The Summoning [Dragon's Lair 2] Read online

  It wasn’t an entirely cerebral experience. Moisture gathered between her thighs, heat pooling low in her belly, and her breasts felt full and heavy, her nipples aching and sensitive where they brushed against the silk of her dress. She wanted to touch herself, to ease the desire, but she knew that would only prompt her beautiful men to want to see to her needs, and at the moment, she was far more invested in watching them see to one another. No more had that thought crossed her mind than she saw Philippe’s hands snaking over the hard planes of Remy’s chest and down to his jutting cock. Never one to be a passive lover, Remy had reached behind him, curling his fingers into the hollows of Philippe’s hips, tugging him closer.

  Remy savored the sensation of Philippe’s hands on him, just as he savored the weight of Lilly’s gaze. It was so much like the night they had claimed her as their mate, luring her in with just such a display. Inhaling deeply, he scented her arousal, and it made his already hard cock ache. When Philippe’s hand closed around him, the touch firm and strong, he couldn’t hold back the groan of pleasure.

  “Lilly wants a show,” Philippe said. “So let’s give her one.”

  Turning his head so that their mouths were only a breath apart, Remy answered, “We always give her what she wants.” With that, he kissed Philippe, taking his mouth in a hot, hard kiss. Philippe’s goatee abraded Remy’s lips, the slight roughness only adding to the exquisite sensation. Their tongues met, dueling for supremacy, for control. By the time the kiss broke, Philippe’s rock-hard cock was thrusting helplessly against him and pre-cum glistened at the head of Remy’s. Turning to face Philippe, Remy aligned his cock with Philippe’s and pressed the shafts together with his hand. Facing Lilly, he took in her flushed cheeks, her parted lips, and the sweet smell of her musk.

  “There’s oil in the bedside table. Bring it to us.” As she rose to do his bidding, he noted that her gait was less than steady and her breathing appeared to be very rapid.

  “Is this what you wanted?” she asked, holding up the bottle.

  “Yes. Pour some into your hand and warm it,” he instructed her. After she had complied, he continued, “Now, rub it over our cocks... get them nice and slick.”

  She did so, with a deep, shuddering breath. When she started to pull away, Philippe grasped her wrist and returned her hand to their shafts. “I thought I was only watching.”

  “No, cher. There is no greater pleasure than having you both touch me at the same time. I’m too greedy to give that up for long,” Philippe said.

  Lilly shuddered in response, her body’s reaction to that statement visceral and immediate. Her clit throbbed, and the slightest movement seemed to create a delicious friction. She placed her hand opposite Remy’s, their fingers overlapping on the pulsing shafts. He led, and she followed, pumping his hand up and down, jacking them both at the same time. Beneath her hand, she felt them both growing harder, thicker. But she couldn’t take her eyes off Remy. They stared into one another’s eyes, the connection as intimate as if his cock had been buried inside her.

  Lilly felt Philippe’s hand close over hers, squeezing tighter, increasing the pressure as Remy increased their speed. Both men were now thrusting their hips rhythmically, their oiled cocks sliding between their joined hands. She felt their pleasure. They were all undeniably linked, but in that moment, it was as if the gates had simply opened. Lilly felt everything that they did, the exquisite tension and the need.

  “Fuck, I can’t wait.”

  It was Philippe who spoke. His thrusts became more erratic, and Lilly felt his cock harden even more beneath their hands. She wanted him to come. She wanted to feel their mingled essence on her skin. When he groaned loudly, she felt the hot splash of his release. The warm fluid coated her fingers and Remy’s as he pulled away.

  Philippe’s breath was harsh and shuddering. “Now it’s your turn.”

  Before Lilly could even question what he meant, Remy had picked her up and placed her face down on the bed. On her hands and knees in front of him, she could only gasp as he pushed her dress up, baring her bottom to the slightly chilled air. There was no preamble, only the hard thrust of his cock into her waiting sheath. Philippe stood beside the bed, stroking his cock that was still miraculously hard as he watched Remy fucking her. She watched him as his gaze traveled over them. His appreciation for the picture they made was obvious.

