Page 253 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
It moved Alezya, how easily they were all chatting and finding ways to communicate and laugh together. She knew most of them were fighters, as the Samial and Munsa Clans had hidden their elders, women, and children in caves nearby, and apparently, it was enough for all those men to bond. It wasn’t completely seamless; arguments erupted a couple of times, but they were quickly defused by other people separating the fighters. Once, Kiera even grabbed one of their men by the collar, and dragged him outside in the rain like a child. Alezya wasn’t sure what happened, but when the man returned a while later, he was drenched, had a massive bruise on his cheek, and sat in a corner with a sour expression.
Alezya noticed that although he didn’t say a word all this time, Kassein’s presence was enough to tame some of his men; when some discussions became heated, a single glance in their direction was enough for the Dragon Clan warrior to pale and calm down.
Alezya couldn’t help but love his quiet strength. All her life, she had known men to raise their voices and act violently the second she uttered one wrong word.
Kassein was different; he was the most powerful man she’d known, and yet, he managed to make his aura alone enough to tame other fighters and coerce them into behaving. He spoke softly and never raised his voice; he was only violent toward his enemies and if provoked first. He didn’t even seem to speak much to his own men; everyone seemed to go to Tievin or one of those senior fighters when they had questions, and yet, it was clear he was their leader. Alezya’s father would have never allowed another fighter to give orders in his stead, and most clan chiefs wouldn’t even allow a woman to speak up at all.
Yet, Kassein had trusted her blindly to coordinate their efforts with the Munsa and the other clans and relay the information despite her limited vocabulary. Tomorrow, he was going to take all of his fighters to war because she needed him to.
Alezya let out a faint but content sigh, relaxing against his torso with her belly full and her body warm, thanks to her fancy coat and the hot-skinned man surrounding her with his long and thick limbs.
“Sleep?” Kassein suggested, and she nodded.
It was as if his whisper carried the weight of a shouted command; all around them, the Dragon Clan fighters fell silent or reduced their voices to hushed murmurs. They moved with purpose, swiftly gathering the remnants of their dinner for cleanup, unpacking their bedding, and lining up along the walls to settle in for the night. They even took out large blankets to share, covering up to three men with some, including fellow fighters from the other clans as they joined them without distinction.
It was like a ripple effect, everyone preparing for sleep simply because Kassein was. The sight brought a smile to Alezya’s lips as she curled up beside him. For once, she didn’t feel the cold floor; Kassein’s arm was her pillow, his breath was warming up her neck, and she was basking in his heat, sorelaxing that the rhythmic drumming of rain and the rumble of thunder outside became a soothing backdrop, lulling her into a peaceful sleep before long.
The night felt like it had lasted seconds.
Alezya was stirred awake by the subtle activity around her; after years of either sleeping with one eye open or alone with Kassein, she had grown attuned to even the slightest movements. The quiet rustling of dozens of men preparing for a long journey was more than enough to rouse her.
She could tell Kassein was still asleep behind her, even slightly snoring and unbothered by the ruckus around them. Kiera was the first to notice Alezya’s open eyes and approached, nudging her brother’s feet with a firm kick.
“Kassein,” she barked. “Up.”
He answered with a growl, and Kiera rolled her eyes before turning around, fists on her hips, and suddenly yelling orders without the need for any translation. All the men who weren’t already up jerked awake or sat up with visible panic. Alezya smiled and spun around. Kassein was still very much asleep and remarkably unbothered.
“Kassein,” she whispered, before putting a peck on his lips. “Wake up, my love.”
He blinked awake and groaned before hiding his face in the crook of her neck, making Alezya smile. She patted his torso.
“Come on,” she said, not bothering to use his language. “We have to get up and go.”
She had to use some more pushes and kisses to nudge him awake as if they were alone in the cave and not surrounded by dozens of men preparing for war. By the time he finally sat up and stretched, almost everyone around was gone or carrying their stuff outside.
Ekata came to find Alezya with a yawn.
“Slept well?” Ekata asked.
“Great, actually,” Alezya confessed while standing up, leaving Kassein to get up at his own pace. “How is everyone?”
“Better than I would have expected, actually,” Ekata blinked. “I think having a really nice meal with meat and getting to know our allies boosted everyone’s morale. The downpour also helped get rid of some of the snow outside, so our journey will be easier than anticipated, thanks to that and the dragons carrying a lot of the supplies. I don’t want to be too optimistic, but I’d say our odds aren’t looking too bad for now.”
“Yeah, I think it’s going to be helpful. Is everyone ready to go soon?”
“The sun’s starting to rise, so yeah, they should be. Look, we discussed with their people and our clan chiefs, but we think it’s better if we, the Munsa and Samial, lead the way. Their men are obviously in great shape, but they don’t know how treacherous the terrain can be up here. Some of them were showing us their scrapes from yesterday. We already sent our best scouts to clear paths ahead, and we were thinking of leading their fighters in small groups to be sure we keep a good pace while we’re in a flat area and can lead them out of the tricky trails. We can’t afford to lose anyone due to a stupid fall or something. Is that alright with them?”
She asked while glancing at Kassein, but from what Alezya could tell, he was still half asleep and slowly putting on his protective coverings with a grumpy expression.
“I’m sure it will be, but you should tell Tievin and Kiera, or better yet, those senior fighters we met yesterday, Sazaran and Kauser. Kassein’s more hands-off... Don’t worry, they’ll listen.”
“Got it. That Tievin guy is getting really good at understanding us, actually. It saves time.”
“He’s great,” Alezya smiled.
Ekata walked away, and Alezya quickly made sure she and Kassein were ready to join everyone outside. The rain had reduced to a faint drizzle, which actually worked to their advantage, and the day wasn’t cold enough for it to accumulate again.
Outside, an impressive procession had formed.
