The Summoning [Dragon's Lair 2] Read Free

Philippe
intoned gravely.
    “We will take you to Lilly,”
Remy said, tossing a warning look at Philippe, “and she can tell you the truth.
She’s never seen Dax or Farron. They haven’t come to New Orleans since Lilly
came into our lives.”
    “I look forward to meeting her,”
Alphonse said.

Chapter Two
     
    Lilly moved about in her
bathroom, tidying the expensive bottles on the countertop. Sometimes, it seemed
that her life was just an elaborate fantasy, something she’d made up to avoid
the drudgery that she’d lived in for so long. It wasn’t that she hadn’t loved
her mother, or that she hadn’t grieved when her mother passed away. But for the
longest time, she’d felt that her mother wasn’t even really there with her
anymore, just a shell of the woman she’d been before. Lilly had been only eighteen
when her parents had been in that accident. Coming to New Orleans after her
mother’s death had been the best decision she’d ever made. The city had
revitalized her, had allowed her to discover herself, and, in doing so, had led
her to Remy and Philippe.
    Reaching for the satin robe
hanging on the back of her door, she slipped it on and tied the sash. With one
last glance at her feminine retreat, she stepped out of the room with a smile
on her face. She slept with both Remy and Philippe nightly, but she’d drawn the
line at sharing a bathroom with them. They were magical dragon shifters, but
they were still male and, therefore, had no ability to aim. Some things were
apparently universal, she thought, as she moved down the hallway toward their
room.
    Opening the door to the large
walk-in closet that they had filled for her, she surveyed the racks of clothes
and lingerie. Both of them were generous to her, to a fault. Bypassing those
items, she zeroed in on a small package in the back. She’d purchased it weeks
ago and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to wear the new corset and
boots she’d purchased at a specialty store in the Quarter. Lifting the heavy
silk with its deceptively delicate embroidery, Lilly ran her fingers over the
dragon created from intertwined black and gold thread on a deep crimson
background. When she’d seen it, she’d been unable to think of anything but
them. That was how she’d known it would be perfect.
    The sound of soft footfalls on
the stairs alerted her. She knew instantly that it wasn’t either Remy or
Philippe. There was something furtive sneaking in those quiet steps that told
her trouble was afoot. Stepping farther into the closet, she eased the door
closed behind her and moved to the back, concealing herself behind the
clothing.
    It seemed only seconds had
passed when the closet door opened. Light arrowed into the smaller space. She
held her breath. A cold sweat broke over her skin. Her fists were clenched at
her sides. It was more to hide their trembling than for defense.
    “I know you’re here,” the man
said, his voice low and seductive, the accent mirroring Remy’s and Philippe’s. “I
can smell you, cher .”
    He was a dragon shifter. Lilly
wanted to curse, to scream or cry, but knew that none of it would do any good.
    “We aren’t going to hurt you,
darling. But you have to come with us,” another man said coaxingly as he too
entered the small room. “You come with us now, and Remy and Philippe will
follow. That’s what we want, love. Be a good girl.”
    She held perfectly still, her
lungs aching as she controlled her breath. She had no intention of giving them
anything they wanted.
    The first man spoke again, his
voice clipped and impatient. “He shouldn’t have said we won’t hurt you. I will
hurt you, but I don’t want to. Come out, make this easy for us, and we’ll make
it easy for you. Fight us, and you’ll regret it.”
    Lilly felt as if he was looking
directly at her. She hadn’t moved, hadn’t made a sound, but she felt in that
moment as if he were only toying with her and had known all along where she
was.
    “Come