Page 47 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

He silently got mad at himself and the poor control of his own emotions.

It became harder not to turn around when he heard her hiss faintly.

She had a few open cuts that would sting upon meeting the hot water.

Still, he anchored himself to the ground and waited.

After a few more seconds, he heard her sigh.

The hot water had to be a relief for her sore body.

Now that he knew she was seated in the basin, it became easier for him to breathe, although his heartbeat wouldn’t stay steady.

Perhaps because of the hot water, the room felt hotter and steamier. He forced himself to stare at the entrance and focus his thoughts elsewhere too.

“Ah!”

He turned around at Alezya’s shout, worried. He caught her with her arm hanging mid-air, seemingly having dropped the soap. Her fingers were having difficulty holding on to it, or so he guessed.

Their eyes met, and although her body was still submerged in the water with the basin covering it from Kassein’s eyes, she blushed helplessly and covered her chest. Kassein sighed.

He had to do something about this, or else this would take hours, and for his own sanity, he probably shouldn’t endure that.

He stood up, despite Alezya giving him that defying stare again.

It made him smile. She had that expression of a defiant, cornered feline again.

He didn’t linger though and walked around the place to find some of the clean bandages meant for her injuries.

To her surprise, he used it to cover his eyes, and just two layers were enough for him not to see anything anymore.

He put down the bandages, and using his spatial memory of the tent, walked up to the bath. His knees hit it first, and he got down, finding the soap quickly. Then, he took a deep breath, and put his hand in the water, almost immediately touching Alezya’s skin. Both stopped moving.

He wished he could see her expression at this moment. He heard her breathing a bit louder, but she didn’t move. Slowly, he began moving the soap along her skin. He couldn’t see her injuries, so he deliberately moved slowly. Was he the only one with that strange clenching down in his stomach?

It was nerve-wracking and made him ridiculously tense when he wished he was cool-headed and composed.

She moved, and he resumed washing her, guessing he was on her back.

He could hear her move a bit in the water, while he made mechanical movements, having to guess which part he was touching.

Although he couldn’t see it, his fingers brushing against her skin, making him guess the curves he’d only caught a glimpse of before, was akin to torture.

He had a hard time thinking straight, mentally forcing himself to stay calm and keep stroking her skin with the wet soap.

Alezya being so silent made it impossible to guess her emotions.

He heard her breathing, her motions in the water, and felt her move just an inch or less away from his hands.

Everything she did kept him on his toes, and he was nervous to hear or feel more.

The prospect of her being naked, just there where he could touch her, was a lot more complicated and hard to endure than he’d anticipated.

He was no child; he was a man with the reactions of a man, and Alezya was easily stirring up those emotions in him, making him feel like a clueless, awkward fool.

“K-Kassein...”

He realized they were done. He dropped the soap in the water, stood up, and retreated away from her. He ripped the bandages off his eyes one second before walking out of the tent.

The cold air hit him like he’d burst a bubble and stepped back into reality.

He glanced around, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness and ignoring the surprised looks of the men who’d been guarding the tent.

His heartbeat was still going miles a minute, despite forcing himself to slow his breathing and calm down.

He stood there, ignoring the confused stares on him, glancing around the camp like a hawk looking for prey to attack.

None of the nearby men dared to utter a word, and quietly stayed focused on their tasks.

It had been a night of heavy snow, and a cold, frosty blizzard had begun, so they were busy, most shoveling the paths from one camp area to another.

He glanced up, but there was still no sign of his dragon amongst the clouds, and if he did return, he’d be hard to spot in the now gray sky.

He glanced back up at the mountain; there was no way the tribes could spy anything from the heights in this blizzard, and the archery unit might have already persuaded them against coming any closer.

Braver than his peers, Captain Dajan stepped forward, shouting above the wind.

“Sir, the heavy snow should last a while, but we’re taking care of it. Is there any order you’d like us to execute or relay...?”

“No.”

