Flame Touched

Chapter Seventeen - Eian

"What kind of a loser doesn't sleep with his wife after they get married?" one brother asked loudly. His voice reverberated down the stone hallways of the castle. Eian couldn't remember his name. In fact, they'd barely spoken more than two words to one another, so it was kind of a surprise to hear in the first place. Why Eian's love life had to be the latest gossip to float through the Inero bloodline was beyond him. Surely there were better things to talk about.

"I don't know, but he still reeks of purity. It's disgusting and shameful," another brother replied.

"How is he being a man?" the first continued. "How will he even become a man at this rate? Isn't it one of his duties as a husband to bed her? Besides, she'll never respect him if he doesn't show her where her proper place is now. She needs to be kept in line."

"I'm not sure. Perhaps he has a problem? Perhaps he is—"

Eian had to drown out the rest of the conversation as he walked by his half-brothers. Both of them briefly stopped talking when they finally noticed him, then continued on in hushed voices. Soon he was out of range, and the only sound he could hear was his footsteps rushing across the stone floors. He didn't want to be late for breakfast.

As hard as he tried to forget about them, their words still bothered him. They didn't get it. What was the problem with wanting to do the right thing? Wouldn't it be better to get acquainted with one another better before making such a hasty decision, so their relationship could last forever? That was the intent of marriage, still, yes? To have a lifelong committed bond with one's spouse. What happened to being in love? Hardly any of his kin spoke of it much anymore. They were too busy hurrying into bed to get their lust met, and then often regretting it later. Love generally happened with the third or fourth wife. Not a standard Eian wanted to live up to.

While seventeen was considered young to the humans, as a dragon it felt like he'd already been alive for an eternity. Every four years he aged one year physically—one. So he'd already walked the earth for sixty-eight years according to the human passage of time. His body just finished puberty, and he certainly still thought like a teenager despite his official age. Being an old soul had absolutely nothing to do with how long he'd actually been alive. If that were the case, the other brothers his age wouldn't be anywhere near as stupid and impulsive as they were.

He'd graduated from all proper schooling, and there was certainly still a lot for him to learn. The idea of going back to study a more specific field was always tempting. Going back to school would have made a good excuse to prolong the selection of a bride. An acceptable one, though he'd still be babied and talked down to. It was time to grow up. College wasn't going anywhere any time soon anyway. Maybe it's something we can do together. She seems to be well educated.

His decision to wed hadn't only been for himself. He did it for Camila just as much. Granted, he didn't know who he would be choosing as his bride, but he had vowed to pick a girl and protect her. Eian put a lot of thought into which girl he was going to choose as well. There had been a number of them who certainly looked appealing. Camila tugged at his heartstrings, though. She didn't look like the rest of the Elite girls. Her dress was classic, classy, and her temperament seemed to be a good match for him. She definitely stood out. Matt knew what he was doing when he nabbed her. The thought made him queasy.

Just thinking about what could have happened to her if he had chosen someone else made him nauseous. Another of his brothers might have respected her, or he might have manipulated her, or worse, decided to reject her for not giving in to his desires. A rejected Elite was often passed on to an older, more experienced, single man, who was usually looking for a second or third bride to make heirs.

Eian wanted to be honorable. He wanted to prove that his kind were not all bad. The other brothers who participated in the ritual would hopefully not be abusive and cruel. From what he understood, most had an intense night of lust filled passion. They also chose to treat their woman like a trophy. Gazed upon and admired as a possession, but no emotional attachment was present. It sounded like a lonely life until they came to the conclusion that it was no longer working and moved on to another girl to start the process all over again.