by Lauren Smith
“Take a deep breath,” he warned her, his tone impossibly gentle.
She gasped as he started to enter her. When she tightened, he murmured sweet words she didn’t understand into her ear. But when he kissed her, images exploded in front of her eyes. Mountains wreathed in fiery-colored leaves, halls of empty palaces, the beating of his lonely heart—it was all there, just within reach. Charlotte plunged deep into him, bathing in his memories and sensations.
“Your mind…” Rurik whispered as he thrust into her over and over again. “It’s beautiful. I can see everything—I can see you.” He stared down at her, the edges of his lips curved in a boyish grin. Wonder filled his eyes. She felt the same way. They were tied together now, the bonds unbreakable.
“Rurik, faster.” Her body ached for a hint of roughness, a bit of that ferocity he seemed to promise.
He clasped her hands in his, lacing her fingers as he pinned her hands down on either side of her head. He rotated his hips, driving into her in entirely new angles. It made white dots dance in front of her eyes. She’d always fantasized about how she would lose her virginity, but she’d never believed any of those fantasies would come true.
“You’re perfect.” Rurik’s heavy accent showed just how close he was to losing control. He spoke again in Russian, leaned down to kiss her neck, and she moaned.
“Bite me.” She needed to feel his teeth in her neck. “Now!”
Sharp pain hit her as he bit down. She screamed as her body went up in flames. It was as though she stood in the center of a blinding snowstorm, watching the glittering flakes envelop her, but there was an inferno at the heart of the storm. Rurik’s heart. She reached through the ice to touch the fire.
11
As for you and your heart and the things you said and didn’t say, she will remember them all when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits. ―Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn
Charlotte blinked as the visions faded. It was the strangest thing in the world to see through another person’s eyes, to feel what he felt, to taste and smell everything he had. And she had shared those same experiences with Rurik, being a part of him in a way she didn’t know was possible. But it was. Now she was back in bed with him, that bond still in place even though she could no longer see his memories. Her body shook from the pleasure and the shock of what she’d just experienced with him.
“What…was that?” She lifted her head and tensed when she felt him move inside her. Her body was raw and sore down there, but it still felt good.
“I…” Rurik paused and then closed his eyes, a shaky breath escaping him before his dark lashes flew up again.
“What happened? That wasn’t dragon pheromone–related, was it?” she asked, unable to resist her natural scientific curiosity.
A ghost of a smile passed his lips. “It wasn’t. I don’t know where you heard that. The pheromones we give off don’t have any effect on humans or even our own mates.”
“Really?” She shifted beneath him and winced again. “But I was told that dragons are irresistible, that women throw themselves at you…”
His soft laugh made her face flame with embarrassment.
“If that was true, women would have been flocking to me while were walking around the city. But that didn’t happen.”
“Then why do I get all fuzzy-headed whenever you kiss me?” She felt really stupid now. If that was true, the synthetic pheromones they’d engineered in the lab wouldn’t have had any effect. What was happening to her?
“That is because you and I have a connection.”
“A connection,” she muttered, then winced when she shifted. Soreness twinged at her inner thighs.
He noticed, his eyes narrowing. “I was too rough.” A dark frown marred his face as though he didn’t like admitting that.
“No, you weren’t. I was a virgin, remember? I knew I would end up sore. Now explain what you meant by a connection.” She should have felt shy admitting that, but things had changed between them. Something had clicked like two gears in an antique clock, and for the first time in her life, she felt whole.
“It is complicated.”
She bit her lip. “Why not try me? I’m a biochemist, remember?”
He pulled out of her, and the sudden feeling of emptiness was unwelcome. She wanted that connection again. Rurik picked her up, making her squeak in surprise, and carried her into the adjoining bathroom with its massive tub. He set her down on the edge and turned on the taps, testing the temperature with his fingers. Once it was hot enough, he climbed into the tub and waited for her to join him. She’d never shared a bathtub with anyone before, but Rurik was fast becoming a first for just about everything.
“Lie back against me,” he urged, and she did so.
“I’m not too heavy?” She hated to ask it, but she was so aware of herself and didn’t want to remind him that she had a full figure.
“You’re perfect.” He kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her waist.
It felt good to be held by him. The hot water rising at her legs felt good too.
“Now will you tell me about how you can affect human women, or at the least me?”
His raspy chuckle made her laugh too.
“We attract women because of our confidence, power, and wealth. We’re like catnip just by being who we are.”
“Catnip?” She snorted. “But like you said, women weren’t flocking around you, so…”
Rurik drew the pad of his index finger around one of her nipples, making it harden as he chuckled. “We’re irresistible, but there is intent required on our part. Desire. Would you like me to remind you just how much you want me?” He gently pinched her nipple, and a bolt of pleasure made her moan and arch her back.
She giggled when he lowered his head to her breast and sucked on the tender peak. “Stop distracting me.”
