Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Wednesday, July 31
Thursday, August 1
Sunday, August 4
Friday, August 9
Saturday, August 10
Thursday, August 22
Friday, August 23
Saturday, August 24
Sunday, August 25
Monday, August 26
Friday, August 30
Saturday, August 31
Sunday, September 1
Author's Note
More Books by Scarlett
Find Me Online.
Dragon Royalty
Dragon Shifter Academy, Book 1
Scarlett Haven
Copyright © 2019 Scarlett Haven
http://scarletthaven.net
All rights reserved.
Cover by Paradise Cover Design
Edited by Ms. Correct All’s Editing & Proofreading Services
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Wednesday, July 31
First class.
When I was thirteen, my mom and I went to Disney World. Mom saved money for years for us to take that trip. And while we waited, we talked about all the rides we would ride while we were there and all the things we wanted to see and do. When we arrived at the airport, they had overbooked our flight. My world was crushed; I thought I wouldn’t be going to Disney. But, by some miracle, we ended up on a plane that left only an hour after our original flight. They bumped us up to first class for our ‘troubles.’
I thought that was the most extravagant thing I would ever experience—a first class flight. Even though the flight was only a couple of hours, they brought us drinks and snacks. It was incredible. I felt like a princess.
Now, as I sit alone in the cabin of a private jet, I am furious. Not just at my mother, but at my aunt.
My rich aunt that I didn’t even know existed.
She’s not just rich. Rich people don’t have private jets. She’s… filthy rich.
Three days ago, I came home from my part-time job at a local coffee shop to find that my mom wasn’t at home. I wasn’t worried about her, I just figured she was out grocery shopping. But three hours later, I began to get worried. She wasn’t answering my phone calls. I started to search the house and that is when I found the note. It was sitting on top of her bed.
I have the note memorized at this point, but I pull it out of my pocket and read it one last time.
My dearest Reign,
I’m so sorry that I have to do this to you, but I have to leave. I can’t tell you the details right now, but know that I am safe and well. I will come back for you when the time is right.
There are so many things I wish I would’ve told you. So many things I should have told you. But I was too scared. I wanted to keep you safe from the world I am from, but it seems that it’s no longer an option for me.
I need you to call my sister… your aunt. Tell her that I had to leave. She will come for you, and she will take care of you until I am able to safely return home.
Please do not look for me.
I love you with all my heart.
—Mom.
I fold the note back up and stick it inside of my pocket again, wiping the tears from under my eyes.
My mom left me with nothing but a note. And the aunt she said would come for me? She didn’t come. She sent a car that drove me to the airport, and I got on this private jet. I still haven’t talked to the woman. When I called her, I got her voicemail. I left a message and after that, we only corresponded through text message. And even the texts were very scarce. Just her telling me flight details.
I’m all alone.
I left St. Louis early this morning. I’m not sure if I’ll ever see the city again.
Vegas is my destination, which sounds way more fun that it is. My aunt lives there. I have no idea if she’s married or if she has kids. I have no idea what kind of situation I am about to walk into.
It can’t be bad if Mom is sending me there, right?
But then again, she did abandon me.
My breath catches as I look out the window of the plane. The city of Las Vegas comes into view. I see the Eiffel tower and the pyramids. I can see all the things I’ve seen on TV hundreds of times but never really thought twice about it.
It’s really here.
I’m really in Vegas.
The plane makes it’s descent into the airport and I’m suddenly very nervous. I wonder if my aunt will be picking me up or if she will be sending somebody else—I assume the later.
We circle around the city a few times and the pilot makes an announcement about the weather.
It’s hot here.
Of course it is.
Vegas is in a desert.
As the plane goes to land, my heart races.
This is it. From this moment forward, my life is going to drastically change.
I don’t know why, but as soon as the plane touches down on the runway, a peace settles over me. A rightness. Like this is where I’m supposed to be. But it only lasts for a few moments before I start freaking out.
No.
This is not where I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to be in St. Louis. With my mom.
Goodbye, life.
Over my head.
When I step off the plane, sweltering heat blasts me in the face.
It’s hot in St. Louis this time of the year too, but it’s not over one hundred degrees back home. I think the pilot said it was one hundred and fifteen degrees today, which isn’t the ‘normal,’ at least I don’t think so. I hope it’s not.
The heat emanates from the concrete and pierces through my flip flops, warming my feet.
One summer, I went to Six Flags when the temperature was ninety-something degrees and my flip flops literally melted on the concrete throughout the day. I have a feeling they would melt faster here.
I start looking around for my aunt, though I’m not exactly sure what she looks like or what she’s driving.
Does my aunt look like my mom?
