The Draglen Brothers - DRAKEN (BK 1) (3 page)

“Prince Draken, heir to the throne,
dinner has arrived,” Showken says. Showken is trying to make me
feel bad; I will not.

“Thank you, Prince Showken; I shall be
there in a minute. No one eats until I’m there,” I say, to get a
reaction. Showken will always disobey when I do things like
that.

“Draken, when you come down I will be
eating, so hurry your ass, or I might eat your meal as well,”
Showken says. I glare and he glares back. I can’t help but smile. I
will always need Showken. He reminds me to stay humble.

“Come on, I promise not to say
anything about her,” Showken smiles.

“Do you think Layern is angry,
brother? I don’t mean to offend, but that gift of his is too
personal, and he should keep his mouth closed about certain
thoughts,” I say.

“I’m sure he is upset, nothing that
you can’t be forgiven for, just remember we are your brothers,”
Showken says, patting my back. I look at my brother, and wish I
could be as laid back as he.

“I could never forget you all are my
brothers. I just like privacy in my head,” I say.

“You know he can’t control it,”
Showken raises his brow.

“I know,” I say, walking to the table
and bowing to my brother, Layern, silently letting him know I’m
sorry. We eat in silence. I look over and see that Gemi is
uncomfortable. Gemi can be the nicest dragon you will meet, or he
can be one of the meanest, it all depends on his mood. It comes in
handy when we have to fight, when a challenge for the throne comes
up. These six months cannot pass quickly enough. I will get Draglen
Enterprises on the right track and get my brothers home. It’s not
always safe on earth; there is always the chance of being exposed.
Usually humans stay away from us. The predator within us frightens
them, even if they have no clue why. Showken uses his smile and
mind control for the human females. My thoughts are
interrupted.

“Draken, you know you meet your bride
when we go home?” Gemi says. I can’t keep up with this brother.
Gemi is so confusing, switching from being shy to just talking out
of the blue.

“Yes, I know,” I say. I hear she has
been groomed for me since birth. I wish she came with some
experience; I have no patience for teaching.

“Brother, don’t worry, she will be
able to satisfy that hunger you have, I’m sure . . . unless-”
Layern stops himself.

“Unless what?” I say.

“Unless you find that human too
pleasurable to give up,” Layern says, not looking up from his
meal.

“Who said I-” I try to speak, but
Showken is speaking.

“Draken, I know you, brother, you will
have that female,” Showken says. I glare at him.

“Ravla will come visit,” I say, and I
hear the chuckle.

“Are you still going to bang that
female?” Showken murmurs. My favorite brother is pressing his luck.
I glance over my shoulder, and can smell her scent again. She must
have her window open. I will have Ravla come and occupy my time
when I am not at the office. That will keep my mind away from this
Cess girl. I hope.

I can’t believe him. That Draken guy
is the rudest guy I’ve ever met. He had no right to march me off
the lawn like I’m a thief. He is gorgeous, but that attitude needs
to go. Showken was way friendlier. This is why the promise is in
place, men can be a distraction. I’m already spending too much
thought on this Draken, whose light purple eyes are so extremely
hot, and the body, with that long hair. Yikes, Draken smells like
trouble and he most definitely looks like trouble. I will stay away
from those brothers, even though Showken tried to say something,
it’s obvious who is in control. I need to get some studying done,
anyway, my dream career and vacation are so near. I have just
opened my statistics book and begun to do some homework when my
phone rings. I look at the screen on my cell and see it’s my best
friend, Suzy.

“Hello.”

“Cess, I think when we graduate I need
a break from everything. Going to school, working and trying to
party is too much work. I need to just relax for a year,” Suzy
says. Suzy is such a great friend. We have been friends since
pre-school. Our parents are very close, and Suzy and I have been
inseparable since we met. She always wants a break. I have
basically coached her through college.

“Really? I think you would break from
everything, except partying,” I say, laughing.

“No, Cess, I’m serious this time. My
parents are planning a huge vacation when I graduate in 3 months,
to Europe. I was thinking I should do the same, except make mine a
year,” Suzy replies.

“Are you kidding, your father can
afford to do that, he owns one of the biggest packaging factories
in the world. You, on the other hand, have money because of your
name only.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter why I have
the money, as long as I have it.” We both laugh, because Suzy is
one of a kind. She is really smart, beautiful, and
crazy.

“I get it, this all came on when you
heard Luke and Cassie were getting married after college. I really
hope not, Suzy, you can do so much better than Luke,” I say. Luke
and Suzy dated for the first two years in college, not to mention
all through high school. I never liked Luke. He is a jerk and
thinks he is God’s gift to women. He always treated Suzy like crap,
and I was happy when they broke up. She is so much better than him.
I know she is still in love with him, and just hope she meets a
great guy.

“You have no idea how that hurts, but
I have been thinking about this for a while, and maybe . . . I
might find a great guy on my vacation.”

“Suzy, I hope you find a guy to get
over Luke, even if it’s an ‘in the meantime’ type of guy. I do
think running away would not be good, and before you say you’re not
running, you are totally running.”

“Whatever, what’s new with
you?”

“I was studying stats when you called,
but we have new neighbors in Paradise Valley.” I pause, remembering
Draken and how much he pissed me off, yet I can’t stop thinking
about those beautiful eyes, light purple eyes. Why did he have to
be such an ass?

“If you mention some neighbors, that
means men! Do you finally have a date, because Cess, I think you
need to move on from Travis.”

“Yes, its men, fine, sexy-as-hell men,
all brothers and by the way, no mentioning his name,
remember?”

“Wait, how many brothers?”

“I saw four, but don’t get your hopes
up, the one in charge, Draken, is an ass. I will not be talking to
them.”

