Legend of the Inero Dragon by JF Jenkins Page B

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