Dragon Royalty (Dragon Shifter Academy Book 1) Read online

  Where the heck is she?

  Thursday, August 1

  Car.

  Even though I’ve only been here a day, I’ve quickly learned that this family doesn’t do anything together—not even eat dinner. I went downstairs last night around eight, after I spent most of the afternoon feeling sorry for myself, and the cook made me some food.

  Yep.

  They have a cook. Which is great for me because I don’t know how to cook. But still… very weird.

  After I ate dinner, I came back to my room and that was my only human interaction for the night. Even Damon has stayed quiet. I know he said he’s just across the hall, but I feel weird knocking on his door to ask him to hangout because I’m lonely.

  There’s a knock on my door, interrupting my emo thoughts. My heart races. It’s probably Damon, right? I mean, who else would it be? But when I open the door, my aunt stands on the other side instead.

  Victoria.

  Aunt Victoria?

  I don’t know what to call her, even in my head.

  “I have something for you.” She doesn’t wait for a response, she just turns and walks away from my room. I follow her because I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to.

  We walk down the hallway, down the stairs, and to a part of the house I haven’t been before. Eventually, we end up in the garage, which is full of cars. Nice looking cars. She leads me to a car at the edge of the garage and holds out her hand.

  Keys?

  “It’s yours.” She shakes the keys. “The car.”

  My mouth falls open as I look at the white SUV. It’s a Range Rover, which I know is an expensive brand. Too expensive for me. Especially since I’m an uninvited guest.

  “Are you sure?” I ask, looking from the car to her. I’m completely numb.

  Why would she buy me a car?

  “Yep.” She shoves the keys into my hand. “Enjoy.”

  Without another word, she turns and leaves me there with the car and I’m not sure what to do. I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have any money. I don’t have anything.

  Well… I guess I now have a car.

  I have a freaking car.

  I hear footsteps behind me and expect it to be Victoria coming back, but instead I see a tall, blond guy walking into the garage. I immediately know that this is Damon’s dad. My uncle.

  That’s still so weird.

  Damon’s dad is my uncle.

  It’s only weird because I’m insanely attracted to Damon.

  “You must be Reign,” he says, holding out his hand. “I’m Esteban, Victoria’s husband.”

  I’m so glad he didn’t introduce himself as my uncle.

  “Hey. It’s nice to meet you,” I reply, shaking his hand. “Um… thanks for everything. You know, letting me stay here. And the car.”

  He smiles and it’s freaky how much he looks like Damon. “No problem. We’re happy to have you here. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

  “Thanks.” I bite my lip, uncertain what else to say to the man. Thankfully, there is nothing left to say. I watch as he gets into his car and backs out of the garage.

  I decide to at least look inside the car. Sitting on the driver’s side seat is an envelope. I open it up to find a credit card and note inside.

  Use it when you need it.

  —V

  V? That’s how Victoria signs her note? Like she can’t even be bothered to spell out her own name.

  Still, I look at the plastic that literally has my name printed on the front. I’m guessing this is so I can get gas in my car, but it still makes me uncomfortable to spend their money. I suppose I need to get to school somehow.

  Maybe I should get a part time job. My old boss would give me a good recommendation, I know she would. I was never late, I always came in for shifts when she called me, and I worked hard.

  I’ll have to look into that later. For now, I kind of just want to go back to my room. I mean, sure I have keys to freedom and a credit card with my name on it, but it doesn’t feel real. None of this feels like it belongs to me. I just keep hoping that I will wake up in my bed in St. Louis and all of this will have been a dream.

  I walk back to my room, wondering if anything will ever start to make sense again.

  Sunday, August 4

  Caught.

  I haven’t talked to anybody since Thursday.

  Thursday.

  Now it’s Sunday and I’m honestly starting to go a bit stir crazy.

  I’ve considered knocking on Damon’s door one hundred times, but I haven’t gotten up the courage to. I guess part of me is hoping he’ll knock on my door, but why would he? He probably has a life here, maybe even a girlfriend.

  If he has a girlfriend, she hasn’t been to the house. I don’t know why, but I find it comforting that he hasn’t brought a girl here. And I hate myself for that because this guy is off limits. Besides, who says he’d even be interested in dating me?

  Still, when I get a knock on my door, I find myself hoping that it’s Damon and then being desperately disappointed when I open the door and see Victoria. She’s holding a bag up that clearly has a dress inside.

  “This is for you.” Her voice is harsh, but her face is soft. I can’t quite decide if she loves me or hates me.

  “Um, thanks,” I say, taking the dress from her.

  “Today we are having family brunch at the country club.” She frowns at me, looking me up and down. “I figured you didn’t know what to wear, so I didn’t want you to embarrass yourself by wearing jeans. Plus, there is a dress code. They wouldn’t even let you in unless you’re dressed up.”

  Dressed up? For brunch?

  “I don’t want to intrude on your family brunch thing.” I honestly hope I can get out of going. It sounds miserable anyway.

  “It’s mandatory.” She narrows her eyes. “Not optional. Some family friends will be there. I programed the address in your GPS in your car. Be there at promptly ten o’clock. And fix your hair.”

