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Chapter 22
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Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 23
And though I came to forget or regret all I have ever done, yet I would remember that once I saw the dragons aloft on the wind at sunset above the western isles; and I would be content.―Ursula K. Le Guin,?The Farthest ShoreFitful dreams and haunted, shadowy nightmares chased Mikhail through the halls of his mind as he slept. The dragon stirred, trying to reclaim control as images of Elizabeth, his sweet Gloriana, betraying him played over and over. For five centuries his dragon had held the pain of the past at bay. But the moment Piper Linwood came into his life, the fortress around his dragon's heart had begun to crumble.He had dared to desire a mate once before, and it had cost him everything but his life. The dragon inside him didn't want to take a risk like that again. It had nearly killed him. And Piper She could be his mate. The chemistry was there, and the hunger in her blue-gray eyes when she looked at him made it all but impossible to keep his distance.He had to have
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 24
"Like what you see?" He swung the shower door open with his free hand. Steam rolled out and wrapped around Piper's frozen figure. She didn't reply, but her grip on the blanket began to slip as he unleashed his seed. She gasped and the blanket fell to the floor. She wore only the bra and panties now, and he got hard all over again at the sight. He didn't wait for her to think. He pulled her into the shower with him and shut the door. She jumped as the hot water splashed on their bodies."Wait, my bra" she said as he dragged her deeper into the spray."Let me help you." He slipped his fingertips under her bra straps and unclasped it from behind, then lowered them off her shoulders. Her bra fell to the floor with a wet smack. She covered her breasts and backed up until she had the shower wall behind her.Mikhail's instincts took over. He cornered her against the wall, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders and leaning in to kiss her. Her startled lips parted, and she opened
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 25
People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.Ursula K. Le Guin"What do you mean the jewels are gone?" Conrad Sinclair stared at Barty Winston from across the expansive mahogany desk in his office. The wood had been so finely polished that he could see his own ghostly reflection if he leaned close enough to the surface."There was a burglary." Barty shifted uncomfortably in the chair opposite Conrad's desk. "Someone came in through the kitchen door that connects to the museum from the mews."Conrad frowned, his temper roiling like magma beneath his skin."But the auction house has security cameras and alarm systems. The jewels were in a safe." He'd been working with Barty to acquire the information needed to make his own heist possible, but it seemed someone had beaten him to it."It was an inside job. The security cameras were put on a loop. The kitchen alarm was disabled with the correct code. Oddly enough, they left a small amount of th
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 26
Piper woke slowly, her body stirring with a languid, relaxed feeling of bliss. She'd never known her body could be so limp. Heat radiated from behind her, and warm breath fanned against the back of her neck. A large masculine hand cupped her right breast, offering a slight squeeze as she stirred.Mikhail.She was in bed with a man who could shift into a dragon. And he'd made love to her. Her thighs quivered with the memory, as did the soreness deep inside her. She'd done it. She'd finally had sex, and it had been scary, a bit painful, and then amazing. He'd been slow and gentle, and she'd felt herself come apart beneath him. The memories warmed her all over. She was going to be embarrassed when he woke up, but at least right now, while he was asleep, she could enjoy this. Jodie had been right. This was so worth it.But as much as she wanted to stay right where she was, nature was calling. She gently pried Mikhail's hand off her breast and slipped out of bed. He made a soft growl b
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 27
Dragonman,Dragonman,Between thee and thine,Share me that glimpse of loveGreater than mine.Anne McCaffreyA crooked smile curved Mikhail's lips, and it made him that much sexier. He stood there in nothing but unbuttoned jeans, showing the dark trail of hair from his navel leading down to his waist. The indentions of his hips made her mouth run dry. She was thirsty for a taste of him."Surrender and I won't be too rough," he said in a smug tone. A hint of the medieval badass he had been six hundred years ago crept through, which might have scared any other woman. But she wanted that rough edge in him. She didn't care that she was still sore; her body wantedneededto be owned and possessed by him.She started to crawl over the bed, her eyes wide and soft as though she planned to give him what he wanted. He placed his hands on his hips and came closer. When he reached the bed, she leaped off and sprinted for the bathroom. But he moved too fast for her. She was grabbed from be
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 28
