stood next to the window, naked as he gazed into the courtyard.
"Get dressed," he said as soon as he sensed she was awake. "Something is wrong."
Eva wasted no time on questions, reaching for her clothes on the floor. He did the same, his expression tense and his body alert.
The shouting was getting louder.
Banging came at the door. "Eva, we're under attack. Get dressed, I want you below with the warriors."
Caden opened the door as Fiona went to bang again, nearly hitting him in the face.
Her eyes flashed with surprise even as she gave Caden a report. "Those bugs Reece warned us about are swarming. We're killing them as fast as we can, but we need everyone in a defensible position. Darius thinks this is a first wave to discombobulate and soften us up for the next batch."
"We'll be down immediately," he said. "Warn the rest."
She jerked a quick nod before hurrying to the next door which opened almost before she had time to knock. Ghost and Roscoe hopped from foot to foot as they donned their clothes.
"We heard. We're on it," they said as they scrambled for the stairs. Roscoe frantically buckled his sword at his waist, nodding once to Caden. "Commander, see you on the battlefield."
Caden made a wordless sound of assent, half battle cry, half-guttural shout.
Neither man commented on Caden's presence in Eva's room, not even one ribald remark coming from them. No one teased or acted surprised by Caden's presence. They treated it as a matter of course and not even worth the effort of acknowledging beyond a slight head tilt.
Eva was dressed, her few belongings thrown back into her bag seconds after the men departed.
Caden reached back and grabbed her hand with his non-dominant one, pulling her toward the stairs.
"Fire!" someone shouted below.
Bright flames flickered outside the windows. Eva would have paused to see what exactly was happening if Caden hadn't had hold of her.
"Stay close," he barked.
She hurried along beside him.
"Do you still have the blade I gave you?" he asked.
"Of course." What did he think she'd do with it? Toss it off the nearest cliff? Lose it somewhere?
She knew how the Trateri felt about their weapons. They were like second children to them, each as cherished and unique as the warrior who wielded them. They were treated like they were the only thing standing between a warrior and death, because sometimes they were.
"Use it. Don't hesitate. Your only job is to come out of this alive," he said.
Eva tugged on his hand, stopping him. His gaze swung to her, but he was distracted, his focus already on the upcoming battle.
"Same for you." His head tilted and she expanded. "You come out of this alive too."
His lips curved in a lop-sided half-smile as he touched her cheek. "See, stubborn."
"Persistent," she corrected.
His half-smile became a full smile before his expression sobered as warriors pounded down the stairs around them.
Laurell stood at the bottom, snapping instructions to those coming down.
Caden didn't pause as he strode up to her. "Eva doesn't leave your side."
Laurell nodded as Caden dropped a quick kiss on Eva's lips before striding off.
"I see the situation has advanced," Laurell drawled.
"Shouldn't you be focused on ordering your warriors about?" Eva responded.
"I'm a woman. Multitasking is in my blood." Before Eva could think up a pithy response to that, Laurell's head snapped around and she shouted at a pair of warriors. "Cover all of the windows, not just half. Leave no gaps or you'll be the first I throw to these cursed things. See how well you meet your ancestors with vines for hair and flowers for eyes."
Eva glanced around as those present rushed to fortify the space while those outside defended the house.
Her eyes caught on two creating torches and arrows wrapped in bandages and dipped in oil. One of the men lit the arrow before firing it outside.
"That doesn't seem safe," she observed.
Especially when in the next moment they almost set fire to a curtain.
"The pathfinder said they're afraid of fire."
"But maybe setting ourselves on fire isn't the best answer," Eva said uncertainly.
One of the men nearly did exactly that as he jerked back at something Eva couldn't see, his torch straying perilously close to the torch assembly line.
"For Rava's sake, you'd think this was their first battle," Laurell muttered, stalking toward the two.
The two's motions were jerky and uncoordinated as they struggled with the bow and arrow. Something even Eva knew was unusual for a warrior.
She shadowed Laurell, her friend's wounds making her