  Without giving me time to respond, Victoria turns and walks down the hall, away from my room. I shut the door behind her and roll my eyes.

  Is it impossible for her to be nice to me? I’m her only niece.

  Maybe.

  Actually, I don’t know if I am her only niece. What if Mom had another sibling I don’t know about? What if I have another aunt or uncle out there? And what if they’re nicer while I’m stuck here with Cruella de Vil?

  I unzip the bag so I can look at the dress. I already know it’s going to be nice because everything in my closet is nice. As much as I hate to admit it, Victoria has great taste.

  The dress is beautiful. It’s light pink with a sweetheart neckline and an A-line skirt. It’s way too pretty just to wear on a random Sunday to get breakfast, but if this is what she wants me to wear, I will.

  Not breakfast. Brunch, she said.

  I feel like I’m not fancy enough to eat brunch.

  Before putting on my dress, I decide to get a quick shower and fix my hair. When I look in the mirror, I realize why Victoria told me to fix it. It’s in a messy bun from when I went to sleep, but it has fallen down and my hair is sticking up all over.

  Did she really think I would go in public like this?

  Honestly, she thinks very little of me.

  Not that I’ve tried very hard to get to know her. Or any of them, to be fair. I’ve stayed in my room, only coming out to get food. Maybe I should actually try.

  I quickly curl my hair, leaving it down. I’m having a really good hair day today. My mom is convinced that good hair days must run in our family, and I wonder if she was onto something because my hair always curls and styles so easily.

  Once my hair is done, I slip on the fancy dress and struggle with the zipper in the back. I can’t zip it all the way up, so when I hear somebody in the hallway, I open my door and my gaze hones in on Damon.

  Damon is in the hallway.

  “Hey, can you zip my dress up?” I turn around without waiting f
or an answer.

  I feel his hand on my back, touching the fabric on my dress, then he starts zipping it up. He's careful not to touch my skin with his. It isn’t until he started zipping my dress that I realized how awkward this would be for him. I never seem to think things through.

  When he’s done, I spin around. Damon’s cheeks are red, and I feel bad. I think I embarrassed him.

  “Thanks.” I bite my lip.

  “No problem.” He looks at my dress, then at the ground. “You look… amazing. That dress… and the hair…”

  I grin. “Thanks. You look nice too.”

  And he does.

  He’s wearing a pair of black fitted jeans and a polo shirt.

  “Am I going to be over dressed?” I smooth my hands over my dress. “Victoria said to wear this.”

  “No.” He shakes his head. “I mean, maybe, but it looks really good on you. You’re going to turn heads.”

  “Really?” I ask, hating how breathless I sound.

  All it takes is one compliment and I’m literally putty in his hands.

  “Absolutely,” he says. “Do you need a ride?”

  I shake my head. “Victoria bought me a car. A really expensive car. I haven’t even driven it yet. It feels weird that she just gave it to me.”

  “Reign, don’t worry about it. They’ve got a lot of money—more than they know what to do with.” He rubs his hands on the back of his neck. “Besides, you deserve a car.”

  I deserve a car?

  For what?

  I’ve done nothing that makes me deserve a car. I mean, I’ve been a good kid my whole life. I’ve always listened to my mom and I make good grades in school, but lots of kids do those things.

  “I’ll see you at brunch.” He nods his head at me.

  “Okay. See ya.”

  I watch as Damon leaves. And, okay, maybe I check him out. Who wouldn’t?

  I’ve decided it’s definitely not weird because we’re not actually related.

  Damon turns his head and sees me watching him. He grins at me before turning back around and leaving the hallway.

  Oh, my gosh.

  I am mortified.

  I seriously just got caught checking him out.

  I’ll never live this down.

  Magnificent creature.

  When I go to park at the country club, I am chased down by a guy.

  “Miss, you don’t park your own car,” he gasps out, sounding out of breath.

  That’s when I see the valet parking sign

  Right.

  Embarrassed, I get out of my car.

  “Sorry.” My face grows warm.

  “Do you have ID?” he asks. “Are you a member here?”

  “I’m here with my aunt,” I say, pulling my driver’s license from my wallet and handing it to him.

  “Who is your aunt?” He grabs my ID, looking it over carefully.

  “Victoria Arrington,” I answer.

  His eyes grow wide as he looks at me. And then he bows at me.

  He.

  Bows.

  At me.

  My mouth falls open.

  “Right this way, Miss Arrington.”

  I grab my license back from him and follow him toward the front door. I wonder what changed—he went from asking for my ID to bowing at me and escorting me to the front door of the building like I’m some sort of princess. This is all very strange.

  The guy walks me inside and says something to the hostess. Her eyes also go big and she smiles widely at me.

  “Right this way, Miss Arrington.”

  I don’t correct her on my name, simply because it’s not worth explaining it to a stranger. The guy leaves, presumably to park my car, and I follow the hostess. We head through crowds of people all eating breakfast—or brunch? Whatever.

  Seeing how the people are dressed, I do feel a little over dressed, but then we walk through the crowds to a private table in the back. Victoria and Esteban are already there and right after me, Damon strolls in.

