Flame Touched

Chapter Two - Matteo

Matteo walked away from the farmhouse as it continued to burn. The flames which had engulfed it earlier were starting to die down. His work there was done for the time being. Whatever mess was left over was no longer his responsibility. The other members of his team would make sure the fire was doused and not a threat to the rest of the nearby land. He'd almost razed the entire farm, field and all, but that would be a waste of good produce. No, he would simply teach a lesson and nothing more, and he was positive his message had been received loud and clear.

"Sir, what should we do with the animals?" a member of his dragon guard asked as he came near. The dragon bowed his head.

For a moment, Matt thought carefully. His preference would be to leave the animals alone, but he also had to follow the orders he'd been given by the Great Dragon Lord of the Inero. Regardless of if Lord Lynx was his father, and that Matt was the favorite, he also did not want to disobey and subject himself to the potential wrath that would follow. So he had to think and remember all of the details of the orders he'd been given. No one was to be killed, keep the land fruitful, but make sure the owners were clear as to who was in charge and where their priorities should lie.

"Leave them," Matt said at last. "They can still be useful." And though it might have seemed otherwise, Matt did still have a heart.

The dragon bowed again, and returned to the others to give the orders.

Matt continued on his walk, going down the dirt path, needing his solitude. These kinds of errands were never easy. First of all, they were often a waste of his skills. Matt was a born fighter. The magic he'd been blessed with allowed him to cast aggressive spells that would boggle the minds of his enemies. Using those spells to ignite farms in the name of the empire was beneath him, and he hated that his father had to send him when anyone in the army was more than capable of the task. Secondly, he just didn't have the desire to hurt the humans—even those who decided to disobey the law.

While he lived for the motto "Empire first", he also understood that the humans were misguided—and human. Of course their motives were drastically different than Matt's kind. Humans did not live as long as dragons, so they did not see life in distance, but rather in moments. What they thought of as starving for no reason, was in truth a small sacrifice for the greater good as the dragons prepared for a war that would help shape the future of the entire Inero nation.

His father saw the humans' lack of perspective as betrayal, unfortunately. One of the few things Matt did not see eye-to-eye with him on.

No one had to die, so we don't have to fight over this one. And for that Matt was relieved. He hated to fight with his father. Actually, he hated to fight with anyone if he were being completely honest. Sometimes there just weren't any other options. Which is why I can't tell Eian about this. He never understands. His twin was gentle and sensitive to all kinds of violence—annoyingly so. Matt didn't care for it, but he at least understood why it was needed in a pinch. Eian would much rather use reason over throwing a blow. Admirable, yes. Effective, not so much. Not always. Some people didn't respond to reason.

If Matt had tried to reason with the farm owners, what kind of message would that have sent? One of weakness. One where the humans were in control of the Empire instead of the dragons. And while they may have shared similar attributes with the humans, dragons would always be superior. It was the way God had intended. They were stronger, lived longer, and had magic. Humans were nothing more than a blip in time to help ensure the dragons survival—only they didn't know it. If the humans ever realized how necessary they were, how the dragons couldn't continue on as a species without them, then chaos would erupt. The humans would hold themselves in a higher regard than they were worth. All order in the world would shift, and with it, society would collapse.

No, humans had to stay in the dark except for the chosen women who would eventually become brides to the dragons themselves. They must never know that the dragons walked among them as humans in the everyday world—that the dragons had two forms. One vulnerable and human, and another the powerful lizard that the humans themselves worshiped. The weaker, human, body was the one they used the most. It was the most practical, after all, and it was what allowed them to mate with the human women so they could breed more dragons. Magic let them turn from one form to another; allowed them to govern over the world as was their purpose. And not just any women could be chosen for the honor of being let in on the secret. All mates must be chosen carefully.

The girl from across the street. Matt's mind went back to her. She's selfless and intelligent and the perfect age... A smile formed on his lips. Eian will love her. I'll have to tell father all about her so we can make sure she is part of the Elite. My brother deserves only the best, just like me. And Matt knew what would be best for his brother, even if he didn't know it himself. He needed brains over beauty. Matt could find all of the attractive girls in the nation and if they didn't have a brain, Eian would pity them, but not have any true desire. That wasn't going to work. Eian wanted a life mate, just like Matt. One woman to call his own.

Time was running out, too. They should have participated in the selection of the Elite last year when they'd turned sixteen, but the girl Matt was in love with wasn't quite old enough to partake in the ritual. Their father graciously gave them another year just so Matt could have the opportunity to pick her. Matt didn't want to go through the whole process without his brother, though. Twins were supposed to do everything together. It would be strange to take such a huge leap forward on his own.

I'll have to do some more recon on this girl. Make sure she's perfect, but my gut is telling me she is. She might have a few unpopular opinions about things, but that's something we can work around. Eian can teach her the truth, make her understand. Matt nodded, pleased with the plan. It was a job he'd have to do himself, of course. He didn't trust anyone else in the Dragon Guard to the task. No one knew his brother as well as him.

Matt continued to walk farther down the dirt road toward the car waiting for him near the edge of the fields. While the rest of the Dragon Guard would leave as a unit, fully in their dragon transformation, he would be riding back alone. He'd been the one who'd drawn the short straw and had to play the part of the priest. Matt preferred being a dragon for these kinds of missions. The less he had to talk—to explain—the better. Because he was a "priest", he had to leave in a manner fit for one in the off chance any humans were nearby watching.

I wonder if she's still watching. The girl had been curious, so it wouldn't come as a surprise even though he'd told her to go back inside. She seemed the type to watch through a window until the very last ember was extinguished. Smart. Possibly dangerously so. Another reason why she's so perfect for him. Eian did always love a good challenge.

Matt's phone started to vibrate in his pants pocket. He expected a text message from his father asking how things went, or from his brother just to check in. What he saw instead was a message from Rei. The smile he wore earlier returned to his face, even wider than before. At least, it was until he actually read the message itself.

"Why do my parents have to pick fights with me over things that aren't my fault?"

He frowned, unsure how to respond but worried. Rei's parents had a tendency to take their anger out on her in violent ways. And I'm about an hour away unless I speed home. Then he was at risk for getting pulled over. I'll play my trump card. The police are nothing more than Dragon Guard wannabes. It'll be worth it. Father will understand. At least, he hoped so. He will. It's me. One of the many perks to being the favorite.

Matt quickly sent her a reply, and then stepped on the gas. "Hide, I'll be there soon."