The Summoning [Dragon's Lair 2] (3 page)

“You’re at Dragon’s Breath, the
Arcadian clan’s compound in Colorado. No one will harm you.”

“My safety wasn’t an issue
before I was abducted by force from my own home,” Lilly shot back. The girl
ducked her head, and Lilly would swear that she trembled. In a softer tone, she
asked, “Why have I been locked in like a prisoner?”

“Not a prisoner,” she corrected
as she moved about the bathroom gathering supplies. “You are in the maidens’
house where all the unmated dragonswans reside. Your door is locked because
there was no way of knowing what state of mind you’d be in when you awoke.”

It all made such logical sense
that she couldn’t fault it. “And what happens when Remy and Philippe arrive?”

The girl never looked up, just
kept her eyes focused on the floor. Her voice was so soft it was almost a
whisper. “They will be housed in the Main Hall, and you will join them there. And
after the challenge, if they prevail, you will return home with them.”

Lilly felt ill, and even though
she was terrified of the answer, she asked anyway. “And if they lose?”

“Then Dax and Farron will claim
you as theirs.”

Oh, god
, she thought. “When
you say challenge, what does that mean exactly?”

The girl added some sweet-smelling
oil to the water. “They really haven’t told you much, have they? I am supposed
to help you bathe. If I don’t, I’ll be punished. I will tell you everything I
know if you cooperate.”

A year ago, Lilly would have
balked, but after working at Dragon’s Lair and often spending the evenings
there with Remy and Philippe, she had lost all modesty. Strolling into the
bathroom, she stripped off her robe and climbed into the steaming water.
Apparently, she’d been lying in the same position for a very long time because
her body ached from it. The water was surprisingly soothing. “Tell me
everything.”

“Our laws are very simple. The
Council of Elders rules everything. We cannot ever challenge another of our
kind without going through them. Whether it’s about land or, in this case, a
mate, they decide everything. Dax and Farron have challenged Remy’s and
Philippe’s right to claim you as their mate.”

“They don’t even know me.”

“It isn’t about you. You’re
simply the instrument that allows them to exact their revenge,” the girl
explained. “Lean forward, and I will wash your hair.”

Lilly did so, not questioning
that the fragrant steam seemed to have sapped her will entirely. She didn’t
have the strength to move or to do anything, other than obey the girl’s
commands, yet she felt more in touch with her body than ever before. The
fragrance of the steam and the gentle glide of the water as it lapped at her
skin seemed to overwhelm her senses.

“Dax and Farron hate Remy and
Philippe,” she whispered. “Just as Jacques, one of the Elders, hates them. When
they informed the council they’d taken a mate, it was horrible.”

“Why does he hate them?” she
asked. Her speech sounded strange, even to her own ears. One word rolled into
the next, slurred and indistinct.

“Many years ago, Remy and
Philippe were favored by our leader. They were given things that Jean-Claude
and Alain wanted for themselves, so they issued a challenge. Remy and Philippe
bested them but did not kill them. It was a grave insult to them to leave them
alive after such a defeat. Their father, who was Jacques’ older brother, was so
dishonored by them that he took their lives and his own. Jacques has never
forgiven Remy and Philippe for that. Neither have Dax and Farron. Jean-Claude
and Alain were their older brothers.”

Lilly frowned, trying to process
that, but it simply wasn’t working. Her blood heated, moving through her body
in a familiar dance of arousal. She felt her nipples hardening and could feel
the blood heating in her veins. A sneaking suspicion filled her mind. “What did
you put in the water?”

“It’s just something to relax
you. We can’t have you running away.”

Panic hit her then, cold and
hard. She struggled to rise from the tub but found that her limbs simply wouldn’t
cooperate.

The girl placed her hands
forcefully on Lilly’s shoulders, pressing her back into the warm water. “You’re
going to hurt yourself!”

“Why are you really here?” Lilly
demanded. “What is all this about?”

“I used a potion in the bath
water that will make you compliant, and when Dax and Farron come for you
tonight, it will be a pleasurable experience for you. Your body will be capable
of feeling nothing but pleasure. They made me do it.”

“I don’t want them!”

The girl shuffled away from the
tub, looking away from her.

