Page 37 of Rurik
“So…what does this mean? For us?” she asked, the words escaping from her tremblinglips.
“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 behindforever.
“Am I…allowed to go home?” She swallowed hard, fear shooting through her as she waited for hisresponse.
“You will go wherever you wish, but I will go with you. Imustprotectyou.”
That stung like a sharp slap. He had to protect her to protecthimself.
“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 leftme.”
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 withhim?
“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 killher.
“If you die…will I die, as ahuman?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Few of my kind have mated humans, and as far as I know, none have died before their humanmates.”
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 hiseyes.
“You never wanted this, did you?” He hadn’t, and neither had she, but now they were tiedtogether.
“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 yougo.”
Charlotte didn’t know what to say to that. She wanted him to want her,but…
“Rurik, I can’t put your family atrisk.”
“What’s done is done. We are mated, and Idowant 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 forhim.
“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 andMadelyn.”
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 thebathroom.
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 thiscrazy.
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 tostart.
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 doit.
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 thedoorjamb.
“Out of the tub, my little rose. I have many wicked things I wish to do toyou.”
Even though she was sore, she scrambled out of the tub, laughing as she grabbed a towel to dryherself.
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 wantedmore. 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 stillgrinning.
“Wow,” she said, still shy at her brazen behavior. Her face was hot, and she knew he’d seen herblush.
He caressed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. “Fuck, you are sobeautiful.”
“So are you. I mean—” She shut her mouth, blushingharder.
His green eyes swirled with gold. “Go lie down on the bed, on yourstomach.”
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 herhips.
