Page 23 of Rurik
Grigori arched his brow when they came face to face. Neither dragon flinched. “You tell me you want the plane to show Saint Petersburg to a girl? I’m guessing this is the same girl who asked for snow? So I am curious. I want to meet the woman who’s enchanted my baby brother.” From behind Grigori, Madelyn gave a stifledgiggle.
Rurik curled his lip in the face of this age-old brotherlychallenge.
“You can meet herlater.”
“I’ve already told the pilot that he’s taking four of us.” Grigori punched Rurik playfully in the arm, and Rurik, still sore from the bullet wound, winced. Grigori didn’t miss his reaction, and his eyesnarrowed.
“What’swrong?”
“Not here. I’ll fill you in later,” Rurik whispered. Charlotte was approaching. He didn’t want to explain things to his brother with her around. “Charlotte,” he said, changing his tone, “this is my brother Grigori. He and his wife, Madelyn, have decided to joinus.”
“Hi.” Charlotte beamed, shaking hands with Grigori and Madelyn. “It’s so nice to meet you. I take it you helped arrange the plane? Thank you so much.” Charlotte’s cheeks pinkened, and Rurik’s body grew hard. Would it be such a bad thing if he shoved his brother out of the plane en route? He could fly, after all. He wanted Charlotte alone so he could introduce her to the mile-high club. A meddling older brother would only get in theway.
“It’s a pleasure.” Grigori shook Charlotte’s hand, and Madelyn did thesame.
“Come on, let’s sit down. I have so many questions.” Madelyn tugged Charlotte to the back of plane, and they seated themselves in two chairs side by side. It gave the brothers a few minutes to talk alone. Rurik had no interest in being lectured by his brother, but it seemed it wasinevitable.
“What happened?” Grigori asked, studying his brother. “Who hurtyou?”
“I was taking Charlotte home from the club last night. A sedan pulled up and opened fire on us. I took a few bullets. They were made ofpureiron.”
Grigori’s eyes widened, and he leaned in closer, touching Rurik’sshoulder.
“Are you allright?”
“Yes. Charlotte is good in a crisis, it turns out. Fortunately, they hadn’t gone deep. She dug the bullets out of me. I’ve almosthealed.”
Grigori jerked his head toward the back of the plane. “Then she knows what weare?”
“No.” Rurik grimaced. “I altered her memories so she remembers my jacket as stopping most of thedamage.”
Grigori relaxed, his features losing the harsh tension. “Good. But this news concerns me. We will have to talk more of it later, when we are assured of more privacy.” He sighed and smiled. “Let’s sit so the plane can takeoff.”
Rurik followed his brother to where Charlotte and Madelyn sat, their heads bent together. Madelyn said something, and Charlotte blushed and laughed. Rurik sat spellbound by the sight of Charlotte laughing and smiling so easily. Grigori joined them, choosing a seat across from her. She smiled again, her expression open and free. In that moment, when Rurik watched her with his family, how open she was and how easily she fit right in with them, as though she had always been there, his heartjolted.
She could be my truemate.
Charlotte was slipping past the barriers he’d erected around his heart. But he could not let her in, could not let her become a part ofhim.
If I let her, she could destroy everything.She would live another seventy years at the most, and I would die with her. Then who would protect myfamily?
With a ruthless heartbreaker smile, he joined them at the back of the plane. He sat next to Grigori, facingCharlotte.
“So, Grigori, tell me—what was Rurik like as a child?” Charlotte asked as she grinned at Rurik. He couldn’t resist chuckling before he turned to hisbrother.
“Choose your words carefully, Grigori, or I’ll start sharing your secrets withMadelyn.”
When his brother laughed, the sound was infectious. How long had it been since he’d heard Grigori laugh? Too long. Being mated had been good for him, just as it had been with Mikhail and his mate. Both of his brothers had relaxed ever since they’d found the women fate had chosen for them. Madelyn was a thunderbird, an immortal in her own right, though she hadn’t known it until recently. Piper, Mikhail’s mate, had triggered an ancient dragon stone and became a dragon shifter herself. But the odds of such luck happening with Charlotte to make her immortal?Impossible.
“Rurik as a boy… Where do I begin?” Grigori tapped his fingers on his chin in mock contemplation. “He was an absolute rascal. Always scrambling off to places he shouldn’t go or doing things he knew he shouldn’t. And he was tough. He had a knack for wrestling, far more than Mikhail or me.” Grigori shared a glance with Rurik, a twinkle in his blue eyes. There was a compliment there, one rarely given between the brothers, and it made Rurik want to puff out his chest withpride.
“Of course, he’s also stubborn and reckless, but I’m sure you’re figuring that out just by being around him.” Grigori laughed again, and Charlottenodded.
“I am.” She laughed, but it wasn’t at him. “He certainly keeps me on mytoes.”
They continued to talk as the plane rose into the sky. After the flight attendant brought them refreshments, they relaxed for a while, enjoying their newfoundcompanionship.
Madelyn suddenly paled, holding one hand to her stomach. “Grigori?”
