Flame Touched

Chapter Thirty-Four - Camila

Once she changed into her sleep clothes and brushed her hair, Camila went out into her living room to join Navi and Chris. They were having a week long slumber party while their respective husbands were away.

The first night, Camila had been hesitant about the idea. She had been looking forward to being on her own. Not that Eian invaded her space often, but she felt like she had to be strong in front of him, to be the cool, calm one. Finally, she'd have a chance to cope with leaving her family, and now someone else had their watchful eyes on her. Grieving in front of anyone would not go over well. No one, not even Navi, seemed to understand the depth of her sadness. She always got the feeling most saw her as ungrateful for the opportunity to be one of the Elite.

Navi made for good company, all the same. She was a lot like Eian. Keeping to herself, and spending her time enjoying her privacy for a change. Being the head wife of the Inero line, Camila imagined she didn't get a lot of it. Always in the castle, always ready for when Lynx might need her. Then add in all of the other residents who continually vied for her attention. The last time they'd been uninterrupted was when Camila first met Navi in the yard. Besides, as much as she didn't want to admit it, Camila did like the house not being completely void of life. In a way, she missed Eian. Navi made for an appropriate substitute.

Camila settled herself onto the couch, watching Navi brush her hair in a nearby chair. She chewed on her lower lip, debating internally if she wanted to ask the question plaguing her mind. After a few minutes of hesitation, she decided it necessary to know.

"How did you meet your husband?"

Startled, Navi stopped what she was doing. She glanced over at Chris and the two made eye contact for a brief moment. Finally, she sighed.

"We met around a year ago," Navi said quietly. She set the brush in her lap and folded her hands over it.

"I knew that much, but how?" Camila asked.

"It's not an easy story to tell. I understand the curiosity. We're not exactly a typical couple, and I haven't hidden from you the fact that I'm unhappy. At the same time..." She pressed her lips together tightly. "At the same time, you should know what kind of man raised Eian and his brother. The man who is in charge of our country." Navi took in a slow, shaky breath. "I grew up in one of the smaller cities only a handful of miles outside of Inero City. I had just turned nineteen a few days prior, and my friends and I went out to celebrate. We had gone to a club, and he was there. No doubt to scope out the local women for his new conquest."

"And he found you."

"Yes, he found me." Navi laughed sourly. "He asked me for a dance, no, begged me, saying how he just wanted a moment to feel young. A pretty girl like me dancing with him would make his night. I felt bad for him. He seemed sad.

"I didn't have any more pity for him after he had his guard kidnap me from my apartment. He told me I would be his queen, the head of the Elite, and I would have everything I could have ever dreamed of. All I had to do was agree to be his."

They all sat in silence for a while. Camila didn't know what to think.

"And you did?" she asked Navi quietly. "Or did he force you into marrying him?"

"It's so complicated," Navi whispered. Louder she said, "I didn't have a choice any more than you did. At the end of the day, if I'd said no, he'd have found a more violent way to coerce me into having his way. Lynx always gets his way. He's manipulative, and doesn't care who gets hurt in the process."

Camila frowned. "So you agreed because you were afraid?"

"Not exactly," she mumbled. "The thing you must understand about Lynx is he has a silver tongue. He can make anything sound wonderful, and he can talk you into anything and make it think it's your idea. I'm not proud of being with him. Maybe I should have fought harder. At first I was scared of him. Hello, I was kidnapped. Then he explained that's just how the Elite are chosen. I'd be his queen. It'd be magical, perfect, everything I'd ever dreamed of. And he treats me like a queen." She offered a small, weak smile. "The first few months were even fun. For the first time in my life, someone cared about me in a way I'd never experienced. He was so devoted. Despite our age difference, he's still attractive. Smart, too. There was a lot to be drawn to. It didn't take long for me to start feeling more like his trophy than anything else. I'm to be looked upon, but not have any actual thought. He might tell me otherwise, but I'm not supposed to have strong opinions about certain things. The disagreements he likes to have with me are the ones that give him a challenge, yet stay in his control."

Camila absorbed Navi's words, unsure of what to feel. The one person she'd been hoping to understand her fully, wouldn't. At one point in time, Navi had wanted her life. "Would he have hurt your family if you'd said no?"

"I'm not sure who he would have hurt," Navi said softly. "My parents live even farther out from the city. They didn't like my decision to move. We had a falling out. Can't say they were the best of people to begin with."

"How sad," Camila whispered. "So many of the women here seem to come from unhappy homes."

Navi snorted. "It makes us easier to prey on, I'm sure. Easier to convince. I admit, saying yes wasn't my smartest decision. Saying no, he'd have found a way to make me poorer, to make my friends suffer. To make enough coincidences happen until I saw being with him as a good thing. Now I'm waiting for him to move on."

She didn't need to elaborate on the thought. Camila didn't know much about the Great Inero Lord, but with how everyone described him, he seemed driven and also fickle. Once he got his treat, he went off to search for the next.

In a rare display of emotion, Chris reached out and put a hand on Navi's arm, letting it settle there gently. His eyes held admiration for the woman. It was then Camila realized that he was in love with her. Did she love him back?

"How can you stand it?" Camila asked quietly. "Letting him do whatever he wants to you."

"It's common here," Navi explained. "Most aren't forceful, but they know what to say. They know how to persuade. It's kind of like a magic spell. I think he means it when he says he thinks he loves me. I don't love him, but I still acted like an idiot and—"

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault he's manipulating you."

"True. Every day I wake up in that castle, I hate myself a little more. There's no guarantee I'll be free soon. His past track record is the only part that keeps me hopeful."

"And that's why I'm lucky," Camila said at last.

"Yes, that's why."

"He is a good guy. Eian, I mean."

"Yes, he is. I'm hoping for the best for you two. Even if you don't find yourselves head over heels for one another, I'm confident he'll figure out how to protect you when the year is up."

"What do you mean?" Camila had never heard anything about a deadline. What did he hide from her?

Navi raised an eyebrow. "In a year if you two haven't consummated your marriage, you'll be given to another and he will be forced to choose a new bride. He didn't tell you this?"

"No."

"Interesting, I'm sure it's because he didn't want you to stress about it. You've got a lot of time to figure something out. A lot is going to change soon."

"I don't understand." Camila frowned deeply. She didn't understand why he wouldn't be honest with her. They could have worked together to find a way around it. Unless he was hoping it would be a non-issue by then. Is he going to try and make me fall in love with him first? Make me forget about wanting to go home? Even if we'd be a great match under other circumstances, I don't want to be his. The transition, the dragons, the magic. This is all a world I don't want to be a part of. Is he more like his dad than I originally thought? Perhaps his insistence on being honest is nothing more than a well-crafted manipulation tactic after all.

Of course, her mind was on Eian and not on the deeper implications of Navi's words.

Navi put a hand over Chris's. "The Great Inero Lord has plans. My gut is telling me nothing will be the same by the fall."

"For better, or worse?" Camila met her gaze with her own, more afraid than ever.

"If the Great Lord has his way, it'll be for worse."