Legend of the Inero Dragon (7 page)

Does everything I think get
sent to you?
she asked.

Just about. It's not as easy
when I'm talking with other people vocally, so I might miss a few
things. Jason is better at it than me. Then again, I'm the only one
who's inside of his head. I can teach you how to filter things
better . It takes some practice, but it's possible. I'm sure you
don't want me knowing everything going on inside of your
head.
He paused.
So
what did I not hear?

I'll tell you when you get back.

The handle to the door turned, then he stood
in the doorway. "It's good I came when I did. I wouldn't want you
to forget."

She scowled because she'd been hoping for
more time to prepare. "I guess so."

"So what did you say?"

"I…."

"You?"

"I love you," she said, rushing through the
words, wanting nothing more than to disappear after they came
out.

A small smile formed on his lips. "I'm so
glad you said it first because I was scared to."

"Isn't it one of your manly duties to be
first?" she teased.

"I suppose so. I was worried you wouldn't
feel the same way."

"Funny, that's what I was thinking too. Most
of the women haven't mentioned love here when talking about their
husbands. I didn't know if it was normal to feel this way and I
didn't want to push you. I feel it, though, and I have for a
while," she said, blushing, not wanting to admit it had been since
practically first sight.

That's cute.
He kissed her forehead. "I have as well. They
don't talk about love because it's not a common emotion. It does
happen. It's possible. I'm so grateful we have it because I don't
ever want to lose you."

"Nothing could keep me from you Matt."

He kissed her again. "Some day I'll explain
to you how fragile love is here. For now, please let me show you
how much I do feel for you. And how sorry I am for displeasing
you."

You don't have to explain. I
already know.
She kissed him with more
passion than before. "Our love is far from fragile, so just focus
on us and not on everyone else."

"Yes dear," he said, laying her down on the
bed.

Chapter
Thirteen

A picnic with one of the wives didn't sound
like a good time to Gwen, but it did get her out of going to the
pool with the masses. She'd only been there for three days and
already they all irritated her. Jason had insisted the picnic would
be a good idea. She was tired of staying home. The pool and home
were the only two places she'd seen. Fresh air sounded lovely.

"This is Navi," Jason said with a sweeping
gesture. His eyes showed nothing but admiration as they practically
lit up at the sight of her. Then, as an afterthought, he did a
slight wave at a tall, blue-eyed man behind her. "Oh, and her
bodyguard, Chris."

He had brought Gwen to the castle grounds,
though they never entered the building. As far as she was
concerned, she never wanted to step foot inside it ever again. It
creeped her out. Something about it didn't feel right to her. She
couldn't quite place a finger on why.

Instead, they had waited outside until the
young woman arrived. Jason held a large blanket in his hands, and
the woman had a picnic basket in hers. The young man trailed behind
her, never standing closer to her than three feet, but never
further than five. Why would Navi even need a bodyguard to begin
with?

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Gwen said,
eyeing Navi carefully.

"Navi is my stepmother," Jason continued.
"One of them I should say. The one who matters the most. She is my
father's current wife."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. Navi looked awfully
young to be married to someone old enough to be Jason's father.

The woman took Gwen's hand and curtsied. "You
as well," she said then faced Jason. "I like that she disrespects
me. It's refreshing."

"I didn't realize I was being disrespectful,"
Gwen said with a frown.

Navi laughed then mimicked the raised eyebrow
Gwen had given her. "This is not a look I get often. I don't mind.
Most of the women I meet are too fake or afraid of me. Apparently
they think I'll complain to my husband or something," she said,
glancing at Chris, then snorted.

With a shrug, Jason changed the subject.
"Navi has kindly agreed to help you out. Anything you need, go
ahead and ask her. Because she's married to my father, she holds a
lot of weight. He is the lord over all of the Inero, after all.
She's also decided to stay at the house with you while I'm away at
the council. That's not for three weeks, though."

"We'll have plenty of time to get
acquainted," Navi said with a smile. "This is your first time
going, period, correct?"

"Yes," Jason said, nodding. "I've never had
the privilege of going. Matt's been, not me."

Navi rolled her eyes at the mention of
Jason's twin brother. Gwen had yet to meet him. With the way the
other woman reacted, though, she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

"Matt is special. Of course he gets to go
before he's allowed," Navi said, her voice rich with sarcasm.

Jason opened his mouth as if he were going to
say something, but quickly closed it again.

"I'll only be gone about a week. We can
discuss all of this later, Gwen," he said. His body was tense, and
he gestured for them to begin walking across the castle yard.

Navi stared at him with sorrowful eyes.
Gently, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Shall we get some
lunch? Gwen, you've been here for three days now, correct? You're
lucky."

"I'm sure," Gwen said. She didn't understand
it. Why was she so lucky? She'd been taken away from her family.
While Jason had promised she could go back and visit them, she knew
she wouldn't be allowed to leave him. Not with how many times he
insisted it was too dangerous.

"She doesn't get it," Navi said to Chris. He
shrugged nonchalantly.

For a while, the four were quiet. Attempts at
small talk no longer made as they walked through the castle
grounds. They passed several rose bushes on their way into a light,
man-made forest. The trees were lined up in neat rows, evenly
spaced apart. Gwen was used to the wild forests on the outside of
her farm. Nothing in Inero City felt natural.

After the blanket was settled on the forest
floor, Navi unpacked their lunch. Gwen decided to ask the question
burning on her mind. "How did you come about being his stepmother?
If you don't mind my asking."

"In similar ways you became Jason's wife,"
Navi said in between bites. Her tone suggested she wasn't bothered
by it. Her body tensed up slightly. She smirked at Gwen. "I will
tell you all about it during our girl time. Jason doesn't much like
the story."

