The Draglen Brothers - DRAKEN (BK 1) (2 page)

“Cess, I know that look, stay away
from them. I can’t go through another boyfriend with you,” D says,
leaving the room.

I yell back, “I have only had two
boyfriends, D!” I think how torn up I was when Travis and I ended
our relationship. I’m pretty sure I didn’t eat for a week. Maybe I
should be nice and introduce myself to the new
neighbors.

“D, I think after I eat I’m going to
go meet the new neighbors,” I say, making my way back to the
kitchen.

“Umm . . . Cess, remember your
promise?” D mumbled.

“I’m just going to say hi, that’s
all,” I say.

I finish my food and head upstairs for
a quick shower. I put on a pair of short shorts and a tank, and
walk out the door. The closer I get, the more I realize I haven’t
talked with a guy (outside of D and his friends) since Travis. What
was I thinking, coming out here? I should just turn around. Yep,
that’s what I’m going to do. As I turn, I hear a very deep voice
call out.

“Hey . . . hey you, are you going to
come introduce yourself, or are you going to go home?” The voice is
friendly. I had thought they were talking and hadn’t seen me. I
turn slowly, and he is right there.

“Ah . . . hi,” I say, looking at this
man. He is beautiful. He has long blond hair that’s all wet from
working out in the sun. His body is perfect. His eyes are amazing,
deep green, and he’s smiling at me, and those dimples! Yikes, I’m
in trouble.

“Hello, I’m Showken, and you are?” he
says, with his hand out. Feeling embarrassed, I realize my face is
red from looking at his beauty.

“I . . . I’m Cess” I say, shaking his
hand.

“Hello Cess, I told my brothers you
were nice and I would come introduce myself,” he says, with the
kind of deep voice that should only be heard in private.

“Umm . . . yeah, how do you say your
name again? I’m sorry,” I say, feeling really rude. I have never
heard of a name like that before.

“Showken, like Show and Ken put
together.” Showken smiles as he says it again. I notice he is still
holding my hand, as two more of them walk up. I’m not going to make
it. I have a promise to keep, no men and especially no sex. I’m
staying focused on my studies and my career.

“Brother, what have we here?” One of
them has short, dark brown hair. His body is huge and he smells so
good. He has amazing light gray eyes. He only has on some cut-off
shorts, sandals, and a amazing chest that’s illegal, or it should
be. I can’t wait to tell my girlfriends about the new
neighbors.

“This is Cess, Cess meet my brother
Gemi. The one who is just looking is shy, and that’s Layern,”
Showken says, smiling at me.

“So Cess, are you going to come over?”
Gemi says, narrowing his eyes as if he is searching for
something.

“I should be heading home. I, umm…” I
can feel all their eyes intensely on me. Layern’s eyes are really
blue, and he is quiet, but just as handsome. The other two are not
shy at all. They are all smiles. I bet these brothers are fun. No,
I can’t think like that, I must remember my studies and
career.

“Come on, Cess, we never have
company,” Showken says, pulling me towards their home. I feel my
feet moving, and turning, I see the other two behind me. I should
be afraid to be walking with these guys, they are strangers, but I
feel no fear at all. As we make our way to the lawn, the door
opens. I see him, and his stare is cold. He has long, jet-black
hair, which is pulled into a neat ponytail hanging down his back.
There is no smile on his face at all, just a cold look. I feel his
eyes roam my body, and now I feel uncomfortable. I guess he’s not
the friendly brother.

“Brothers, why is she here?” He speaks
as though I’m not standing there. I feel insulted and a little
humiliated. This man cuts Showken off before he can speak, and
marches right up to me, looking down at me as if I am
nothing.

“Look, stay off my lawn. Go! Now!” he
snarls.

Showken speaks up for me, “Draken,
she’s okay, ask Layern,” he says, as he comes and stands beside me.
I’m not afraid of him. I may be smaller, but he will not talk to me
like that.

