Page 111 of Her Selfless Warrior (Omega Sky)
Lark loved his ferocious expression. “You protected him, didn’t you? Even though you were younger. How much younger were you?”
“He was two years older, and yes, I protected him. That was my job. In my family, everyone knew that I was the protector. It was my duty.”
“How old were you then, Kostya?” Lark stroked her thumb along his jaw.
“It was always that way.”
She glanced over at the book. “Did you ever have to carry him? In the snow?”
He tried to turn his head away from her, but she held strong. “Kostya?”
“I couldn’t. I had to carry Irina,” he whispered. “Roman had to walk by himself, and I couldn’t help him.” There was a wealth of pain in his voice.
“How old were you then?”
“Seven.” For a moment she saw tears in his eyes, but he closed them. “I was seven years old.”
