Torn: A Dragon Shifter BBW Menage Serial (Seeking Her Mates Book 1) by Carina Wilder Read Free Book Online

she’d ever felt.
    He’d let her hand go, but on occasion as they strolled the back of his own would graze her fingers, which sent a pulse of electricity shooting through her body. Whether the move was deliberate, she didn’t know, nor did she want to. The possibility of accidental contact was almost as good as that of deliberate touch.
    “Where are you taking me?” she asked at last. Lily considered feigning a slight apprehension or even fear of being abducted, but she was no actress; he’d see right through it. And no part of her was frightened of the man—only of the emotions he stirred up inside her.
    “A place that’s very special to me and to my family,” he said. “You say you’re interested in rewriting history—well, I want to show you some of mine.”
    They came at last to a wide street lined with a series of tall connected houses. Conor stopped at one much like those surrounding it: tall, brick, flanked on either side by similar structures. Without a word he opened a wrought iron gate and led Lily to the front steps.
    “Oh God, this isn’t your parents’ house, is it?” The place, she knew, was worth a fortune in downtown London. Perhaps she wasn’t the only wealthy student in their class.
    “No, no. It’s not really anyone’s at this point. But since my family has more claim to it than anyone, I get to come here when I like.”
    The words didn’t help to explain how they’d gained entry and the mystery remained as Conor pulled what looked like an ancient skeleton key out of his jacket pocket and opened the front door.
    “Ladies first,” he said, his dimples taunting Lily as though to say, “Try and resist these, weak woman.”
    She walked into a narrow front hallway whose walls led her eye to ceilings so high that her déor could have fit into the space. Beyond the foyer in front of her was a steep staircase curving up and to the right among richly-painted walls hung with more art than Lily had ever seen in a gallery.
    “What IS this place?” she asked, staring at the portrait of a young man which hung at the base of the stairs.
    “Centuries ago, an ancestor of mine became very wealthy; he was an aristocrat up in the north of England. He passed down his art collections from generation to generation, and relics of his time and ours have all come together here. It’s a private gallery, though, and only open to visitors once a week. The rest of the time it’s surveyed by security cameras.” He pointed to a corner high above where wall met ceiling, and Lily noticed an out-of-place, shiny new-age camera looking down at them.
    “I see,” she said. Well, clearly he hadn’t brought her here to make out. Unless he had a strange exhibitionistic kink. “And who are the people in all these paintings?”
    “That is a great-great-great-and-so-on-grandfather of mine,” said Conor, gesturing to the first one they came to. “From Scotland. Our family had a castle there—still do, really, though it’s not very well kept up these days. They warred constantly with rival clans, as the Scots liked to do. Until some of them ended up moving south, away from all the sparring.”
    “Of course,” said Lilliana, making her way slowly up the stairs as she examined more works: landscapes showing lush, rolling hills. Dignified-looking men and not so dignified ones, and beautiful women in lovely gowns.
    “What’s this?” she asked as she reached the landing. A large crest hung before her at eye level as though seeking attention among the many works around it. Most of its paint was stripped off, but she could make out a painted shield, and behind it a bear, his paw draped over its front as though claiming the shield as his own. The enormous bear wore a suit of armour.
    “That’s our family crest, believe it or not,” said Conor. “I suspect that my forebears were the burly type.”
    “Forebears. Nice play on words,” said Lily, glancing at him sideways and allowing herself a brief