“Draken . . . is that how you say it?
Well, you are rude, and I was invited, so don’t snap at me,” I say,
seeing his light purple eyes glaring at me. His brothers move away
from me, going inside the house one by one.

“Cess, I will take your tone as a sign
of ignorance. You stay off MY lawn, and you will remain intact,”
Draken says, as he grabs my arm, walking me off the lawn, past his
property line and into the street. I’ve never been treated like
this by a guy in my life. He is the rudest man I have ever met,
although he looks so hot with those eyes, that hair, and that
smooth tan skin. I try to pull away, but he is so strong. My face
is turning red, how humiliating is this?

“Let go of me,” I snap. He releases me
as soon as I’m in the street feeling like trash.

“Cess, be a good neighbor and mind
your business, and stay off the property. This is your warning,
next time I will ask something of you,” Draken says, turning and
walking away. I can’t help but notice how perfect his walk is. And
as the wind blows, I catch his smell, and I know that, though he is
as mean as anything, Draken could make me give up my
promise.

“Draken, if you ever put your hands on
me like that again, I will give you a kick that will make having
babies a problem,” I say. He stops and looks over his shoulder,
continuing to walk towards the house.

I stand there for a second before I
make the short, but embarrassing, walk home. I turn and look back,
and see the other brothers working, not saying anything now. Draken
is outside watching. He turns and looks at me. We stare for a long
time, and I finally break the staring contest and head back inside.
I lean back against my door, and see his beautiful eyes in my
head.

“Draken,” I say out loud. Good thing I
made the promise of no men, just finishing college and going to
Italy before starting my career.

I’m glad it’s only six months this
time. We are here for business only. The corporation needs to hire
new management, as profits have gone down. I will not tolerant
incompetence in our business. Every time we have to check on the
businesses, no matter what state we are in, Showken always finds a
girl for his pleasure. Well, not this time, I’m not having it, or I
will send him back home. There are plenty to play with there. I
just had to march some little girl off the lawn, on our first day,
because Showken can’t keep his smile to himself. We must discuss
this.

“Showken, no girls on the property, at
the office, or in the car at all. Leave them alone,” I growl. That
girl, Cess, is going to be a problem, I can tell.

“Draken, listen, just because you have
this ‘no play while working’ doesn’t mean I have to follow. I like
females and they like me, just relax, I never harm them,” Showken
says, calmly.

“Six months and we are home, away from
this place. Keep it in your pants, or I might ask you for
something, just do as I ask,” I snap. We have finished the
unloading, and Layern and Gemi are setting up downstairs in the
basement.

“Okay, Draken, I will honor your
request,” Showken smirks. I know my brother and I are going to have
trouble, since that Cess just had to come down the street with
those extremely too-short shorts. Although her legs are beautiful
and strong, like a dancer’s, and that beautiful brown hair does not
help matters, she is a nuisance. I could really make her scream
out. I’m nothing like my brother. I have plenty of women waiting to
pleasure me when I get home. I have self-control.

“Draken, what are you thinking?”
Layern asks, narrowing his eyes, Layern and his gift. Whatever you
have got hidden in your mind or heart, Layern knows how to find
it.

“I’m just thinking about the
interviews coming up this week,” I say, trying to push it way down,
so he can’t see it, but my brother’s perceptions are too
fast.

“I could have sworn I saw you thinking
about Cess, you know, the neighbor you were so rude to, and whose
legs you were looking at,” Layern says with one brow up. Shit, what
am I going to say? She is attractive, and she did make me want her,
even with her threats? That little girl has to stay away from
me.

“Oh, so that’s why she had to leave,
you want her. Brother, all you had to do was say something, and I
would have backed off,” Showken frowns.

