Page 25 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
Was that some tattoo? She had never seen anything other than blue or black ink on someone’s body, but then again, he came from a different world... It seemed oddly real though. Was he some dragon worshiper?
Those were the exact same color as the orange dragon’s scales she had seen from up close, and oddly similar too. She was getting a weird feeling from seeing those, like a memory scratching at the back of her mind, warning her.
“An la yadrahu ti.”
Was he getting impatient with her? She was trying to decipher the man’s expression, but he barely showed any.
If anything, his expression was rather blank, his fascinating green eyes riveted on her. She was confused as to why he was talking to her from this position; never had Alezya witnessed a man putting a knee down in front of a woman like that. It was odd, and she couldn’t decipher his intentions.
He’d obviously treated her injuries, but why? Her clans and the Dragon Clan had always been sworn enemies, they’d killed a countless number of her people. She had never heard of them taking any prisoners.
Was that warrior acting like this because she was a woman? If so, what was his aim? Would he use her once she was healed? Sell her as a slave, or abuse her? The fact that she was naked, alone in a foreign man’s habitat, and unable to communicate made her feel trapped. She wasn’t restrained, but it felt like it.
He sighed but slowly got up again.
He walked to another corner of the enclosure, and returned just as quickly, carrying a jug. He was about to hand it to her, but before he did, he suddenly seemed to think of something. Still while looking at her, he slowly brought it to his lips and drank two gulps. Then, he handed it to her.
Alezya was confused. Was it custom for a man to drink before a woman could? Or was that his way to prove the water was safe...?
Alezya hesitated, but as if her throat had realized that water was within reach, she suddenly found herself horribly thirsty. With a trembling hand, she took it. He didn’t react, but she couldn’t help but keep her eyes on him while she drank.
It felt so good to finally drink... How long had she been unconscious? She couldn’t tell. She just had a vague feeling there was still daylight outside, but the fabric walls were so thick, it was hard to tell. She only hoped it hadn’t been too long. Every hour spent away from Lumie was too much…
She almost emptied the jug without thinking, and when she handed it back, the man took it without a word, putting it on the ground next to him. Then, he got up again, and this time, he grabbed a larger bowl, filled with water too. He hesitated, and then he drank a bit again. It was most likely to show her thiswas just water, because this time, he didn’t hand it to her, but instead, gestured toward her hand with his index finger again.
“An yatani aheti biatik.”
Did he think she could understand him, or was he just going to stubbornly keep talking knowing she couldn’t understand?
He raised his eyebrows a bit and opened his hand toward her. It was like a large paw lying flat on the mattress, just inches away from hers.
Alezya glanced at that hand. She was still confused about those scale-like tattoos on his arm and that arm overall. But slowly, she was starting to realize he had no intention to harm her for now. In fact, he looked strong enough that he could very well have grabbed her hand and done what he wanted already.
After a hesitation, she finally gave in and showed him her bleeding hand. He took it, surprisingly gently, and undid the bandages. As soon as he touched her, she was shocked by how warm his skin was. For someone who had just come from outside, it was even stranger. Had he warmed up in such a short time? She’d been under a thick blanket, but how was the skin of that man warmer than hers?
She knew it couldn’t be that she was wrong about the temperature outside; she could feel the cold chill in the room wherever her skin was exposed, and it wouldn’t have made sense for the place to be covered in thick, heavy fur rugs.
Still confused, she watched as he finished removing her bandages, inspected the worst injury, and began cleaning it with the water.
Alezya was getting more and more bewildered. He clearly knew what he was doing. This man was a healer? In the clans, it was always a woman’s role. It was the woman’s role to heal, nurture, and take care of others. No man would have cleaned her wounds and applied medicine like he was. Men couldn’t be bothered with such things... Wasn’t he a warrior?
She glanced again at the collection of weapons gathered in a corner. The way he applied the bandages neatly and with the right pressure over her wound clearly showed he had at least basic medical knowledge.
Alezya was utterly confused.
Once he was done with her hand, he glanced at the other, but the bandage had held on, no blood visible.
Then, he pointed toward the end of the bed. For a second, Alezya didn’t understand what he wanted, but before she could react, he stood up and lifted the covers in one movement.
She panicked as she felt her legs exposed all the way to the thighs. He was some pervert after all! She attempted to move her legs by reflex to hide them again, but a wave of pain made her wince and cry out.
The man sighed.
“Aheti hatam dahilika. Imada yuhahil tankal?”
From his exasperated tone, Alezya could tell he thought she was stupid to have moved, and she darted a glare his way without thinking.
She was prepared to be hit or something for that glare, but instead, he just slowly shook his head and got back down on one knee.
