Dragon Royalty (Dragon Shifter Academy Book 1) Read online

  “Victoria, you’re making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be.” Damon straightens up, standing at full height. “She’s fine. And we’re leaving the house now.”

  Damon grabs my hand, and I go with him because what else am I supposed to do? Stand there and argue with her?

  “Maybe I should change.” I tug on his hand as we head towards the garage. “I don’t want her mad at me. I guess I don’t see what the big deal about wearing jeans is.”

  “I don’t know. That was weird, but you shouldn’t change. You look really good in those jeans,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what you wear though. Guys will always look at you.”

  I frown. I don’t want guys to be attracted to me like that.

  “You want to ride with me today? That way you know where the school is?” he asks.

  “Sure.”

  It’s pointless to take two vehicles anyway since we’re both going to the same place.

  I still worry about my clothes. Maybe I should’ve changed, but it’s too late now.

  Besides, if Damon says I’m fine, I think I’ll be okay. He wouldn’t let me wear something that would embarrass me.

  The school is only a ten-minute drive from our house, and I am relieved when I see that most of the girls are wearing jeans. A few are wearing skirts or dresses, but the majority are wearing jeans or leggings. I’m glad I won’t stand out.

  Well…

  I guess I do stand out because I’m new.

  Damon walks me to the office so I can get my schedule, and everybody is glaring at me the entire way. I expected people to be curious about me, since I’m new, but I didn’t expect the animosity. I suppose I should’ve known. Girls never like me.

  “I got it from here,” I tell him when we stop outside of the office.

  “I can go with you,” Damon says. “And walk you to class.”

  I want to take him up on his offer, but I also want to be brave. I can do this.

  “It’s okay.” I set my shoulders and give him a firm look. “I’m sure I’ll figure it out. If I get lost, I’ll call you.”

  He nods. “Okay. Be careful.”

  “Damon, it’s high school,” I say, softening a little. “I think I’ll be okay.”

  “You say that now…”

  After a quick goodbye, Damon leaves and I walk into the office by myself. There is a middle-aged lady with dark framed glasses sitting behind a desk doing something on her computer. When she sees me standing there, she tilts her head to the side and studies me.

  “Are you sure you’re at the right school, hun?” she asks.

  I look down at my clothes.

  Maybe Victoria was right about the jeans.

  “Um… yeah,” I answer. “I’m Reign Evermore.”

  “Reign,” she repeats, realization dawning on her face. “Yes, we are expecting you. I’m sorry. It just slipped my mind.”

  The woman turns her attention to her computer and types something. I hear the printer. She slides her chair over and grabs a piece of paper and hands it to me.

  “This is your schedule,” she says, pushing her glasses up further on her face. “Your first class will be… to the right. Just go up the stairs and it will be the first room on your left. Well… the second. The first room is the bathroom, but you’ll see the numbers.”

  “Thanks.”

  I don’t think I’ll get lost, but we’ll see.

  The school really isn’t that big.

  “No problem, hun. If you need anything, just let me know.”

  The woman turns her attention back to her computer, so I leave the office and head to my classroom. I’m still nervous, but less so now that I know where I’m going.

  Maybe today won’t be as bad as I thought it would be.

  Girl friend?

  Damon is only in one of my classes so far, which I’m pretty bummed about. Ty is also in one class and Kade is in two. But my class right before lunch, I’m by myself, which sucks.

  I have no idea where I’m going to sit at lunch. I’ve seen enough movies to know that the new kid never has anywhere to sit. They usually end up eating in the bathroom, which is not what I want.

  No, I will be brave. I will find somewhere to sit down.

  There isn’t a huge line to get food. There is actually a lot of different lines for different kinds of foods. I wonder if that’s normal or if it’s a private school thing. I grab my food and then look around for a place to sit.

  I should just walk up to somebody and ask if I can sit with them, right?

  But what if they say no?

  Who cares if they say no?

  I mean… I kind of care, even if I don’t want to. It would be embarrassing.

  As I’m looking around, I spot Damon, Ty, and Kade sitting at a table. The three of them wave me over, so I head that way.

  I should’ve known I could sit with them.

  Just as I’m about to get to their table, a blonde girl steps out in front of me.

  Jaqueline.

  She’s has a scowl on her face and her arms are crossed over her chest. I think she’s trying to intimidate me, but I’m more annoyed than intimidated.

  “I’m not in the mood today, Jacqueline,” I say, looking her in the eyes. I want her to know I’m not afraid of her. “Leave me alone and never speak or even look at me again. I don’t have time for drama.”

  Jacqueline turns and walks away.

  Wait…

  What?

  She takes a seat at a table full of people. They’re all looking at me with their mouths hanging open, but Jacqueline isn’t looking my way at all.

  Okay, I didn’t expect her to listen to me. I just wanted her to know that I wasn’t in the mood.

  I continue my walk to the table and sit down beside Ty.

  “That was… weird, right?” I ask.

  The three of them all nod.

  “I didn’t realize Reign could do that,” Ty says, but he’s speaking to Kade and Damon.

  “Is she dominate?” Kade asks.