"Mikhail, what are we going to do about the jewels? Or the police, for that matter?" The last two days had been a wild sort of dream, but she had to face facts. She was a suspect in a jewel heist, and if she wasn't already fired, she would be the moment she came back. Her life, the one that she'd worked so hard to build, was over.He stroked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I have friends in high places. Or, more accurately, friends who have friends in high places. I will make sure you won't suffer for what I've made you do."She shook her head. "It's not that easy. This isn't a trivial robbery. I don't think anyone can call them off." He was silent for several long seconds. "I'll figure something out."She closed her eyes and tucked her head under his chin. He didn't seem to understand the depth of their situation. She couldn't just leave with him and the jewels and live happily ever after. They'd stay on every major agency's wanted list for the rest of their lives. Mikhail could
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 29
Dragon kind was no less cruel than mankind. The Dragon, at least, acted from bestial need rather than bestial greed.Anne McCaffreyRandolph Belishaw could still taste the sweet flavor of Jodie Harkness on his lips when he left the London residence she was renting. He was growing more and more attached to the woman, and that was dangerous. From the first kiss they'd shared, he'd glimpsed her as a little girl, running about a large backyard, her pigtails bouncing as she'd chased a puppy. He'd known then that Jodie was his true mate, and the longer he stayed around her, the more his dragon would bond with her, demand to claim her. But Randolph could not afford to mate a human, not when they lived so short a life. He was the eldest son of his family. He had duties and traditions to uphold. Better to find a dragoness someday and continue the line. His dragon keened with a sharp, protesting cry inside his head. It wanted Jodieit wanted her and no one else. With practiced patience, h
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 30
We need in love, to practice only this: letting each other go. For holding on comes easily; we do not need to learn it.Rainer Maria RilkePiper crept downstairs to the kitchen, her boots dangling off her fingertips so she could tread as softly as a cat. Mikhail was asleep in his bed. They'd spent all night making love, each time more desperate and hungry than the last. A tide of guilt rolled through her, battering her like waves in a cold, numbing way. But she couldn't ignore it any longer. She had to do the right thing and go back to London. Dragons and humans didn't belong together. He was immortal, and she had another sixty years at best. We have no future. It's the right thing to do. We have to break this up before we get too tangled up in each other and it hurts even more. Her hands shook as she reached the kitchen and set her shoes down. The empty room still felt welcoming and warm, which only made what she was about to do even harder. But first she had to find the lette
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Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 81: Epilogue
Above us, outlined against the brilliant sky, dragons crowded every available perching space on the Rim. And the sun made a gold of every one of them.?―Anne McCaffrey,?Nerilka's StoryThe sound of the door chime at Rurik's apartment made Charlotte tense. Madelyn and Piper both giggled at her, but Charlotte wasn't laughing. After she'd almost died the day before, everything had become a chaotic blur. She'd been staying at Rurik's apartment while her brothers and Rurik's had seen to handling the cleanup of the dragon battle. She hadn't been sure if they would agree to come when she and Rurik had invited them over today."It's going to be fine," Madelyn said. "They fought together against Drakor and the Silvas.""And your brother saved my ass," Piper added. "That counts for something."Charlotte bit her lip, studying her future sisters-in-law. Behind them in the kitchen, Grigori and Mikhail were teasing Rurik about being mated, just as he'd predicted. He'd put up with it long enou
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 80
SnowSnow was falling. Charlotte could feel it on her skin before she opened her eyes. She was there in that realm between, feeling Rurik's beating heart. The warm glow was so close, but as she sat up and blinked, she saw the flames flicker and sputter, threatening to go out.She surged to her feet and pushed through the thick snowfall as the storm became fiercer, wind whipping at her. She had to reach his heart this time, or else the wall of shadows creeping in at the edges of her vision would overtake her.Charlotte braced her arms in front of her face, shielding it from the icy wind. Shapes moved ahead of her, but they weren't shadows. These shapes weredragons. Hundreds of them, lined on either side of her path to the dwindling glow of Rurik's heart. Their massive, long-snouted heads bowed, their frills fanning up as they watched her pass by beneath them like giant statues."Another comes to the doorstep. Come, brother. Come home. There is so much for us to show you. So much you
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 79
Like a fruit suffused with its own mystery and sweetness, she was filled with her vast death, which was so new she could not understand that it had happened.Rainer Maria RilkeRurik had fought a thousand battles, but nothing compared to the one inside him the moment he saw Charlotte pull Drakor over the edge of that building. Every nightmare he'd ever had as a boy of having a mate and losing her came true in that instant. The terror, pure and violent, froze him in place, but not for long. His dragon, buried deep beneath the serum, suddenly stirred."No!" His roar shook the already unstable building around them. He didn't have time to think. He rushed toward the ledge, just as Damien and his team stormed the room. It only took a moment for the hunter to recognize his intentions."Rurik, no!"Rurik leaped from the window, his rage and love blurring together in a swell of emotions that drowned out everything else. His dragon exploded out of him as he hurtled down toward his mate.
