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Chapter 50
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Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 51
Men have to have heroes, but no man can ever be as big as the need, and so a legend grows around a grain of truth, like a pearl.?―Peter S. Beagle,?The Last UnicornDamien MacQueen holstered his gun as he reached the old abandoned ruins of the Detroit train station. Many years ago the station had fallen into disrepair, and he had moved the Brotherhood's international headquarters from Boston to Detroit. It was a city that many people had given up on, but for his needs, that made it perfect. A crumbling city with high crime rates tended to draw in supernatural creatures, the sort who would make plays for local power.Not on my watchAs he got closer, he touched the barbed-wire fence that surrounded the building. A normal human couldn't see what was really there. Hundreds of cleverly crafted spells projected the illusion of a ruined and abandoned station. Damien placed his hand on the main padlock. The spells around the station recognized him, and the facade of the old crumbling bu
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 52
"She's gone after the dragons. I don't know what her plan is, but that's the only thing I can think of.""You meanthe Barinovs? Is she nuts? She's not a hunter.""I know." Damien rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Call Meg in, along with whoever else is in the building. I want a task force assembled in ten minutes.""Consider it done." Jason sprinted from the room.Damien stared hard at the screen."What the fuck are you doing, Charlotte?" The weight of his past and his burdens settled even more heavily upon his shoulders. When their parents had been killed, Damien had taken over the Brotherhood and had vowed to protect his sister at any cost, even if it meant protecting her from herself. He'd already lost Serena to this life. He wouldn't lose his baby sister too. But dragons? How could he protect her if she was already in their territory?Ten minutes later, he faced a team of the best hunters in North America. Meg Stratford stood close to his desk, her red hair pulled ba
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 53
Marveling at his own boldness, he said softly, "I would enter your sleep if I could, and guard you there, and slay the thing that hounds you, as I would if it had the courage to face me in fair daylight. But I cannot come in unless you dream of me."?¨DPeter S. Beagle,?The Last UnicornCharlotte was having the most exquisite dream. It was snowing outside, and she was in a warm bed, the curtains half-closed, and a man was kissing her neck. His hot body was flush against hers from behind. She let out a soft moan of pleasure and tilted her head to give him better access to the sensitive spot just behind her ear, which sent powerful shivers down the rest of her body."Yes," she whispered in encouragement. Her dream lover murmured something she couldn't understand, and his dark, warm chuckle against her ear made her feel like she was doing something wicked in the best possible way.She pushed back the covers and searched for his hand. When her fingers curled around his wrist, she guided hi
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 54
"You failed," Dimitri snapped at Luis Silva. Luis, the battle dragon of the Silva family who controlled most of Brazil, curled his lips in a challenge. He slammed his hands down on Dimitri's desk. Dimitri looked at those hands, unimpressed by the cracks they'd made in the wood finish."Last night wasn't my fault," Luis said. "Those bullets you provided me? Completely underpowered.""That is the nature of a subsonic silenced pistol," Dimitri countered. He'd overestimated this man's intelligence. "You didn't want to attract attention to yourself, now did you?""Yes, but to do it right, I'd have to go right up to him and shoot him point-blank. You think I'm going to do that in front of security cameras?""And what the fuck were you doing shooting up one of the nicer hotels in Moscow in the first place? You were supposed to take care of it from the shadows, not in the limelight. Don't make me regret this alliance, Silva."Luis's black eyes were as dark as obsidian, but Dimitri didn't
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 55
I think love is stronger than habits or circumstances. I think it is possible to keep yourself for someone for a long time and still remember why you were waiting when she comes at last.?―Peter S. Beagle,?The Last UnicornCharlotte stared at the interior of the luxury jet. "Holy cow, you weren't kidding!" Rurik leaned against the plush leather seat closest to him as he watched her. A smile crossed his lips, one he couldn't seem to stop, nor did he want to. She made him want to hoot and holler like a child, her innocence was so infectious. "I'm glad you're pleased." He found he wanted to be more formal around her now, to play the gentleman the way he had with the queens and princesses of old. Charlotte brought that out in him; it was amusing and a little disturbing. He'd always been good at adapting to the changing times, yet with Charlotte he felt his past self coming back, the old-fashioned side of his dragon that would cherish and guard her."Rurik!" A voice from the plane'
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 56
Their lips met in a mix of searing heat and sweetness. Joy ran through his veins, like the old lullabies his mother had once sung when he was a drakeling. There was tenderness, fire, sorrow, and delight all mixed in their kiss that rocked him to his core. He held a hand at the nape of her neck as he kissed her more urgently, demanding she open herself, give him everything she had. The burning desire to connect with her went beyond physical need. Behind his closed eyes he saw his home, the Fire Hills of Russia, the rippling shades of fiery leaves in the fall, the joy of flying low over the valley. His body surged with adrenaline and excitement as he shot up through the clouds and into the bright light of the morning sun.Then the images changed. He saw a little girl chasing two blond-headed boys across a sandy shore, laughing as she tried to catch up to them. They stopped, each holding out a hand to her. Their palms, much bigger, much stronger, curled around her small fingers as they l
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 57
It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. William ShakespeareCharlotte could still feel the ghostly press of Rurik's kiss on her lips. Something had happened between them. She hadn't just seen stars. She'd seen herself through his eyes, running on the beach with Damien and Jason. Before that she'd been flying high above the clouds, without fear or panic. Just an amazing, thrilling sense of joy. She'd experienced his memories, and he'd experienced hers through a single kiss. There had been nothing in the Brotherhood files about that. At this rate she was going to have to write an entirely new set of rules about dragons, starting with mind-blowing kisses that make you share memories. But that was a problem. What if the next time they kissed the memories she shared exposed her for who she was? Rurik's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you okay?""Sorry, just thinking," she admitted.Rurik tapped her temple with a finger and winked. "I'd love to know what'
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 58
Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.?―Peter S. Beagle,?The Last UnicornDamien stepped off the Boeing C-17 Globe Master military transport, tactical gear backpack slung over one shoulder. His team followed behind him."Welcome to Russia," Damien called out to the rest of the hunters and trackers.They'd touched down on a private airbase run by the Russian military. After the end of the Cold War, the Brotherhood had created secret agreements with local military bases in every major country to have safe passage in and out of any region. The local military assumed that they were some kind of special forces, though the use of an American transport no doubt raised some eyebrows. The Brotherhood's true identity was only shared with top government officials, and sometimes not even then, depending on th
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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