His laughter was warm and sinful, and she squirmed as he continued to lick and suck on her nipple. When he started to move toward her other breast, she caught his cheek in her hands and forced him to look at her.
“But you do have some abilities. You said you could manipulate the humans by the palace to walk away.”
He stiffened slightly at the mention. “We can mesmerize others, yes, but that is not the same thing. We can erase memories or bury them. We can convince people to do things or not to.”
“Including sex? You didn’t…”
“No. The only time I ever used that power was to alter how you remembered the shooting, to rationalize why I healed so fast. I didn’t want you to panic. You reacted well enough, but I expected you to be in shock. I feared the reality of almost dying would set in.” He stroked a hand along her waist, finding a sensitive spot that made her wriggle and almost laugh.
“I remember the shooting. And I remember being worried at first about your wounds.” She stared at him, trying to remember everything. Flashes of it came back. “Wait, I did pull out some bullets, didn’t I? They weren’t just scratches.”
“No, they weren’t. Now you remember everything.” He used one hand to brush soothing fingers along her collarbone. Drops of hot water trickled down her breasts.
She couldn’t believe that he had influenced what she had thought. “Only you didn’t take my memories away?”
“I try never to remove memories. I change them as little as possible. A dragon could get carried away with exerting that sort of power.”
She couldn’t argue with that. If she’d been in his position, it would have been tempting to make someone believe a different version of events in order to hide a more difficult truth.
“But I admit, I did convince you to dance for me in the cage in my club,” he added with a chuckle. He couldn’t seem to resist.
“The cage—” She blushed deeply, burying her face against his shoulder as she remembered. “Oh my God, the cage.” He massaged her shoulders. The water sloshed around them, and she moved forward so she could twist the knob and turn off the water before leaning back agai
nst him.
“So what we just did, that was something, wasn’t it?” She knew what had transpired between them had changed everything. There was something between them now; she felt it whisper at the back of her mind. She needed to know what it was.
Rurik was silent for a long while before he spoke. “What do you know of dragon mating?”
She ran over the Brotherhood file in her mind. “Um…not a lot. They say you mate for life, but I assumed that was a cultural thing, old habits dying hard, or to keep the dragon lines going.”
“Well, dragons do mate for life, but there is more to it than that. When we mate another being, the bond is…” He murmured a few words in Russian, as though unsure how to describe it. “Unbreakable. That is the closest I can get to describing it.”
A prickling sensation skittered along her skin, lifting the fine hairs on her neck.
“Okay.” She held her breath as she waited for him to continue.
“We cannot mate just anyone. It has to be destiny. A true mate. I once had a possible mate, but I never claimed her.”
“What happened?” She shifted to lie on her side against him in the massive tub. She was bothered by the idea that he might have loved another woman, yet had chosen not to. What made her situation different?
“I never succumbed to the temptation to claim her as mine. The dangers were too great. And then she died a few months ago…” Rurik’s voice trailed off.
Charlotte was torn. She wanted to comfort him, but she feared he would not accept that.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said.
He gave the barest hint of a nod. “It is dangerous for dragons to mate.” He lifted one hand and settled it on her hip beneath the hot water, holding her close.
“Dangerous?” She couldn’t see how something like mating would be. Maybe he meant the consequences of being in their world?
“Yes. When dragons mate, it’s for life.”
“But you’re immortal,” she added. “How can that be dangerous?”
“We bond so deeply to each other that when the mate dies, we die. And if we mate a mortal…”
Charlotte realized just how short her life was compared to his. For a dragon, getting involved with a human was cutting your own life tragically short. Her stomach fluttered as she sensed there was something he still wasn’t saying.
“Rurik, please just tell me.” She turned to face him, the water splashing as she straddled him. Despite the way their bodies intimately rubbed, she was determined not to get distracted. This was too important.
“As I said, I had one possible true mate before, and she died. The grief I felt was great, because I realized all that I had missed in life. I feared there would never be another chance. Then I met you…and discovered you were a possible mate as well.”
She couldn’t process what he was saying. A true mate? How was that even…
“I mated you, Charlotte.” He cupped her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks in soothing strokes. “I didn’t want to, and I tried to stop…but you are irresistible to me.”
Mated. She was mated to Rurik. Charlotte still had no idea what that meant.
“But, wait, you didn’t want to?” She hung on that fact first, probably because it hurt the most.
His eyes, those pure jade pools, softened to a dark emerald that made her hungry for him. “Want? I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. But my position means I must protect the family first and foremost. If something happens to you, I will die. And my family will be left vulnerable.” He sighed, closing his eyes, and then inhaled deeply. “But I couldn’t stay away from you, even knowing all that. And then, when you begged me to bite you…”
“How does it happen?” she whispered, her heart thudding against her ribs.
“Mating is like two pieces of a puzzle sliding into place. We’ve gotten closer and closer since we danced at my club, and just now in bed, we stood no chance of resisting you.”
She tilted her head. “We?”
He threaded a hand through her hair. “My dragon. He and I knew we had to have you.”