  “She has to be, right? Or else she wouldn’t have been able to command Jacqueline like that,” Damon points out.

  I wave a hand between them. “Anybody going to let me in on this conversation?”

  “It’s nothing.” Damon waves it off, dismissing it as he turns to me. “How is your first day going?”

  I shrug. “Pretty uneventful. I like homeschooling better. I’m usually done with my work by noon and get to do whatever I want with my afternoons. The teachers aren’t even giving us things to do.”

  “They never do on the first day.” Ty takes a bite of his burger.

  “More like ever.” Kade shrugs. “This is a super easy school.”

  “What class do you have next?” Damon asks.

  I pull my schedule out of my bag.

  “History,” I say, reading off the schedule. “Then I have… an etiquette class?”

  “We all have that,” Ty rolls his eyes.

  At least I won’t be alone.

  “It’s an easy class.” Damon looks over my shoulder at my schedule.

  “Cool.” It’s still weird, but at least I’ll get an easy A from it. “Are any of you in my history class?”

  “I took my last history class last year.” Damon frowns. “I kind of wish I had waited now.”

  “Same,” Ty and Kade say.

  “I’ll walk you there though,” Kade offers.

  I grin. “Okay.”

  It’s not hard to find my way around the school, like at all. I’ve already figured out how the school works. A classes mean the first floor, B classes mean the second floor. Odd numbers are on the left side of the school, even on the right side. But I still don’t mind being walked to class by an attractive guy. It beats being glared at by all the other students on my way to class. I’m sure they’ll still glare, but I won’t be paying attention because I’ll be busy walking with Kade.

  After we finish eating, Kade walks me to my class. I’m excited that I’ll have all
three of the guys in my last class of the day.

  “I don’t think the girls here like me very much,” I tell Kade as we walk to class.

  He laughs. “No, I don’t imagine so.”

  “It’s not funny,” I grumble.

  “I think it is,” he says. “They’re jealous of you. Not only are you drop dead gorgeous, but you’ve managed to capture the attention of Damon Arrington, which has been impossible before you came. And Ty… well, he’s never paid attention to a girl for more than a week at a time, so everybody is curious.”

  “Well… then Ty will get bored of me.”

  “I doubt that,” he argues, coming to a stop outside of my classroom. “This is your stop.”

  “Thanks for walking me.”

  “No problem,” he says. “If anybody gives you any problems, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

  I shoot him a grateful smile. “Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  He waves goodbye before turning away, and I take a deep breath before going into my last class. I’m no longer nervous about the classes, but I’m a little anxious to be away from my guys.

  “Hey, you’re the new girl,” a girl says, then pats the seat next to her. “Sit by me.”

  I slide into the seat. “Hey.”

  I’m honestly surprised this girl is talking to me. And she’s… smiling.

  “I’m Gemma.”

  “Hi. I’m Reign.”

  Her grin widens. “I know that. Everybody does. You’re big talk around here.”

  I am?

  The girl… Gemma… is beautiful, as is every other girl in this school. She’s got raven black hair that I’m instantly envious of. I’ve always wanted black hair, but my mom would never let me dye my hair. Gemma has bright green eyes that make me wonder if she’s wearing contacts. I’ve never seen green eyes so bright.

  “I saw you stand up to Jaqueline today at lunch. It was brilliant,” she gushes. “I do need to warn you, you don’t want to make an enemy of her, but you did what every girl in the school wishes she could do.”

  “She threw her drink on me at a party a few weeks ago,” I explain. “My aunt was so mad. It ruined my dress.”

  “I’m sorry.” Gemma gives me a sympathetic look. “I heard about that. She’s really… delusional. She thinks she’s going to be Ty’s mate for some reason, but it doesn’t work like that. We don’t get to choose. Fate chooses, you know?”

  I nod.

  I don’t know why people here say ‘mate.’ Wouldn’t it be easier to say ‘boyfriend’?

  “I saw you sat with Damon, Ty, and Kade today.”

  “I did,” I say. “They’re kind of my only friends.”

  “If you want to sit with my friends and me tomorrow, you can. Granted, none of us are as good looking at the three of them, but maybe it’d be nice to have some girl friends in this school.”

  “I’d like that.”

  She grins.

  Maybe, just maybe, it’s possible for me to have friends that are girls.

  Friday, August 23

  Date?

  I don’t dread lunch on Friday. Not that I would have to anyway. I know that I could sit with the guys anytime, but it’s nice to be invited by somebody else to sit at their table. By a girl!

  Seriously, I can’t remember the last time a girl has been nice to me.

  I let Damon know on the way to school that Gemma invited me to sit with her and he seemed happy about it. He said Gemma is a nice girl, and I hope he’s right because I’m about to sit with her.

  I’m nervous. I don’t know why I am, but I’m worried that she will change her mind. Or maybe her friends won’t like me. But when I walk up to her table that Friday at lunch, she smiles at me and pats the spot beside her.

  “Guys, this is Reign,” she says, introducing me to her friends.

  There are two girls sitting with her.

  “Hi, I’m Courtney.” The first girl raises her hand and waves.

