The Wind's Call (The Broken Lands #4) - T.A. White Page 0,82

all orphans. Fallon might have lost his parents at a later age than us, but that made the devastation no less awful. Darius lost his entire clan. He is the last. It’s why he took in your friend Hanna, despite her difficult circumstances. He understands what it means to be alone."

"And you?"

This time the smile that twisted his face was painful. "You have to have had a family to miss them. I was a true lostling. A child who comes from no one and is no one, cast away like trash hours after my birth."

Eva's breath caught, her eyes dropping to his chest where most warriors displayed their birth clan's insignia.

His smile was self-deprecating as he touched that spot. "There are many who would have left a babe like that to the mercy of the elements. I’m lucky Fallon's mother was not one of them."

"You're his brother in name, if not in blood," Eva said in realization.

Caden inclined his head. "Darius and Braden too."

"Is that why you protect him?" she asked.

"One of the reasons," he said. "I knew from a very young age my purpose in life. Even then, Fallon was a bright star. His father died because those he trusted failed him. I won't let the same fate happen to Fallon."

The fact that it had nearly happened once was the biggest failure of his life. He’d destroy anyone, clan or not, stain his hands with any amount of blood, to make sure no one got the chance again.

Eva looked down at her hands, her forehead furrowed.

Caden waited patiently to see what she would do. The herd mistress was soft-hearted. he found he didn’t hate that trait about her. She might feel for those they crushed beneath their heel, but she didn’t let the concern compel her into stupidity. That tender muscle inside her chest had led her into friendships with some of the most efficient killers he knew—human and mythological alike.

It took an individual who’d faced opposition and setbacks—only to survive and grow even stronger—to make herself at home the way she did. She’d never showed any signs of revulsion or dislike, despite knowing the blood that had marked their paths.

It made him wonder what other things she might forgive or overlook.

"I almost feel sorry for whoever you take as your partner," she said with a crooked smile.

Caden stilled, his attention locking on the subtle shifts in her expression. "What does that mean?"

"Whoever you pick will have to be satisfied with always being second best." She stretched out on the ground and put her chin on her arm. "Fallon will always get your best."

It was a fact he’d long accepted, and was one reason he had never sought a companion who’d last more than a few nights.

Whoever he took as a partner would have to have an inner strength to rival the strongest metal. Otherwise they'd wither, and their love with them.

"Perhaps they will have a calling of their own and be fine with my duty to my warlord," he challenged.

Eva opened one eye and snorted. "Don't fool yourself. Any woman would want to be first in your heart. Just as you would want to be first in hers."

"Strong words from someone I suspect is the same," he prodded. "Or are you honestly going to tell me you wouldn't leave your man to a cold bed if one of your horses needed you?"

Eva lifted a shoulder. "The difference being I have no plans to ever find a mate."

"Sounds lonely and misguided," he said.

"Perhaps. Better that than to disappoint another and see their love grow into hatred." A wistfulness crept into Eva's voice. "And you? What are you looking for? A traditional Trateri woman who will fight at your side?"

He shook his head, his mouth turning down in a self-deprecating smile. If she only knew. "I have no intentions of creating a family. Ties would get in the way of my duty to the Hawkvale and the Trateri, but if I did, I doubt a traditional woman would be the center of my affections."

Eva stared at him, her eyes mysterious in the firelight. "What would she be like?"

He hesitated, looking out into the night. It was a question he didn’t often let himself consider. Why torture yourself with the things you couldn’t have? Although if he was honest, it was something he had never really wanted before now.

"She'd be stubborn. Fierce when she thought she was right or in defense of another. Practical but with a hint of kindness that