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Chapter 40
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Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 41: Prologue
Book TWO: Rurik: A Royal Dragon RomanceGreat heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.Peter S. Beagle, The Last UnicornMoscow, Russia Rurik Barinov watched the men and women dance in his nightclub, Logovothe Lair. Its dark interior was lit by flashing strobe lights and fog from the machines at the opposite ends of the dance floor. The entire club looked like a cross between a cave and a dungeon. The walls were rough stone, and dancers were showing off their moves in iron-barred cages. While Rurik's older brother ran a sensible business, one that was built on technology in commerce, Rurik traded in something far older: pleasure. Dancing, drinking, and sex never went out of style. He was not buttoned-up and proper like Grigori. He enjoyed wild nights with wicked women, bodies straining and yearning for that headlong rush of mutual satisfaction. It never ceased to amaze him that Grigori had walked away from such
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 42
Among all the kinds of serpents, there is none comparable to the dragon.Edward Topsell, 1658Moscow, Russia ¨C Three months laterCharlotte MacQueen tugged the sweetheart neckline of her red satin cocktail dress up a few more centimeters. Despite the thick red velvet winter coat she wore, her exposed skin had drawn the cabdriver's eyes and made her shift restlessly until he'd had to focus back on the road. But then, she'd known her dress would have this effect. She was practically falling out of the damn thing, but she had a hunch this would be one of the few times having full breasts would be an advantage instead of a hindrance.She'd spent most of her life hiding her curvy figure behind draping sweaters and lab coats. It was silly, but she'd never felt comfortable in sexy clothes.Charlotte wasn't sure if it was how the slide of satin felt on her skin or the way every masculine eye fixed on the thigh-high cut of her dress or the lowered neckline, but tonight she was trying hard to
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 43
She'd created a batch of the dragon-dampening serum for herself, and she had the vials tucked away safely in her hotel mini-fridge. She went over the list of what she knew about dragons in her head as the taxi drove toward Rurik's nightclub, the Lair.1. Dragons could grow oldlike thousands of yearsbut for most of their lives they resembled men and women in their mid-thirties.2. There were more than a dozen breeds, such as Russian Imperials and Nordic ice dragons. Rivalries were common between many of them.3. Dragons could breathe fire as well as control it.4. They had protective thick hides with scales. Those scales were often used in magical spells.5. Dragons could shift between human and dragon forms in seconds.6. They were obsessed with jewels.7. For some reason they were sensitive to pure iron. It could both injure them and bind them. While they could be wounded by normal weapons, they healed fast, and only iron weapons could do lasting damage.Charlotte studied the
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Stars would fall to their knees at his compelling vision. Rainer Maria Rilke"Come in with me," she said, knowing he would hear her despite the pounding music. A dragon's hearing was keener than any human's.They stared at each other, the bass of the music making her heart thud against her ribs. His gaze pulled a woman in and drowned her with its promise of dark, delicious things. Charlotte could feel every cell in her body humming with sexual tension. Would he join her? Would he touch her again in a way that made her forget her very name?Pleaseplease make me forget everything but you. It was dangerous, but she wanted it, wanted to lose herself in this moment, lose herself in him.Rurik flung the cage door open and entered, clanging it shut behind him. She swallowed hard, realizing that what she'd just asked had come true. She was trapped in a cage with a dragonancient, powerful, accountable to none but themselvesand this one was making her legs shake as he kept looking at her
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 45
There was something magical about the way they had to work together, their bodies leaning in the same direction as he took sweeping curves for every turn. She felt connected to him in a way she hadn't expected. They were one being while they rode together, a single blur on the streets of Moscow. For the first time in her life she felt bonded to another person. A person who was a danger to humans, a person she had every intention of betraying at some point. Charlotte swallowed down the uncomfortable burn in her throat just thinking about what had to be done. But not right now. Not yet. Besides, nobody was going to hurt him; all they needed was information.Rurik finally stopped in front of an expensive-looking glass building and helped her off.A young man in a valet's uniform rushed out. Rurik tossed him the keys before he took off his helmet. Charlotte removed her own, and the young man collected both.She gazed up at the bright lights of the beautiful glass exterior. It looked mor
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 46
Rurik growled to himself and left her to answer the door. A man in a waitstaff uniform rolled in a cart with covered serving trays. He paid the man, who set the dishes on the table and promptly rolled the cart back out."What kind of apartment building has room service?" she asked as he lifted the lid to reveal two steaks with asparagus and mashed potatoes. She'd always loved a good steak."I own this building, and I like the convenience, so I had a skilled kitchen built in. My tenants are wealthy and happily pay for room service when they want it. I hope this is all right. I assume it's a more American fare?" He passed her a white napkin rolled over silverware."Yes, this is perfect. Thank you," she said. "So if you own the building, I take it the nightclub business pays well?""Well enough, but my family has always had money, and my oldest brother is quite good at investing."Now that made sense. The Brotherhood's files indicated the Barinovs seemed to have a good source of weal
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Don't look back and don't run. You must never run from anything immortal. It attracts their attention.?―Peter S. Beagle,?The Last UnicornCharlotte was lost in his gaze all over again. "You It's like you're making me dizzy How do you do that?" she murmured dreamily. It was just like at the club when he'd convinced her to dance in the cage for him. She wanted to do anything he askedanything. It had to be the power of hypnosis dragons had. It felt like he was mesmerizing her. Her being turned on by all this, however? That had to be the pheromones at play. He blinked, his eyes no longer golden, and with a low growl he turned his back on her. She watched him pace away from her, and her thoughts soon cleared of that strange fuzziness."I should escort you home before I change my mind," he said in a dark tone.She stood, slipping her heels back on. "Change your mind?" Her body felt a little shaky, as though she'd just had a wild burst of adrenaline and was coming down from the high.
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 48
Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of anything. Whatever you have been, you are mine now. I can hold you.?―Peter S. Beagle,?The Last UnicornTonight was a fucking disaster.Rurik's dragon growled in agreement inside his head. He revved his engine as he drove through the streets of Moscow, trying not to think about how good it felt to have Charlotte's legs wrapped around his hips. He was supposed to have been busy handling the account books tonight, not getting distracted by a shapely blonde in a killer red dress. He'd seen her being bothered by those fools, and he knew he had to intervene. But there was more to it than that. There was something about her that he and his dragon couldn't resist. She'd almost seemed to glow when he'd first seen her in his club. And her scentGod, he could have inhaled it for days and never gotten tired of it. If he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn she was a dragoness. But that wasn't possible. She lacked any of the telltale signs of being a shift
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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.
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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
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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
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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
