"What makes you say that?" Roscoe asked.
"A swarm of never-before-seen bugs less than a hundred meters from a red back carcass that has been consumed down to its bones in not even a full evening? You're telling me that doesn't strike you as strange?" Reece asked.
Roscoe shrugged. "Everything about the Highlands is weird."
Reece shook his head and raised his eyes to the sky. "Why did Shea have to befriend you louts and then stick me with your company?"
Eva didn't know what possessed her to tug on the pathfinder's tail as she gave him a sweet smile. "Consider it punishment for your previous sins."
Reece scowled, looking baffled. "What sins?"
There was a hint of wickedness in Eva's expression as she fixed Reece with a teasing look. "I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you all about them the next time you see her."
Reece's sputter finally cracked Fiona's emotionless façade as a hint of humor peeked out of her friend's face.
"Nice one," Fiona told Eva. "It's about time someone checked his ego."
thirteen
Cadenallowedhimselfasmall smile at Reece's expense. The look of shock on the pathfinder's face was priceless. He hadn't expected that. Not from Eva, a woman he probably considered quiet. Maybe even harmless.
That was his mistake.
Quiet didn't mean weak. Sometimes a gentle exterior was nothing more than a cover to hide a priceless treasure you might be fooled into thinking didn't exist.
Caden certainly hadn't. His oversight almost cost him the beauty that was Eva.
It was why people never expected her claws. They forgot that the best hunters were silent before the strike.
Maybe that was why he was so attracted to her.
She was loyal but fierce in her protection of those who'd earned her esteem. Kindness threaded through every action she took. Even when she was giving you a piece of her mind, it was for a reason. Sometimes to keep you from being stupid. Often it was to protect another.
It was how she'd broken through to a heart as jaded as Caden's. He was used to people using others. It was far rarer to find a person who gave all of themselves to the tasks they undertook. Who felt so deeply that they were unable to walk away even when they knew it was safer, both emotionally and physically.
He'd seen the way Eva had struggled to find her footing in an unfamiliar role. Her uncertainty was hard to watch. Caden would have liked nothing more to step in to solve her problems, but doing so would only have done her a disservice in the long run. He'd rather cut his hand off than do anything that would clip her wings and prevent her from blossoming into her full self.
For the longest time, Caden had only had one person he put above his own wellbeing. With Eva, he now had two.
It was why this newest surprise the Highlands had sprung was so concerning. Caden didn't like surprises or uncertainty and these cicadas represented both.
He watched the strange insects march along the tree's trunk in neat, uniform lines that a commanding officer would be jealous of. Even the best trained Trateri warriors wouldn't be capable of such precision.
As he watched, one line reached the end of the trunk and made a tight turn before marching in the opposite direction. Over and over again until their numbers covered every surface, even spilling onto the ground.
"What do you think they're doing?" Roscoe asked.
"Nothing good." Caden's face was grim as he glanced at Eva, knowing she wasn't going to want to hear this next part. "We can't stay in the valley any longer."
The swarm was a danger to everyone and everything here. There were too many unknowns for Caden to feel comfortable being in such close proximity.
They'd consumed an entire red back in a night and then laid waste to half the grove.
Caden didn't want that happening to their mounts. Or worse, their people.
Then there was the problem of the prisoners. If Covath was to be believed, the army the prisoners served already knew their location. It was just a matter of time before they attacked.
With the Trateri as outnumbered as they were, Caden couldn't guarantee their safety. Worst case—they'd lose a significant number of their people.
