Legend of the Inero Dragon (2 page)

"Yes, we're going to leave soon, but I wanted
to talk to you about the Elite first. May I come in?"

His father sighed then opened the door wider,
allowing Matt to enter. "You know I'm not allowed to disclose that
information. In fact, you're not allowed to know anything about the
process. It would be considered unfair to your brothers and
cousins."

"I know, but I'm in love with a girl," Matt
said. He stared at the floor, unsure how to feel. Shame was one
emotion. He knew better than to try asking for a special favor from
his father. He had hundreds of brothers, and while Matt was closer
to his father than any of the others, it wasn't fair for him to
ask. He had to try.

"You know the rules," said Lynx.

"Yes, I don't know what I was thinking.
Forgive my foolishness, Father." Matt sighed, keeping his gaze to
the floor. Lynx laughed, and Matt literally jumped in surprise.

"You're in love. I can't fault you for that.
Do not jump the gun, however. In two days you will see your
selection of Elite. If you still feel the same way, then I will
help you arrange something. Though it's not how we usually do
things, I can't deny my son the woman he loves. You are prepared to
deal with the consequences of not going through the ritual of the
Elite though, yes? I mean, should the need arise?"

Matt nodded, but he wasn't all too sure what
those consequences were. He'd yet to meet someone who didn't go
through with the usual courtship ritual of choosing from the Elite.
Most fell in love after the process, not before. Still, it was Kat.
And he was willing to give up just about anything for her. Besides,
he couldn't imagine being punished too harshly, if at all. He
frowned when he noticed his father smirking at him.

"You're pulling my chain, aren't you?" Matt
asked.

Lynx nodded. "You aren't the first to come to
me asking for a specific girl, and you won't be the last. All I can
promise is she will be there, but I can't promise someone else
won't try taking her first. However, if memory serves me correctly,
those with the highest grades upon graduation get the earlier
pickings. Didn't you and your brother graduate at the top of your
class?"

"Yes, Father."

"Then I think you have little to worry about.
Now, if this is the girl you've been telling me about for a long
time, I believe she's been on the list for a while," Lynx said with
a wink.

"Thank you, Father," Matt said. He couldn't
help but smile. It touched him to know how much his father invested
into his well-being. He actually paid attention to what Matt had
been saying all of these years.

"You don't need to thank me. Go and enjoy the
afternoon with your brother."

"Yes, Father," Matt said, bowing, trying to
hide how happy he was. The last thing he should do was to behave
immaturely, giving his father a reason to doubt him. He would soon
be entering into manhood and Matt wanted to be worthy of the honor.
He wanted to be worthy of
her
.

Chapter Four

"You're distracted today," said Matthias's
twin brother, Jason.

Matt had been distant all day. Ever since
the two had met up after breakfast, he'd been present in body but
not in mind. Jason was frustrated, considering it was the last day
the two would be able to spend time together as single men. Things
changed after mating and Jason wasn't looking forward to it.

Matt shrugged, still staring. "I can't help
it. I keep thinking about how after today, she's going to be with
me. Do you have any idea how many times I've almost told her our
secret? I can finally be honest with her and not worry about what
kind of repercussions it will have on our kind."

"You think she's going to take it well? Being
told you're actually a dragon, I mean?"

"She's not going to care. If anything, she'll
be mad because I kept it from her for so long."

Jason sighed. "I hope you're right," he said,
watching the clouds floating overhead. The two were in the desert
just outside of the city, a place they frequented together. They'd
had a lot of wonderful adventures out here growing up. It felt like
the perfect place to bring their childhood to a close.

Matt glanced at him. "I'm sure whoever you're
with will be just as wonderful, and you'll—"

"I'm not exactly
looking for companionship," Jason interrupted. He didn't need to
hear the speech again. None of his brothers understood his lack of
interest in a bride. After all, it was every Inero's dream to
participate in the ceremony of the Elite. Each would choose a woman
from the line presented before him, making her his. From there, if
love flowed its natural course, then so be it. If not, they'd find
another woman until the relationship worked, creating as many
offspring as they could along the way.

This wasn't Jason's dream, however.

"Some day you'll want someone. Nobody wants
to be alone forever," Matt pointed out.

"True, but I've never truly been alone. We've
always had each other. You being with Kat will make everything
different between us. I've prepared myself for that, but I am kind
of looking forward to being off on my own, too. I'll have someone,
but our relationship will be about choice. I won't make her tag
along with me. Hopefully we'll get along at least."

"You will. You've always been good at reading
people and knowing who has a good heart just by looking at them. I
don't know how you do it."

"I think everyone has a good heart by nature.
All I do is see those good things and focus on bringing them out,"
Jason said.

"Whatever you do, it works. I don't think
yours will lead you astray."

"I don't think it will either," Jason said
with more confidence than he felt. He knew how to read people, yes.
But this was much more complex than simply being nice to others.
The whole point was for him to choose his life companion. Even if
he could find a girl with a good heart, there were no guarantees it
would work out. He didn't think his skills were so amazing he'd be
able to find one true love just by looking at her for ten
seconds.

Matthias shook his head, "Then I'm not sure I
understand what's wrong."

"I never said there was something wrong. You
assumed." Jason smirked at his brother.

"My mistake then."

"You're nervous. Why are you nervous?"

"Am not," Matt said, rolling his eyes.

Jason put a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Yes, you are. You're so tense. Come on, you can talk to me. I'm
not going to think less of you." Matt was always guarded with his
emotions, and it took some pressing and reassurance to draw them
out. It frustrated Jason at times, but he understood. His brother
had a lot riding on his shoulders.

"What if she does reject me?" Matt finally
asked.

