Dragon's Lair by Denise Lynn Read Free Book Online Page A

useful?
    How?
    Before she could ask, she heard footsteps approaching the elevator.
    â€œTook you long enough. Thank God it wasn’t a real emergency.”
    Alexia couldn’t help shaking her head. Sean was just as impatient as ever.
    Braeden moved aside, waving her forward. “I’m sure you remember my guest.” She darted around him and out of the elevator.
    â€œWhat is she doing here?”
    Danielle Drake’s voice dripped with all the hatred Alexia remembered. The unwarranted tone set her teeth on edge. She’d never seen any indication that the curse Danielle feared so much had been true. Not the tiniest speck of Braeden’s power had been drained from him during their marriage. What would it take to make his aunt see reason?
    Alexia hadn’t the faintest idea. Since she had no plans to stick around for long, she really didn’t care what Danielle thought or felt.
    â€œDon’t start, Danielle.” Braeden’s exasperated sigh reminded Alexia of how many times he’d been forced to come between her and his aunt before—and of how many times he’d failed to do so.
    She studied Danielle. His aunt, a petite woman, hadn’t aged at all in the past three years. The jet-black hair flowing over her shoulders and her unblemished, wrinkle-free skin made the woman all that much easier to dislike. How did a woman professing to be as old as dirt retain such a youthful appearance?
    Even though Alexia wasn’t telepathic, she’d learned the hard way that Danielle Drake was more than able not only to read her mind, but also to send thoughts to her. The only thing Alexia needed to do was let down her guard, and Danielle would see to it that they held a full conversation without saying a word out loud.
    Intentionally letting down the wall surrounding her mind, Alexia mused, Danielle Drake didn’t look a day over…eighty.
    Aunt Danielle’s instant glare momentarily pinned her in place. “Eighty? Quite a compliment coming from someone the other side of…forty.”
    Alexia narrowed her eyes against the expected intrusion and returned the nasty stare, thinking, “I see you haven’t lost your ability to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Stay out of my head, Danielle.”
    â€œSeems you invited me in.” Danielle tossed her head. “What the hell are you doing here in the first place? Haven’t you caused Braeden enough grief? Or are you looking to finish him off?”
    â€œIt doesn’t take a psychic to know what the two of you are doing.” Braeden grasped Alexia’s arm and pulled her to his side while ordering his aunt, “Enough.”
    Instead of goading Danielle further, Alexia turned her attention to Sean. He’d introduced her to Braeden. She’d known Sean at college. They’d been friends and she’d gone with him to a weekend party at the Drake mansion in Boston. He’d only asked her because his girlfriend had stood him up, and arriving alone would have only made him a target for his aunt’s matchmaking.
    Braeden had also been at the party. As if bewitched, they’d been drawn to each other. It took all of ten minutes for her to lose her heart and soul to him. They were meant for each other. How had things turned out so wrong between them?
    Unlike the rest of his family, Sean was uninitiated. He was normal. Safe. She smiled at him and asked, “How are you?”
    For the first time since they’d met, Sean’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. While he returned her greeting, his guarded look and narrowed gaze made her want to escape. She shouldn’t have expected anything different. Uninitiated or not, Sean was still a Drake.
    Braeden released her, only to drape his arm possessively across her shoulders while he caressed the side of her neck with his thumb. Surprised, she flinched. What was he up to with this sudden display of affection?
    Between the heat of his