Page 50 of The War God’s Favorite

He grabbed her hand and put it up against his chest, where his heart was, and Cassandra realized that spot was even warmer than the rest. She frowned, a bit confused and surprised. She could almost feel a core, like a fire burning inside his chest.

“Is it because of your dragon? Because of Krai?” she asked.

“We are connected…in some ways.”

As if it had known what his Master was saying, at that same moment, the large black dragon came back, landing on a big rock nearby. The dragon crawled down, walking towards them until its large body circled half of the spring Kairen and Cassandra were bathing in. Krai’s big head leaned towards her, and Cassandra scratched the dragon’s favorite area briefly. She had noticed how the Prince and his dragon didn’t even seem to interact or look at each other.

“Can he read your thoughts?” she asked.

It was a bit odd to ask such a thing, but Cassandra had always felt Krai’s actions were linked to Kairen’s temper somehow. His dragon growled when he was unhappy, got mad when he was upset… And they both yearned for her, too.

“No. Dragons don’t think like humans. But he feels…the things I feel. Some say our dragons are our instincts, some say they know our inner thoughts. Sometimes they know what we want before we do.”

While saying that, Kairen was intensely looking at Cassandra, and she knew he was talking about their first encounter. Krai had been instantly captivated by her, before even Kairen himself had spotted her in the crowd. Cassandra suddenly blushed, realizing what he meant. She turned to the dragon to avoid looking at her Master, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Krai, only too happy to get more scratches and cuddles from her, leaned in closer, growling softly. But Kairen wrapped his arm around Cassandra’s waist and brought her closer to him again. The dragon growled at its Master, a bit unhappy, but Kairen ignored him. Cassandra was still amused anytime those two got jealous.

“It seems like he has his own will though,” she whispered.

“He does. Dragons are not pets. He’s just connected to me.”

“Are you connected in other ways? Like your warmth?”

Kairen showed his arm to her, making her caress his skin.

“I have dragon-tamer skin. It’s thicker than humans. My vision is better too, and I can see you in the dark.”

Cassandra had noticed that too. Whenever they had sex in the dark, Kairen always knew her moves and expressions. He kissed her shoulder softly, while she was still observing the dragon. Krai had apparently given up on the scratches, and was just lying lazily next to them.

“He’s stronger than others, isn’t he?”

“How do you know?”

“I noticed it in the arena. The other dragons stayed away from him, and they never turned their backs on him either. Is it because he’s your dragon?”

Kairen looked up at his dragon, exchanging a look with the red-eyed beast.

“My brothers’ dragons are not well-controlled. They are too weak to have their dragons listen to them.”

Cassandra wondered if it was really only about their willpower. She felt like Krai’s strength and behavior were linked to Kairen’s personality, not his strength. Those were only her thoughts, though. She felt a bit sleepy, staying so long in the baths, and she leaned her head onto Kairen’s shoulder.

“We should go back,” said the Prince, noticing her fatigue.

They dressed quickly, and once again, Krai transported them back to the camp. Without them noticing, it had gotten pretty late. When the dragon landed in front of the red tent, there were only a few soldiers patrolling around. Once again, Cassandra did her best to ignore them, following Kairen in his tent.

Someone had made up the bed and had brought some more food to snack on, but Cassandra was still full and tired. She hesitated for a second, but Kairen brought her to lay with him under the covers, pulling the large fur blanket over them. She was still sore from the brutal sex earlier, and felt glad when the War God only laid beside her. He put his arm under her head and had her sleep over his chest, where it was the warmest. Her cheek against his skin and his fingers caressing her hair, Cassandra fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

When she woke up the next morning, she could tell it was already pretty late just from all the noises outside. It was still cold though, and she was alone in bed. She sat up, covering herself with the fur, and looked around. A dress was waiting for her on one of the chairs. Had he brought it with him when they had come here?

Cassandra dressed herself up quickly, and did her best to tie her hair up too. Long hair wasn’t too great in such chilly weather, though she didn’t feel like cutting it either, since Kairen liked it long. Some breakfast was waiting for her, too. On a little gold tray, there was the usual fruit and cheese, as well as milk. Cassandra ate it slowly, wondering if Kairen had eaten here before going, while she was still asleep. She didn’t drink the milk, and just grabbed one of the large fur cloaks in the room to cover herself up before going outside.

To her surprise, it seemed a bit late in the morning, as the men were already very busy. A few of them looked surprised to see her as soon as she stepped out of the tent, but no one dared to talk to her.

“Good morning, Madam.”

Cassandra had forgotten about the Imperial Servant from last night. However, the man was waiting for her right outside the tent, standing straight and ready. She felt embarrassed to have an Imperial Servant wait on her.

“Good morning. ”

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