Page 49 of Red Fury

He ignores the question. “Who was leading the discussion after you left?” His eyes are blazing now.

“General Delport, I assume. She’s the one who took control.” I frown at his increasingly agitated state. “Fury, what’s going on? You’re acting like—”

“How long were you outside for? Did you overhear anything useful? Anything at all?” He steps right into my personal space.

“No…I…um… Why are you interrogating me? What the hell happened during your meeting today? I heard you left with Webb to attend some or other important meeting. Is that true?”

He stops pacing and fixes me with a stare. “As much as I want to trust you, Shadow, I can’t shake the feeling that you’re not telling me everything you know. What are you keeping from me? It would be in your best interest to tell me now.”

He has got to be kidding right now. “Excuse me?” I push out, sounding angry, because I am.

Asshole.

“Are you keeping something from me? Some piece of information you think might benefit your people over mine?” he practically growls.

Heat floods my face, anger and hurt warring in my chest. “Are you seriously questioning my honesty right now?”

“Yes, Draiger, I am.”

It hurts even though it shouldn’t, and my blood boils.

“Fuck you, Red!”

“Fucking is off the table, remember?” He cocks a brow.

I make a squeaking noise because I can’t believe him. I cannot!

“I’m questioning your honesty,” he says, his voice dropping to something dangerous. “Why should I believe you? Isn’t it true that you’d sell out Mistveil if it meant saving Draig?”

I stare at him, my dragon snarling beneath my skin. “I thought we were…that… We agreed to help each other, Fury. Wemade a deal. Because I thought—” I cut myself off, too angry to continue. “I guess I was wrong,” I mutter.

“You thought what?” He narrows his eyes, looking down his nose at me.

“I thought we were actually working together,” I snap. “I thought this truce meant something. I thought perhaps we could trust each other just enough to focus on the real threat instead of this centuries-old bullshit between our islands. We’re the same damned species, after all.”

His jaw clenches. “The real threat being what, exactly?”

“The humans, you idiot!” I throw my hands up in exasperation. “The government that’s been lying to both our peoples for who knows how long. The same government that just held a classified meeting about biological threats that somehow required the highest security clearance imaginable.”

“And you learned nothing from that meeting because you were excluded,” he says, skepticism heavy in his voice.

“Why is it so hard to believe? I’m just a PA. I learned nothing. Zero. Zilch.” I take a step toward him, my temper flaring. “But you know what? You don’t believe me. You think I’m lying to protect my own interests. So why don’t you go ask your teammates? Maybe you’ll believe Jake Reynolds or Thompson when they tell you the exact same thing I just told you.”

His eyes stay on mine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means they were dismissed, too, genius. I already told you that every single member of the security detail was sent out of that room. So, if you think I’m holding back information, go interrogate them. Maybe their word will carry more weight than mine since they’re not Draigers.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Fury stands frozen, his expression cycling through emotions I can’t read. When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet.

“Shadow—”

It sounds like he might want to apologize, only I don’t want to hear it.

“No.” I hold up a hand, my heart pounding with hurt and anger. “Just no. I thought we had an understanding. I thought we were on the same side, working toward the same goal. But it’s clear that I was wrong.”

“It’s just that—” he starts to say, but it’s too late.

I move toward the door, my hands shaking with the effort of keeping my dragon contained. “You want to know what I think? I think you’re just as prejudiced as every other Red who’s ever dismissed Draigers as inferior. You want my help when it’s convenient, but the moment things get serious, you can’t bring yourself to actually believe me.”