  When his gaze moved back to her face, he said simply, “You’re not the only one who enjoys watching.”

  Lilly couldn’t think any more. She could only stare at Philippe, appreciating the beautiful and erotic sight of him stroking his massive erection while being bombarded with the overwhelming sensation of Remy pounding his cock into her, fucking her hard and relentlessly. This wasn’t the gentle lovemaking she so often received from him, or even the perfect mixture of dominance and pain mingled with pleasure that he was so skilled at. He simply took in that moment. Every hard, bone-jarring thrust was a statement of his claim. His hands gripped her hips hard while her fingers twisted in the bedclothes for leverage. Thrusting her hips back, meeting him stroke for stroke, she felt the first ripples of her climax just as he erupted inside her. Feeling the hot rush of his seed pumping into her only increased the intensity of her own climax. It left her gasping, breathless, and utterly incapable of thought and speech as she collapsed onto the bed.

  With a will of their own, her eyes traveled to the small clock on the bedside table. It was just after two in the afternoon. In less than ten hours they would face Dax and Farron. The fear returned instantly, the tightness and heaviness in her gut an unwelcome reminder of all that was at stake.

  “I can’t stand it,” she said. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “You won’t,” Philippe said, tugging her close and closing his arms around her. “I promise you, Lilly, nothing will separate us.”

  “I’ve never had anything this good in my life... and I’ve never had anything good that lasted. You don’t control life and death, Philippe. You can’t promise me that.”

  “Yes, we can,” Remy assured her. “We’ve been challenged many times, Lilly. That is one of the reasons we left the compound and chose to limit our contact with the clan. We’ve never been beaten.”

  “Do you really think Dax and Farron are going to fight fair?”

  Philippe pressed her back onto the bed. “Do you really think we will?”

  Lilly couldn’t answer. His hand had slid between her thighs, one callused finger strumming over her clit. “Philippe—”

  “Ten hours from now, we will face them. Until that time, we have better things to do.”

  Chapter Five

  Lilly donned the gown that had arrived for her. It was a gift from Alphonse, and she had no idea how he had known her size or where it had actually come from. The molded cups pushed her breasts up, creating an alarming amount of cleavage, and the empire waist only emphasized her curves more. The pale silver chiffon gradually darkened to a midnight black at the hem. Two beaded clasps at the shoulders were connected by a chain that she hoped was comprised of crystals. She had the sinking feeling that it cost more than her entire wardrobe. It came with a black velvet cape with a beaded clasp that matched those on the gown.

  “Do people really dress like this here?”

  Remy smiled. “Yes, they do. These events are few and far between. You look stunning.”

  Lilly looked in the mirror, at her upswept hair and the elegant gown. It was certainly a far cry from what she normally wore. Still, it was difficult to enjoy it when all she could think about was the reason behind it. “I would rather be at home in New Orleans, naked in our bed and dreading when the two of you would get up to go to the club, instead of wondering whether or not you’ll be coming home again.”

  “Philippe and I will come home. By this time tomorrow night, our lives will all be back to normal.”

  At that she smiled. “I don’t know that we could ever call our lives normal.”

  Philippe walked into the room, wearing o
nly a pair of leather pants, identical to the ones that Remy wore. “No. Our lives are not normal. They are a hell of a lot better than normal.”

  Lilly didn’t have a chance to respond. A knock on the door prevented it. When Alphonse entered the suite, he had two other council members with him.

  “Lilly, I’ll escort you to the stands. You will join the council in the viewing box. Marcus and Lucerne will escort Remy and Philippe to the arena.”

  She wanted to protest, to beg everyone in the room to call off the entire thing. Even if it meant giving them up, she would have, so long as they could live. The idea of something happening to them was torturing her. But she knew it wouldn’t matter. Even if the council agreed to rescind the challenge, Philippe and Remy wouldn’t. She allowed Alphonse to lead her away.

