Page 98 of Red Fury

Rage explodes through me like a detonation.

My dragon surges forward. The room is too small for a full shift, but I can manage a partial transformation.

My bones elongate, muscles expanding as scales burst through my skin and my clothing tears off, my weapons thudding as they hit the floor. I don’t need them.

My hands become claws, and a powerful tail whips out behind me. Best of all, I can feel the fire building in my chest. Smoke wafts from my nostrils.

Kozlov’s eyes widen with…delight. He should be afraid. He should be running. Why isn’t he running?

“Holy fuck! A dragon shifter,” he growls. “I should have known. Oh, this is perfect. You guys are from those little islands, aren’t you? Do you have any idea how much you’ll sell for?”

I don’t give him a chance to answer himself because it’s clear he isn’t looking for an answer from either of us. I take the opportunity while he is distracted. My tail whips around with bone-crushing force, catching him in the ribs and sending him flying across the room. He hits the wall hard enough to break through it.

For a moment, I think I’ve won.

Then I hear him laugh from between the debris and dust. My heart sinks.

“Very impressive,” he says, wiping blood from his mouth as he steps back through the break in the wall. “But you’re not the only one with tricks.”

He shouts something in Russian, and within seconds, the bedroom door bursts open and half a dozen men in tactical gear pour in, all carrying rifles.

I bare my fangs and prepare to roast them alive. Human weapons are useless against a dragon. We are notoriously difficult to kill. A few bullets will sting, but they won’t kill me.

Shadow shouts from where she’s still lying on the floor, but I don’t hear what it is she is saying. My dragon is in hunt mode.

“Bring it!” I growl. My voice is guttural. I will kill them all.

I roar.

The rifles fire in unison, and instead of the crack of gunshots, I hear the soft pops of compressed air. Darts sink into my hide all along my arms and chest.

I grunt in shock.

Human drugs shouldn’t have much effect on me. They can go to hell. I take a step toward them and falter.

The drugs don’t just hit my system, they flood it.

No!

Fuck!

My partial shift begins to collapse, scales retracting as my bones shrink back to human proportions. The fire in my chest gutters out.

“You don’t play fair,” I snarl at Kozlov as I fall to my knees. These are not human drugs. They can’t be.

“Fair is for losers,” he replies, his fangs still visible as he grins. “And I never lose.”

I try to reach for my dragon, but he’s far out of my reach. More like a whisper or a shadow than a solid presence. It’s all wrong. All wrong! No! My enhanced strength evaporates, leaving me as weak as a human.

Weaker, even. My limbs feel like they’re made of lead.

“What did you give me?” I slur, my vision blurring.

Shadow screams my name.

“Something special,” Kozlov says, crouching down to look me in the eye. “Something designed specifically for your kind. For shifters. Don’t worry; you’ll live. You’re far too valuable to kill.” He looks over at Shadow.

The last thing I see before the darkness takes me is Shadow’s face, pale with fear.