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Chapter 63
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Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 64
Rurik knew the moment she fell asleep. He carefully picked her up and pulled back the covers before tucking her in. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, watching her, feeling like the most blessed man alive. He had a mate. The one thing he'd believed he would never have. He could have had this with Nikita, but he'd enjoyed a gentle contentment watching her work alongside him at the nightclub, and he'd convinced himself that was enough. And it had been, until she'd died. Losing Nikita had changed him in a way he hadn't expected and had driven him to throw caution to the wind. His heart ached at the thought of what might have been with Nikita, but he couldn't regret that he'd found Charlotte either. The complexity of the situation left him feeling lost until he looked down at his mate and the turmoil inside him eased.He'd risked his family's future, but he'd spent the last thousand years thinking of others. Wasn't he due some measure of happiness? She was perfect. He hadn't lied whe
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 65
I had forgotten how much light there is in the world, till you gave it back to me.Ursula K. Le GuinRurik dug through Charlotte's purse, his dragon tense inside him, as though afraid of what he might find. His animal side wasn't used to fearing anything, but the idea of a drug that could suppress that part of him, even temporarily, was terrifying.There were no weapons, no magical tokens or talismans to help her inside. Justthere it wasHe pulled out a black case out and unzipped it. Two small syringes with gleaming green liquid were tucked in elastic straps. He removed them from the pouch. Without a word, he walked over to the bathroom sink. He depressed the plungers on the syringes and drained their contents. The third one in Moscow would be handled soon. There was bound to be more of this back at the Brotherhood labs, but he felt a small bit of relief destroying the immediate threat.Rurik flipped the taps on, splashing water to wash down the remnants of the drug. Charlotte
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 66
He could sense her emotions beneath the surface, like listening to a muffled conversation. She was a strong woman, but she'd been through much in the last two days."As long as you need," he whispered, kissing her temple. Then he rested his cheek against her hair, and they both breathed together. His dragon stirred, cautious, but also hopeful.She raised her head, and her eyes flashed with a new light. "How long before the plane leaves?""About two hours. Why?""Could we see a palace or two before we go? I really wanted to take some tours"He smirked playfully. "You don't need tours. You have me." Her eyes widened. "Because you lived through all this Holy cow. I keep forgetting. You seem so modern most of the time.""Most of the time?" He quirked a brow."Yeah, mostly. Sometimes you slip and say something adorably old-fashioned.""I'm not old fashioned." He shook his head, and she grinned at him."Yeah you are, like when you call me 'delicate flower' or 'little rose.'" "I
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 67
Luis and Dimitri stood in the alley across from the hotel the MacQueen sister was using in Moscow. Luis took a slow drag off a cigarette. They didn't speak; they only watched the three black SUVs that were parked at the front of the hotel. Two blond-haired men climbed out of the first, and their familial resemblance to the woman they'd seen with Rurik was obvious. Drakor smiled. "Damien MacQueen and his brother Jason are here." "They'll be waiting awhile," said Luis. "My men tracked Rurik and the woman to an airport today. They flew out to Saint Petersburg. Not sure when they're coming back." Luis flicked the tip of his cigarette, spraying ashes on the ground. "MacQueen will have plenty of time to set his trap then," Dimitri said with a grim smile. "Patience.""Patience," Luis agreed. "Once we have her and take care of the battle dragon, my men will take out his brothers."They watched the hunters remove large duffel bags from their trunks and carry them into the hotel. Dimitri
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 68
Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. Marc BrownDamien stood in the small office of the hotel manager, watching the shooting that had occurred the previous night. The office was cramped with Jason standing behind the manager's desk as the manager pulled up the security footage.The picture the unknown caller had texted him had shown Charlotte being dragged to the ground with glass everywhere, but it hadn't been clear what had happened. When they'd found the hotel where her bags had been left behind, they'd seen the shattered windows of the lobby, still in the process of being replaced."This is all we have on the cameras," the manager said. His thick accent was punctuated with a nervous glance between the brothers. He tapped a few buttons on the keyboard of his computer, and the video began to play again.Charlotte and Rurik Barinov stood near the valet booth when the glass suddenly shattered behind them. Chaos descended on the scene. The dragon shifte
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 69
Charlotte stood in the shadow of the beautiful imperial palace of Catherine the Great, her mind torn between the baroque architectural detail of the building and the legendary history of its onetime owner. Catherine had been an ambitious German lady who married into a Russian royal family that had been less effectual than its predecessors, and she soon became a better ruler than her own husband, much to the annoyance of most of her male contemporaries. History had not been kind to Catherine, even if it had allowed the beauty of her home to continue to flourish through the centuries.There was a healthy amount of snow on the ground, despite the weather reports from the previous day, and still more snow danced about the robin's-egg-blue palace. Charlotte felt as though she stood in the middle of a vast snow globe that had just been shaken. Rurik stood quietly beside her, his emerald eyes tinged with melancholy. Was he thinking of his former lover? Or simply burdened by memories of the p
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 70
Rurik panted against Charlotte's lips, his forehead touching hers. Her heart still pounded from experiencing his memories and the pain and terror of those final horrifying moments when the two dragons had lunged at each other."What was that place?" she asked in a shaky whisper.He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, and she reached up to stroke his scar."That was the Amber Room. It was once considered the eighth wonder of the world. During the Second World War, I fought with the Soviet Air Forces. I didn't agree with their politics, but the German Luftwaffe was annihilating my countrymen, so I chose to fight. We had so few experienced flyers, and I knew the humans needed my help, but I couldn't help as a dragon. Being a pilot was the next best thing. Germans were bombing the palace and the cities, and I had made a promise to Empress Elizabeth when the Amber Room was installed that I would always protect it. I failed in that promise when the Germans bombed Russia."Rurik's green e
Brothers of Ash and Fire Chapter 71
"I love whom I love," Prince Lir repeated firmly. "You have no power over anything that matters."?―Peter S. Beagle,?The Last UnicornRurik held Charlotte's hand as they stood in his apartment in Moscow, facing down his brothers. Charlotte had been brave when they'd flown back with Grigori and Madelyn, but she'd said little. But now she had to officially tell his brothers the truth and explain everything. The more difficult task would be having them believe her.She trembled hard enough that he could feel it through her hand. The gold lighting from the modern chandeliers cast shadows between them, accentuating the distance between him and his brothers. He had put his body slightly in front of hers, just in case his brothers didn't believe her and decided to treat Charlotte like a possible threat.Madelyn and Piper were also studying Charlotte, Piper openly curious, Madelyn a little wary. Mikhail's eyes glinted with mischief, though, which boded well, at least for Charlotte. Rur
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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
