The Draglen Brothers - DRAKEN (BK 1) (19 page)

“I won’t lie and say that I’m not
curious, I-” She breaks down and starts crying again. I hate her
crying. It feels like I’m being pulled apart.

“Please, Princess, your crying is
ripping me apart.”

“I know this is not what you want to
hear, but I won’t leave with you, Draken, I love you so much, but
my brother, he’s my twin. If I leave it will tear us both apart. My
brother gets me when nobody else does. D would not be right if he
could not be around me. I would have to keep secrets, I’m sure, and
I can’t, if it was just seeing my parents every now and again,
maybe, but D, no I won’t leave him, not even for you, Draken.”
She’s made her decision no. This can’t be happening. I can’t live
without her. She’s my air. I won’t breathe if Princess leaves me. I
will die. I want to die if she won’t accept me.

“Princess, just think about it, don’t
decide now,” I beg. I feel like everything is closing in on
me.

“Draken, you’re a dragon, you live on
another planet. I could never understand this between
us.”

“Princess, please don’t. Listen, we
don’t have to rush, we could wait until you are ready to make the
final move.”

“Final move?” Shit, I forgot, once she
comes with me she could never come back to earth, again.

“Yes, Princess, I won’t lie. If you
decide to come with me and be my wella, or as you would say, my
wife, you can never return to earth,” I say, feeling like shit for
asking her to give up her family for me.

“What? I can’t, Draken. You’re asking
me to give up my entire life and go to a place I’ve never been.
What if I don’t like it when I get there? What if your land hates
me?”

“I know it’s selfish of me, and I
promise to dedicate each day of my life to you, and I will even
work on a way you can travel back. But yes, I want you with me
forever.”

“You have to give me time, Draken, but
right now my answer is no. I won’t leave D, my parents, and my
friends for you. You tricked me and you’re getting married, that’s
why only six months. Yes, I’ve been thinking, you knew this between
us would never work, that is why you said six months. Well, let’s
just end it sooner. Please go, and let me cry.”

“I will leave now, Princess, but I
won’t ever let you go,” I say, returning to my bed, looking at my
gold ceiling. I can’t marry another when I love Princess. I will
let the family know and let my father cancel the ceremony. I can’t
keep Princess in an image of her house. I will call Showken and
have him place her in her home for real. I will not take that away
from her. I should never have thought I could have her; she’s a
precious gift to the universe. I walk out of my room and make the
arrangements that I need. I will not live without her.

He’s a dragon. I’ve been having sex
with a dragon. I’m in love with a dragon. This is the twilight
zone. I just know this can’t be real. Who the hell would believe
me? If I just could have stuck with my plan. I drag myself out of
bed, heading for the bathroom. Draken should never have come to
talk with me. He asks me to leave my family. I need a shower, to
cry. As I walk into the bathroom I look in the mirror, only to see
flashes of my dream coming back. He must have been trying to tell
me then. I climb into the shower and shock my body to life with the
water, letting it warm from cold to hot. I need this, and my tears
won’t stop. How can I choose? When I’m done, I stagger out of my
room, dragging myself to my closet, and put on a sundress. I head
to my dance room and crank up the music, dancing my pain away. I
will never stop loving him. I dance, it seems for hours, and when I
curl up on the floor I’m dripping with sweat. I hear footsteps. I
can’t see Draken again.

“Hey Cess, don’t tense up, it’s just
me coming in,” I recognize this voice; it’s Showken, who is also a
dragon.

“Please leave, I don’t want to talk,”
I say, turning onto my belly. I fill tears forming again. I can’t
keep crying. It’s over.

“Cess, do you love my brother, forget
that he’s a dragon. Just, do you love him?”

“Showken, yes, I love him, but he is a
dragon and so are you, so leave.”

“Cess, you need to decide and make it
fast. I hate to see my brother in pain. Cess, you can’t just walk
away like this. You belong with Draken. The sooner you accept this,
the better it will be for both of you.”

