Vladimir (Russian Dragon Heat #1) - Carole Mortimer Page 0,2

nod. “Or that you and our brothers are royal princes. But there is little point to any of those titles when we are the only remaining Russian dragons. So,” he continued briskly, “we will return to the subject of you going to England to assist the Pendragon brothers.”

Vaugh’s eyes glittered a deep green. “The ballet company has its own security, and the Pendragon brothers are more than capable of taking care of any shortfall in that area. Besides, I see absolutely no reason for me to go anywhere to help those arrogant Welsh bastards do anything.”

Vladimir’s lids narrowed. “The Pendragons now all have mates and some younglings, and must I remind you that they helped to save your life three months ago, and that our own Izzi, Anna and Anton’s daughter, is now married to one of those arrogant Welsh bastards?”

Vaughn chuckled. “Deryk is badass.”

Yes, he was, and he irritated Vladimir almost beyond endurance on the occasions he brought Izzi back to St. Petersburg for her monthly visit with her parents. Even so… “Three months ago, Deryk and several of those other arrogant Welsh bastards helped to search for and save Izzi, allowing us to apprehend the brother and sister who tried to kill you.” Vladimir regretted reminding Vaughn of the attack almost as soon as the words left his mouth.

For two reasons.

One, Vaughn hadn’t been his usual flirty and lighthearted self since the attack during which his throat was cut and his head almost severed from his body.

Two, it brought the subject back to the “she” Vaughn had been referring to earlier and whom Vladimir would prefer not to talk about.

Tanya Petrova. Twenty-five years old, tall, dark-haired and blue-eyed, and one of the two dragon hunters, brother and sister, who had almost ended Vaughn’s life three months ago.

The same woman who was, and had been for several months, safely locked away in their winter palace an hour’s drive into the countryside from St. Petersburg.

And if Vaughn thought Vladimir staying away from her had been easy since that night in the Petrovs’ apartment, then he was mistaken. Majorly so.

The knowledge of who and what Tanya was to him never left Vladimir’s thoughts for a second.

The yearning of his body to claim her was a never-ending ache that rarely allowed him to sleep beyond a couple of hours each night, and even then that sleep would be filled with dreams of Tanya. Touching her. Tasting her. Claiming her.

His waking hours had become an ordeal he had to get through each day, as much as the constant dreams of her had turned his sleeping hours into a nightmare.

Vaughn scowled darkly. “The brother has since escaped and is believed to have fled to Europe,” he reminded. “It is time you disposed of the woman, before she has a chance to do the same.”

Mine!

It was nearly impossible for Vladimir to ignore his dragon’s possessive roar. He clench his hands into fists to prevent the dragon’s talons from piercing the ends of his fingers before he rushed across the desktop to rip out his brother’s throat.

The same throat that Tanya had attempted to slice through and separate Vaughn’s head from his body, the only manner in which a Romanov dragon shifter could be killed.

Well…not the only way, Vladimir reminded himself darkly, but it was the manner in which Tanya had chosen to try to eliminate Vaughn. A crime that, as Vaughn had minutes ago reminded him, should have already ended in Tanya’s execution.

Except Vladimir couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Mine, his dragon roared for a second time.

Vladimir had first begun a dedicated search for his fated mate eight hundred years ago. But after all these years had passed, he finally had to accept there were no female dragons left in the world with whom he could mate and continue the royal Romanov line of succession.

A year ago, he’d had an unexpected meeting with a foreign dragon shifter, Grigor Pendragon. He was the eldest brother of the Pendragon dragons. Both of them had been flying in dragon form, but shielding themselves from the humans scurrying about below. A shielding which had not prevented dragon from seeing dragon.

Vladimir had initially been shocked at the sight of the unfamiliar red dragon. That surprise was quickly followed by both dragons going into attack mode.

The fight between the unfamiliar red dragon and Vladimir’s black dragon had been spectacular. A battle for the ages. But a battle neither could win when they were so well matched in size, agility, and skill.

Having