The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,27
a startling resemblance to the winged horse's when he was about to bite. "In that case, make yourself useful while I'm away and fetch more."
Jason heaved a heavy sigh but didn't argue. He might not have liked the order, but he wasn't going to pass up spending time with the Kyren.
Noticing Sebastian watching Jason with far too much interest for her comfort, she patted the winged horse on the neck.
"You're not to eat him." When he gave her a disappointed look, she added, "I mean it. I'll be very upset if I come back and there is a single tooth mark on either of them."
The mythological lifted one lip, as if to ask who did she think she was, ordering him about.
She gave him a hard stare, treating him like any other recalcitrant mount.
"If there are any problems, I'll be the one to handle them. Not you."
The mythological looked away and blew out a harsh breath.
She'd won for now. She'd take it.
"Don't let them see you falter," Ollie said in a voice only meant for Eva's ears. "You're a herd mistress with the full backing of Hardwick. Equal to any warrior. Act like it. They respect strength as long as you're not being insulting. Remember your manners." Ollie thought a minute and shrugged. "Or as many manners as you usually have."
Eva slid him an irritated glance as she moved toward Caden and Ajari. Good to know what he thought of her.
"I'm ready," she said.
"About time," Caden muttered before striding toward his horse. His Anateri remained behind to guard the winged horse.
The Tenrin that had accompanied Ajari dropped to the ground next to him, picking him up and flying away, leaving Eva staring open-mouthed behind them.
"Are we going, or are you going to sit there with your mouth open for a little longer?" Caden asked brusquely.
Eva's mouth snapped shut and her chin jerked down. Her cheeks burning, she hurried over to Caia who stood still as Eva prepared to mount. Sharp teeth closed around the back of her shirt and jerked her away from the mare.
Eva squawked, struggling in the mythological's grip as he dragged her further from the mare.
There was a loud rip as the back of Eva's shirt tore, then she was loose.
She spun on the mythological. "What is the matter with you?"
A heavy sigh and the sharp beat of hooves was Eva's only warning before strong arms closed around her middle and pulled Eva up against Caden's hard chest as effortlessly as if she weighed no more than a feather.
She stiffened, leaning forward as far as she could without unseating herself.
"Relax," Caden said. "We need to get to the Keep and this was the most expedient way."
"I could have ridden Caia," Eva snapped back, finally finding her spine. Something that seemed to be in pitifully short supply around him.
"And I didn't want to wait while you played games," he countered.
Eva's lips pressed tight together as she bit back the sharp words boiling and bubbling in her throat. It would be so easy to snap, but that would be unwise and likely only lead to hardship later.
She tried hard not to notice how muscular the commander's chest and thighs were against her, instead choosing to focus on how annoying and autocratic the man was. Unnecessarily so.
Left with no real choice, Eva relaxed back into Caden's arms. She did what she always did when faced with a situation she couldn't overcome. She adapted and survived.
*
The woman in his arms finally stopped talking, relaxing into him as her body moved with his. She fit surprisingly well. More so than a woman of his own people who would have been too tall and would have blocked his view. Eva was more petite. Not delicate—her work with the herd was too strenuous for that—but it felt like she belonged in his arms.
It was an unsettling feeling. He didn't have time for the dance two people engaged in when they found each other attractive.
Yet despite everything, he couldn’t help remembering her wide, innocent eyes or the stubborn prickliness she displayed every time she spotted him—almost like she couldn’t help herself.
If he was smart, he’d keep his distance lest he be dragged into the same trap Fallon had found himself ensnared in.
The woman shifted and glanced over his shoulder. "He's following us."
Caden didn't respond, even as he looked behind him to find Sebastian racing after them, his mane and tail flying as he galloped, his wings kept furled tight to his body.