“Showken, I can’t leave my family,
you’re asking me to give up something that I can’t.”

“My brother is making a sacrifice for
you, get your shit together and come to my land.”

“Fuck youuuuu!” I yell. “I don’t and
will not do anything you or anyone says. This is my decision and
I’ve made it. I’m staying in my own land.” I stand to look him in
the eye. He glares back, and then gives me a huge smile.

“You and Draken are a lot alike, he,
too, gets pissed like you, but Cess, I will tell you what others
won’t. You are connected to my brother, and soon, because of all
the physical activity, you will look different.”

“What? You’re kidding right. I mean
not like a dragon?”

“No, that is our birthright, but you
will gain something, Cess, just come with me. Please?”

“You have to be kidding me, my family,
you asshole, I will not leave them wondering if I’m dead. You are
just as selfish as Draken, get the fuck out of my
house.”

“Nope.”

“What?”

“I said no, Cess, my brother has made
it known to my family that he wants to die if he can’t have you.” I
can’t believe my ears. Did he just say die?

“You mean Draken is going to kill
himself? Over me? He should marry his fiancée, and that other woman
wants him, too, so his options are wide,” I snap. They want to give
me a bag of bricks like I caused this. He knew better, I thought he
was human, he led me on and now I should feel sorry? What about me?
My feelings don’t count?

“I mean, we would have to kill him,
and I can’t kill my brother. If Draken wants to die all the
siblings must circle him and burn him all at the same time, sending
out our most intense fire. I can’t do that, and if I have to throw
you over my shoulder, I will. I will not kill my brother, not for
him, you, or even the law of my land,” Showken says, with a
seriousness I’ve never seen in him before. I look close and he is
teary-eyed. I don’t want Draken to die, but if I leave, my mother
and father will be hurt, but my brother would die, also. He is my
twin, my best friend, and if I vanish, so will he, in his mind. I’m
not going to let Showken bully me.

“Draken doesn’t know you’re here. You
will not drag me because he won’t allow that, I know that much
after the thing with Scott, and I love Draken, but you will not
trick me with the lame excuse he is going to kill
himself.”

“Lame, Cess, get real, I’m not lying
to you. In fact, I was the one who said “date my brother for six
months, have a good time”. You fell in love, and so did he. Now, I
will give you time to think, and you’re home now by the
way.”

“I’ve been home for a while now. What
are you talking about, Showken?”

“Cess, I’ll never tell. Be back after
your final tomorrow.”

“Bye, Showken, and I’ll call
you.”

“See you tomorrow, Cess,” Showken
says, both brows arched. He looks as if nothing I say can ease his
pain, he will be by again with that “Draken is going to kill
himself.” Draken would not do that? Oh wait, his brothers would
kill him, yeah right. I’m not falling for that bunch of bull crap.
He would not give up everything for me. I hate Showken for even
saying that. There is no way . . . would he? I mean, I feel
strongly about Draken; I love him, very much, but give up my life?
I wouldn’t do that. He would leave his parents, brothers, land, and
business all for me. I hate that I love you, Draken. Now, I have to
think. I need to take my final tomorrow, that I didn’t get a chance
to study for, and I don’t think I can with these thoughts. I need
to talk with D. I go on the hunt for my twin. I need him right now.
I can’t tell him the truth, but I could get some sort of advice. I
find D in the media room, watching one of his favorite movies. I go
in and take a seat next to him. I put my hand in his popcorn,
shoving a handful into my mouth, thinking I might as well watch
with him. D will not stop watching “Once Upon A Time in Mexico,” he
doesn’t want anyone to know this, but I do. I sit and laugh at the
movie with D, eating popcorn and sharing his soda. I realize, never
doing this again with my twin is too much to ask. I love my
brother, heck, we shared a womb. I don’t think Draken understands
this. I can’t tell D that I’m leaving to be with my dragon
boyfriend in a place I know nothing about. That’s freaking crazy. D
stops the credits and turns the lights on, coming back to sit with
me.