“Ohh, he already got under your skin,
an ass huh? That may just mean you need to sleep with him, and
everyone knows you have had no sex since Travis. This would be good
for you.”

“I don’t do sex just because, you know
that, and like I said, he is not just an ass. He is a gorgeous ass,
which makes it worse, because I can see him being all cocky after
he got the goods. Besides, I have made a promise, no men or sex.
I’m staying focused on graduating with honors and starting my
career.”

“Ha! Cess, I think I need to get the
girls together and we come over tonight to see these men. Are they
all asses, or just the one you like?” Suzy says,
laughing.

“Very funny, and no, the others were
nice, and hot, but like I said, that Draken runs the
show.”

“We will see! I will get the girls and
we will be at your house later, and maybe we can get them to come
over. Your parents are still out of town, right?”

“Yes, but D is here, and you know how
he gets.”

“I can handle D. I want to meet the
man that has caught your eye,” Suzy says, with a sneaky
laugh.

“I guess there is no getting out of
this, I’ll see you later. I need to get to working on these
statistics.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

This is going to be a crazy evening.
Why did I tell Suzy? She has no idea who she is dealing with.
Draken walked me off the property. He has no sense of being a
gentlemen in him. Besides, there is something weird about him and
his brothers. They simply moved out of the way almost like a
command was given. I might be crazy and just need to forget about
Draken. My eyes need a break from working. I’m so glad I have this
huge room with an area for dancing. Dancing always helps me relieve
stress. I push out my chair and head towards my dance area. It has
mirrors against the wall, with top of the line flooring. I dim the
light and push the remote that controls the music. The song of
choice comes on, and I start my dance. I close my eyes, feeling the
beat, and let my body flow like waves, turning, spinning and
twisting in a sensual way. My parents think I use this area for
ballet, but my art is dancing from the soul, giving myself to the
music and allowing my body just to move, without thought. I love
dancing, and if I thought I could make a career out of it, then I
would do it. My parents expect me to be a scientist and discover
something great. I hear the money is good in being a scientist, yet
my heart screams dance. I have an offer at one of the big research
corporations in Arizona, working in a science lab. I would come in
as a manager… amazing what my last name can get me, even if that is
not what I want. The Lamil name is well known around the world. My
great-grandfather was a very driven man, he acquired much land,
starting wineries in Europe and expanding in the U.S. Durant Luke
Lamil made sure that his hand was in everything. Today, the extent
of the family wealth is unknown to the public, but I know we are
worth well over a couple of billion. Money is not an issue with
having a career, and in fact saving money is my idea. I don’t want
to get everything without working or saving, learning the value of
money is important to me. That is why I choose not to go in the
family business like my brother, but do something different, and
although dancing is my true love, it would not be acceptable in any
way, so science it is. This is really going to be a long day. I get
back to work and finish the study I had planned for
today.

“Hey, Suzy and the girls are coming
over soon, can you please go put a shirt on?” I ask D, my nose
tilted in disgust. My brother is a very handsome man, but the
problem is he knows it, and right now his entire life is sleeping
with everyone he can. I’m just glad he uses protection.

“Why sis, scared your friends might
start drooling?” D laughs, as he eats his sandwich. The day has
passed, and now it’s four in the afternoon, and I’m sure D has been
eating and playing games the entire time.

“Just put a damn shirt on.”

“Ohh, somebody is still grumpy. Hey,
Cess, you should feel alright, besides, getting involved after
you-know-who would just make you miserable. Do I have to remind you
of the scene you caused at the movies when you spotted that
person?”

“How does any of that have to do with
you putting on a shirt? And I was just being nice to the new
neighbors.”

“Right, and I didn’t see you totally
smiling at those guys with that “I’m available” smile,” D says, in
a girly voice.

“You get on my nerves, put the damn
shirt on,” I say, smiling. My twin is so annoying at times. He
knows me so well, but I still have to give him a hard
time.

“I will make sure I’m covered for your
friends, who want me,” D says laughing.

I decide to head to the pool house and
get ready for a swim. I’m sure everyone will be up for swimming. I
pass Gloria, the maid, and make my way to the pool house. I undress
and take a shower before getting in the pool, I always do this, not
a real reason behind this habit. The shower is perfect as I let the
water cover my body, wetting my hair and face and just enjoying
myself. I close my eyes, doing my meditation, until I feel a
presence. I open my eyes and see no one, yet the feeling is strong.
I shake off the weird feeling, and continue to relax under the
water, until I smell the most intoxicating smell. It is amazing. I
feel happy and curious. I look around again, and nothing. I turn
back and it’s like the presence is gone, but the smell remains,
giving me a reminder. I wonder whether new flowers planted, or a
new scent Gloria is using is what I smell, though that would not
explain the feeling of being watched. No one is that stupid to come
onto our property without permission, especially roaming the
grounds. My father has ordered the guards to shoot first. The
Lamils are not that nice about safety. I decide to forget the
entire thing and get in the water. I put on my bathing suit and
head to the pool, which is pretty impressive. Living in Paradise
Valley does have its perks. As I get into the water and do a few
laps, my mind drifts back to Draken. His long black hair and his
beautiful eyes. I mean, the purple is so defined. I’ve never seen
eyes like that, and his body is perfect. I know he has to be 6’6”
at least, and all muscle. I wish I could have seen his smile, I bet
it’s gorgeous. I need to forget about Draken. Look at me, I can’t
even forget his name. I should not think about him, walking someone
off your property makes it pretty clear where they stand with you.
I just feel the need to know more. Why did his brothers let him do
that, and why did they leave when he began to speak to me? I know
it’s not my business, but I’ve never been treated like that. He is
probably just a miserable person. I will have fun with my friends;
they should be here shortly. Gloria will send them this way. I will
just relax until my friends come.