Frustrated, Lilly added, “Why
are they doing this? If the challenge has been issued, why the elaborate
lengths?”

The girl didn’t answer
immediately. Her attention appeared to be focused on the doorway. The sound of
footfalls gradually penetrated the fog that seemed to have settled over her.

“Because you are our ace in the
hole,” a male voice said from behind her. “Stealing you from beneath their
noses and doing anything we choose to do with you in the meantime will ensure
that they have to accept the challenge!”

It took all of her strength to
simply turn her head and look at them.

Lilly didn’t know which one was
Dax and which was Farron, but she recognized the voice of the speaker as the
one who had been the roughest with her. They had entered the room silently, or
perhaps the drug was dulling much more than just her mobility. She wanted to
cover herself as they strode into the room, but her limbs refused to cooperate.
A sharp scream escaped her as they stepped forward and plucked her from the
tub.

* * * * *

Remy entered the women’s hall
with Philippe beside him and Alphonse leading the way. During the flight,
Alphonse had managed to track the flight information for Dax and Farron and
knew that they hadn’t been too far ahead of them since the private jet Alphonse
had arranged for them had been among the fastest. They knew that Lilly would be
held in one of the tower rooms, and as they headed for the stairs, Remy felt
the surge of panic. Lilly was close by, and she was horribly frightened.

Philippe had already begun to
run, his long legs taking the stairs two at a time as he raced ahead. Remy
followed quickly, hot on his heels as they climbed. They didn’t falter but ran
unwaveringly to the room where Lilly was being held, their instincts and their
bond leading them directly to her. Philippe kicked the door in and barged into
the room. A frightened young woman rushed past them.

Remy stopped short, taking in
the scene. Lilly was naked in Dax’ arms, and while she didn’t appear to be
struggling, he knew instantly that she was not there willingly. The pungent
aroma that filled the air told him why. The potent mixture of herbs was
familiar to him.

“Put her down!” Philippe barked.

Before Dax or Farron could
respond, Alphonse entered the room. “You have defied direct orders from the
council. Dax and Farron, you will place Lilly in the care of her current mates,
Remy and Philippe, and don’t think that Jacques’ presence on the council will
save you this time!”

“If we hadn’t done something,
they would have refused our challenge!” Farron protested.

“We’ll never know that,”
Alphonse replied reasonably. “You’ve both defied every law and every edict that
the council has set forth! You’ll be lucky if you aren’t banished to the North!”

Remy stepped forward, removing
his coat, and pulled Lilly from Dax’ arms. Wrapping the fabric about her, he
hugged her tightly to his chest. She didn’t say anything but simply lay limply
against him. He could feel the dampness of her tears. It took every bit of
control he possessed not to kill them on the spot.

“Alphonse, as a member of the Council
of Elders, we formally submit our acceptance of their challenge to you. Do we
still have quarters in the Main Hall?”

“Of course you do. They’ve been
readied for you. I will let the others know.”

Remy marched out of the room
with Lilly in his arms. He cradled her gently, though his urge was to crush her
to him. The desire to turn around and go back for Dax and Farron to rip them
apart was at war with his desire to comfort her. “I’m so sorry we left you
alone,” he said. “If I had known—”

“You couldn’t have known,” she
said. Her speech was still slightly slurred, though getting her out of that
room and away from the scent of the herbs was helping. “But you came for me.”

“Of course we did,” he said and
wondered where Philippe was. It was as if the thought of him had conjured him,
as he fell into step behind them on the stairs.

“Alphonse is forcing Dax and
Farron to wait there with him until we have Lilly safely in our suite,”
Philippe explained.

Remy knew it wasn’t a stretch to
think that Philippe had requested it. Despite his temper, Philippe had always
been the strategist. Curling his arms tighter around Lilly, he knew that, for
the moment, they would all be safe. But with all of them being back at the clan
compound, their safety was temporary at best.

Chapter Three

Lilly was carried into their
suite much like a bride being carried over the threshold. The thought made her
smile, though she was still shaken. She felt completely out of control of her
own body, unable to move, not because she had willingly ceded control, but
because it had been taken from her. Then there were the other effects of the
potion. It appeared to have kicked her libido into overdrive. She felt hot from
head to toe, her skin flushing even in the coolness of the room. Everywhere
that Remy touched her felt like a brand. Trying to ignore it, she surveyed her
surroundings as best as she could.