"You're so considerate of my feelings, Miss
Navi." Jason rolled his eyes, sitting up on his knees. He leaned
into the basket for some more grapes.

Navi threw a potato chip at him with a laugh.
"Don't forget it, son."

If Gwen hadn't known better, she would have
thought he was flirting with the woman. Something about their
relationship was peculiar, though they may have simply been best
friends. So far, the only side she had gotten to see of Jason was
him trying be strong and stoic for her. She appreciated it, but he
also needed to relax, especially if she was expected to live with
him and enjoy it. She'd like to see his personality one of these
days.

Jason threw a grape at Navi then glanced at
the other man. "Don't worry. I'm not assaulting her, Chris," he
said, pelting her with more fruit. The bodyguard didn't do
anything. He barely cracked a smile, nor would he eat with them
despite the empty space on the blanket for him to do so. He clearly
took his job seriously.

Without thinking, Gwen reached out to grab
Jason's shoulder. Gripping it firmly, she pulled him to the ground
onto his back. The shocked expression on his face made it
worthwhile. He lay there, staring up at her with his jaw hanging
open, his dark eyes sparkling in the sunlight as he stared into
hers.

"You're going to catch flies if you keep your
mouth open like that," she said. She forced his lips shut. She
hoped she hadn't overstepped a boundary by trying to join in on the
fun.

For a moment, he only stared at her. She was
pretty sure he could see into her soul with how focused and intent
he became. Slowly, the corners of his lips lifted upwards.

"I'm sorry. Are you feeling left out?" he
asked coyly before tossing a grape in her direction.

With more grace and skill
than she normally had, she caught the grape in her mouth. Navi
erupted into a fit of laughter, toppling over onto her side. Her
dark hair splayed outward glamorously as she did so.
"I
think she's a keeper, Jase," Navi finally said.

Jason grinned. "I'm glad you approve," he
said, his eyes never leaving Gwen's.

Chapter
Fourteen

Three weeks passed by slowly. By the time the
Dragon Council rolled around, Matt felt as though he'd been wed to
Kat for a lot longer than a month. Normally, Matt wouldn't have
been so thrilled to leave her, but he needed the time to himself.
When the Terran dragon came to give his family a ride to the
council, he practically leaped on board the great beast's back.

"She's taking over all of my space," Matt
said, breathing out sharply. He missed talking to his brother.
Jason had always been one of the few people who sat and listened to
him. He made a note to do it more often and not let Kat absorb so
much of his free time. While he still cared about her, a lot, he
wasn't sure about being attached to her at the hip. She hated when
he left her to do anything. She'd never been so overprotective of
him before.

He couldn't get out of going to the Dragon
Council. For the past two years, he'd attended every major meeting
and every quarterly meeting. If he was supposed to begin leading
the military operations for his father, then he needed to
understand how the politics worked—not only in his nation, but also
in all of the dragon tribes. The purpose of the council was for all
of the nations to come together and stay bonded for peace. How a
country was run displayed a lot about its strengths and
weaknesses.

For example, he knew the Aero tribe would
rather hide in their mountains than stand up for something they
believed in. The Oceina spent too much time voting and being
diplomatic to get anything done in a timely fashion. Finally, the
Terran were only focused on self-preservation. They would follow
along with anything that seemed like something they could benefit
from, which made them similar in many ways to the Inero. Matt
noticed how much better his father got along with the Terran lord
than any of the others.

All of it fascinated him. He couldn't wait to
share this world with Jason. Hopefully, he would find it just as
interesting.

The Terran dragon they rode on turned
sharply. Matt grabbed onto the thick, mud-colored scales so tightly
his tan skin turned white. He doubted he hurt the other dragon, but
even if he did, it would be deserved. The Inero were the only
species of dragon that couldn't fly. Naturally, heights and the
idea of plummeting to his death from them terrified Matt. This was
a common fear amongst his kind, so the Terran dragon should have
known better than to scare him half to death.

Flying beat taking a boat to the council with
the other attendees. The majority of the Inero traveled for three
days by water across the great ocean. Water scared Matt even more
than heights did. He didn't know how to swim. The element was his
magical weakness. Having his magic be so potent, every time he
touched the liquid he felt as though he were being stung. He could
tolerate taking a shower, the occasional light rainfall, or
drinking from a glass, but beyond that he avoided water all
together. The idea of being surrounded with it for three days made
him nauseous.

Jason didn't appear concerned by the ride at
all. Then again, he had always been less afraid of everything. He
stared in front of him, but he blocked his thoughts from
Matt—another skill he was better at. In a lot of ways, Jason's
magic was stronger than his.

All Jason did was nod. He could always be
counted on to just listen.

"Don't get me wrong," Matt continued. "I
think she's great, and she means a lot to me. I didn't think she'd
want all of my attention, though. Is your woman like this too?"

"She's your wife, not your woman," Jason said
stiffly. The brothers briefly made eye contact. "Gwen has her
places in the house and I have mine. Then again, she doesn't love
me nor I her. I don't think there's a pressing need to be together
twenty-four seven."

"Probably not," Matt agreed. He frowned,
staring at the Terran dragon. "Are you really going to wait until
you're in love?"

"Yes."

"I think it's sweet. What happens if a year
passes and you still haven't mated with her? You know they'll take
her away and force you to be with someone else."

"I'll figure it out if it gets that far,"
Jason said then paused. "Back to your problem. I think you should
move out of the castle and get your own house. Then you each can
have more space for yourselves."

"But we have an entire castle."

"Lived in by several other
people. She needs a spot to own, a haven. Find her one," he said,
sighing.
Besides, the castle is creepy
sometimes.

You didn't use to think
so,
Matt said.

Most of the time, Matt ignored his brother's
asides and let him have his own opinions. This wasn't one of those
moments. How could Jason so easily forget about all of the great
times they had together there?