Page 91 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

She took another step back, quickly considering her options.

Going back into the shelterwhen she knew it was empty would have been foolish; she knew better than to let a man trap her in an enclosed space.

She had a vague idea of where Kassein and Kein could be, but no guarantee.

How far could a dragon hear? What if they’d gone hunting and were away?

She took a shaky breath, and just as the man lunged at her, Alezya didn’t give herself time to freeze or panic; she turned around and ran.

The snow was soft under her feet, and she was running too fast to feel the burn of the ice under her soles.

She just needed to run, as fast as she could.

This felt far too much like deja vu, but she didn’t have time to care.

Or think. She had to at least get to the firepit and get Kassein’s attention.

Behind her, the man shouted, and she realized he was running faster; she was running out of time.

“Kassein! KEIN!” she screamed, her voice echoing around the mountains.

She felt a hand grab her long hair, yanking her back so hard her neck almost snapped violently at the brutal movement. She should have taken her dagger, she thought, just as the sharp burst of pain shot through her scalp. She should have–

“Alezya!”

A sudden gust of wind forcefully threw her to the ground.

The pull on her hair had vanished, and just as she hit the ground, a large, heavy body of orange scales suddenly covered the sky.

Out of breath, Alezya lay in the snow, trapped under Kein’s hot belly, the vibrations of its enraged growls rolling above her.

She was ensnared under a dragon, near being crushed, and yet, Alezya realized she felt somewhat safe. Safer than seconds ago, at least.

It didn’t last long; she heard a man’s screams, cut short by the horrifying sound of flesh being ripped, and then, gradually, the heat retreated.

By some miracle, Kein stepped off without crushing her, and a gust of cold wind greeted her.

Strong arms lifted her up, and suddenly, she was faced with Kassein, out of breath, his green eyes full of concern, his free hand cupping her cheek.

“Alezya?” he whispered.

“ I… I’m fine ,” she managed, giving him a nod.

He let out a faint sigh of relief and pressed her face against his neck, holding her tight.

His warmth spread around her like a warm coat, chasing away the remnants of her shivering. She hadn’t noticed she was shivering until then, but it had nothing to do with the cold. Her nerves were suddenly catching up to the situation. No, to what had almost happened.

Alezya slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her legs around his waist, and she didn’t want to let go. They hugged each other, their breathing calming down together.

Whatever Kein had done to that man, it was over. She forced herself to focus on him. She focused on his scent, his warmth, the steady rise and fall of his chest. Everything had happened so fast, but as panic subsided slowly, more erratic thoughts came crashing through her mind.

That man had grabbed her, yanked her by her hair, like in her worst nightmares. What if Kassein had been too far? What if Kein hadn’t heard her?

She exhaled a shaky breath, belated fearful tears springing in her eyes. She held on tighter to Kassein, like he was her lifeline. And Lumie.

How many more times would she have to survive before she could see her baby?

How many times would she be scared into thinking she’d never see her again?

Why couldn’t she get a moment’s peace? She shuddered, emotions washing over her all at once, waves of anger, frustration, fear, and, thankfully, relief.

She had survived. And Kassein was here, holding her.

He’d saved her life, again. The one man she didn’t fear; the one she could count on to protect her, comfort her, and chase the nightmares away.

Without another word, Kassein gently carried her, and Alezya didn’t care where. She held on tight to him, her heartbeat going fast, her gaze going to the falling sun behind him.

Their last evening. Their last hours together.

Tomorrow, she would have to go... but they still had a night together, and she was going to make it count.

She needed him to know. Once, just once, Alezya was desperate to give all of herself to Kassein.

And then, she would go back to being Lumie’s mother.

They got back inside the leather shelter, and Kassein dropped her on the bed gently.

Alezya could almost predict everything that was going to happen next, because she had come to know this man so well: he brought her food, ate with her, took the dishes away, and went to boil some water for her.

She didn’t have to leave the bed, he just did it all.

