"Fine!" Warin said, giving in. "Kyren. Sebastian. Whatever you want to call him. Just please tell him to stop breathing down my neck."
For someone who wanted a favor, he sure wasn't being polite about it.
"Woman," Warin started when Eva just stared at him.
Caden stepped close, invading the other man's personal space. "You don't talk to her in that tone."
Caden's voice was low, but even from here his threat was unmistakable. It was a quiet assurance that spoke louder than a hundred explicit threats ever could.
Fierce. I approve.
Sebastian would. Though truthfully, Eva did as well.
In the grand scheme of things, Warin's words were inconsequential. A mosquito buzzing around her ear. Annoying but ultimately forgotten in the next second.
They couldn't draw blood. At least not physically.
It was when those words were repeated over and over again. When that sort of thinking spilled into other avenues that they inflicted slow bleeding mental cuts that accumulated into a myriad of wounds that sucked the life out of you.
Caden's actions let others know such things wouldn't be tolerated. Even if Eva let them go for the sake of keeping the peace, he wouldn't.
Nor should she. Allowing a trespass once would tell the Trateri it'd be allowed again. Eva had no intention of living a life where others were allowed to slight her at their own leisure.
She deserved more—and she'd take it.
"Alright, I understand," Warin said, almost flinching under Caden's regard.
Eva had a feeling he would have retreated from Caden if not for Sebastian behind him.
Warin flicked Eva a look as if to ask what she was waiting for.
Eva let the moments slide past. Enjoying his discomfort wasn't nice of her, but then she'd never pretended to be a kind person. Sometimes people got what they deserved.
Finally, Eva took mercy on him. "Sebastian."
The Kyren looked at her.
"It's enough."
Eva glared at his innocent expression when he still didn't move. He knew that look didn't work on her anymore. He understood very well what she was saying.
"He's learned his lesson. You can let him go."
I don't agree.
Of course, he wouldn't. Why make anything easy when it was so much more fun to be difficult?
The fire fox landed on Sebastian's head, appearing out of nowhere. He scolded Sebastian and Warin with several high-pitched yips before flame shot out of him, singeing the ground in either direction.
Gawain jerked next to Eva before controlling his reaction. The onlookers drew back, aiming cautious gazes that didn't quite hide their fear at the fire fox.
Eva grimaced at the charred ground. "Look what you did. You got the fire fox all riled."
It's not my fault the overgrown rodent got all huffy.
The fire fox lifted his upper body and pounced on Sebastian's head, making it bob.
"Don't you dare." Eva pointed at the fire fox in warning as flame flickered at the end of one tail. "I'm not explaining to the Kyren why their proud son came home missing his mane."
