Legend of the Inero Dragon (16 page)

She lifted her chin, tilting her face toward
him as if in invitation. He leaned in, ready. He didn't know what
he was doing, but would figure it out. If he was going to learn, he
had to take the initiative.

His lips had barely brushed against hers when
there was a loud crash from the other room.

"Miss Navi!" Chris yelled.

Gwen was the first to pull away, rushing from
the room. Instead of following right away, Jason went to find his
first aid kit. When he saw Navi lying on the floor in a crumpled
heap, he nearly dropped it. Carefully taking her into his arms,
Chris was able to carry her to the couch.

"What happened?" Gwen asked. Her hands were
over her mouth, and she followed him into the other room.

"We were talking and she suddenly passed out
as if in pain. I could see it in her eyes, and I could have sworn
she was going to scream." Chris was shaking, which was not like him
at all. He was usually so much more calm and collected. Hardly
anything fazed him.

Jason brought the first aid kit over, his
body trembling. He recognized this. He couldn't count how many
times he'd seen it happen before. "Get her a blanket. Check her
heart rate. As long as it's not racing, she should be fine. Rest
and warmth will be all she needs."

"What's going on?" Gwen asked, stepping
closer to him.

He sighed. "My father finally grew tired of
her."

"I don't understand."

"He cheated on her," he said, taking her
hand. "I'll give you the big, long explanation soon, but he's
broken their bond. From what I understand, it's a painful
process."

Oddly, Gwen smiled, which was the last thing
he expected her to do. "She's free."

Chapter
Thirty-Two

The castle was quiet when Matt returned home.
He wasn't surprised since it was the middle of the night. He made
sure to keep quiet, not wanting to disturb anyone. The last thing
he needed was to be bombarded by questions from his father. Those
could wait until the morning. Or the afternoon, if he could have
things his way.

All he wanted to do was lie down beside Kat
and go to sleep. He was exhausted from using so much of his magic,
and none of his comrades would let him rest on the ride home. They
kept wanting to talk about what happened in the park. He'd be happy
to never think about it again.

He crept into his bedroom and carefully took
off his shoes. The goal was for him to make it into bed without Kat
waking up. One he failed at achieving miserably.

"I was wondering when you'd be back," she
said and stretched before sitting up in bed. The way her hair fell
around her face and the sleepy half-awake look in her eyes was
beautiful.

"I'm glad you didn't wait up for me," he
said, stripping off his shirt so he could get more comfortable.

"I know. I need as much rest as possible for
the baby."

"For you, too."

"I'm fine."

He reached out to brush her hair away so he
could kiss her lips. They'd grown so much together it amazed him.
They were going to need to be strong in the upcoming months. Work
would become more demanding on him as he and his father planned
their strategy against the Oceina.

"Matt?"

"Yes?" He returned his attention to her.

"Are
you
okay?"

For a moment, all he could do was chew on
his lower lip. He didn't know how to answer that question. He'd
just murdered the Great Lord of the water dragons less than
twenty-four hours ago. Not that he regretted it—hardly, but it was
a lot to absorb all the same.

"Matt?" she asked again, poking his side as
he climbed into the bed.

"I'm fine. I have a lot on my mind."

"What happened? Can you tell me about it
now?"

"I can, but I don't know if you want to hear
it."

"Why wouldn't I?"

He sighed. "Promise me you won't think less
of me then."

After taking a deep breath, he told her
everything that happened in the park and how he had killed Orion.
When he finished, his hands were shaking and he clung to the bed
sheets so tightly his knuckles were white. Every moment of the
night came back to life in vivid detail. The smell of fear, the
feeling of power, and how much he wanted to do it, especially stuck
out in his mind. The rush had completely intoxicated him.

"I'm not sure what to say," she said. He put
a hand on her waist. When she didn't flinch, he also relaxed. He'd
been worried she might hate him.

"You don't need to say anything," he
whispered.