She knew he had probably cleaned her body and changed her as well while she was asleep.

It was the kind of man he was, and she knew exactly how lucky she was to have been with him. She wanted to commit it all to memory: his gentle movements, his strong but kind hands, his warm skin, his faint smiles, his deep voice, and those green eyes.

It was her goodbye, and he had no idea. She was about to break his heart again, and then leave him with the hardest thing she could ask of him, to take care of Lumie. That was, if her plan worked...

The thoughts that swarmed her mind brought Alezya to tears, and she couldn’t stop them.

Kassein noticed right away; he put the water on the bedside table and rushed to her side with a concerned expression, already scanning her for injuries.

She let his hands hold hers, marveling again at the difference.

His hands were bigger, rougher, darker. And they had become one of her favorite things in the world.

“Kassein,” she whispered.

“Alezya?”

“ Kiss me ,” she asked.

He frowned, but of course, he obeyed, pressing a gentle, long kiss against her lips, before pulling back a bit, still unsure about her tears.

“ Touch me, ” she continued. “ Kiss me again. Like me. ”

“ I like you, ” he said, caressing her cheek.

“ No ,” she shook her head, bringing her teary eyes to his. “ More. I need... more. I need you. All of you.”

“ Alezya ...”

“ Please ,” she croaked before he could stop her, pressing her forehead against his, her hands on his torso. “ Please, Kassein. ”

He must have felt that something was different because this time, he didn’t try to distract her. He stared at her, his green eyes worried and confused, his hand cupping her cheek.

“... Habi ti ,” he whispered.

“ What ?” Alezya frowned at the new word.

“ Haishun, Alezya ,” he repeated, gently pressing her hand to move it against his beating heart. “Only Alezya. My amari. I habi you. ”

“ I don’t understand, ” she cried, her heart choking. “ What does that mean? Kassein, I–”

“ You ,” he whispered, pressing their foreheads together again. “ You. My amari. Only you. ”

He didn’t explain, but he was showing her.

He cut off her words with another kiss, his hand cupping her cheek again.

The other moved to her dress and pushed her up his lap.

Alezya’s stomach made a loop as she straddled him across the bed.

She could feel him, his body aching for her.

Something felt different that night. Perhaps it was her heart, and perhaps it was him.

As if he’d read her mind, he dropped his usual cautiousness, letting her take the reins.

Alezya kissed him eagerly, trying to put all the passion she could into this.

She got rid of her dress and pressed her naked body against his torso, her skin against his skin.

The air was getting hot and heavy around them, but neither cared.

Kassein was hotter, his kisses were hotter, and Alezya couldn’t get enough.

“I love you,” she whispered in her native language. “I don’t want to leave you, I’ll never forget you.”

Weak tears kept escaping her eyes, and Kassein kept wiping them off, kissing her cheeks, caressing every inch of her body as if his hands were molding her curves. Alezya’s hands dropped to his pants, and this time, he didn’t stop her.

With tenser movement than usual, he took it all off, getting naked impressively fast for a man who’d acted so shy before.

.. and Alezya couldn’t hold back that gasp.

She should have expected so, but he was big.

Big, and hard, and aching for her already.

He must have felt her hesitation or nervousness because Kassein gently pulled her chin up to gaze into her eyes while his other hand ventured between her legs, caressing her, his fingers touching her and assessing how wet and ready she was.

“ You fine ?” he whispered against her lips.

Alezya knew he would stop. She had that belief anchored in her heart: if she asked him, he would stop without hesitation, without her having to beg and cry for it.

The monster that had been her husband had never stopped or slowed down.

He’d ignored her pleas, her pain, and her tears and taken what was “rightfully his” every time.

Kassein was bigger and stronger, and yet she wasn’t afraid of him at all; no, she wanted this. She desired Kassein, his hands, his gazes, his hot skin, his warm kisses. She wanted it all.

For one night, he was all hers.

And that was all she wanted for her last time.