The fire fox wriggled in Eva's arms, jumping down before she could stop him. He barked reproachfully at the Tenrin before jogging into the dark.
The Tenrin's expression closed down. To Eva's surprise he gave her an almost respectful nod before flying back to his original perch.
"Not even going to pretend you're not spying on us?" Van called.
The Tenrin fluttered his wings, not trying to be circumspect in his presence anymore.
Van shook his head at being ignored. "Arrogant bastard."
"He's in good company then," Eva responded as she headed toward Caden.
Reading the expression on Eva's face, Caden opened his arms. Eva crashed into his embrace.
She felt brittle. Like a single harsh touch would shatter her to pieces. The things she'd been forcing herself not to feel almost too much to bear now.
Caden lowered his head over hers where she'd buried it in his chest. "Whatever comes, we'll face it together."
The sound Eva made was raw, tears trying to squeeze themselves out of her eyes.
"You don't even know what it is that's happened," she whispered.
"Doesn't matter. It's you. That's enough for me."
Eva forced herself to lift her head and meet his gaze. What she found there made her heart flutter. An ocean of love, backed up by strength and determination.
This was a man who would do battle for her. Right or wrong, he'd claim heads on her behalf.
It was why failing hurt so bad. It wasn't just her life in the mix. Sometimes a person could come to mean so much more than your own self-interest. Their happiness eclipsed your own.
That was Caden for her. As intense and possessive as his love could sometimes be, hers was no different.
It was thorny and tangled. And sometimes she was convinced her skin couldn't contain the extent of everything she felt for him.
Caden pressed a kiss to Eva's forehead. "I feel the same,alea na."
Eva's snicker was wet sounding. "I didn't even say anything."
His smile was roguish. "You didn't have to. Your enthrallment spoke for you."
"You certainly have the arrogance down," Eva observed.
Caden tugged on her. "Come sit with me."
Eva let him pull her to a seat beside him, not protesting when he nodded at Jane.
"Summon the others. I have a feeling they'll want to hear what Eva has to say," Caden ordered.
Jane inclined her chin, jogging into the night.
"What are you doing outside the camp?" Eva asked, purposefully avoiding the sensitive subject that was most on her mind.
She only planned to explain herself once.
"We decided to change our methods concerning the prisoners," Caden pointed his knife toward a clearing with a single torch in it.
Eva's face held confusion as she spotted the two prisoners staked out on the ground.
For a moment, she didn't understand and then it clicked. He was using the threat of the swarm to terrify them, hoping one of them would break.