"Have you killed people before?" she
stammered, stumbling over the word killed.

"Yes. I do a lot of field work in the
military. Sometimes it's necessary."

"As long as it is necessary."

"It was. They're a threat to everything we
are." He wasn't sure how he could explain it so she understood.
There was a lot he still couldn't wrap his mind around. They were
things that only his father and the prophet understood.

"It's too bad you had to be the one to do it,
though. I couldn't imagine what it feels like to take a life, to be
the reason someone completely stops existing. I mean, he'll never
come back. I know they're the enemy, but I'm sure his family will
miss him. I'm sure there were people who loved him." She sighed. "I
don't understand war."

He ran his fingers through her hair. The
adrenaline rush once more started to wear off and he was reminded
of how exhausted he was. "You don't need to. All you need to know
is that I will protect you and do everything I can so both you and
our son stay safe."

"I won't worry if you tell me not to," Kat
said then faced him. "I've been thinking about names. What do you
think of Danielle?"

"Isn't that kind of feminine?" He raised an
eyebrow, trying his best to hold in his laughter.

Kat laughed out loud. "A girl should have a
feminine name."

"Honey, all dragons are
boys—
always
." He
stroked her hair. "How about Daniel?"

She sighed and wrapped her
arms around him. "I wish I knew how to make you understand. I've
heard our baby's voice—
her
voice. I wish I could share it with
you."

Matt kissed her hand, intertwining his
fingers with hers. "You'll see. I could share it with you, but I
think you'd have to be on fire. I've heard stories about how when
both the mother and father come in contact with their element, they
can hear their son."

"Ouch."

"Fire is our element. It shouldn't hurt you.
It doesn't hurt me, at least."

"Oh," she said, her voice quivering ever so
slightly.

Matt let out a deep yawn then moved in closer
to reassure her. "Not tonight, of course. I'm exhausted."

"You've had a big couple of days," Kat said
in little more than a whisper.

He frowned, not sure what her tone was
implying exactly. Her mind was quiet, which was rare for her. Kat
always thought something. Or did she finally figure out how to
block him out? He didn't like that. If he couldn't hear her, how
was he supposed to know how he was doing as a husband? Was she mad
at him over his mission?

"I'm not bad...am I?" he asked after a moment
of long, awkward silence. The first they'd had since they'd gotten
together.

"I thought we established you did what you
thought necessary?"

"Right," he said, instantly feeling silly.
She didn't know how much he had enjoyed it. Would she still feel
that way if she knew? How could he tell her he liked to kill? That
he liked power? Or that when it came to the Oceina, he felt like a
completely different person inside?

She traced the sides of his face with a few
fingers. "I still love you. I always will."

Chapter
Thirty-Three

Chris spent the entire night at Navi's side.
His devotion touched Gwen in a way she never thought possible. She
couldn't imagine being in love with someone who already belonged to
another. It had to be even worse since Navi was in such a bad
relationship. Gwen knew little about Lynx, but just the fact that
he forced Navi to be with him, manipulated her, then dumped her as
though she were nothing said a lot. No wonder Jason fought so hard
to be different from his family.

Strong hands settled on her forearms. She
glanced up to see Jason holding her. His gaze was on Navi, however,
his face furrowed in a deep frown.

"What exactly is going on?" Gwen asked.

He still didn't look away, but his expression
changed. His face softened. "When a dragon mates with a human, they
take on our magical properties. This magic creates a strong bond. A
man and wife are supposed to be faithful. Regardless of the
emotional bond between the two, their magical one is strong. The
vows may have meant nothing to them, but the magic they share
doesn't care. She doesn't love him, so it hurts less, but it does
still hurt. I've seen worse things happen."

"It's not right."

"Now you understand part of why I didn't want
to—"

She faced him, planting a soft kiss onto his
lips. Their first one. Not quite how she'd been imagining the
moment, but it felt right. He needed it just as much as she wanted
to do it.

"You're not him," she said.

