laurell and Fiona were commanders of their own teams. Hanna was the only one who didn't have a team of her own, but as one of Darius's top advisor's she seamlessly fit with the other two.
"What about Ollie and Jason?" Eva asked.
"Your apprentice is rooming here. Ollie will likely be with the rest of the wounded so the healer can attend him," Hanna said.
Eva couldn't help the glance she slid in Laurell's direction. The lines around the woman's mouth had grown deeper the longer they walked.
"Don't bother saying anything," Hanna said in a low voice. "Laurell is as stubborn as any warrior. Getting her to stay with the healer would be impossible."
Eva didn't understand that mindset. If you were injured, you should seek care before the wound worsened. If Laurell had been one of her charges, she wouldn't have had a choice over whether Eva tended her wounds.
But Laurell was human, and while friendly, she wasn't yet a friend. Eva wasn't sure how forced care would be received if she interfered.
For one thing, Laurell knew a lot of interesting ways to kill a person. Eva didn't want her head separated from her body simply because she'd stuck her nose into business that wasn't hers.
Fiona scratched her neck. "I'd like to say I'm a little smarter."
Hanna snorted at that.
Fiona ignored her to give Eva an awkward smile. "But I'm probably not."
There was an easiness about Fiona as she admitted to her own weaknesses that Eva admired. So often people ignored their faults while deriding others for the same things they were guilty of.
Fiona tilted her head toward the stairs. "Come on, let's get you settled before the commander comes looking for you."
Seeing the disbelief on Eva's face, Fiona snorted. "Please, I know that look on a man's face. I've seen it directed my way a time or two. I also noticed that new dagger you’re sporting."
Eva touched the dagger, her expression questioning. "It was a gift—I think. I found it on my bedroll the night of the attack."
Fiona reached for it, withdrawing it partway before sheathing it again. "I'd know that workmanship anywhere. It's definitely his. That's practically a declaration of intent."
Hanna nodded, cool amusement on her face. "Have you found any other little gifts?"
Eva thought over all the odd items she'd found in her pack, things she knew she hadn’t put there.
Hanna's smile widened, turning sly. "I see you have. I wouldn't have thought the commander would be so indirect."