My mom is beautiful. She has long, auburn hair and light brown eyes. Despite the fact that she’s in her late thirties, most people think that she’s my sister and not my mom, which is only slightly annoying. She looks young.
Mom has never gained a pound in her life. It doesn’t matter what she eats—burgers, pizza, chocolate—her figure never changes. It’s tall and thin. Well, thin, but still curvy. She has the kind of figure you’d see on the runway or in Hollywood.
I’m a lot like her. My hair and eyes are the same. I’m tall, 5’9”. And I’m thin, despite my diet consisting of mostly carbs and sugar. Mom says it’s our good genes. I don’t know that’s the case, but I know that I love food.
“Reign Evermore?”
I nearly walk past the boy who is speaking, but now that I see him, I wonder how I didn’t notice him standing there.
The boy is more than half a foot taller than me, which I’m not used to. Guys are usually my height, maybe a little taller. Not this guy. He towers over me, and I actually have to look up to see his face.
He’s… possibly the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life.
Ever.
His eyes are dark brown—the darkest brown I’ve ever seen. Lighter pieces of dark hair weave through his sandy blond locks. It’s as if he’s spent a lot of time outside this summer, and the sun has lightened his hair naturally. I’m guessing that must be the case because he’s got a gol
den tan.
“Hi, I’m Damon Arrington. Your aunt wanted me to pick you up.” He raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to say something.
Arrington.
Wait.
Isn’t that my aunt’s last name?
“Are you…”
“Your aunt is married to my dad.”
Dear God…
I was just checking out my cousin.
It’s fine. Nobody will ever know. Just me.
“You’re my cousin?” I have never felt more disappointed in my life.
“No.” He tilts his head to the side. “Well… step cousin, I guess. We’re not actually related.”
His words are a relief. I mean, it would be weird if I was attracted to my actual cousin. But he’s not. So, we’re good.
Well…
It’s a little weird. My aunt, whom I’ve never met, is his stepmom.
I follow him a few feet away to a black car. I don’t know a whole lot about cars, but this one certainly looks expensive. I’m so busy looking at the car, I don’t notice him walk to the passenger side and open the door.
Is he seriously opening the door for me?
Nobody has ever opened a car door for me.
It’s… nice.
I remind myself once more that he’s still my step cousin, even if we’re not related.
“Thanks.” I slide into the passenger seat.
The guys with my luggage are putting it in truck of his car. I’m honestly surprised my stuff fits in this tiny car.
Well… it’s not like I have that much stuff. I packed in a huge rush and didn’t really take care to even make sure I have everything I need. It probably wasn’t the smart thing, but I was kind of panicking.
My mom left me.
I am still numb thinking about it.
Damon gets in the driver’s seat and smiles at me before starting the car.
Honestly, it should be illegal for him to be this attractive. Nobody’s kind of cousin should be this good looking. It just isn’t fair.
His car smells good. It smells like…
Him.
He even smells good?
Stop, Reign. You seriously can’t think of your step cousin like this. It’s wrong.
So what if he has cheek bones that look like they were chiseled by an artist? So what if he looks like some sort of demigod? He’s just a guy. My cousin, in fact. I don’t need a man anyway.
“Your aunt says you’re seventeen,” he says.
I nod. “I’ll be eighteen soon.”
I don’t know why I say that, but it feels like something I want to tell him.
“Me too.” He glances over at me, but only for a second before turning his attention back to the road.
My mouth falls open.
He’s seventeen?
Honestly, he’s too attractive to only be seventeen years old. He doesn’t have the body of a teenager. He has the body of a man… a man who works out often and eats right and…
Okay, enough of those thoughts.
“Will we be going to school together?” My heart is racing as I ask. I really want to go to the same school as him.
“Yeah.”
“At least I will know you.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to meet our classmates before school starts,” he says. “They’ll be at the country club and at parties.”
Country club?
I don’t know why I’m surprised, but I am.
I’ve never been to a country club in my life. The only thing I know about them is from High School Musical and, somehow, I doubt that it’s at all a proper representation.
One thing is certain—I’m in way over my head.
Nobody wants me.
When Damon first pulls into a long driveway, I think he’s pulled into a hotel. A very, very nice hotel. But I quickly realize it’s not. It’s a house. A mansion.
I don’t know why I’m surprised. My aunt had me flown here in a private jet.
My mom and I lived from paycheck to paycheck in St. Louis. We had everything we needed, but not everything we wanted. I’m shocked to see that her sister was living so vastly different than us.
I feel so small.
So insignificant.
So…
I look down at my jeans that I got on sale. Five dollars at the mall, what a steal. And my t-shirt that states I ran a 5k. My shoes… flip flops that I got somewhere for a couple of bucks.