"No, I won't ever cheat, but I still think
you deserve better." He paused, his nose scrunched up for a moment
in a rather adorable way. "Did you just kiss me?"

"Yes. And?" She folded her arms in front of
her.

"You should wait until you have my full
attention."

"Do I have it now?"

His answer was to kiss her again, but not
until he pulled her into the kitchen and out of view. This time, he
gathered her up into his arms, lifting her chin toward his, then he
leaned down to meet her lips with his. It didn't last for more than
a few seconds. It was so soft she almost didn't feel it. He pulled
away for another second before kissing her again. This felt more
like a real kiss.

She'd never been kissed before by a boy, but
she knew it was real because she felt a wonderful, warm sensation
in her stomach. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she found herself
reciprocating by pushing her lips tighter against his. Jason and
Gwen pulled away then gazed into each other's eyes. She needed a
moment to catch her breath.

"I know now," he whispered.

"Hmm?" Gwen was still in a daze, and those
were the last words she expected him to say.

"Nothing. We shouldn't be doing this now," he
said, peeking around the corner to check on Chris and Navi. Gwen
was pretty confident Navi was being well taken care of without
them, but she felt the same concern.

She also peeked around the corner and noticed
Navi was beginning to stir. Chris noticed as well and he moved to
cradle her head with his hands. She nuzzled his palms before her
large, dark eyes opened.

"Do you need anything?" Chris asked. His body
bounced with a sudden burst of energy.

"Water," Navi whispered.

Chris moved to get up, but Jason beat him to
the punch. He left Gwen's side to go and fetch a glass.

"I got it."

Chris nodded with a grateful smile, returning
his attention to Navi. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said, though her eyes were filled
with tears. She sounded weak; her body shook. "I haven't been this
happy for a long time."

He raised a hand as if to touch her face, but
he left it hovering inches away from her skin. Their eyes were
locked and he licked his lips. Gwen had seen this before. It was
obvious he wanted to be with her. Why was he holding back? She was
free now.

"It's okay." Navi leaned in toward Chris,
letting him touch her, hold her, wrapping her arms around his
chest. He placed one, firm, kiss against her forehead. Then she
cried.

Jason brought Navi a glass of water and
placed it on the end table near the couch. Then found a chair to
sit in. "You need to leave before he changes his mind," he
said.

"
If
he changes his mind," Navi
said.

"He will." He paused then frowned. "The way
he talks about you, I've never heard him say those things about any
of his other wives. Maybe Lenora on occasion but he's enamored with
you. He'll realize what he's missing sooner rather than later. And
if you're here, he might make you come back."

"As soon as you're better," Chris said. He
never let go of her. "I'll take her back to my homeland."

"Go to the Aero nation. You know things
aren't going to be well for the Oceina soon. Get there as soon as
you can because they might close their borders when the humans get
caught in the middle of the fighting."

"Terran is closer. We could—"

"Stay away from Terran."

Navi nodded in agreement, she held a ball of
Chris's shirt in her fist. Gwen decided to stop watching from the
side and enter. She sat on the floor by Jason's feet. He moved his
hand to her shoulder.

"I can start getting you some things together
now while you rest. It'll save you time," Gwen offered. "You're
close enough to my size, so you can borrow my clothes."

"I'll get you cash for the trip. Get rid of
your credit cards. Don't leave any means for him to find you with,
not even a scent," Jason said.

"I'll protect her with my life," Chris
said.

"I don't want it to come to that."

All of the happiness Gwen had been feeling
over her friend's newfound freedom began to fade. She hadn't
realized just what Lynx would do to keep his bride. Then again, he
should have thought about how much he wanted Navi before he
cheated.

"Is it always like this? Always this hard to
get away I mean?" Gwen asked, rubbing at her arms.

Jason squeezed her shoulders. "It depends on
who you're trying to get away from. Father doesn't much like losing
his things. While most of his wives go off to remarry, I can't
think of many who have completely left altogether."