The 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 enough, it seemed, because she heard him hiss in warning and saw his brothers jump back, though still smiling.

The doorbell chimed again. “Go on, answer it.” Madelyn nudged Charlotte toward the door.

She paused at the entrance, her hand settling on the silver knob. It had been only a day, but already everything felt…different. Her human body had changed, with eagle eyesight, intense olfactory senses, and greater strength. And beneath all that, she was a dragon. A creature her brothers didn’t trust.

Open the door, little rose. Rurik’s reassuring words came through their bond. He stayed back, letting her greet her brothers privately, hoping to show respect and also to show that he wasn’t controlling her, though the truth was even harder to understand.

She turned the knob and pulled the door open. Damien and Jason as well as the rest of their strike team stood there in civilian clothes. That boded well for this official meet and greet.

“Hey,” Damien said, a bashful look on his face that Charlotte had never seen before.

“Hey,” she murmured and stepped back. “Come on in. We have food and drinks…” She trailed off, suddenly feeling incredibly shy.

Am I still his little sister to him? Will he still call me family? Her worries knotted her stomach. She laid a hand over her belly, trying to quell the anxiety.

Rurik and his brothers remained at the edge of the kitchen as the hunters entered the spacious apartment.

Madelyn came forward, Piper right behind her as they filled the awkward void. “Welcome! I’m Madelyn, Grigori’s mate, and this is Piper—she is mated to Mikhail.” Madelyn held out a hand, which Damien shook.

“Damien MacQueen. This is my brother, Jason, and my team—Tamara, Nicholas, Meg, and Kathryn.” He pointed at each in turn.

Finally, Rurik stepped forward, his brothers close behind him. The moment of truth.

“Glad you decided to come,” Rurik said, locking eyes with Damien. “Hopefully we can avoid the handcuffs and drugs this time.”

Silence fell over the room. Charlotte’s eyes widened in shock, but her brother’s impassive face slowly cracked a smile. It was Jason who broke the tension, however.

“In Vegas you’d have to pay extra for that.”

Rurik cracked a grin. “Indeed.” He then gestured to his brothers. “You haven’t been formally introduced. This is Grigori, and this is Mikhail.”

Grigori held out a hand to Damien just as his mate had done. “Mr. MacQueen.” Damien hesitated only a moment before placing his hand in the dragon’s.

Beside Grigori, Mikhail stood with his arms crossed. “I never thought I’d be in the same room as the Brotherhood, let alone offering them our hospitality, but I believe it’s time for things between us to change.”

“I agree. This is long overdue,” Damien said. Charlotte could smell her brother’s tension, a soft dark scent with just a hint of fear. It was so peculiar to be able to smell things like that now. There was so much she could pick up from sight and scent alone.

“Please, sit. My mate has insisted we serve refreshments.” Grigori waved a hand at the dining room table, which was laden with trays of sandwiches and other snacks.

“Food goes a long way in peace talks,” Madelyn announced. She touched her belly absently before she came over to Grigori and hugged him from behind.

“Woman, don’t remind them we used to be enemies,” Grigori growled, but there was a playfulness in his tone.

“Are you kidding? I had to face way worse back at Elwood University. Gun-toting monster hunters don’t scare me. Try dealing with angry professors who have tenure! So let’s sit and talk like rational creatures.”

Meg grinned at Rurik. “Sounds good to me. First, I have some questions.”

Rurik linked his fingers through Charlotte’s. “Ask away.”

“You love Charlotte, right?”

Damien shot her an angry glare. “I wasn’t planning to lead with that, Meg.”

Meg shrugged. “Hey, I’ve been her chaperone most of her dating life. I’m entitled to ask a few personal questions.”

Rurik nodded. “I do.”

“But how? You’ve only known her a few days,” Damien said.

“And in those days, I have lived with Charlotte in ways I haven’t in a thousand years. I love her for her intelligence, her compassion, her bravery, as well as her beauty. I’ve shared some of her memories; I have seen into her heart. It would be impossible not to love her after knowing her the way I do.” The myriad emotions in his eyes filled Charlotte’s soul with pure joy.

Damien looked to Grigori and Mikhail. Charlotte went rigid as he spoke.

“You’re okay with him mating my sister?” Damien’s voice rose in volume, and the tension around the table resumed.

“A mate is a mate,” Mikhail said. “Love is love. And for us, it is destiny.” He kissed Piper’s hand, making the woman blush. “The bond is one that can be sensed, just like sight or smell. It is impossible not to recognize it for what it is. And our kind would never deny a mating, not when it’s a gift from the gods. Charlotte is a part of our family now.”

