Legend of the Inero Dragon Read Free Page A

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.
    "Where are we going?" she asked once