I feel poor.
“Home sweet home,” Damon says.
Home?
This is my home… at least until my mom comes back.
If she comes back.
Once the car comes to a stop, I hesitantly get out. I physically feel sick to my stomach. This house is something straight out of MTV cribs—the kind only really famous people live in, like professional ball players and rappers. Random seventeen-year-old girls don’t live in places like this. Not unless their mom is a Kardashian.
The driveway is a large circle drive with a fountain in the middle. Dragon statues shoot water out of their mouth in the center. Pine trees line the driveway, and there is actually grass on the lawn. I’m thinking it’s not real grass because it seems that most of what I’ve seen in Vegas is dirt, but the grass certainly appears real.
“It’s just a house.”
I turn around and see Damon. He’s carrying my duffle bag, and I realize that I’ve been standing there, with his car door open, gawking at the house like an idiot.
He’s right. It’s just a house. It’s my home now.
“My mom and I live in a two-bedroom house.” I swallow hard.
I don’t know why I say it, I guess I just need him to know upfront that I’m not used to this.
As if he can’t tell.
He grins. “Want to go in?”
I nod.
I shut the door and follow him through the front door of the house. I know I should offer to take my bag from him, but I can’t bring myself to say the words. I’m just… awestruck by my new home.
The front door is a massive glass door. I wonder if it’s heavy and hard to open, but Damon doesn’t seem to have any problems opening it. As soon as we walk inside, cool air hits me in the face. It’s a nice relief from the stifling heat that’s outside.
In the foyer, huge archways lead into other parts of the house on each side, but right in the front two large staircases circle up toward the second floor leading to a two-story balcony. A large chandelier hangs down in the middle.
I am so out of my element here.
“You look just like your mother,” a female voice says.
That’s when I notice a dark-haired woman walking into the room. She looks exactly like my mom, but with black hair instead of auburn. It’s kind of freaky how much she looks like her.
I don’t know my aunt’s name. No idea at all. The only thing left on the piece of paper was a phone number for her. And in all our correspondence, we never once exchanged names.
“Hi, I’m Reign.” I nervously push a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Darling, I used to change your diapers. I know your name.”
My face grows warm at her words.
How do I casually bring up that I don’t know her name? That my mom never talked about her? That she’s virtually a stranger to me?
“Oh.” I cast my gaze downward.
“While staying here, I expect you to be respectful and follow the rules,” she says, her tone sharp. “Damon, you can show her to her room.”
With that, she turns and walks away, her heels making a loud noise against the floor as she leaves.
Wow.
She’s…
Charming.
How strange. I really thought she liked me at first, talking about changing my diaper and all that… then she did a one eighty. Clearly, she isn’t happy about me being here, which hurts my chest.
Nobody wants me. Not my mom. Not my aunt. I’m nothing more than a burden to any of them.
A hand touches my shoulder, so I look up
and see Damon standing there.
“I’ll show you to your room,” he offers, letting his hand drop.
I follow him up the stairs and to the right. We make our way down a long hallway, and I wonder what’s in the other rooms.
“Who else lives here?” I ask.
“Just my dad, Victoria, and me.” He turns to look at me and smirks. “You too, now.”
Victoria.
That’s her name.
I will change her name in my phone later so I can remember that.
“This is your room.” He opens the door to a room, motioning me to go in first. “My room is directly across the hall from you, if you need anything.”
Directly across the hall?
Why does my heart have to race at his words?
He puts my duffle bag onto my bed, and I turn my focus to my surroundings.
This room is seriously huge. Maybe bigger than my entire house.
“You don’t have to worry about clothes. Victoria went shopping and bought you a bunch of stuff.”
“How does she know my size?”
He shrugs his shoulders.
I open the door to what I assume is my closet and my jaw drops.
This closet is massive.
I flick on the light and walk inside. Racks of clothes fill the closet, all of them with the tag still attached. I look at a few pieces and see that they are my size. And they’re actually my style too. It’s kind of crazy.
“If you don’t like the stuff she got you, you can get whatever you want.” Damon puts his hand on the top of the door frame that leads into my closet. I try not to look at his stomach, even though his shirt has ridden up.
“Thanks, but I’m sure this is all fine.” I avert my eyes.
“I guess I’ll leave you to this, then.” He hits a hand on the door. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”
I nod. “Thanks for the ride.”
He smirks. “No problem.”
I watch as Damon leaves, then I finish checking out my room. I have my own on suite bathroom.
Even with all this, I just want my mom to come home.
Dragon Royalty (Dragon Shifter Academy Book 1) Page 1
