Jaeha stood, brushed himself off, and stepped out from behind the tree. Taking a few strides out of the shadows, he cleared his throat politely.

Hak would thank him later.

"Jaeha!" Yona exclaimed with surprise. Jaeha tried to ignore how sexy it was to hear her say his name like that, especially knowing very intimately how turned on she was.

Hak turned only his head towards him, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Perhaps he's figured out that I've been here the whole time…

"Goodnight, Hak." Jaeha said curtly, walking right past him and on towards Yona. He could practically hear Hak's indignant stare, but he walked on. He stood as close to Yona as he could stand – the feelings flowing through their bond seemed to grow as he approached, like heat being thrown from a fire.

"Jaeha, I thought you'd left. We… we were just…" Yona trailed off, obviously flustered and embarrassed. Jaeha smiled gently at her, still pointedly ignoring the shadow of Hak looming behind him.

"I know, Yona dear, but I'd thought I was leaving you in good hands. I'm so sorry that you're suffering this way. Let me help you. Let me... ease your tension." As he spoke, Jaeha braced himself for the violence brewing behind him.

"I'm warning you, droopy eyes."

Without a backward glance, Jaeha pressed on, "I know that you would prefer Hak, but it seems that he is determined to undermine your agency. Though I admit, the circumstances are… unusual, I still respect you and trust your judgement. If I didn't, I never would have agreed to follow you."

Yona met his eyes, looking a little bit surprised, but genuinely relieved. He imagined it must be refreshing to be spoken to like an adult after enduring Hak's protection. Her eyes were so lovely and expressive. He felt oddly vulnerable to her as he finished, "I feel this fire in my blood. It's clear you do as well. I don't want you to feel pressured, but I care for you deeply, as well as being attracted to you physically. I would be honoured to pleasure you, Yona dear."

Despite his determination to ignore him, Jeaha had been genuinely concerned that Hak was going to hit him. Fortunately, the beautiful, thick-headed warrior was stunned into both silence and stillness. That fear had been helping him reign in his lust, but as it became clear that he was not in physical danger, it became harder to keep his thoughts in line. She was a vision of beauty, and she gleamed like cool clean water in the desert. He licked his lips.

Yona's eyes were soft as they met his own, filled with lust, and as they drifted over his shoulder to the Thunder Beast. She looked sad, almost apologetic, before smiling at him again.

"I… I know how I feel about Hak. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about you Jaeha. I feel it too – the fire." She shook off her embarrassment, and seemed freed by her honesty. "I don't know how I might feel afterwards… I can't promise you anything. But… but I can feel your fire in the air." She looked into his eyes and he could see the passion spilling out of them. Something inside him burst into flame as she finished breathily, "I want more of it."

He wanted nothing more than to claim her lips with his own.

But somehow, he managed to wait. He held himself back, gazing at her lips longingly, merely reaching out to take her hand. You'll thank me for this one day… he thought angrily at the shadow behind him. An excruciatingly long second passed as his hand made contact with hers. He had just enough time to savour the sensation of her soft fingertips curling around his own before he heard the heartbreaking sound.

"Yona, please."

Jaeha turned to see Hak, his hand half extended towards them, looking so lost and helpless.

"You can't have it both ways, Hak!" Yona said, almost bitterly, but Jaeha could see the guilt in her expression. "I want to be with you, but if you won't, then you can't stop me from having someone else…" She trailed off, seemingly torn between her anger, guilt, and sympathy.

Hak looked conflicted. Jaeha saw his chance.

"Yona dear, he is afraid. He's afraid that you won't want him once you're satisfied. Maybe there's nothing you can say that will convince him otherwise." Hak looked like a man who was being torn apart.

"But maybe we can show him."

Yona and Hak stared at him in open shock.

He gave Yona's hand a reassuring squeeze before reaching out another to the Thunder Beast. "She loves you, you great gorgeous dolt. And she wants you. Maybe this fire is just from the dragon blood. Maybe she will still feel it if she doesn't have one of her dragon warriors. Who knows." He could see the darkening of Hak's expression, so he hurried on. "But she knows, and I know, that if I satisfy her, and calm the fire in our bond, that she's still going to want you. If you don't believe us, let us prove it. Or else be brave enough to risk that she'll change her mind -which she's told you she won't - and satisfy her yourself."

Jaeha tried to give Hak time to process, but the heat from Yona's hand was driving him wild. If just the touch of her hand could cloud his mind and excite his senses like this… he was positively ravenous to see what other sensations they could find together. After an eternity in sweet, sultry hell, he added, "She wants you. But she needs someone."

Another eternity passed. He couldn't resist stepping closer to his princess, trailing his hand up her arm, biting his lip as she shivered under his touch. But he kept his other hand extended towards Hak, as he added.

"She needs one of us… maybe both."