"I want to know why you do it."
"Why I do what." he asked, stripping off his overcoat.
He flung it over the back of the couch without much thought as he began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Why you always save me. Every time I'm in trouble you always come...
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After dinner everyone headed to their sleeping spots. They all left the space in the middle of the huddle with the most blankets open for mother and me, taking the pallets around the perimeter. It was agreed that Seonghwa and San would take first watch while everyone else tried to get some sleep for a few hours. I hadn't been asleep very long when I woke up during the next shift change. The crunch of leaves beneath boots having woken me. I laid there for a while staring up at the stars but couldn't get back to sleep. The night was really cold, and I had surrendered most of the blankets to mother thinking she would need them more than I did. I turned my head to see her snuggled under them, soft snores escaping her nose.
Thinking I wouldn't be getting anymore sleep any time soon, I quietly got up. The men were sound asleep under their own blankets. Most of them anyway, Mingi had kicked his off along with his boots, and had his toes precariously close to the smoldering embers from the fire we had burning earlier. The sight had me stifling a laugh as I slipped my cloak on leaving everyone to their slumber. I looked around the campsite for any sign of the person on watch when my eyes caught a flash of silver across the meadow.
Hongjoong sat propped against a tree, one leg bent with his elbow resting on it as a yawn escaped him. The moon above casting a glow over him. I couldn't help but admire him. I couldn't help but admire all of them. They were terrifying and yet so beautiful at the same time it was hard to look away. Their very beings demanded attention, and no one was immune to the spell. As I approached, he watched me with a lazy smirk on his face.
"Come to keep me company spitfire?"
I pulled my cloak tighter around myself as I took a seat a comfortable distance away from him.
"I couldn't sleep." I mumbled watching the dark woods in front of us.
"Yeah I'm sure the ground isn't something you're used to sleeping on."
I shook my head, "It's not that. I just...have a lot on my mind."
We were silent for a few minutes, listening to the occasional hoot from an owl or howl from a wolf in the distance. Even though I didn't know him, the silence was a comfortable one. I was unconsciously comfortable with all of them despite not being close with them. Somehow, I just knew that I was safe around them. They wouldn't hurt me or let anything else hurt me. The thought was both comforting and confusing. I didn't know how to justify my feelings and that made me wary.
"Is it the bond?"
My eyes found his in the darkness. His gaze burning holes into me as he waited for my answer. I thought about it before nodding slowly.
"Yeah, part of it."
He was quiet for another minute. "If it makes you feel any better you caught all of us just as much off guard."
"Me? How?"
He chuckled plucking a piece of grass. "Well dragon mates don't come around that often. My father was alive for two centuries before he found my mother. I'm sure none of us expected to meet a potential mate so quickly."
