Legend of the Inero Dragon (6 page)

Chapter
Ten

Jason entered the castle library. He made
his way across the soft, plush carpeting, his feet barely making a
sound as he went to the back where his appointment waited. Gwen was
at home, working on getting settled. Jason gave her the project of
unpacking and organizing, both to give her a distraction as well as
an excuse to have some time alone. She no doubt needed the space
after the show he had just given her. She swore on the lives of her
family she wouldn't run away from him. And he believed her.
Besides, his meeting in the castle library would be a short one,
and one he needed to do without her.

"Miss Navi," Jason said, approaching the
young woman, holding a bow.

The twenty-year-old beauty stood up and
leaned down to give him a hug. "Don't 'Miss Navi' me. I might be
your stepmother but I'm not old," she said with a teasing
terseness.

"My apologies," he said with a smile. He
waited for her to sit down again before continuing. "You know I
don't think you're old. I just don't want to get in trouble for
being disrespectful in case someone happened to pass by."

Navi rolled her dark eyes then crossed her
legs. "No one is ever here but me and Chris," she said, gesturing
to her bodyguard standing five feet away from her, leaning against
a wall. "No offense to you, Chris, but you don't count as a person.
At least, not according to my husband Lynx."

"None taken, Miss. I enjoy being an 'it,'" he
said with a smirk.

She gave him an affectionate smile then
turned back to Jason, immediately sobering. She adjusted her skirt
to cover more of her legs. Jason saw how she looked at Chris and,
even if she was married to his father, he didn't fault her for
having a wandering eye. Lynx was not a good husband. He liked his
women too much, and while he was currently loyal to her just as she
was to him, it would only be a matter of time before he cheated. He
always did. Hopefully sooner rather than later so she could finally
be done with him.

The quiet of the library was relaxing. No
wonder Navi spent so much of her free time here. Jason would have
frequented it more if it didn't mean actually entering the castle.
Any time he walked into the fortress, he tended to get pulled aside
for something. He hardly ever made it out to the massive treasure
trove of books. They were everywhere, lining every wall, and
reaching up to the fifty-foot ceiling. He imagined every book ever
printed was on those shelves.

The two tried to meet up as often as possible
to talk. While Matt was the favorite of their father, Jason had
always been preferred by their stepmothers. Navi had only been
married to his father for a human year, but Lynx claimed to love
her like he'd never loved before. Which said a lot because Lynx
hardly ever spoke about love.

"You wanted to talk?" Navi asked more for
show than anything else. One could never be too careful of who was
watching at any time. Lynx had a tendency to hire someone to spy on
his current wife to make sure she held her vows.

"I did. I wanted your help with my wife," he
said. He felt weird saying the word 'wife.' He still didn't feel
like he was married.

Navi nodded at him. "Love life troubles?"

"Not exactly. She's shy and not a city girl.
I'm worried about her fitting in with the other women. You know how
they can get. They're brutal. I don't want them to lash out or take
advantage of her."

"So you want me to show her the ropes?
Befriend her? Use my power to protect her?" Navi asked, raising an
eyebrow. She adjusted some of her long, dark, curly hair with a
mischievous smirk. The woman was a sultry vixen even when she
didn't intend to be. No wonder she attracted his father so
much.

Jason shifted, averting his gaze. "Something
like that. I know you like to keep your social circle tight, but I
would appreciate it if you at least gave her a chance."

Her smirk faded to a gentle smile, then she
sat back in her plush lounge chair. "You know I would do anything
for you. You're one of the few people who treats me like a human
being and not like a goddess made from glass."

"In their defense, you do have a lot of
goddess-like qualities. At the very least you're a saint to put up
with some of the things you do."

"Like irritating step-sons?" she said,
nudging him with her foot.

"And grumpy bodyguards," Jason said, shooting
a look at Chris. The young man only shrugged.

Navi laughed and gave Chris another
affectionate smile. Soon all the humor was gone from her face, her
brow furrowed in thought. "I did want to ask you about something
else. Your father has been talking a lot about his plans with the
Oceina tribe lately. Not to me of course, but I hear him on the
phone or with his guests. Most particularly—"

"Seth, the child prophet?" Jason couldn't
help but roll his eyes. If anyone but Navi had seen it, he'd no
doubt be severely punished for it.

He couldn't help it. The boy was twelve years
old and claiming to be a prophet from God. Jason would buy into it
more if he didn't see so many bad turns for the country. Bad turns
that started when the boy began advising his father. Jason did not
believe in coincidence.

"Yes, my thoughts exactly. I don't suppose
you know anything about it?" she asked.

"No, Father does not talk to me much about
military plans. The only thing he wants me to do is train the
warriors in defensive spells." Beyond that, Jason was useless in
battle. He couldn't stomach blood and violence.

She nodded, her brow furrowing. "My
connection with him isn't strong. He's been with so many women, it
weakens our bond." She said the word bond with a sour note. Jason
was positive she wouldn't have gotten married if she felt she'd had
a choice. "You're still connected to your brother, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know what kind of
involvement he'll have in anything. Especially with the...did you
say the Oceina tribe?" Why would his father want to pick a fight
with them? Their water magic was the Inero's weakness and they were
nearly three times larger, not to mention all of their
technological advancements that had yet to be shared with the other
nations. The Inero would never win.

"He mentioned Matthias as being a key. Keep
your ears open for me? We can consider it a trade," she said.

Jason nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Chris is from the Oceina nation. Surely
you've noticed this?" He had. Chris had fairer skin than the
traditional Inero tan, lighter hair, and hardly any Inero had blue
eyes.