“I don’t want that girl, and Layern,
stay out of my head,” I say, done with the discussion. I return to
my office and start working on new layouts for the office here in
Arizona. I hear Showken yelling through the closed door: “Draken,
if you want her, just say it.” I totally ignore my favorite
brother. I love all my brothers and sisters, but Showken is the
only brother I never fought with, growing up. I often experienced
jealousy from my siblings for being the oldest, and heir to the
throne. I had the misfortune to be born first, and now I have all
these expectations, not only from our parents, but all our kind as
well. Showken treats me just like a normal brother. I fight with
some of my other brothers, and blood has been shed more than once.
When I got word that we had to visit Earth, I was displeased. I
love living in Kalin, the home of the most powerful dragons. I’m
what you may call a shifter. Not all in the land have this ability,
but all the Draglen Brothers can.

There are other species, like
vampires, who live on earth, but we are the only ones who can
transport back and forth. We hold the power. If humans knew what
really walked among them, they would treasure each other, rather
than kill each other. I try to focus on my work, but keep seeing
that girl Cess, pissed at me for walking her off the property. Her
arms were so soft, and I could feel her anger. It’s nice to have
someone challenge you outside your family. I give orders in my
land, and if they are not followed I take something, and it’s
always something vital like a wing or some claws. I have only had
to put four down for death, but they pushed my buttons. Most of my
people are kind and gentle, living among one another in
harmony.

“Draken, we are going out to eat. Do
you want something?” Showken asks. I can feel my other brothers at
the door.

“Bring me something back, work needs
to be done,” I say, knowing my brothers and Showken are going
looking for the females. Gemi and Layern will go with whatever
Showken says, because he will make sure they all have a good
time.

“I guess I’ll order in,” Showken says.
I know this is a way to get me out with them, and I will not fall
for it.

“When you order, make sure it’s
enough,” I say, hearing the growls of the others, and Showken
chuckling.

“Okay… I was wondering would you mind
if I go down and check on Cess.” Why would he want to do that? I go
to the door to see his face. I open, and he and Layern are right
there. Gemi is probably in his room.

“Why?” I glare.

“Why not?” Showken says, smiling
hugely. I glare at Layern, as he already knows, and is waiting for
my answer. That girl got under my skin, as soon as I saw her I
wanted her.

“I think you should order some food
and let me know when it’s here,” I say, walking smoothly between my
brothers and heading for the bar. I need a drink. The bar is
already stocked and ready. The gift of being a dragon shifter is
that once we have everything in the home, we can use our powers to
place everything where it belongs.

“Hmm . . . I think you want her.
Layern, what is the verdict?” Showken says.

“He wants her to scream his name,”
Layern says, shaking his head. He only has sex with humans to pass
the time, not because he enjoys it. He says they are too fragile,
and he gets tired of being gentle so that he won’t kill them by
accident.

“Draken, just for once, do what you
feel, and not what’s proper. If you want Cess to scream your name,
make it happen. I mean, my name is screamed by many lips, and these
human women enjoy being pleasured just as our women do,” Showken
says, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, if I do want her I won’t act on
it, and besides, she would not be able to handle me,” I say,
wondering again, what if she could be in my bed. Those beautiful
legs wrapped around me while her perfect lips open for
me.

“Such a vivid, clear picture, Draken.
I’m with Showken, you should just have that human and be done with
it,” Layern says.

“Stay out of my head and leave me
alone about that girl, and if she sets one foot on this property I
will send you back. Gemi and I can fix the issue and be back home.
I’m done, Showken, and don’t challenge my decision,” I growl, and
my brothers know that is the heir to the throne speaking and that
conversation is over. Showken starts ordering food. Layern bows,
showing respect, and leaves the room. I hate having to use that
tone, but they keep pressing. That woman had better stay away from
me. I’m not like some other guy. I walk over to the window and
sniff. I can smell her from here. Her scent is so beautiful and
enticing. Ravla is waiting for my return, to fulfill all of my
desires. She knows not to expect any attachments. I’m already bound
to marry someone, and nothing will change that. Ravla is just what
I need; I may have to send for her, to get this Cess off my
mind.