Page 52 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

He noticed her gaze and glanced back. With one word from him, both women left, Lorey with her smile still on, but his sister rolled her eyes.

.. making Alezya even more nervous. Her eyes kept lingering on the entrance.

What if she truly got mad after this? What if she reported this to their clan’s elders?

“Alezya.”

Pulling her out of her thoughts, Kassein gently grabbed her attention and her hands in his.

Alezya looked down. His hands were so large and warm on hers.

.. They were even bigger than her thighs, and yet, he was holding her hands so carefully, mindful of her injuries. His body heat soothed her a bit.

She was a bundle of nerves ever since she’d seen Lumie. Her snowflake was still up there, waiting for her mom, needing her mom. And this man’s gentle, insanely caring hands were her only way back...

Alezya felt choked up. She didn’t know what to do.

She wanted Lumie back, and she wanted her baby safe with her.

She would have done anything for that, but this awful plan?

She let the tears out, feeling sorry for Lumie, for herself, and for Kassein who probably thought she was insane.

He had to. How else could he have understood her crazy actions otherwise… ?

Alezya shook her head and lowered it, embarrassed to be crying.

She had been a mess and now, she couldn’t even fight to hold back those tears. She was tired. She was tired of being her clan’s pawn and watching her child suffer for it. She was tired of being such a bad mother, incapable of protecting Lumie properly...

Kassein’s hand took her by surprise. She felt his warm, large hand gently cupping her cheek, and she looked up to meet his concerned green eyes.

He had gotten so close, for a second, he took her breath away.

He looked concerned, his dark, straight eyebrows furrowed, his green irises riveted on her.

She didn’t want him to be concerned for her, she didn’t deserve it.

For a second, Alezya wanted to push his hand away and shout how bad of a woman she was, how wrong he was for caring for her.

She lifted her hand, with the intent to push his away, but.

.. but before she knew it, she was pressing his palm against her cheek even more and closing her eyes, finding comfort in this warm hand.

Her heart was too weak, too battered to push the one hand that wanted to console her away.

Even if it was just for a bit, she needed this. She needed Kassein’s gentleness.

As she didn’t push him away, but instead leaned against his hand to cry silently, she felt Kassein’s thumb gently caressing her other hand.

Nothing mattered but the two of them, in this place, with the sounds of her quiet crying and hectic breathing.

For just a moment, Alezya wanted to imagine the world had paused to let her cry and seek comfort.

She couldn’t go on anymore if she didn’t find one gentle hand in this world.

What lay ahead was too hard, too much. She hated herself for not being able to protect Lumie, for being kicked out again, and for the cries of her baby that still echoed in her head.

What had Lumie possibly thought, seeing her mom abandon her again?

Alezya couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted her baby back now. She needed her little snowflake, in her arms, safe from this mad world of men...

“Alezya.”

Kassein’s whisper grounded her in the present again.

Alezya opened her teary eyes and pulled away from those dark thoughts and the ache in her heart. She saw his green, helpless eyes.

Slowly, he moved, and with his hand, guided her to put his forehead against hers, taking Alezya by surprise again.

He closed his eyes, and she did the same, simply choosing to let go and go along with this.

Both his hands cupped her cheeks now, and she held onto his wrists a bit tighter, as if silently asking him not to let go.

She needed him... Alezya finally accepted what she had pushed away all along. She needed Kassein. She needed his gentleness and his strength. She couldn’t do this alone.

For once in her life, there was a man who was genuinely trying to help her, asking for nothing in return, and she wanted to accept it.

His gentle, slow, and warm breathing, against her face, was helping her calm down.

She was scared, and she wanted her baby back.

She wouldn’t be able to go against her father, not alone.

Whichever way things went... She would need Kassein’s help.

And she wanted him. She wanted his large, warm hands to hold her, and never let go. She could prepare her heart. Alezya had done it before.

She’d trusted, and been disappointed, and even if her sore heart wanted to believe Kassein wouldn’t turn out like the others, she wanted to believe that even if he did, she would survive. As long as she had Lumie...

