Page 141 of Red Fury

We watch him leave.

I look up at Fury, seeing my own shock and anger reflected in his eyes. Everything we thought we knew about our world, about our dragons, about each other – it’s all been a lie.

“What now?” I ask.

“I have no idea.” He sighs. “We may as well go home.”

Home.I have no idea where that is anymore.

44

Fury

Shadow darts back and forth between her bedroom and the main area, the sound of drawers slamming and zippers closing echoing through the apartment.

“Are you sure I can’t help you? I feel terrible just standing here with my finger up my ass.”

“Don’t!” she yells from the bedroom. “I’m fine. I’m nearly done.”

“Perfect.” I glance at my watch. “We need to leave soon or you’re going to miss your flight.”

“I need two minutes,” comes her muffled reply from the bedroom.

“All good. Let me know if you change your mind about needing help.”

I lean back against the wall. This feels like déjà vu in the worst possible way. Shadow’s flight is scheduled just before mine. We’re about to go through it all over again, from the goodbyes to the uncertainty, then there’s the not knowing when or if we’ll see each other again.

My phone buzzes against my thigh, the vibration pulling me from my thoughts. I fish it out of my pocket and check the caller ID.

Webb.

I sigh and stare at the screen for a moment, my thumb hovering over the decline button. Part of me wants to ignore it. I don’t feel like dealing with whatever it is he’s about to say. But then again, he did help me find Shadow. He seriously came through for me in helping locate her.

If it weren’t for him…

I shudder to think what would have happened to her. I probably should have called the male instead of just sending him a text to tell him that I had located and extracted Claire and that she was okay, all things considered.

Guilt wins out, and I swipe to answer, working hard at sounding jovial even though I’m feeling anything but.

“Webb,” I say, forcing lightness into my voice. “What’s up?”

“Damien,” he says, and I can hear the relief in his voice. “Thank Christ you answered. I was starting to worry.”

“Sorry about that. As you know, it’s been a crazy few days.” I walk closer to the window, looking out over the busy street.“Listen, thanks again for helping out with locating Claire. I owe you big time.”

“Yeah…um…sure.”

“What’s up? You don’t sound like yourself.”

There’s a pause, and then Webb blurts out, “You obviously didn’t kill Kozlov during the extraction because he’s still alive.”

I clear my throat, thinking fast. “It wasn’t Kozlov who had her,” I tell him. It’s not an outright lie. “It was one of his men. Turns out it was the same guy who took her before, too. It was never Kozlov. When I confronted him about it, he apologized and asked to handle the matter himself. So no, I didn’t end up killing him or the person responsible. I didn’t want to turn it into a big deal and cause trouble between us. Know that Kozlov and I are still on good terms.”

Another pause. When Webb speaks again, his voice is clipped. “How is Claire?”

“She was beaten,” I tell him. “Thankfully, she’s strong and fought back, so it’s just minor injuries. Some scrapes and bruises. More than anything, she’s shaken up.”

“Jesus.”