"Your table manners leave something to be desired," she said coolly.
His grin flashed in appreciation.
So glad he was finding this situation amusing.
Enough teasing,Orion said.What did you mean before?
Ajari inclined his head, the glint in his eyes fading as his expression sobered. "The woman. She is young. Untrained. Her power is still relatively weak, but she's stubborn. She has potential. With her, you would not be reliant on my brother as an intermediary. You could forge your own alliance with the humans."
Orion considered, his thoughts brushing against Eva's.
She looked between the two, only half-understanding.
I will consider this,Orion said.
Ajari's lips twisted, his eyes veiled. "You do that."
The humans come,Orion said abruptly.
The two Kyren that had accompanied him took off, the wind from their wings blowing Eva's hair back.
We will meet again, little Caller,Orion's mind brushed hers.Come, nephew. We have much to discuss away from the humans and their noise.
He and Sebastian launched into the sky as the first sounds of humans moving through the brush reached them.
Eva regarded Ajari even as he studied her. "You're up to something," she finally said.
His lips tilted up in a smile. "And so the mouse becomes a kitten."
He stepped into the grove, joining her as Jason burst out of the trees, a sword held in his hand, his eyes wild. He spotted her, a look of relief eclipsing his face.
"Eva, you're alive.” Jason grabbed her in a hug, wrapping her tight. Eva patted him awkwardly on the back as Darius ducked through the trees, Caden's Anateri and the rest of his warriors at his side. Fiona was a fierce predator as she prowled toward Eva, taking in the bodies at her feet.
Eva gently pushed Jason away and faced the others.
"This is unexpected," Fiona said.
"I'll say," Ghost muttered at her back. "Here we are to rescue the helpless damsel and she's already done the work for us."
Hanna knelt near one of the bodies, examining it carefully as Darius assessed the carnage in the grove. His gaze was considering as he looked around, noting the wounds that no man-made weapon could have inflicted.
Next he stared at Caden at Eva's feet. An expression of grief shrouded his face as he cataloged the blood on Caden's clothes and the tear tracks Eva still hadn't wiped off her face, coming to the normally correct conclusion that his friend had passed.
Drake and Jane looked quietly devastated at the sight of their fallen commander. Despite that, they didn't move from the positions they'd assumed, guarding the rest of them. Duty-bound even when their hearts were breaking.
"He lives," Eva assured them.
Darius looked disbelieving, even as he bent to check for himself. He, like Eva, lifted the cloth from the spot where it looked like someone had dipped Caden in blood.
"Great Esna bless me. He's not even wounded," Darius said in an awed voice.
Eva winced as a flaw in the Kyren's plans to keep their abilities secret suddenly occurred to her. She kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner. Caden was covered in his own blood, but he didn't have any wounds to show for it beyond minor ones, a cut here, a scrape there. It wouldn't take long for someone to jump to the conclusion someone had miraculously healed him. At that point, it wouldn't matter if Eva kept the secret or not.
Thinking fast, she said, "The blood isn't his."
"Is that so?" Darius asked, raising an eyebrow.
She didn't even hesitate before she nodded. "It is."