  Courtney is… very pretty. She has platinum blonde hair, but you can tell she doesn’t get the color from a box—it grows out of her head like that. She’s got big blue eyes to match. Honestly, she kind of looks like a Barbie, in the best way possible.

  “Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” I tell her.

  “I’m Piper,” the other girl says.

  Piper has red hair—not red like a natural red, but it’s bright red, like the color of a fire truck. It looks surprisingly good on her and the color complements her hazel eyes.

  “I love your hair.” Piper motions to my head, and I smile.

  “Thanks,” I say. “I like yours too.”

  I couldn’t pull it off, but she rocks it.

  “My mom freaked out when I came home with this color of hair last week.” Piper snickers. “It’s naturally brown. I got bored.”

  “She gets bored a lot,” Courtney pipes in. “Freshman year, it was blonde for the first half and blue for the second half. Sophomore was… turquoise and green.”

  “The green wasn’t a choice,” Piper protests. “Always get a professional to dye your hair blue.”

  I laugh.

  “Last year, it was pink and purple,” Gemma adds.

  “I really like the red.” Piper shrugs. “Maybe I’ll go for yellow next.”

  “You might as well do a full-on rainbow at this point,” I suggest.

  She grins. “Yes! After Christmas break, my hair will be rainbow.”

  Courtney and Gemma laugh.

  Oh, goodness.

  “I’m surprised you don’t mind me sitting with you. Most of the kids don’t seem to like me,” I point out.

  “The girls don’t,” Courtney agrees.

  “Because they’re jealous and petty.” Piper shakes her head. “The fact that they don’t like you makes me like you more.”

  “They don’t like us either,” Gemma says.

  “Why not?”

  “We don’t exactly fit in,” she answers.

  I don’t understand how.

  These girls are… nice.

  I’ve never met nice girls before.

  “Thanks for letting me sit with you.” I glance around the table at each one, trying to show my gratitude.

  “You can sit with us any time,” Piper offers.

  Courtney and Gemma both nod in agreement.

  I don’t know what to say, so I just smile.

  I have friends.

  Real friends.

  “Hottie at ten o’clock coming our way,” Piper sings out softly.

  I turn around to see who she’s talking about and see Ty walking over. He strides over and takes a seat on the end of the bench by me.

  “Hey, Reign.” He then nods at my friends. “Sup?”

  “Hey,” I reply.

  “I wanted to ask you if you’re free tomorrow night,” Ty says, now looking at me. “I have these tickets to a concert. Maybe we could go and grab a bite to eat or something before?”

  “Sure.” I grin. “That sounds fun.”

  “Cool. See you tomorrow.” He gives another nod to everyone, then he gets up and walks away.

  That was… strange.

  Once he’s a little ways away, I turn and look at the girls, who are all staring at me.

  “That was so cute,” Courtney gushes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ty Bergstrom be nervous. Ever. He’s usually so smooth around girls.”

  “He was nervous?” I blink a few times and dart my gaze around the table.

  He seemed pretty chill to me. He’s always so cool and calm.

  “He was nervous,” Gemma confirms. “I guess he really likes you.”

  “Really?”

  “That’s probably why he asked you on a date,” Piper adds.

  I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Reign, that boy just asked you out on a date.” Gemma stares at me, eyes wide. “You realize that, right?”

  “Really? I thought it was just… dinner and a concert.”

  “A date,”
Courtney and Piper say together.

  “I’ve never been on a date before,” I murmur. “I mean, are you sure it’s a date? He didn’t say it was. What if he thinks we’re just going to be two friends chilling?”

  “Trust me, that’s not it,” Courtney says.

  I swallow hard.

  Oh, my gosh.

  I have a date.

  Get out while you still can.

  After school as I walk to my car, I see there is a piece of paper under my windshield wiper.

  “What is that?” Damon asks.

  I shrug and grab the paper, before getting in my car. Once my car is started and the air is going, I look at the note.

  Vegas is really dangerous for your kind. Get out while you still can.

  I roll my eyes and Damon grabs it from my hand, reading it.

  “Who left this?” he demands.

  “I don’t know,” I answer. “It was probably Jacqueline. She hates me.”

  “I’ll have a talk with her.” His lips set in a determined line.

  “Don’t worry about it.” I wave a dismissive hand at him. “Just ignore it. It’ll blow over.”

  He nods. “You’re probably right, but I still don’t like it. Just… make sure you stay close to me or Ty or Kade when you’re at school, okay?”

  I grin at how protective he is. “I will.”

  Saturday, August 24

  He already likes you.

  I’m nervous, but only because Gemma, Courtney, and Piper told me tonight is a date. If they hadn’t told me it was a date, I never would’ve known. I would just be going out with Ty tonight and having fun. Which I suppose I’m still doing, but now I’m going to be wondering the whole time if he’s going to kiss me. I also wonder if I should tell him that I have feelings for Damon and Kade. I mean, it doesn’t seem like something you bring up on a first date, but shouldn’t he know?

  Speaking of Damon, I wonder if he knows about my date. He’s mostly been gone all day. He asked me if I wanted to go, but I wanted to stay home and get ready for my date. I heard him come home about thirty minutes ago and now I’m pacing in my room.