"Yes, of course I have, but I don't
understand."

"Your father hates them. I don't want
something to happen to Chris. There's more, though. What Lynx is
talking about is a grand-scale operation. He says things like:
'Once they're gone for good.' We're a lot alike, Jason, in that we
don't believe fighting is the best way to solve problems. If I can
stop this, I want to. To do that, I need more information. At the
very least, I want those I love to be safe and aware of what's
going on. You fall into this category."

He swallowed hard. She was asking him to
commit treason, and that didn't sit well with him. He loved his
family and his nation, but thoughts of war worried him. He hated
violence, death, and destruction. Surely it couldn't hurt for him
to keep his ears open a little. "I'll see if anything comes
up."

Chapter
Eleven

"Thank you for helping me on such short
notice. I do appreciate it more than you could ever know," Lynx
said, escorting Matt through the castle hallways. They moved
quickly to his father's main office.

"Of course, Father," Matt said.

"Please, watch the door. Seth will be along
shortly."

Matt raised an eyebrow at
the mention of the prophet. This wouldn't be the first time he'd
met the boy, but it was the first time he'd been involved with him
in any way. Lynx mentioned him in passing and explained how the
child had a great divine purpose. The details were still hidden
from Matt, however. Apparently, it was privileged information that
not even
he
was
privy to. Maybe today would finally be the day the great mystery
was revealed.

Seth walked in, bowing before moving back
toward the bathroom. Surprisingly enough, Lynx followed him in.

"We won't be long," his father told him.

"You're going to meet in there?" Matt
asked.

"Do you know of another place which is
private for the two of us?"

Matt shook his head. Of course he could think
of a number of better places than a bathroom, but he didn't want to
fight with his father. That would be considered disrespectful.
"What do you wish for me to do?"

"I need you to stand guard and make sure no
one disturbs me. Not even Miss Navi. If someone comes by, tell them
I'm ill and you will send for aid if I need it."

"Yes, Father." He wanted Matt to lie for him?
To his wife even? This had to be big.

As soon as the two were shut up into the
bathroom, he went over and pressed his ear to the door.

"I had another vision about the Touched
ones," Seth said.

"Good news?" Lynx asked.

"Yes, I think so. It's hard to say. I also
saw the Terran lord. He agreed to your request, and I know the
price he will do it for."

That was when his father turned on the sink,
shower, and bathtub all at the same time. Every other word they
spoke was drowned out.

Chapter
Twelve

Kat stared out the bedroom window. She and
Matt were now life companions, which made her smile. From the
beginning, she knew there was something special about him. Finally
they were together forever. Yet, she couldn't help but feel
disappointed. Everything seemed different. Maybe she should have
thought twice before jumping into bed with him. Being one of the
Elite gave her the privilege of being closer to him than ever
before. And she wanted that more than anything. Still, the instant
they made love things seemed to change. The chase was over.

The last thing she wanted to be was insecure.
Surely he cared about her. He'd chosen
her
to be his Elite
and dropped enough hints about it to ease her fears. Never before
would she have ever imaged she would be a member. The women who
made up this special group were always gorgeous beyond belief. Kat
didn't feel worthy to be a part of it.

Growing up, like most girls in the city,
she'd always admired the Elite from afar. Outsiders didn't know
what these women did or why they existed, but they could see the
lavish lifestyle they lived. They wore expensive jewelry and
dressed like goddesses in their high-end, trendy clothing. There
were servants following them around, doting on them endlessly. A
man was there to cherish them, sometimes multiple men. To be an
Elite meant being taken care of and never having to work a day in
her life. They were every city girl's dream because they
represented security, which wasn't something that was easy to come
by.

Her stomach rumbled. She almost left the room
to find some food, but she was scared to venture around the castle
without Matt. She didn't know where to go or who she might run
into.

Are you coming back soon?
I'm hungry,
she finally asked him. She
hated giving in and being the first to talk after their fight.
However, she was lost without him.

You can eat without me. The
kitchen is always open,
he
replied.

But I don't know where it
is,
she said.

I can give you directions.

She scowled. She couldn't
tell if he was angry and being cold or if he simply was too
busy.
I wanted to go together.

Then why did you tell me to
eat without you? You said you weren't hungry,
he said.

Her frown deepened.
That was two hours ago. I thought you'd be back by
now.

Father called me into a
meeting. Since you told me to go, I thought you wanted to be alone.
I didn't think you'd mind. We'll be done shortly. I will bring you
something
, he said quickly.

Thank you. I love
you.
A smile formed on her face for the
first time since their earlier squabble. He was trying, at least.
That counted for something.

She hadn't told him she loved him before
then. When they were only friends, she didn't want to make things
awkward between them. Matt could be hard to read sometimes,
especially when it came to his emotions. She had almost said
something last night when they were finally together, but she held
it in. The passion they shared was a much better way to communicate
than words.

She said it in search of reassurance, which
may have been unfair. She needed the words too. It felt like a good
time to verbalize her feelings, but he was too quiet. It made her
nervous. The quiet lasted too long. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Did he not feel the same way?

I'm done. See? Short, just
like I said.
When she didn't reply right
away, he spoke again.
Kat?

I'm here.

Is something wrong? You're quiet. It's not
like you.

I'm fine.
Maybe he just didn't hear it?

What do you mean I didn't
hear? I didn't hear what? Kat, what's going on?
he asked.

She hadn't meant for him to know everything
she was thinking. She didn't even know what he could hear when it
came to her thoughts. Half of the time she heard him, she couldn't
tell if he was talking to her, Jason, or just thinking.