When their eyes met, Jason saw the fear in
his brother's gaze. "She won't reject you. You said it yourself,
she'll understand. Kat has always been level headed, and I think
she'll welcome the idea of living in our world instead of her own.
I don't know her quite as well as you, but when we hang out, this
is what I read off of her."

"I won't doubt your instincts then."

"Good, because according to you they are
always right," Jason teased. The girl his brother loved was
immature and naive as well, but he didn't mention that. Matt needed
encouragement. Besides, she was young, even younger than they were.
She'd come into her own eventually.

The two watched the sky together in silence.
Jason sighed, saying, "I'm nervous about everything changing. Don't
get me wrong, I'm looking forward to it, but I like things how they
are just fine too—especially with us. It's good to have someone I
can count on."

"That isn't going away," Matt said. "I'll
always have your back, just like you will always have mine. We did
share the womb together." He laughed.

Jason sighed. "I
figured I'd share, is all. It didn't feel right for you to say
something deep and meaningful then say nothing. So that's my fear.
That things are going to change so much, too fast, to the point
where life is unrecognizable. A woman can do that. So can growing
up. I think it's why I'm not sure I want a relationship. Too many
adjustments at once. I don't know if I can handle them all. It's a
little overwhelming."

"You don't have to partake in the ritual, you
know. If you're not ready, I mean."

"Yes, I do. If I don't, then I'll never be
respected. I'd rather take my chances. I'm sure in a year, I will
be ready."

Matt watched him for a minute. Jason was
pretty sure his brother didn't believe him. "As long as you're
sure. This year is going to be like the world turning upside
down."

"I don't understand," Jason said, frowning.
Matt wasn't talking simply about women and moving out of the home
anymore, but Jason couldn't quite figure out what he meant
either.

What did his brother
know? He'd always been more on the inside when it came to politics
and the happenings in the country. Something was going on though,
and Matt was keeping it from him. Part of the price Matt paid for
being one of the leading commanders of the army. The brothers had a
mutual understanding, and Jason never pressed for information when
it wasn't appropriate to ask. Matt had promised a long time ago
that he would tell his brother everything; it just might not happen
right away. Jason trusted Matt, so while he frowned, it was more
from curiosity than frustration.

"I'll miss you at the castle," Matt said.

Jason sighed, taking the subject change as a
hint. He wouldn't be finding anything new out today. "I'll still be
close. You know I'll never be far away."

"Father said he'll keep your room for you in
case you change your mind and you don't think the house is working
out."

Jason nodded, trying his best to not scowl at
the idea. The whole point of getting his own house was to break
away and do his own thing for a little while. Why did his father
care so much about him staying close? He never showed the same
concern for any of his other sons. Jason was still favored, but the
two were not as close.

He loved his father, but sometimes he
wondered if the man only offered him as much as Matt because they
were twins and inseparable. Sometimes Lynx tried having similar
heart-to-heart talks with him as he did with Matt, but it wasn't
the same. Jason could see something different in his eyes when they
were alone than what he saw when Lynx looked at Matt. He wished he
knew what it meant.

Everything about Lynx would always be a
mystery, though. All Jason wanted was to discover the world for
himself, and the coming of age ritual would be his ticket to do so.
Hopefully, the girl he chose to take along for the ride would
understand.

Chapter Five

They came for her in the middle of the night.
Gwen had been sleeping when the men dressed in the dark red leather
uniform of the Inero Royal Guard pulled her from her bed.

"What are you doing with my daughter?" her
father demanded. Fear kept him by his wife's side. The Royal Guard
were known to lash out if they felt it necessary. They also
punished entire families and towns for one individual's
mistake.

Thankfully, the members of the guard were not
insulted by his question. The one holding her arm said, "She's
Elite," as if that was supposed to explain everything.

The men shoved Gwen into a limousine where
three girls sat, along with two other members of the guard, and
they were all driven away. Gwen tried staring out the window to the
pass the time, but she couldn't see much other than darkness. Soon,
a few lights came into view and she could make out buildings larger
than she'd ever seen before. Was this Inero City?

The car stopped and she was
ushered out of the limo. More guards surrounded her. She knew it
would be futile to try escaping. She decided not to show them how
afraid she actually was.
I will be strong.
If only because my parents will need me to be.
She didn't want them to be punished because of her. None of
the other young women with her were afraid, so maybe there was
nothing for her to be worried about. That feeling of security soon
left her, however, when they were led into a large room and lined
up single file. Staring back at them was a line of ten young
men.

Gwen had heard rumors about what happened to
the Elite women chosen. They told of young women being taken from
their homes to be auctioned off to men in the Royal Guard. She
didn't want to believe they were true. As she stood in front of
these men, feeling more like a piece of meat than a person, she
wondered if Elite was just another word for harem. Her stomach
began to turn itself into knots.

There were older men there as well who stood
to the side, watching and making sure none of the women tried to
flee. The younger men eyed the females with eager smiles, for the
most part. Only two stared straight in a stoic manner--a pair of
identical twins, handsome ones at that. Each had short, dark hair,
and eyes that matched. They were both tall and strong looking, but
not intimidating. She did not look upon them with fear simply
because they did not look at her as though she were an object.

No one said a word. One of the older members
of the guard who stood off to the side nodded. A twin nodded back.
He walked up to a girl, taking her hand. The two exchanged a smile,
as though they knew one another, before leaving the room
together.

Then it was his twin's turn. His interest was
on Gwen. Dark eyes watched her, narrowing. Not once did they roam
over her body. He only stared at her face. He took in a slow
breath, then stepped toward her, offering his hand.

"Take it," he whispered. 'Trust me' the look
in his eyes seemed to urge her. Hesitantly, she did as he
commanded, then he took her from the room.