Eva gave a hard wrench of her wrists, feeling her stomach leap as one hand slipped half free. It was aided by the blood now coating her hands.
She didn't have time to rejoice as two of the men prowled in her direction, their chuckles making her skin crawl.
"What do you think we should do to her first?" the darker haired of the two asked.
Eva didn't react as she finished sliding one hand free. She held onto the rope once her hand was out, not wanting to give anything away.
Cautiously, she scooted the boot that contained her hidden dagger closer to her right hand.
She leaned to the side, keeping her eyes on the men as the blond reached for his belt.
"I say we have a little fun."
Eva was almost calm as they moved toward her. It looked like all those forced lessons with Caden were going to come in handy.
She bit her lip, assessing her opponents. Taking down three men would be tough. She'd have to be quick. Take advantage of their surprise and act before they could recover.
There was one good thing about being caught by these people—they weren't Trateri. It meant they likely weren't warriors.
She had a chance. She just had to believe it.
Eva palmed the dagger, sliding it slowly out of her boot as the man stopped in front of her.
Look all you want, she told him silently. It'll be the last thing you see.
A gurgle followed by something large hitting the cave floor distracted the man as he turned.
Eva saw her chance.
She thrust her dagger toward the man’s inner thigh. Caden had told her that area contained an artery that would make her victim bleed out quickly. And if she failed, she would have at least damaged her opponent's mobility, giving her a chance to run.
A scream told her she'd succeeded in at least causing the other man pain. She yanked the dagger out, dodging his backhanded swing in the next second.
She scrambled to her feet, ready to stab him again.
She never got the chance as a hand reached around his throat, drawing a knife across it in a thin, red line.
Surprised eyes met hers as the man clutched at his throat. Blood ran like rivulets beneath his hand as he lowered himself to his knees and then his side.
Eva didn't know what was going on or why the messenger had killed his fellow soldiers.
She clutched the dagger in her hand and readied herself to attack.
The man arched an impressed eyebrow at the body. "The femoral artery. Nice choice. Caden teach you that?"
twenty-four
Distractedasshewasby Caden's name—and the fact he knew Caden had been the one to teach her what part of the body to stab to inflict maximum damage—she didn't forget to lash out when the stranger reached for her.
He eased back with his hands held up, palms facing her in a gesture meant to suggest he wasn't a threat.
Hah. Like Eva was dumb enough to believe that after he'd just killed two men without blinking.
"Who are you?"
The man pursed his lips and dropped his hands. "Ever heard of the Horse Clan?"
She had. Rumors anyway. A lot of people claimed the Horse Clan were where Fallon's most talented spies originated from.