“So, what’s got you all confused,
sis?” He knows me so well. Oh D, I want to tell you everything, but
you will think I’m crazy, and you would make sure I saw the best
therapist money could buy. I have to do this right without tipping
him off, telling part-truths and leaving out some parts.

“Draken wants to take the relationship
to another level, and I don’t know if I can do it, or even if I
want to,” I say.

“Sis, you want to. It’s all over your
face every time you say his name, or when you are around him. It’s
like looking at a very happy love movie, with you starring. So,
what are you waiting for?”

“He wants me to move in with him and I
just don’t want that, plus he’s not from here,” I say, really
trying to be cautious with my words. It is so hard not to tell D
the truth. We always tell each other the truth, no matter
what.

“Okay, so he leaves for another
country, Cess. You know I would come see you, this guy loves you, I
was suspicious of him at first, but he is truly a good guy, and
good for you. Besides, anybody can keep you smiling like that all
the time, I say keep him.”

“D, I’m young and just finishing
school, I’m not sure, but I think Draken wants marriage and I’m not
ready for that. I mean, what if I never see you again because
you’re working and I’m somewhere else.” I’m trying to keep from
saying I would never see you again, but the words won’t come out.
Then I would have to say he’s a dragon in another land, not earth,
which would lead me back to I’m crazy. Where the hell do they think
Draken goes when he is not in the business world? Oh, Mom did say
it’s been rumored he owns islands, so that would explain
that.

“Cess, you should go with your heart,
if I’m ever that lucky to meet someone I love and they want me for
me, not money or our name Lamil, I’m going to marry her before
someone else gets a chance. Listen, we are always going to be able
to communicate with each other, even if we don’t see each other
every day.” I begin to let the tears fall “ Don’t cry, sis, I want
you happy. Never give up being with the one you love for me, or
anyone. Sometimes love only comes once in a lifetime, and you will
be kicking yourself forever if you let him go, never to meet
another like him.”

“I’m sure I won’t meet another man
like Draken, ever. I just . . . just don’t know, D. This is such a
huge commitment and change for me. You really think Draken loves me
that much?” I say, looking into my brother’s eyes and seeing the
truth. He begins to wipe my face with his hand, and kisses my
cheek, which makes me cry harder.

“I’m always going to be your brother,
and no amount of distance can change that, Cess, not
ever.”

“I love you, D. Thank you for talking
with me.” I sniff into his shoulder. “Thanks for letting me watch
your favorite movie, which I will still never tell.”

“I know, sis, I know.” D and I stay
like this for a few more minutes, then he puts on another movie to
watch, another good one, “Gladiator.” Russell Crowe can always
cheer me up. We talk through the movie, saying what we would have
done if we were in that story. These are the times I would miss. D
has given me something to think about, but right now, I will enjoy
my brother and Russell Crowe. I smile, and start on some more
popcorn.

***

Finally, I’m done with school. That
was a very hard exam. My parents, D and I are going to dinner
tonight to celebrate. D and I are college graduates. My dad asked
was Draken coming, but I told him he was out of town. I could not
stand to sit at a table with Draken, knowing what I know about him.
He is getting married, supposedly he cancelled, someone showed up
like they are very familiar with one another, and he is a dragon.
Which I could maybe get over, I’m still debating, but those women,
that is a hard pill to swallow. Then thinking of D talking with me,
I realize I do love Draken, and I think he loves me, too. I try to
enjoy our time out, but I can’t focus on anything but Draken’s
voice asking me to be with him. Then Showken comes and says he is
going to die. I’m not sure if he is telling the truth or not.
Finally I hear my father’s voice.

“Princess, where is your mind at? I
called your name three times,” my father says.

“Maybe if you said “Cess,” I would
have heard,” I say, out loud, but meaning to say in my
head.

“What did you just say?” my father
asks, in that no-nonsense tone.