Yes, as long as she had her baby, she could endure anything. But she wouldn’t be able to survive without her little snowflake.

Slowly, after a while passed in this position, the two of them silently holding on to each other, she calmed down.

Alezya was clinging to his thick wrists, until she didn’t need to anymore, and released her grip a little.

Her crying had stopped, her breathing had slowed down, and her heart was under her control again.

She opened her eyes, and Kassein did the same, pulling his head back an inch to look at her. She tried to gather a weak, half-hearted smile to tell him she was alright.

She wasn’t ready for what he did next. Still holding her face between his hands, Kassein slowly moved to press his lips against her forehead.

His kiss took Alezya’s breath away, and from his mouth on her forehead, a wave of warmth spread throughout her whole body.

Something in her awoke, something she’d thought was long extinct.

.. Her heartbeat quickened, and Alezya felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and to her extremities.

His lips... Alezya felt almost endangered by them, and the sensations they provoked in her.

Suddenly, she felt all too aware of Kassein’s presence, in a different way. Of his large body, his warm hands, his hot breath... his thick lips. She was so shocked by her own thoughts, it took her a second to mentally slap herself out of it.

Thankfully, Kassein’s lips left her skin, and he didn’t seem to notice her turmoil, as he pulled his hands too, and gently helped her move into a lying position.

Alezya was desperate to hide her troubling thoughts from him and let herself be manipulated like a doll, obediently lying down as he pulled the blankets over her.

What was she thinking? What was she thinking?!

How could she harbor such thoughts…? Had her father’s horrible plan gotten to her? She was troubled beyond words by Kassein’s kiss.

Maybe he hadn’t even thought much of it, maybe it was a custom in his world. Maybe this was just a meaningless gesture toward a woman he found all too pathetic...

Alezya’s heart was in for a tumultuous race again in her chest. She could barely dare to look at him again, and she awkwardly tried to wipe the remains of her tears off her face as an excuse to hide her shameful eyes.

It was only getting worse. Now she felt too aware of his bare skin.

.. and the sensations in her stomach. Was it because he’d acted too kind to her?

Was she merely troubled by his disarming kindness, too inexperienced to resist?

Kassein didn’t seem very aware of her trouble, thankfully for her. Or perhaps he thought her blushing was on account of the crying.

Once she was tucked into his bed again, he simply sat next to it.

Except this time, he didn’t just put his back against the far end of his bed but sat right next to where Alezya’s upper body was, facing her, dangerously close. Not only that, but he also put his arm on the mattress and held her bandaged hand.

He probably didn’t think much of it, but it took Alezya a little while to steady her heart again. She tried to slow down her breathing and focus on Kassein’s hand holding hers. Her hand was pale and bandaged, while his was warm, large, dark, and in some areas, punctuated by orange scales.

She wondered if his dragon was still outside.

.. She hadn’t heard it growl in a little while now.

Or had Kein gone with the sister? She still couldn’t believe she actually knew a dragon’s name.

.. nor that she had seen one up close. Kassein’s thumb gently rubbing her hand brought her thoughts back to the present moment.

Finally, she felt safe enough to look into his green eyes again.

He gave her a faint smile, and leaned even more against the bed, staring at her.

What an odd man... A warrior who let a foreign woman have his bed, and simply sat beneath her.

Who was content to hold her hand for as long as she needed it. .. A madman, she thought.

She wondered how different her life would have been if she’d been promised to a man like Kassein.

Would he have believed her, if she’d given birth to his all-white baby.

..? She wondered how Kassein would react to Lumie if he ever saw her.

Would he think she was an abnormal creature too?

Would he suddenly feel disgusted by her if he knew she’d been married and rejected?

No man she knew would willingly take a “used” woman. ..

She pushed those thoughts aside to focus on her and Lumie’s survival. She was safe with Kassein, and Lumie was safe as long as her father believed she could bear another child. What was she to do now?