  With Lilly gone, Philippe turned to the other council members. He didn’t have to look at Remy to know that he had followed suit. “We have requests,” Philippe said.

  Marcus responded. “We had assumed you would.”

  “Dax and Farron cannot have her. Whatever has to be done, if we lose this battle, they cannot have her.”

  “Steps have been taken to ensure that Lilly can deny their claim if she chooses. We have made certain of it,” Lucerne replied.

  “Lilly should be free to live her life,” Remy stated, “but we would request that the clan continue to offer her protection and sanctuary should she ever require it.”

  “She will have everything she needs, and we will be certain that no harm befalls her,” Lucerne promised.

  With Lilly’s future at least partially assured, they left the suite and headed to the arena. Philippe was acutely aware of the power of each man present. The very air around them was charged with it.

  * * * * *

  Lilly was seated beside Alphonse. The viewing box was a raised dais, much like something she’d seen at a Renaissance fair for the jousting tournaments. The arena was a large circle, bordered by standing stones. The very air inside that circle seemed different somehow, heavily laden and foreboding. With her hands clenched in her lap, she watched as a hooded figure walked the perimeter of the circle, lighting tall torches.

  “In all my years, I have never seen anything as powerful as Remy and Philippe in dragon form,” Alphonse said. “They are truly a sight to behold.”

  “I’ve never seen them in dragon form,” she said.

  Alphonse must have sensed her fear because he offered her a reassuring smile as he answered. “We can’t shift outside the circle. Many centuries ago, the council made the choice for the protection of the clan. The world has become smaller and smaller, Lilly, and creatures like us must blend or be hunted. So every dragon is asked to forfeit the power to transform outside the circle, for their own safety and for the safety of their people.”

  Dax and Farron entered the circle then, escorted by other council members. They were completely naked except for small, leather loincloths. They came to stand before the council’s dais. They didn’t speak, but Lilly felt their eyes on her. It made her skin crawl.

  Only seconds later, Remy and Philippe entered. Their leather pants had been exchanged for the same loincloths that Dax and Farron wore. Her breath caught as looked at them, their hard bodies rippling in the torchlight and their faces set in identical, stony expressions. She’d never seen them look so cold, so angry, and so capable of being utterly ruthless. It actually made her feel hopeful.

  Jacques rose and faced them. “You may take your positions, gentlemen, and you may resume your true forms.”

  Lilly couldn’t take her eyes off Remy and Philippe as they turned to face one another. They stepped closer until their chests touched. Light began to form around them, swirling and undulating. Tiny pinpricks of flame appeared within the shafts of light, arcing and dancing wildly. It was hypnotic and terrifying. It didn’t take long before the lights and flames were so bright she could no longer look directly at them. She squinted, and she tried shielding her eyes, but it was to no avail. The glowing wall that had formed between them was impenetrable by the naked eye. It became so intense she had to turn her face away.

  The light began to recede, and, reluctantly, Lilly turned back to face the field. She was frightened of what she would see, but she was equally afraid not to look. Knowing that they were dragon shifters was very different from seeing the indelible proof. The last of the shimmering light faded and standing at the far end of the field was a large, winged dragon. Covered in black and gold scales, it was both beautiful and incredibly frightening. When the large head turned toward her, she could see eyes that were so familiar to her. The dark pupils were surrounded by two irises; Remy’s blue eyes and Philippe’s green ones were still present. Meeting that gaze, she knew that everything she loved about them still existed within the creature before her. The intelligence, the ruthlessness, even the gentleness that they so often showed her, it was all there for her to see.

  Lilly realized in that moment that it wasn’t simply their deaths that she had feared but the idea that seeing them this way would somehow change how she felt for them, how accepting she could be of them. Even after everything she had seen and felt with them, there had been a small part of her that doubted. Now, all doubts were gone, firmly eradicated by the sight before her. Though she was reluctant, she broke that eye contact and turned to toward Dax and Farron, surveying their dragon form. In their dragon form, they were not as large, and they lacked the majesty that Remy and Philippe seemed to exude. Lilly felt that small spark of hope burgeoning inside her.