She cuddled closer, spellbound by the look in his eyes. “What does it mean that we’re mated now?” Part of Charlotte still couldn’t believe she was having this discussion, but she had to know everything about being mated to him.
“We share memories. We see into each other’s hearts in a way that no other species can, because we share actual vivid experiences, even thoughts. It’s as though our beating hearts become one, and when one part dies, the other cannot survive.”
The weight of his words finally sank in, and Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears.
“So…what does this mean? For us?” she asked, the words escaping from her trembling lips.
“We are bound together, you and I. We stand as one, fight as one, live and die as one.” She could feel his gaze burn into her. Part of her wanted to open herself completely to him, but she was afraid. Mating him might mean leaving her brothers and the life she’d known behind forever.
“Am I…allowed to go home?” She swallowed hard, fear shooting through her as she waited for his response.
“You will go wherever you wish, but I will go with you. I must protect you.”
That stung like a sharp slap. He had to protect her to protect himself.
“No, stop,” he growled. “I can see you misunderstand me. I protect you because you are mine. I go with you because my heart craves closeness to yours. I would miss you if you left me.”
Was he saying he loved her? Or that he could he come to love her? Just as she now realized she was in danger of falling in love with him?
“Rurik, we’re practically strangers. How can this make sense? What about my family…?” Oh God, when her brothers found out, they would kill him…unless of course that would kill her.
“If you die…will I die, as a human?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Few of my kind have mated humans, and as far as I know, none have died before their human mates.”
He nuzzled her cheek and closed his eyes briefly with a heavy sigh. “We will make it work. Both of my brothers mated Americans. I’m sure you and I will manage, just as they have.” He smiled at her, but she didn’t miss the shadow of sorrow in his eyes.
“You never wanted this, did you?” He hadn’t, and neither had she, but now they were tied together.
“I have always longed to mate, but my duties were clear from the moment my father saw my strength. He told me a battle dragon could never mate—it was too risky for the rest of the family. But now that I have you, I won’t ever let you go.”
Charlotte didn’t know what to say to that. She wanted him to want her, but…
“Rurik, I can’t put your family at risk.”
“What’s done is done. We are mated, and I do want you.” He brushed away a tear that trailed down her cheek. “I never want to see you cry. A mate is a sacred gift, and you are sacred to me, Charlotte.” He kissed her as though it could last for days. As much as she had loved his rough, frantic, dominating kisses, she loved this kind even more. It was sweet, a dozen emotions welling up inside her that filled her with warmth. She could lose herself in that strange and beautiful world of snow where he kept his heart. The flames of his soul were there, so close, if only she dared to reach for him.
“Why don’t we continue this on the bed? I’ll order room service. We’ll stay here today and fly back to Moscow this evening with Grigori and Madelyn.”
Rurik slid Charlotte off his lap and climbed out of the tub. Rurik grabbed a towel from a rack and wrapped it around his waist. She sank deeper into the tub, soaking in the hot water as she watched him leave the bathroom.
I just had sex with a man who turns into a dragon, and it was amazing! What a way to lose her virginity. She’d bet even a hunter like her friend Meg hadn’t done something this crazy.
Part of her was still in shock over everything that had just happened. She was mated to a dragon, and she didn’t know what that
would mean for her in the long run. A flurry of thoughts stormed her mind. Where would they live? What about her job? What about if he died before her? She had a thousand questions. Could they have children? She didn’t know where to start.
She bit her bottom lip, holding back the sudden grin on her face. And I’m mated. Damien and Jason were going to be furious, but in a way she’d done what she had promised herself she would do. She’d captured a dragon—she just hadn’t needed the serum to do it.
She stretched languidly in the tub as she listened to the sound of Rurik’s voice as he ordered room service. Then he appeared in the bathroom doorway, leaned against the doorjamb.
“Out of the tub, my little rose. I have many wicked things I wish to do to you.”
Even though she was sore, she scrambled out of the tub, laughing as she grabbed a towel to dry herself.
He watched her with a crooked grin. “I’ll only get you wet again.” His green eyes promised wicked things, and now that she’d had a taste of him she wanted more. She walked up to him and stood on her tiptoes, her towel wrapped snugly around her, and kissed him. His lips curved against hers. There was something magical about a kiss built upon a world of shared secret smiles. When they broke apart, she was still grinning.
“Wow,” she said, still shy at her brazen behavior. Her face was hot, and she knew he’d seen her blush.
He caressed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. “Fuck, you are so beautiful.”
“So are you. I mean—” She shut her mouth, blushing harder.
His green eyes swirled with gold. “Go lie down on the bed, on your stomach.”
When she reached the bed, she had the sudden urge to be impish. Charlotte dropped the towel and glanced over her shoulder at him. Then she shook her hips at him and started to climb onto the bed. A second later, he was behind her, his hands on her hips.
“I was going to give you a massage until you shook that fine ass at me.” Rurik’s growl was almost like a purr.