That was the wrong thing to say. Charlotte already sensed the old protectiveness rolling off of Damien. “She’s not yours. She’s a part of my family.”

Meg stepped in front of her boss and placed a hand on his chest. “Uh…Damien, remember what we talked about? This is what drove her away in the first place. You keep talking about keeping an open mind, about the Brotherhood changing its ways. Well, that attitude has to start at home.”

Damien locked eyes with his subordinate, ready to challenge her. Instead, he took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re really okay with all of this, sis?”

Charlotte got up from her chair. “Yes. I love him. I’m part of him. And he’s part of me.”

Damien was still silent, uncertain, but Jason came over and pulled her into a fierce hug. “He’ll spoil you, right? He’d better, if he knows what’s good for him.”

“Yes, he will—too much, I suspect!” She laughed and let him go. After that, everyone began to relax, even Damien. Mikhail opened the bottles of beer and wine and filled a glass for everyone. Meg wasted no time in catching her friend up on events. Part of her couldn’t believe that she was here in Rurik’s apartment, the Brotherhood and the Barinovs partying…together.

“So this whole dragon thing…does it make you less afraid of heights?” Jason nudged her with his elbow in the way he’d always done when he’d teased her as a kid.

She considered the question. “The dragon isn’t afraid when she’s in charge. I trust her to keep us safe.”

“She?” Meg asked. “I’m a little confused. Someone said that you and Rurik share the same dragon soul. I mean, let’s back up and get to the question everyone really wants to ask: What the hell happened to you?”

Charlotte frowned. So much of that other world had faded from her memory, like she wasn’t supposed to remember. Snow, dragons, shadows, fire… Was it real or some kind of dream realm between worlds?

“It’s hard to explain. I was…somewhere else. Rurik was dying, and the only way I could save him was by giving my life to him. To fill the void left behind, some of his dragon came into me. We are the same dragon.”

“Then how is your half a she?”

“Any psychologist will tell you that we all have a masculine and feminine side,” said Madelyn, leaning in. “My guess is that the soul divided along those lines.”

Sitting on another sofa with Piper, Mikhail spoke up. “It’s true. Charlotte’s dragon did not just look feminine, she looked supremely feminine.” This got him a glare from his mate. Mikhail coughed. “Perhaps I should have said too feminine.”

“Perhaps you should have.”

“Yes, and Rurik looks more masculine than ever,” said Madelyn, which earned her an equally harsh glare from Grigori. Dragon shifters and jealousy seemed to go hand in hand.

“That’s so crazy.” Jason sipped his Russian beer.

Damien, on the other hand, looked at Charlotte with a sad smile. “Do you guys mind if I have a moment with Charlotte?”

“Sure.” Jason gave her another quick hug and then went to join Grigori and Kathryn, who were already in animated conversation. Kathryn was spinning her hands to weave a small spell for the oldest Barinov dragon, which he seemed to find fascinating. Charlotte turned her focus back to Damien, and her eyes, so much sharper now, didn’t miss the lines of weariness around his eyes and the sorrow in his gaze.

“I fucked things up royally, little sis.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and ducked his head. “I came into Moscow guns blazing, ready to kill for you, and that wasn’t the answer to the problem.”

Charlotte stiffened. “Problem?” He thought she and Rurik being mated was still a problem?

“Yeah, the problem of your unhappiness. It’s my fault. I kept you caged your entire life. I didn’t trust you to be strong like I know you are. I tried to convince myself you were helpless and that you needed me. I guess losing Serena made me half-crazy when it comes to protecting those I love.”

“Just half?” Charlotte tried to tease, but her throat was tight.

“Okay, completely crazy.” His rueful smile tore at her heart. “My point is, I was wrong, Jason was wrong. We shouldn’t have shut you out of our lives, even the dangerous parts. You are strong enough—hell, more than strong enough—to handle it all on your own. And it’s our fault we didn’t want to acknowledge that.” His gaze met hers before his focus flicked over to Rurik.

“I love him, really love him, Damien.” She touched her brother’s arm. “But just because I’m a dragon shifter now, it doesn’t mean I’m not your baby sister anymore.”

Damien chuckled and let out a long sigh, looking sideways at Rurik out in the living room with the others.

“As much as I want to punch him, I have to give him credit.” Damien’s smile was rueful. “I watched him leap out of that window, not knowing if he would be able to save you. It’s not what I expected from a dragon, but he did it because he loves you.”