Unlike the rustic room she’d
been in before, Remy and Philippe’s suite was positively palatial. Marble and
rich dark woods seemed to comprise most of the materials present. A fire burned
in a hearth that she could have parked a car in. They crossed through the
living area and through a set of heavy and elaborate double doors. Beyond those
doors was a large bed, draped in emerald velvet, the posts intricately carved
with scales. The head of each post was a dragon.

“That’s fitting,” she said.

Remy smiled as he laid her on
the bed and tucked the blankets around her. “Even with the fire, it’s chilly. This
house was built at the end of the nineteenth century and not much has been
updated since, including the heating system.”

The softness of the bedding was
the sweetest torture against her skin. Even her sense of smell was heightened.
She could smell him on her skin. “I’d rather have you to keep me warm,” she
said. “Right now, I’m not just warm, I’m hot. Burning up.”

“That’s the potion talking,”
Philippe said, stripping out of his clothes and joining her on the bed.

“What the hell was that anyway?”
Lilly asked.

Remy answered, “It’s an old
charm, an aphrodisiac made from roots and herbs, with a bit of magic tossed in.
The nightshade was added to it to also give it a sedative effect, which I
imagine is why you are having such a difficult time moving. If it was a small
dose, it should wear off soon. I think it’s beginning to already.”

“How long does the other effect
last?”

“It’s hard to say... perhaps a
few hours. Perhaps until tomorrow. It can be very uncomfortable,” Philippe
responded, his fingertips trailing over her exposed skin. The lightest of touches,
it still had her reeling. “It heightens every sense.... taste, touch, smell.
Everything you experience, whether it is pain or pleasure, will be more
intense.”

Remy glanced at Philippe and
smiled. “We’re going to be in for a very long night.”

Lilly shivered as she felt
Philippe’s lips against her neck. He kissed the mark there. Though it was
always sensitive, she was unprepared for how the potion would magnify that. Her
blood raced through her veins. Everywhere he touched her seemed to arc directly
to her core until, with no more than a kiss, her body was weeping for him.

“Kiss me,” she urged.

Philippe moved above her and
claimed her lips in a slow, languid kiss. It defied the rage that burned inside
him at what had almost happened. But having Lilly taken from them, even if only
for a short time, had given him the need to show her how much he treasured her.
With his lips, teeth, and tongue, he played at her mouth, delving inside and
then retreating, only to nip her lower lip. Her answering moan was all the
encouragement he needed to keep going. Behind him, he could hear Remy
disrobing. They truly would be in for a long night. The drug could take hours
to work its way out of Lilly’s system, and until then, she would crave their
touch as she never had before.

Leaving the lushness of her
delicious mouth, he trailed hot, wet kisses along the column of her throat
until he reached the upper swells of her breasts. Her nipples were pebbled and
begging for his touch. Mindful of how sensitive she would be, he traced the
hardened buds lightly with his tongue, gentle but insistent. She moaned loudly,
her back arching slightly. He cupped her other breast, teasing the nipple
delicately, rolling it between his fingers until she screamed his name. When he
felt the bed sink beneath Remy’s weight, he trailed his other hand over her
belly, down to the soft, damp slit. As he traced the hardened bud of her clit,
he felt Remy part her thighs wider, parting the pink lips of her sex. To keep
her from screaming, Philippe kissed her again as Remy plunged his tongue into
her.

Lilly felt as if her body was
imploding. The heightened sensations were too much, the pleasure too intense.
As Remy’s tongue moved inside her, thrusting in and out of her slick sheath,
she could do nothing but lie there and tremble beneath the onslaught. With
Philippe masterfully claiming her mouth, his hands playing at her breasts with
a gentleness that was exquisite, she couldn’t even think. She could only feel
and let the sensations wash through her, over her. The orgasm building inside
her was so intense she could feel her inner muscles coiling tightly. Her thighs
trembled. When Remy withdrew his tongue, she wanted to sob in protest, but then
his fingers were inside her, two and then three, pressing deep into her damp
sheath, filling her.