Page 110 of Red Fury

“Exactly, but, in hindsight, I should’ve said something more,” I say.

“Aside from a similar text to yours, I only just told Steel before making my rescue attempt. They gave a timeframe of three weeks. Kozlov is the one brokering the arms deal, and he’s also been a little preoccupied with abducting you and organizing that insane auction. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a delay when it comes to delivery of the goods after all this.”

“You might be right. I keep thinking that I could have died… What then? My people would have been none the wiser. We’re talking about nuclear weapons, Fury.”

“Don’t talk like that, Shadow.” He grabs my hand and squeezes. “You didn’t die. I would’ve told them myself if something happened to you.”

“Really?” I snort-laugh. “You?”

“Yes…me. What’s so crazy about that?”

“You’re a Red,” I push out.

“Yeah, but I’m also a dragon shifter, same as you. We’re the same, Shadow. The same species with a common enemy. Yes, I would have told them if you couldn’t. I would have warned your people.” I see sincerity burning in his eyes.

I want to lean in and kiss him so badly, but I hold back.

“They wouldn’t have believed you,” I tell him, feeling a little sad.

“That would have been on them,” he tells me. “My point is that you can tell them now. There is still time to come up with a plan if they’re referring to our islands. We thought we were doing the right thing by not freaking them out on a potential false claim. Stop beating yourself up.”

“You’re right.”

We hike in silence for a time. I have my heels in my hands. It’s easier without them.

As we get nearer to the vehicle, I hang back.

“I’m going to make that call now,” I tell him, pressing the clip and taking my phone from the heel of my shoe. “I don’t wantto know what they must be thinking after I missed that flight yesterday.”

His expression grows grim. “You have an excellent excuse for missing that flight. Yeah, I need to call in again, too.”

“Let me guess,” I say, studying his face. “He didn’t want you rescuing a Draiger. He wanted you to let me rot.”

The way his jaw tightens tells me I’ve hit the nail on the head.

He shakes his head. “That’s not true. Steel didn’t want me risking myself, the mission, or our people by going in there half-cocked. And in hindsight, he was probably right. He ordered me to stand down and wait for a team to be sent. One of their directives would have been to rescue you, too.”

“So, you disobeyed a direct order?”

“I did,” he admits. “And I’d probably do it again, even if it was a dumb thing to do.”

Something warm unfurls in my chest. The idea that he risked everything to come for me warms me in ways it shouldn’t.

Don’t read too much into it,I warn myself.He needs you for the mission. That’s all this is.

But the warmth remains. I’m clearly an idiot.

“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he says, walking away to give us both privacy for our calls. “Then we’ll get back on the road.”

I nod and watch him disappear into the trees before scrolling through my contacts to find Councilor Reed’s number.

She answers on the first ring despite the early hour. Then again, she is two hours ahead of me.

“Shadow.” Her voice is tight with both worry and annoyance. “You had better have an excellent explanation for missing your flight and ignoring every message and call.”

“You will never believe what happened,” I begin, then launch into a condensed version of events. I keep it brief and to the point, focusing on the intelligence we gathered about the nuclear weapons and Roman’s involvement.

I expect her to start interrogating me about the nuclear weapons, but she doesn’t.