Charlotte blushed at Damien’s words. It was always awkward to talk to her brothers about love, but especially Damien because he was more like a father to her than a brother.

“And I have to apologize to him too.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “What we did to Rurik and to you… I’m just so sorry. Jason and I were completely overreacting assholes.” The pain in his hazel eyes filled her with an echoing sympathy. “I’ve tried so hard to make the Brotherhood different from the old days, and yesterday…yesterday I almost took us down that same path.”

“I was so mad at you,” she whispered. “But when you love someone, you do crazy things to keep them safe.”

Damien looked down at the floor, defeated in a way she’d never seen before. She flung her arms around him, squeezing him tight.

“All is forgiven,” she promised. “But you have to let me go. I’ll always be your sister, but I’m my own woman. I always have been.”

“I know. And you’re part of Rurik now. You need him as much as he needs you. And he’s good to you.”

“He’s good for me,” she corrected gently, letting go of her brother. “With him around I don’t just live, I feel alive. Does that make sense?”

Damien nodded, looking back to Rurik, who was laughing at whatever Meg and Tamara were telling him.

“So you stay with him,” Damien said. “A dangerous battle dragon. He better not put you in any more danger.”

She couldn’t help but grin. “You don’t get it, do you? I’m a battle dragon now too.”

“I know, but—”

“And it’s more than that. We’re the same dragon, just different parts. We’re like two arms of the same body. Can you imagine how much more dangerous that makes us?” She smiled at him, feeling a power and confidence she’d never had before. “You won’t have to worry about me, Damien. Trust me.”

“The Barinovs have enemies,” he countered.

“And so does the Brotherhood.” She touched arm. “But as of now, the Barinovs and the Brotherhood are on the same side. And with luck, maybe we’ll get some other factions out there to see the light too. This shadow war that’s existed for so long between humans, shifters, and the corruptions like werewolves and vampires? It all stems from a lack of communication. You know that.”

“Who knew my sister would end up being wiser than her big brother?” Damien chuckled, looking back at the ongoing party. “Or that my in-laws would be fire-breathing dragons?”

“This is going to change everything. Between our families, we can stop the Silvas and the Drakors out there. The ones who don’t believe in coexistence, only control.”

Her brother nodded. “The world needs a safer path, and we will make it.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Just promise me you’ll be happy with him.”

“I promise.” Life with Rurik was everything she’d dreamed of having.

“Good. Now let’s get back to the party before Jason finds a way to embarrass himself.”

Charlotte smiled. “Sure. But, Damien…” Her older brother—a man who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders—deserved that happiness too. She only hoped he would be brave enough to let a woman back into his heart.

“Yeah?”

She wiped her eyes. “Don’t be afraid to love again. Serena can’t be the only woman out there for you. You can find someone else who will love you as much as she did.”

He chucked her under the chin like she was a little girl, and with a sad smile he said, “It’s too late for me, sweetheart.”

She watched him join the others and closed her eyes, thinking of the land of snow where her lover’s heart had been guarded. But the storm was gone. The snow fell softly around her. In her mind, she touched the fiery heart. Their heart.

“Charlotte?” She opened her eyes. Rurik was at her side, arms wrapped around her waist. The scar down his cheek was a thin pink line that she barely noticed. Somehow it had healed more since she’d shared her life with him. She focused on the crinkle of laughter around his eyes and the way he said her name with a gentle reverence.

“Hi,” she whispered, biting her bottom lip.

He cupped her face in his hands. “Hi,” he echoed. She reached up to curl her fingers around his wrists as he held her face. There was something she’d been waiting to tell him since she’d woken up. Now felt right.

“When I was trying to save you…” She sought the words to explain what she’d seen. “I was in a snowy world, and I saw your beating heart, like a living flame. I don’t remember much, but there were dragons all around me, welcoming you home. But one was urging me to reach you, to save you. She called me little one.”

Rurik’s gaze sharpened. “She called you little one?”

Charlotte nodded. “Just like you do. She was green, like your eyes.”

His eyes softened, the jade color turning into a delicate sea-foam green. “Mother,” he mused. “It must have been.”

“She told me to hold your heart and never let go.” She curled one arm around his neck, pulling his head down to hers. “And I don’t intend to.”

She tasted a smile upon his lips, the kiss they shared full of an inner fire that they had felt from the moment they first met. When their lips finally parted, she glanced back at the party, which seemed to be going better than either of them had expected.

“The Capulets and Montagues will survive together after all,” she said. “Thank God for that.”

Her dragon grinned back at her. “Thus, with a kiss, we live.” And with that, his mouth captured hers.