There was no need. The camp knew how to function regardless of the weather, and there was no such rule that bad weather would cut short the training or lessen their tasks either.

If they were that weak that they’d complain about a bit of snow, those men wouldn’t have been sent there.

It was annoying, but not a problem. At least it looked like it’d keep the men busy for a while.

Kassein didn’t feel like explaining why he was waiting out there, so he just stood up, trying to chase his interaction with Alezya from his thoughts, while at the same time wondering if she was going to be alright dressing by herself.

Maybe that was why it was taking a while, but he could hear movement inside, and she hadn’t called for him.

He simply had to give her time to do things.

He clenched his fists as soon as he thought about her injuries again.

Why? Why had they done this to her? What had she chosen to go back to?

Did she know she might be harmed? Had she chosen to go back anyway?

He’d spent hours taking care of her and focusing on healing her, but now that he was away from Alezya, those questions were back to haunt him.

He hated that feeling of being powerless.

He couldn’t attack the tribes without knowing exactly what had happened, and he couldn’t know what had happened unless he found a way for Alezya and him to communicate.

His only hope was for Kein to return soon with, hopefully, someone who could help. ..

Finally, he heard her call him. Kassein took a couple of seconds to prepare himself before walking back inside the tent.

Somehow, she had managed to dress by herself, which explained why it had taken a while.

She was still slightly blushing when their eyes met, and both looked away, a bit embarrassed by the previous events.

Worse, with that weather, they’d both be confined in the tent for a little while, even if she’d been in a state to go anywhere, which she wasn’t.

To give himself a few seconds to regain his composure, Kassein took care of the fire in the tent.

It was hard to maintain with the sleet outside that was trying to come through the chimney and wet everything, so he had to add some wood and vent it, a bit of smoke made the tent hotter and their eyes itchy.

For a few minutes, neither of them said anything, but he could feel Alezya’s eyes on him, even as he had his back turned. It made him even more self-conscious. What was she thinking? Was she disappointed to be back here after failing to go home? Or was she glad they had reunited?

His emotions were caught in a fierce battle inside his head, and meanwhile, he had no idea how to react. He hated being so clueless and uncertain, it wasn’t like him.

“...Kassein?”

He had ignored her for too long.

Even with the lack of communication, she was bound to find it odd that he’d kept his back turned to stare at the fire. Kassein took a deep breath and braced himself. When he finally looked at her, it was clear he’d made Alezya nervous too.

She was looking at him apprehensively, which only made him feel worse.

He had been so certain he wanted to keep her here, but now, his own willfulness felt childish, and he wasn’t sure what was right anymore.

Even if he’d known how to talk with her, Kassein would have probably failed to put his conflicted emotions into words.

He knew what he wanted, and he understood his heart all too well, but he wasn’t sure it was right, nor that it wasn’t his own selfishness misleading him.

He didn’t know what that woman wanted, or what had happened to her, and being in the dark was nerve-wracking.

He hated his own immaturity. It was like having his older brother’s words thrown in his face again.

“It’s alright,” he finally said, more to say something and reassure her than anything. “As long as you’re safe...”

He glanced at her, and went to sit down next to the bed on the fur rug. He didn’t want to sit on the bed. Somehow, he felt he couldn’t be that close to her. But he did put his hand on hers, mindful of her injuries.

This simple, small gesture seemed to comfort her a bit, and Alezya faintly smiled at him.

That smile was like a dart to Kassein’s heart.

He was afraid to be mistaken, and he was afraid to let his emotions mislead him.

He sighed, and leaned against the mattress, staring at her.

At least she was back. The gaping hole in his heart had mended a bit with her presence.

Looking a bit reassured, Alezya laid back down on her flank, leaving her hand where he was holding it and curling up her body so that her face was just inches away from his.

She pressed her weak fingers around his hand a bit.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

They were just staring at each other as if trying to decipher the other’s gaze, in a strange silence, with the snowfall in the background like white noise.