Page 82 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

It took her a second and a few nervous blinks before she opened her eyes.

But she soon saw what he had meant to show her, and she opened them wide, stunned by the breathtaking sight of the sunset.

They were flying high and in the best seat in all of the Empire to watch the gorgeous gradient of orange to blue coloring the skies and the clouds around.

Alezya’s lips parted in awe, and while she watched the sunset over the horizon, he watched her.

The golden hour was lighting up her features in the most beautiful shades, showing off the unsuspected highlights of gold in her hair and the warmth of her skin.

The flight only lasted a few minutes, but for both of them, it had granted them the memory of the most beautiful sight they’d ever seen.

When Kein landed, Kassein got off while carrying Alezya, both quiet and still in a bit of a daze.

A bit unhappy about the woman getting off its back, Kein growled and pushed her hand with its snout until she gave a pat on its warm, orange scales.

“Kiitso, Kein,” she whispered to the dragon.

Kassein tilted his head, helplessly curious and even jealous.

“...Kitso?” he repeated.

“ Kiitso ,” Alezya corrected him.

“What does that mean?” Kassein asked, taking her hand.

But Alezya smiled, and just put a quick kiss on his raspy cheek.

“ Kiitso, ” she repeated.

Kassein frowned and glanced at his dragon as if it had any clue, but Kein was already sniffing eagerly toward the large fire pit, smelling the meat of dinner. Alezya suddenly turned her head too with an expectant expression.

“Meat,” she said.

Kassein smiled.

“Yeah, I’m hungry too. Let’s go eat.”

They joined the rest of their party with Kein on their heels, and quickly, the men were smart enough to bring a large offering of meat to the dragon before it chose its dinner raw.

Meanwhile, Lorey and Kiera eyed the two of them without saying a word as they sat on the orange dragon like before.

Tievin was nowhere in sight, for once, but it wasn’t a rare occurrence when it was already late and the evening was colder than usual.

Kassein also moved to be closer to Alezya and shield her from the cold with his cape.

“Didn’t stay for the night?” Kiera taunted her brother.

“Shut up,” he growled. “You’ve done enough for the day.”

She wasn’t about to ignore his injunction, but Lorey elbowed her with a warning glance of her own, and she dropped it. Instead, they focused on their dinner, and Lorey took over the conversation, teaching Alezya some more words.

“...She’s decent.”

Kassein lifted his eyes from his food to glare at his sister.

“That girl,” Kiera said. “I taught her some moves for self-defense with the dagger while we waited for you to turn up earlier. It turns out she has some pretty good reflexes.”

“You think she learned before?”

“I think she’s sharp and had to grow some reflexes,” Kiera shrugged, glancing at Alezya. “But no, I don’t think she’d ever held a weapon before. The good news is she should pick up enough to be able to defend herself soon. The language too. She’s learning fast.”

Their eyes went to Alezya and Lorey, as both women were chatting over the fire, visibly bouncing words back and forth for Alezya to remember through repetition.

Kassein had noticed too. He hadn’t been there for most of her lessons, but it was becoming clear that Alezya was starting to understand them and make herself understood, surprising him more often than not.

The truth was, Kassein knew he could have asked her questions about the life she had left. She knew the word for man and the word for child. He just hadn’t gathered the courage to ask yet.

They finished dinner, split up from his sister and Lorey, and walked together back to his tent, Kein close on their heels.

The weather had gotten colder, and they were in a hurry to get back to their shelter, but the silence felt heavier than before.

Kassein had wrapped an arm around her shoulder, mostly to shield her from the cold winds, but he was all too aware of her body against his naked torso.

She was wrapped in a coat, but she might as well have been naked, for his skin was burning everywhere they touched.

When they reached his tent, Kassein steeled his resolve, remembering Alezya’s earlier reactions.

They had certainly reached an unexpected turn in their relationship, a point of no return.

There was something burning between them, and it would only grow hotter when they were alone together in such a confined space.

As soon as the tent’s entrance was closed behind them, the silence was deafening, with the only sounds coming from the wind blowing outside and his dragon’s heavy puffs.

The little candle he lit in the corner of the room was the only light source, casting a warm, orange glow over them, and when Kassein turned around, he was struck by the sight of Alezya, sitting on his bed, her big black eyes lifted to him.

He turned back around and took off his cloak.

He wanted her. Of course, he did. He was a man with a warm body and desires, and he was alone with the most beautiful, fierce, intriguing, and fascinating woman he had ever met.

His entire body was pulling him toward her, wanting to lay on the bed and finish what he’d started earlier.

But his head was elsewhere. His head was replaying what had actually happened earlier, how she had reacted, and how he hated her thinking she owed him anything.

He heard her take off her coat and her boots, and as she undressed, he forced himself to take a deep breath before he turned around and joined her on the bed.