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

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

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

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.

"Didn't know all it took was being shot to make you want me naked." His pained chuckle did not earn him a smile. He peeled off his jacket and then his shirt. He glanced over his shoulder at his reflection in the mirror and winced at the sight of three bullet holes, one in his lower back, one on his left shoulder blade, and a third in the back of his thigh. Blood still trickled down, but very little, all things considered. He was lucky. He would have to get the bullets out before the wounds could heal with them inside. That could be fatal."Fuck," he muttered again. He unzipped his jeans and dropped them to the floor."What" Charlotte began until he angled his leg and showed her the wound in the back of his thigh."It's I thought it would be worse. But still, we should get you to a hospital." She held a first-aid kit in her hands, her face pale as alabaster."Trust me. I will be fine as long as you can be brave and dig the bullets out." Charlotte gulped audibly. "Dig them out?"