Page 178 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

Recognizing her name, Lumie snapped her head back to him and immediately granted the man a bright, beaming smile that showed she was familiar with him already.

Ignoring her mom, she crawled across the covers to him, extending her arms with a demanding gesture, and let herself be scooped up into his arms. The man immediately placed the baby girl on his knee, bouncing her into a tiny fit of excited giggles.

He was obviously used to young children, and Lumie seemed entirely at ease with him.

This was an unexpected sight that made Alezya incredibly happy.

Lumie had never had the chance to enjoy having a loving grandparent before, but there she was, all smiles and giggles on this imposing man’s knee.

Meanwhile, Niiru took this opportunity to crawl closer, putting its head on Alezya’s belly.

That movement awakened a whole bunch of memories in her mind.

“Oh gods,” she gasped. “The war, how did it end? And the clans? And... my father. I fell with him. How am I-..? And is the baby...?”

“You’re fine,” Kairen said with that low, deep but gentle voice. “My wife examined you.”

He put one of his large hands on her leg, in a gesture to calm her down.

Her head ached again. Everything seemed jumbled, and it was painfully hard to actually think, with her head throbbing non-stop.

Alezya glanced down at her body and, for the first time, she noticed her arm, the other one, lying on top of the covers.

It was partially bandaged, but... there were patches of white scales peeking through from underneath.

She tried moving her hand, and while the effort was strenuous, everything moved almost as usual.

Still, she stared at the patches of white scales, confused.

“Dragon skin,” Kairen said. “It will fade.”

“My baby?” she dared to ask.

“Your baby is fine too.”

Alezya let out a breath of relief. That was all she needed to know.

With difficulty, she shifted her hand to her stomach and took a deep breath; Niiru put its head on her hand and let out a soft growl.

Her memories were still a blur, but she knew her baby had saved her life.

Those white scales all over her body were proof of it.

She frowned, remembering why she’d fallen.

.. No, why she had jumped in the first place.

“What about the clans?” she couldn’t help but ask. “...Darak?”

Those man’s dark eyes were intimidating, and yet, seeing him bounce her baby on his knee, knowing he’d spent time with Kassein watching her, had Alezya trust him instantly. Perhaps, for the first time in her life, she trusted a man she’d barely met because he looked so much like Kassein.

“That man is dead,” he said in a neutral tone. “The war is over.”

“...Kassein won the war,” Alezya muttered as realization sank in.

He had won the war for her, and then, he had let his father and sister deal with the aftermath while he watched over her. She smiled, and the man mimicked her grin.

“He’s my son,” he said, as if that explained it all.

They exchanged a complicit look, full of love for Kassein.

“...I’m Alezya,” she said, because it felt right to introduce herself, even out of order.

The man nodded and slowly stood.

She smiled. She wouldn’t have thought it felt so nice to meet someone from the Dragon Clan who spoke their tongue, and certainly not well enough to know what her name meant.

When he was standing, Kassein’s father was even more imposing.

Perhaps it was worse because she was lying down, but he looked like a dark mountain, not unlike their home.

He gently put Lumie back on the bed, and she clumsily crawled back to her mom until her head landed heavily on Alezya’s chest.

Just then, they heard steps coming up. The door opened, and Kassein appeared in the doorway.

He briefly glanced at her, but then, his gaze did a double-take, and once his eyes landed on Alezya again, and he realized she was awake, they opened even wider in surprise, his shock written all over his face.

She wasn’t prepared to see him, and he gave her no time to figure out what to do or say.

One second he was at the door, and the next, he’d ran across the room to be by her side, his weight pressing the mattress next to her.

His wide hand cupped her cheek, his gaze still wide and breath suddenly close while he studied her.

“Alezya,” he let out in a shaky breath.

She smiled because any head movement was painful, but that was enough.

He replied with the first sincere smile she had seen on him in a while, one of relief.

Then, his smile broke a little, and he sunk forward, hiding his face in her hair, hugging her into the bed.

It took her a second to realize his shoulders were shaking, and her heart sunk.

“ Kassein… Are you crying? ” Her throat tightened as she asked.

