The horse plodded toward them, its head down and its gait slow. As soon as Reece stopped, it tried to stretch toward a piece of grass growing through the rocks.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Shea said sweetly.
Eva muffled her laugh, not knowing how the stranger would feel about being laughed at. If he was a pathfinder, the last thing she wanted to do was risk alienating him on the very first day of their journey.
Eyes of the palest blue flicked her way. They reminded her of ice on a lake in the deepest depths of winter.
The man had spent his life outdoors, and it showed. He was tan with little lines radiating from his eyes that deepened whenever humor creased his face. He was clean-shaven and looked seconds away from a good laugh, whether with you or at your expense, was the question.
He was handsome and appeared only a few years older than Eva at most.
He, like Shea, was tall, but not as tall as most of the Trateri around them. Both still dwarfed Eva's smaller form.
"Who's this?" he asked.
"The most important person on this mission. Make sure you come back with her," Shea said in a terse voice.
Reece didn't let her brusqueness bother him, aiming a charming smile Eva's way. It reached his eyes as it dawned, appreciation gleaming there.
He tilted his chin at her. "Ah, the little winged horse tamer. I've heard a bit about you."
Eva flushed.
Shea covered her ears and shook her head. "I so don't need to hear you flirt right now."
Reece scoffed. "This isn't me flirting, but I can change that if you'd like."
"Keep your attention on the mission, pathfinder," Caden said, striding up. "This isn't the time for romance or whatever antics you want to get up to."
The flush that had been fading came back full force as Caden's eyes swung to Eva. He didn't say anything before striding away as silently and quickly as he'd come.
Reece let out a small grunt. "You couldn't have saddled us with someone else? Anyone else?"
Shea shrugged. "He volunteered. More importantly, Fallon trusts him implicitly."
"Like he never will us," Reece muttered.
Eva shifted, not sure if she should walk away. This conversation felt like something she shouldn't be a part of.
Shea's lips twisted. "You have no one to blame but yourself for that. You gave Fallon plenty of reason not to trust you during your first meeting."
"Are you ever going to let that go?" Reece snapped.
"No, I don't think I will," Shea responded with a superior smile.
By this point Eva's eyes had grown big as she watched the bickering. The two acted more like close siblings than cousins.
"You get used to it," the friendlier of Shea's guards said quietly. "They like to argue with each other for the simple sake of arguing."
Eva didn't know how to respond to that, so she settled for nodding slowly.
"Wilhelm, you're supposed to be on my side," Shea protested.
"I am ever on your side, Shea," he promised with a charming smile.
Shea's eyes narrowed as if she wasn't quite sure that was true.
Eva found her gaze unwillingly drawn to Caden.