  “You look lovely,” Esteban says.

  “Thanks.”

  “Come sit by me.” Damon motions to the chair next to him, and I move around to the opposite side to sit where he indicated.

  I study the remaining empty chairs of the long, rectangular table before I speak up, brows furrowed.

  “Are there more people coming?”

  “Yeah.” But he doesn’t expand on who will be coming.

  “What’s good to eat here?” I ask, opening the menu.

  “Literally everything.” His eyes sparkle as he glances at me from over his menu.

  Well, that’s good. Cause I like everything.

  Eating is my favorite pastime.

  I hear the doors to our room open, but I don’t bother peeking up. I’m sure whoever it is, it’s just some of Victoria’s rich friends. Isn’t that why she wanted me to dress up? So I could impress them?

  “Who is this magnificent creature?”

  Magnificent creature?

  Is this guy serious?

  A pair of blue eyes meet mine when I raise my head.

  I turn from him, rolling my eyes.

  “Is this guy serious?” I raise a brow at Damon, and he laughs.

  “I’m wounded.” The blue-eyed guy sits down in the seat next to me.

  “Is this her?” I hear a woman ask.

  The woman who spoke must be this guy’s mom, because she has the same striking blue eyes. There is a man standing next to her, his father, I’m assuming. He looks like his dad and even has the same light blond hair.

  “Vivian’s daughter.” Victoria takes a long sip of her wine.

  Vivian.

  My heart clinches at the mention of my mom.

  “Reign Evermore.” I nod my head at them. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Thalia Norwood,” she says, grinning at me. “I’m Kade’s mom.”

  Kade.

  Why does hear his name make my heart race slightly.

  “I’m Pierce,” the older guy adds.

  They sit down by Victoria and Esteban, so I turn my attention to the boys that I’m sitting between.

  “Kade, I’m assuming?”

  He nods. “Reign is a beautiful name. It works for you. You are gorgeous.”

  I roll my eyes again.

  Is everything out of this guy’s mouth going to be flirty? I mean, I just met the guy and it’s a little too much, even if he is really attractive.

  “Are you this flirty with everybody?” I ask.

  Damon laughs.

  Kade narrows his eyes, looking behind me at Damon.

  “Reign, meet Kade. He’s one of my best friends.” A smirk quirks Damon’s lips. “And yes, he is this flirty with all the girls.”

  I turn my attention to Kade again. “Kade, it’s lovely to meet you. I’m new to town and could use some friends.”

  He grins. “We can be friends.”

  Friends.

  I hope he means that because I desperately need friends right now.

  “How are you liking Vegas so far?” Kade asks.

  I shrug. “I haven’t seen much of it. I’ve mostly been at home. Victoria bought me a car, but I don’t even know where to go.”

  “I’m having a party next weekend. You should come.” He opens his own menu and begins to look over the items.

  I grin. “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll be there too,” Damon says. “Kade throws the best parties.”

  “Plus, you’ll get to meet a lot of the people we hang out with. Where will you be going to school?” Kade asks, then looks at Damon for the answer.

  “She is going to our school.”

  “Really?”

  “What’s wrong with your school?” I ask, darting my gaze between the two of them.

  “It’s… very elite. They don’t let a lot of people in.” Kade looks warily from Damon to me. “I’m just surprised.”

  An elite school?

  What the heck are they even
talking about?

  “What kind of school am I going to?” I ask.

  “Don’t worry about it, Reign.” Damon waves a hand.

  But I do worry.

  “I’m not going to fit in at some fancy private school.” My words come out in a rush and breathing is suddenly very difficult. “I was homeschooled, so I’m already nervous enough about going to a school with other people.”

  “I was homeschooled until the ninth grade,” Kade says. “That’s when I started this school.”

  “Same.” Damon shrugs.

  “You were both homeschooled?”

  They nod.

  Strange.

  I haven’t met a lot of homeschooled kids. There were groups in St. Louis, but I never went to any of them. Mom and I have always kind of stuck to ourselves. It’s cool that Damon and Kade both grew up with a similar situation.

  Well… except the whole being rich thing. I can’t relate to that.

  Somehow, having this small connection between us makes me feel a lot better… less overwhelmed.

  Maybe things here won’t be so bad. Especially if I do end up being friends with Kade and Damon.

  “My only worry is that the girls at school are going to hate you,” Kade says.

  “Why would they hate me?”

  “Because of what you are.” His eyes scan my body slowly. “I mean, you can’t help it. Guys are just attracted to you. You literally ooze sex appeal.”

  My mouth falls open. “What… the… actual…”

  “Dude, not cool,” Damon warns.

  “What? It’s not like she doesn’t know.” Kade shrugs. “I’m sure guys throw themselves at you all the time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “What are you talking about?” I’m on the verge of freaking out.

  Why would he say this to me?

  I mean, it’s true… about the guys throwing themselves at me. But I always turn the guys down. I’m not… like that.

  “You know,” he says, waving a hand in front of my body.

  “I can’t help how I look,” I say, tears filling my eyes.

  “Is everything okay down there?” Victoria asks. She’s looking at me as she says it and her eyes are narrowed.