Dragon's Lair Read Free

was kept locked away in a safe. Did Braeden know that a few of the pages had been nabbed? Or had the manual she’d seen always been incomplete?
    The package’s arrival before the daily mail call meant they’d gone to a lot of trouble to ensure the pages found their way to her desk. They’d somehow bypassed all the security measures and broken into her office to make the delivery.
    She’d been set up. The why was pretty obvious—there were few people who could actually do the translation. The who was what worried her. Was it human or something more sinister?
    Either way, was it aware of her connection to the Drakes and the value of the manual? What evil was planned with the translation?
    If what she’d heard about the manual was correct, the spells and rituals were powerful. In the wrong hands the magic could be used to literally bring down nations.
    â€œI can stay out here all night,” said the man, sending her heart into another frenzy.
    He was so close now that she could probably touch him. Instead, she curled her fingers around the cold, hard steel in her pocket.
    After the threatening phone call she’d received before dawn this morning, she’d slipped the gun into her coat. However, this wasn’t the danger she’d expected.
    â€œIt’s a nice clear night. It’ll get real cold soon.” She heard him zip up his jacket. “It won’t bother me none. I can wait.”
    His darkly ominous tone didn’t convince her of his professed patient character.
    The man sighed heavily and then said, “You’re a smart girl. You know he’ll eventually get what he wants. One way or another, he’ll have the power with or without your help.”
    She clamped down on her tongue, determined to hold back the gasp trying to claw its way out of her throat. Dread crept down her spine as she realized they knew full well the secrets these pages contained.
    Just as she’d feared, whoever was in charge of this venture was out for nothing more than power and evil. Offering either up to them was not an option.
    â€œI’ll make you a deal.”
    To her surprise, the man’s hot breath brushed her ear. Alexia jerked away from him. “No.”
    He grabbed her arm, preventing her from pulling out her gun. “I’d say your choices are rather slim. Give us what we want, or we’ll take it.”
    Unable to break free of his hold, she stalled for time to think. “I only received the pages today. There hasn’t been time to go over them. I have nothing to give you.”
    He jerked her closer until she had to tip her head back to look up at him. The glare from an overhead light pooled down on them. A latex mask covered his entire head. The only part of him visible beneath the grotesque caricature of a lion were his eyes and mouth.
    He stared at her through beady, bloodshot hazel eyes. His thin lips curled, his breath felt like the fires of hell against her face. “Oh, blue eyes, I have everything I need—you and the pages. He’ll be more than able to convince you to finish the job.”
    Even with her high-heeled boots on, he towered over her. The man tightened his grasp, making her wince. She swallowed. It didn’t take much imagination to guess what type of convincing they’d use.
    Alexia forced down her panic. If she allowed herself to lose control, she wouldn’t stand a chance of escaping.
    She’d give her eye teeth for a good idea right about now, but all she could think to do was buy time. “You’ll need more than just me and the pages. It’s not like I have every word and symbol in every language memorized.”
    He dragged her behind him as he headed back toward the museum. “You just show me what books or stuff you need and we’ll take ’em along.”
    â€œIt’s after hours. The building is locked.” Since she wasn’t a permanent staffer, she didn’t have a key,