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 78
Charlotte woke with a gasp. Rurik's voice still lingered inside her, a whisper, more in her heart than her head. Had she dreamed it? Her lungs burned and her throat was in agony. For a moment she didn't remember where she was, until she saw Luis Silva crouched over her. His hands were no longer wrapped around her throat. Now they were balled into fists at his thighs.The memories of what had happened before she'd passed out came roaring back. But he seemed to have lost interest in her, which was perhaps the only thing that had saved her life. Luis was staring at something over her head. Clutching her throat, she rolled over and looked out through the tall windows and saw three winged shapes headed straight for them. Their wings flapped in a strange but familiar way, something between a gliding bird and the pulsing frenzy of a bat. Dragons.Luis growled, eyes fixed on this imminent threat. Charlotte realized this would be her only chance. She scrambled to her feet and lunged at Luis
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 77
The brave men did not kill dragons. The brave men rode them.Game of ThronesRurik stared at the floor number digits, which kept changing in the elevator as he and Damien's team rode it to the top floor, when suddenly his head seemed to clear of the fog that had separated him from Charlotte.Flashes of what she was seeing came through the bond to him. Drakor's face, the serum in his hand as he talked. Red-gold eyes burning into Charlotte's. Another man standing close behind Drakorone Rurik recognized with dread. Rurik felt her heart pounding and her terror spiking. He leaned against the side of the elevator, gasping as her strong emotions swamped him.Charlotte, where are you?"Uhguys, the dragon's face just turned green. I think he's going to puke," Jason said, cautiously inching away from Rurik. Meg and the other hunters stepped back. Damien gripped Rurik by the shoulder. "What's the matter?""I know I know where she is!" Rurik's head exploded with new images. An office build
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 76
Dragons and legendsIt would have been difficult for any man not to want to fight beside a dragon.―Patricia Briggs,?Dragon Blood"You are Rurik's mate," the Russian dragon mused as he leaned in and inhaled Charlotte's scent. She tensed, closing her eyes as he drew close enough to kiss her. He didn't, but the invasion of her personal space was unsettling.When he finally leaned away from her, she opened her eyes again. Luis, the man she'd head-butted, leaned against the closed door, watching her with black eyes. He'd brought her to an expensive high-rise structure in Moscow, newly built and mostly empty. She almost fainted at the height when she realized they were more than forty stories up in an empty corner office. She sat in a metal chair, but she wasn't restrained. Why bother? She had no way to escape, except jumping.Luis's gaze raked down her body. "She reeks of Barinov." Dimitri Drakor didn't seem nearly as brutish as she'd expected. He was nothing like Luis, who'd so cas
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 75
The course of true love never did run smooth.- Willian ShakespeareRurik's face hurt like the devil. Jason's one punch had left Rurik feeling agony he normally felt only in battle with another dragon. He spat, the bloody mess landing on the hotel carpet floor. Damien was staring at him, a contemplative look in his eyes, and Jason looked ready to go for round two with him."There's really no way to sever the mating bond?" Damien asked, his tone dangerously quiet. This time Rurik didn't feel like trying to hide his answers. Nothing he would say would change whatever it was they intended to do with him."Only death can break the bond." He looked Damien in the eyes. He saw only one option left open to him, even though it would shatter his heart. "Our intention, our hope, was to convince you there was another way between our peoples. But if you are so blind that you can't see this, then I have another option."Damien frowned. "What's that?""I will leave her alone. You take her hom
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 74
Charlotte lay on her side in the back of an SUV, her head pounding. She tried to sit up, but her body ached. She blinked, her brain foggy. She recognized the two women in the front seats of the vehicle."Tamara, Meg, what's going on?" She didn't immediately remember what had happened, but when her gaze met Tamara's in the rearview mirror, the last few hours came flooding back to her."Rurik!" She gasped and scrambled to reach for the car door."Charlotte!" Meg spun around in the front passenger seat. "Calm down, okay? Tamara and I are working on a plan. But first we had to get you somewhere safe." "A plan?" "Yeah. We both think your brothers are a bit unreasonable at the moment. Damien especially. I know it's going to piss him off, but I know what I saw between you and Rurik tonight. I've seen enough shifters in my day to know what a mating looks like. But the fact is we're never going to get your brothers to calm down by flying off the handle. So just relax, okay?"Charlotte t
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 73
Whatever can die is beautifulmore beautiful than a unicorn, who lives forever, and who is the most beautiful creature in the world. Do you understand me?―Peter S. Beagle,?The Last Unicorn"All right, you fucking bastard, talk!" A rough hand shook Rurik in the chair he was tied to. Rurik could feel the tranquilizer leaving his system. If he could delay whatever torture they intended just a few minutes longer, he might be able to break his bonds and then"You want me to talk?" he replied with a grin. "What shall we talk about? How about the cowardice of the Brotherhood? You seem well acquainted with it."The man who'd shaken him cocked a fist, but the door opened and a second man entered. This was the one Rurik recognizedDamien MacQueen. The younger man resembled him so much that he had to be Jason. Charlotte's brothers."Stand down, Jason.""Let me do this," Jason insisted. "Just one little punch.""I would barely feel it." Rurik chuckled, flexing his hands against the chair a
