Kai woke up to a soft, unfamiliar sigh. He felt a warm, heavy weight next to him. He blinked and saw the dragon woman —she was sharing his narrow cot.
She stirred and let out a loud yawn.
Panic hit Kai instantly. He was lying next to her.
He quickly lifted his hand and delivered a sharp slap to his own cheek. The sting was real. This was not a dream. He looked around the small room and realized the impossible situation was real. He froze, unable to move for five full minutes, locked in silent shock.
As he finally started to slide away, she suddenly sat up. Her eyes, the color of moss, looked playfully at him.
Without saying a word about what happened, she casually hung her hand around Kai's neck, pulling her face close.
"So, hero," she whispered. "Did you miss me? What happened? Don't you want me?"
Kai's face turned bright red, and his body went rigid. He stammered, pulling weakly against her grip. "H-h-hm. I—I don't know what you mean."
She smiled. "You stutter a lot."
That was too much for Kai. The shock and the demand caused a complete overload. Completely flustered, he chose the only option: run.
With an embarrassed yelp, he shifted his weight, clumsy and frantic, effectively throwing her back onto the bed with a soft thump. He scrambled off the cot and bolted, slamming through the wooden door into the next room.
The woman didn't look annoyed. She only adjusted the blanket. A small chuckle escaped her lips. "What a boring guy," she whispered, and instantly fell back asleep.
In the next room, Kai leaned against the wall. His heart was beating like crazy—a frantic drum in his chest. Boring? The humiliation was intense, but slowly, curiosity returned.
After calming down and forcing the blush from his cheeks, Kai pushed himself up;
he needed answers. He walked back to the doorway and opened the door softly.
She was still sleeping soundly. He approached the bed, nudged her shoulder gently, and spoke in a firm, low voice.
"Hey. Wake up. Now you have to tell me. Tell me about yourself, and how did you come here?"