Page 5 of Red Fury

Not my cup of tea. He’s arrogant and, well…a Draiger. I struggle to get past that.

“Morning.” My voice is polite but slightly clipped. I can’t help it. Years of conditioning don’t just disappear overnight because we’re trying to improve our relationship with Draig. Not that too much is happening on that front. I almost feel sorry for the guy.

“It’s good to see you.” Good is pushing it, but I have to try.

What is he doing here, anyway?

Why would he be needed?

Unless I’m not here to be promoted.

Double fucking crap!

“Fury.” He inclines his head, his expression equally guarded. “Good to see you, too. You look well.”

“You, too. The mated life suits you.”

“It does. Being a father, too. Best things that ever happened to me.”

Lucky fuck! What most of us wouldn’t give to have the same. He should have stayed on his island and mated one of his own. It’s not like we have females to go around. I keep my opinions to myself. This is not the time.

Steel clears his throat, shooting me a warning look. Damn. Clearly my thoughts are being betrayed without the need for words. I need to play nice, even if every instinct I have is telling me not to trust the male across from me.

I smile. “I’m excited to learn why I am here. Seems…interesting.” My gaze flicks back to Octane before moving to the king.

“Let’s get to it. Please, sit.” Arctic gestures to the chairs arranged around his desk. Great! We’re not going to sit at the conference table or at the sitting area in the corner. This is more of a formal gathering than I thought it would be.

I put my mask on the side table against the wall and do as instructed, sitting on the chair closest to Steel.

There is a knock at the door. Sally enters, carrying a tray. “I hope I’m not disturbing.” She doesn’t wait for a response. Instead, she walks inside, placing a tray on the desk before us. There are four cups of coffee and a plate full of pastries.

“Thanks.” I wink at her when she looks my way.

Sally throws me a big smile and leaves.

“So,” Arctic begins, sitting on his own chair, “let’s get straight into it.”

Steel picks up one of the cappuccinos, casually sipping the beverage. My stomach suddenly feels like it’s full of rocks. I lean back, trying to appear relaxed.

“First, let me say that your handling of the security breach last week was exemplary,” King Arctic goes on, his gaze on me.

I nod, remembering the incident. “That group of banished males thought they had made it through our defenses, but they were wrong.”

“It could have been a shitshow, but your team saved the day.Yousaved the day with your quick thinking,” Arctic adds. “It was impressive.”

“My team followed orders and did what needed to be done.” I take a cappuccino off the tray and take a sip. “I have to give them most of the credit.” I’m not being modest; it’s the simple truth.

“Which brings us to why you’re here,” Steel continues, his expression growing serious.

This is it. Fingers and talons crossed.

I pray that they are finally going to offer me the position of a lifetime. Head of Security for Mistveil Island. Steel’s old position. A role I want so badly I can taste it. I deserve this promotion.

“Our IT division finally managed to crack my brother, Ice’s, computer,” the king says.

That’s not what I was expecting. In fact, it’s the very last thing I was expecting to hear. What does this have to do with me?

“Ice had some pretty sophisticated security protocols in place,” Steel explains. “Most of the data was corrupted or deleted the moment we breached the system, but we managed to salvage a few key pieces of information.”