Page 153 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
“You?” her father spat. “Youspeak the Dragon Clan’s language?”
“O-only a bit,” Alezya replied, “but... just enough that I learned things.”
“What did you learn?”
“The... Their dragon,” she whispered. “I know why it didn’t attack me the first time.”
Her father’s eyes opened wider. It was a mystery he had been dying to solve, that was for certain. No one had confronted Kein from as close as Alezya had and lived to tell the tale.
Strangely, she realized she still wasn’t sure exactly why she had been spared on her first encounter with the dragon, but she had some idea. Perhaps Kein never meant to hurt those who didn’t harm it or its owner. Perhaps it was reluctant to attack women, or perhaps it had understood Alezya’s defiant words.
She could almost smile at the memory now, but thankfully, she was avoiding her father’s eyes and still looking down, so he didn’t see it.
“Why?” he pressed her.
“It... It smelled her on me,” she mumbled. “Lumie. The dragon... It wants her.”
“Your bastard? Why would the dragon want her?”
“I-I’m not sure,” Alezya cried. “I-I think she’s different...”
She had thought about lying and saying that it liked children better, but Alezya didn’t trust her father and his peers not to start throwing innocent children in the dragon’s clutches. She was far more confident in Kein’s ability to not harm children than the clan chiefs.
“I knew there was something strange about that bastard!” her father gloated, suddenly excited. “Dragon food. She is meant to be a dragon’s offering! Then we will bring her to the council gathering...”
“You can’t!” Alezya shouted, acting panicked. “Don’t! Not her! You promised you would leave my child alone!”
“I have yet to see it with my own eyes,” his grin suddenly vanished, his eyes turning back to her. “What else did you learn? You were down there for days... Surely, you’ve learned more.”
“I won’t tell you,” Alezya cried with a defiant stare. “I won’t tell you another word until you let me see my child. You can’t sacrifice her. You don’t know a thing about the Dragon Clan, and I won’t say another word until I can hold Lumie in my arms.”
She felt the burn of the slap on her cheek before she even realized he’d slapped her.
Alezya hadn’t felt that kind of pain in a while, it took a few seconds for it to sink in, for her to comprehend it had been her father’s hand.
Perhaps Kassein’s gentle hands had made her forget for a while, but her body didn’t. Acting with the response engrained by years of abuse, it began to shiver and scream at Alezya to get away from that man. Against her better instincts, she bit her lower lip and glowered at him.
“Speak,” he hissed. “What else? How many men do they have? How many dragons are there? Is the black dragon dead? How do we kill them?”
Alezya remained silent. He slapped her again, but this time, she had been ready, at least mentally.
She involuntarily bit her lower lip deep because of the slap and felt blood pool on her bottom lip, a single tear sliding down her chin. Her cheek burned, but she didn’t care. She just glared at her father, stubborn and quiet. She was keeping to her word: he wouldn’t hear another word until she saw and held Lumie.
It was a huge gamble; either she had said too much or too little, but if she knew anything about that man, it was that his greed held no bounds, and she counted on it. Information was power amongst the clans, and surely, he was far too greedy for power to let this unique opportunity go. Even if he was aware Alezya was partly bluffing, he also knew she had spent far longer than anyone with the Dragon Clan, survived, and returned unharmed.
And he also knew there was nothing she wouldn’t do for Lumie.
“Speak,” he hissed again.
But this time, Alezya was certain she had him, and thus, she narrowed her own dark eyes in defiance. Her father slapped her again, but this time, there was more frustration and lessconviction, and Alezya could take it. She could take anything her father threw at her so long as she got to hold Lumie again.
Finally, he gave her one last spiteful glare before turning to one of his men.
“Get the child,” he spat.
The man nodded and disappeared, and a wave of relief crashed over Alezya again.
“You will pay for your arrogance,” her father warned her. “You and your bastard will pay, Alezya. Your only value to this clan is the dragon you’re bearing. You will have a few more months to live thanks to it but trust me, you will pay for every fit of disobedience you throw.”
