Page 137 of Red Fury

Roman moves to a well-stocked bar cart and pours Shadow a glass of what looks like orange juice. He doesn’t get anything for himself or me.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself,” he says, returning with Shadow’s drink. “I am Roman Kozlov, leader of the Mainland vampires. Ivan is my brother.”

“Not just a brother,” I say, studying his face. “You must be identical twins.”

“No,” Roman says, settling into the chair across from us. “We are part of a triplet. And yes, we’re all identical.”

“What? There’s another one of you?” I push out; my voice is deep.

Roman nods. “Yes, there are three of us. Ivan, Konstantin, and me. I have not seen Konstantin in many years. He hates what we are. Our youngest brother is in denial about what he is.”

A monster.

I hold Roman’s gaze for a few long, charged moments. “Where is Ivan?” I ask again, my patience wearing thin.

“Under lock and key, where he can’t hurt anyone,” Roman assures us. “I want to thank you for not killing him. I realize youwould have been well within your rights to exact punishment for what he did to your mate.”

The casual way he says mate makes my dragon roar inside my chest. It’s excitement and happiness. For a second, I feel the emotion as well, then I separate myself from my beast. I need a clear head. My dragon isn’t helping matters.

“If you hadn’t arrived when you did, your brother would be dead,” I tell him flatly.

“I understand. Please know,” Roman looks over at Shadow, “Ivan will be dealt with for his actions. What he did to you was inexcusable. It is now an internal matter. The vampires will handle it ourselves.”

“He’s a loose cannon,” I growl the words. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled something like this again.”

Roman nods. “Loose cannon is an apt description. I am handling it, and I don’t do things by half measures.”

That fucker will get a slap on the wrist at best.

I drop it for now, because there are bigger issues at stake.

Roman leans forward slightly. “I realize you have no reason to trust me, but I’d like a chance to explain a few things. Would you be willing to listen?”

Shadow nods before I can respond. “Yes.”

I fold my arms. I’m probably going to regret this, but I finally nod. “Fine. Talk.”

Roman’s expression grows serious. “I’ve known for some time that the Mainland government has been monitoring the dragons. I’ve also been aware that there have been suspicions about other supernatural beings living on the Mainland.”

“They know about you?” Shadow asks.

“They suspect,” Roman says. “The occasional body has turned up with fang marks and drained of blood. It’s difficult to keep such things secret indefinitely, even though we have rulesin place to protect ourselves. We’re not in the business of killing humans. I swear it.”

“No, just wolf shifters,” Shadow remarks.

Roman’s jaw tightens. “That’s not entirely true. There is an ongoing dispute between the vampires and the shifters, but that is a discussion for another day.”

I lean forward. “What does any of this have to do with us?”

“For whatever reason, Harrison hates dragon shifters and any other potentialbiological threats. Threats he correctly suspects are living on the Mainland. He recently set up a task force geared to sniff us out. He wants us found and eliminated. Since he definitely knows about the dragons, he’s made you his main target…at least for now.”

My blood runs cold. We suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed makes it real in a way that’s hard to process.

“That’s why he’s trying to secure nuclear weapons?” I ask.

“You know what’s going on within the Mainland government?” Shadow asks before Roman can answer. “You know about their discussions regarding biological threats?”

Roman nods. “I do.”