Caden closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he reinforced his mask. When he opened them again, he was in full control. The commander so many admired, and the lover Eva considered her own.
"Who do you think taught me?" Caden asked in a voice that Eva would have considered normal if not for the loss of control she'd just witnessed.
"I'm surprised."
Caden's lips quirked, most of his mask already recovered. "You shouldn't be. Fallon makes use of every tool in his arsenal. Sometimes he can't be everywhere at once. It helps to have someone he trusts who can act in his name."
"And to do that, you have to understand politics," Eva finished for Caden.
He made a small sound of assent.
Eva watched him carefully. "You know you're more than a tool."
Caden smoothed a piece of hair back from her face. "We're all instruments,alea na. It just depends whose hands guide our fate."
Caden picked up one of her hands, examining it before lifting it to his lips to press a gentle kiss on its back in an unspoken promise.
He was telling her that only her hands held his fate now. For a man like him, it was the ultimate act of trust.
"Such a charmer," Eva murmured.
"For you. Always." Caden flicked a look at where Jason and Drake waited a short distance away, offering the two of them the illusion of privacy. "Stay close to her."
Drake and Jason nodded their agreement.
Caden stepped close, pulling Eva into his embrace. "Reece and Buck spotted the enemy's scouts during the night. We're going to try to evade them, but this fight will happen sooner or later. Be prepared."
Eva nodded against his chest, feeling shaky.
No wonder she'd woken to the Trateri breaking up camp. Caden had moved into action as soon as he got word.
"They're still hours from discovering our trail," Caden assured her.
But once they did, the countdown would truly begin.
"What do you need from me?" Eva asked, taking a deep breath.
Now that the moment had arrived, all anxiety and fear had dropped away, leaving only determination.
"We'll be moving quickly this morning."
"I'll let Ollie and Jason know."
While there wasn't much they could do to lessen the load on the mounts, they could keep an eye on overuse injuries and switch out a horse when it became necessary.
Caden brushed his thumb against Eva's cheekbone before placing his lips against hers.
Warm flutters started in her stomach, moving their way up into her chest.
"I'll see you on the trail," he breathed against her.
She pushed her lips against his one last time. "Yes, you will."
Caden lifted his head and glanced in Jason's direction, giving him an approving nod. "Remember what I taught you."
"I will. I won't let you down," Jason promised.
Caden stepped back, sending one last look at Eva before departing. Eva took a shaky breath, wiping her hands against the cloth of her pants.
