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Chapter 28
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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
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 31
There was a pregnant pause before Thorne finally spoke. "This is highly unusual, but since it is a private sale, there might be some room for negotiation. Do you have original letters, not copies? The museum will need to verify their authenticity."She exhaled in relief. "Yes. I know you are a man of honor, Mr. Thorne, and this is a matter of the highest honor. He was wrongly branded a traitor and only officially exonerated upon Elizabeth's death forty-four years later. But the jewels were never returned to him. By then they were already lost. We must see justice done for his family."Mr. Thorne sighed. "As much as I wish to have the rest of the jewels back, I believe you're telling me the truth. Or, at least, what you believe is the truth. It sounds like the ownership of the jewels is more complicated than we realized. I'm glad you called me, Ms. Linwood. The police have Ms. Harkness under heavy surveillance. They expect you to make contact with her.""Yeah, I thought they might ex
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 32
They say dragons never truly die. No matter how many times you kill them.―Suzanne G. Rogers,?Jon Hansen and the Dragon Clan of YdenRandolph Belishaw stumbled down the alleyway, falling against a trash bin. His cold body shook. He couldn't think. Couldn't speak. Blood trailed down his cheeks as he clawed the sides of the metal dumpster and tried to stand.Must get to Jodie. Must warn Mikhail.The thoughts were a shining glow in the darkness that consumed him. Conrad Sinclair's poison still filled his veins like black sludge, preventing the dragon from coming to his aid. He was just a mortal manno, weaker than a mortal manand for the first time in his life, he felt true fear. Fear was something a dragon almost never experienced in its life. Being mortal had never been a possibility until tonight. And now it hung over his head like the sword of Damocles."Bloodyfuckinghell." He stumbled like a piss-poor drunk down the alley until he finally reached the street.He squinted at t
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 33
Meg Stratford parked her car half a block away and watched the injured man disappear inside the townhouse. Her mind raced as she tried to puzzle out what she'd just seen. Eventually, when she felt she had no other choice, she pulled out her cell and dialed a number.A woman's voice came on the line. "HQ. Please provide your identification." "Stratford, Meg. 3592BFHS," Meg said."Voice print verified," the woman said. "What is your status?""Surveillance," Meg answered. "I need to file a code orange."The woman on the line paused. "Code orange?" she clarified. Orange wasn't the highest level, but it signified that the hunter deemed an incident to be significant and required further instructions."Yes." Meg stared at the house, knowing that everyone at headquarters in Detroit would be scrambling. As a supernatural hunter for the Brotherhood of the Blood Moon, she was always on guard against creatures who posed a threat to humans. The dragons in England had been her latest assignme
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 34
My task is set before me, girlMy mission clear and true.There'll be black knights and dragons, girlBut I will always come for you.―Emme RollinsMikhail stretched in his bed, seeking the warm feminine form of his mate.Mate. He had mated Piper. The thought of it made him grin, even half-awake."Little dove?" He rolled onto his back, opening his eyes. But she wasn't there. His bed was empty except for him. He sat up and let the sheets slip from his body."Piper?" he called out as he slid out of bed and retrieved his clothes. He listened to the sounds in the house as he dressed, ears straining to catch any sign of her.Nothing. A small knot of tension grew in his stomach."Piper?" he called again and left his bedroom. He searched every room, his anxiety spiking each time he came up empty. Where could she have gone?He reached the kitchen and froze when he saw a small piece of paper, folded up, his name scrawled across it.His stomach pitched south to his feet. "No" Mik
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 35
His dragon froze within him, as though the beast was holding its breath. Mikhail reached the back door, which was slightly ajar. He leaned in and tried to peer inside, but he couldn't see anything. There was a soft shuffling sound within. A sound he recognized as Piper's. He kicked the door open.Piper was tied to a chair, a cloth wrapped around her mouth. Conrad stood behind her, a silver blade pressed against her throat. Piper's eyes were bright with fear. He stared at her, willing her to calm, hoping she would trust him."Remember, Barinov, you play by my rules, and she is unharmed." Conrad pressed the knife a little deeper into Piper's neck. She flinched, shoving her head back, but she was unable to escape the blade."I'm here. The jewels are in my car." He held out the keys, not missing how Conrad's gaze fixed on them."Toss me the keys," Conrad demanded."Step away from my mate first," Mikhail countered.Piper's eyes softened when he said mate. He wanted to smile at her, to
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 36
It simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons.J. R. R. TolkienPiper screamed as Mikhail grunted and fell back, but Conrad was not through with him, not by a long shot. Mikhail tried to fight back, but it was clear he had been weakened from whatever Conrad had put in the syringe. Blow after blow struck Mikhail, in the ribs, in the head, in the back, until he finally had no energy left to defend himself. Only then did Conrad finally stop. Piper was hoarse from screaming. Conrad pocketed the car keys and stared at Mikhail's body, his face filled with loathing."It's nothing personal, Barinov. Oh, who am I kidding? It's become very personal. But it's more than that. You became too human. Mating for love? Mating with a human? Didn't you learn anything from Elizabeth? She played us both for fools, but unlike you, I learned my lesson. Humans are not meant to survive, not like us. And dragons who weaken our lines and destroy our race by settling for humans, don'
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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