He didn’t move, but she could feel that man’s large body trembling in her arms. He let out a strangled, muted sob, and she felt her own tears escape.

She could feel all of his emotions crashing all over him, the heavy relief of seeing her awake.

Gently, she forced herself to move to press kiss after kiss on his raspy cheek, lifting her hand to caress his nape, her thumb rubbing his cheek softly.

“I’m sorry, baby,” she cried, the nickname in her language coming naturally. “I’m sorry… I’m fine. I’m fine. ”

It took a few seconds for Kassein to calm down, and slowly pull back, his eyes red and his jaw still trembling.

Never had she thought she would ever see this man cry, but the misty sheen on those green eyes she adored wrecked her heart.

She cupped his wet cheeks, wiping them with her thumbs, and brought him in for a long, tender and overdue kiss.

Then, he pulled back, still looking at her like he couldn’t believe his eyes, relief written all over his face.

“I love you.”

Him suddenly using her language to say those three words shook Alezya.

She didn’t even know how to react, but before she did, he smiled, and pressed another long kiss against her forehead. Next to them, Lumie suddenly let out a delighted giggle, reminding them they weren’t alone.

“ Mama is awake ,” he whispered to the baby girl, who squealed at him.

“ Are you alright? ” Alezya asked, fighting the heaviness in her limbs again to touch his warm arm.

He gave her a strong nod, immediately followed by a frown.

“ You? Pain? ”

Alezya went for a shrug, but that made her wince too. She sighed and nodded.

“ Yes ,” she confessed, “ and I’m tired.”

He nodded and pressed another long kiss to her forehead before he glanced back, saying something to his father, who nodded and left the room.

“ Your dad, ” she said, still amazed.

He nodded.

“ He helped, ” he said, “ with kulani . He speaks like you. ”

“ Not you? You didn’t speak to the kulani ? ”

Kassein hesitated, before he shook his head, and leaned in even more, his cheek against her cheek, breathing in deeply under her ear.

“ With you, ” he whispered. “ I stayed with you. Kiera and Father spoke to the kulani . ”

Alezya let out a sigh and lifted her hand further to run her fingers through his hair.

He felt warm, with that faint smell of sweat she didn’t hate and the fresh scent of the forest. Stuck under his arm as he hugged them both, Lumie decided to lean against her mom too, wrapping her tiny chubby arms around Alezya’s neck.

She exhaled slowly, sinking into his warmth and reality. She had survived. They had survived.

“...Kiera?” she asked. “Lorey? Ekata? Ekut? Tievin?”

She had missed him, but now that her memories were coming back, so was her sense of duty.

She had more or less triggered that war; she needed to know the outcome.

Kassein let out a sigh and slowly pulled back a few inches.

He lay on the edge of the bed, next to Niiru, and leaned his upper body next to her on the bed, propped on his elbow, while Lumie had decided to stay on her mom, playing with her hair in her fist. He was careful to keep at a distance this time, visibly worried about touching her anywhere that could hurt, his hand only caressing hers softly.

“... Ekut is dead, ” Kassein admitted.

That sobered the happiness out of Alezya immediately. She felt her worries soar, but before she could panic, Kassein gently pressed her hand.

“ Others are fine, ” he said. “ Kiera and Tievin are in the mountains. With the kulanis. Lorey here. I stayed here to watch you. ”

“ I slept... long? ”

Kassein nodded.

“ Three days, three nights, ” he said, glancing at what was now the sunrise.

It would be too bright for Lumie soon, and Kassein seemed to come to the same realization because he pulled a blanket over the little girl, who didn’t protest. Alezya noticed that Lumie’s breathing had slowed down, and she was now snoozing against her chest. She turned her eyes back to Kassein, and for a while, they exchanged a long look, not saying anything.

Then, something prickled behind her eyes, and she let a tear fall.

“ It’s over, ” she whispered.

Kassein leaned over, placing another long kiss on her forehead. Then, he gently kissed one wet cheek, and then the other, before he pressed his forehead against hers once again, and his thumb came to wipe her tears.

“ You’re here, ” he said. “ With me. And Lumie. ”

The truth was slowly sinking in, but it was hard to realize.