Page 105 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“Sure, sure… Nevermind, let’s go. This has taken a while, and I reek. I need a bath… You know what, I’m going to go to the hot springs; I can’t let Lorey see me like this. Let her know I’d love for her to join, yeah?”
Kassein watched his sister leave but remained behind for a moment, irritation gnawing at his gut as he took in the aftermath. That missing body still nagged at him, an itch he couldn’t scratch, but there was nothing to be done about it now. With any luck, they had miscounted, or the bastard had been smart enough to run. Either way, he’d be keeping an eye out.
The events of the day would spread through the camp soon enough. No one would dare bother any of the women for a while, not after what they had witnessed. If they did, they would know exactly what awaited them. With that final thought, Kassein turned away from the bloodied scene and walked off, ignoring the nervous glances trailing after him.
This time, Lorey had taken Alezya into her tent, and as soon as he walked in, Kassein’s eyes found her seated on a little cushion, her face already turned to him. She jumped to her feet as quickly as her injuries allowed and walked up to him. Every time he saw those black eyes looking up at him with a mix of relief and wonder shining out of them, it felt like something soothed him inside. Now that he knew he could touch her, hold her, Kassein’s hands were helplessly drawn to Alezya’s body, settling on her back even though he was dying to caress her entire body.
“Your Highness,” Lorey greeted him politely, “may I ask where Kiera is?”
“Gone to bathe,” Kassein replied without taking his eyes off Alezya. “She said you’d join her. The hot springs.”
“I should do that, then. Feel free to use our tent with Alezya. We were practicing her vocabulary again; she’s quite good!”
“See you later,” Kassein said as a polite but direct way to dismiss her.
“Yes, Your Highness. Bye, Alezya.”
“Bye,” Alezya repeated, that faint blush rising to her cheeks like every time she spoke their language.
Lorey left, leaving the two of them together in a strange, hot-aired silence.
Kassein was still half-naked, and now, he felt all too aware of his bare skin, inches away from Alezya’s face. She was looking up at him, but it felt too dangerous for her to be standing so close, alone in that space with him.
“Kassein,” Alezya said, her voice sounding dangerously sweet. “Kassein Commander.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been hearing Tievin call me that all day, I guess,” he said. “Did Lorey teach you new words?”
“Lorey, bye,” she frowned.
“Yes, Lorey’s gone,” he said patiently, “but Lorey taught you new words. Man-dragon? Commander? Meat?”
Alezya’s eyes opened a bit wider as she understood, and she gave him a firm nod before grabbing his arm with her hands and gently pulling him deeper inside the tent. Kassein followed suit as she sat in front of the large mirror and the space Lorey and perhaps his sister readied themselves.
Looking a bit proud, Alezya began pointing at random objects around her.
“Comb, necklace, pearls... Bracelet, lip balm... Candle...”
She pointed at many objects around the tent, immensely proud, although Kassein corrected her gently and patiently a couple of times.
They were seated on the plush carpets on the floor, but Alezya kept moving around and pointing at things while he remained still, his eyes riveted on her. She hadn’t looked so animated often, but he was falling even deeper for that woman every time her eyes shone like this. The contrast with the heartbroken, terrified woman he’d picked up in the mountains made him all the more relieved that she finally seemed to find some peace here.
Every part of him felt the urge to protect her, shield her. Even now, they were sitting on the floor and not touching, but his entire body was turned toward her while his leg was raised like a shield between Alezya and the tent’s entrance, his forearm resting on his knee. She felt safe with him, and that was enough. She had seen him kill a man, and yet, she’d walked up to him, despite the fear in her eyes, to plant that kiss on his lips and convey everything he needed in that moment. She had no idea of what she’d unlocked with that simple kiss, but it had changed everything.
“Kassein,” she called him.
He hadn’t been paying attention for a while, and she’d picked up on it. She gave him a half-shy, half-annoyed pout and then pointed her finger at the mirror.
“Mirror,” she said.
“Yes,” he nodded.
Then, he gently grabbed her pointed finger, and pulled it toward him, keeping it raised to show her. He covered her small hand effortlessly with his own and smiled.
“Finger,” he said.
“Finger?” she repeated.