  A woman wearing an elaborately embroidered robe stepped up to the edge of the dais and raised an intricately carved horn, emitting a loud call. As Lilly looked on, the two massive creatures charged one another, taking flight and meeting in a clash of fire and tearing claws. Again and again, the creatures clashed. The sound of beating wings and the roar of flames filled the night sky. Lilly leaned forward in her seat, her hands gripping the railing in front of her. Her lungs burned, and she realized she hadn’t actually taken a breath since the fight had begun.

  The gold-and-black dragon flew upward into the night sky and then turned to dive down again. The firelight glinted on the massive claws as they ripped into the dark scales of the second dragon. The howl that split the night was harsh and pained, and Lilly knew in that moment that it was over. The dragon pulled away, once again taking to the air, the second creature lay on the ground, attempting to move, but it failed to rise.

  Alphonse rose. “Enough! The challenge has been satisfied!”

  The sound of beating wings grew closer, and the dragon swooped gracefully down, its large talons digging into the earth directly before the dais. Lilly reached out, her hand gliding over the scales, testing the texture. They were smoother and harder than she had anticipated, like warmed marble beneath her fingertips. A shuddering breath escaped the creature, the heat of it scalding. Drawing away, she watched as the light once again began to shimmer over them. It was less bright, perhaps because rather than coalescing into one, the light was separating, forming two distinct columns. Within those columns, she saw the silhouettes of their bodies becoming more solid, more real. When the light faded entirely, Remy and Philippe stood before her, naked, blood seeping from wounds on their chests and arms. Behind them, Dax and Farron lay on the ground, their bodies bloodied and ravaged, but their hearts still beating.

  Alphonse met their gazes. “We’ve been here once before, my friends. You chose mercy then, and that decision has cost you dearly. What is your choice this time?”

  “If Dax and Farron will forsake any claim to Lilly and give their oath to never interfere in our lives again, we still choose mercy for them,” Remy said.

  “And if they refuse?”

  “Then they die,” Philippe said, his voice hard and steely.

  Others had moved forward to help the injured men to their feet, bringing them forward. In the face of their ugly wounds, Lilly wanted to look away, but forced herself not to. If Remy and Philippe were willing t
o fight to protect her, then it would have been cowardice on her part to be unable to face the consequences of it. Alphonse asked the questions, being very specific in ascertaining whether or not Dax and Farron were willing to meet Remy and Philippe’s terms to preserve their lives.

  “Yes,” Dax said. “We agree to the terms.”

  “This will not stand!” Jacques roared.

  Alphonse turned to him. “Jacques, you will not interfere again!”

  “They have destroyed my family! Dishonored all of us!”

  “No!” Alphonse shouted, a deep growl underlying his voice. It made Lilly jump. “You have dishonored us! You have used your place on this council to indulge your selfish need for vengeance! Jean-Claude and Alain allowed jealousy and greed to guide them, and your brother allowed pride to blind him to even the love he had for his own sons! Now your insatiable need to right these perceived wrongs has jeopardized the only family you have left! It ends now!”

  Jacques moved forward. His speed was shocking, but with his hands curved into claws, his intent was obvious. He did not make it very far. Alphonse held up one hand, and as if he were nothing more than a twig, Jacques simply flew backward across the dais, landing in a heap amidst broken and overturned chairs. The gasp of the crowd told Lilly that what she was witnessing was something unusual.

  “Your power has faded, Jacques, because you have cultivated the weakness inside yourself, rather than your strength,” Alphonse said. “From this point forward, you will step down from the council and you will join your nephews in exile.”

  Jacques didn’t argue but simply rose and walked away. That he did so without protest was a testament to whatever metaphysical power Alphonse had just displayed. She would have to ask Remy and Philippe. As she had the thought, two people rushed forward and draped robes around Remy and Philippe. They stepped onto the dais and took Lilly’s hands.