Page 10 of Red Fury (The Dragon Tributes #8)

F ury

The hotel suite door closes behind me, and I finally allow my shoulders to drop. What a fucking day. I toss my keycard onto the countertop and loosen my tie, the silk sliding through my fingers as I pull it free from my collar.

Shadow’s face keeps flashing through my mind. As well as the way her hand trembled in mine in that elevator. I can still scent the peppery scent of panic rolling off her in waves that told me just how close she came to losing control.

If I hadn’t been there… Fuck! I hate to think what could have happened. It doesn’t sit well with me. She’s a threat to my mission and a huge liability to our kind. I don’t like it.

I pull out my phone and send her another text.

We need to talk about what happened earlier. Call me!

The message shows as read within seconds, but no response comes. Just like the three other messages I’ve sent her during the course of the day. It’s frustrating as hell.

I need to know she’s all right.

I need to hear from her that she is still in control.

Before doing anything, I retrieve a small device from my luggage; it’s a military-grade bug detector that Steel’s tech team provided. It’s about the size of a cigarette pack and sensitive enough to pick up anything the government might have planted.

I move methodically through the suite, running the detector over every surface. The lamp bases, behind the headboard, under the desk, and around the bathroom fixtures. Twenty minutes later, I’m satisfied that the room is clean. No surveillance devices, no listening equipment. I can relax.

Now for the call I’ve been dreading.

I pull the burner phone from the hidden compartment in my jacket and dial Steel’s secure number. He answers on the second ring.

“Fury. About time. How are things progressing?”

His voice is crisp, professional, but I can hear the underlying tension. He’s as concerned about this mission as I am.

“It’s going well.” I keep it brief.

“Have you located the Draiger?”

My throat tightens. “Not yet. There are only two days left of the conference here in New York, then we return to Washington. I’m confident I’ll identify them once we’re back. The team that has been sent is small. Whoever they are is not among them.”

“Any useful intelligence so far?”

I take a breath, focusing on the one piece of information I can share without compromising Shadow. “Harrison had a phone conversation today that was…concerning. He’s pushing to have dragons reclassified from a monitoring situation to an active domestic terrorism threat. Both islands.”

“Fuck.” Steel’s voice goes hard. “That’s not good news.”

“No, it’s not. He specifically mentioned biological threats and enhanced security protocols. I’m not sure why. We haven’t given them any reason for concern.”

“Keep digging. We need to know what they’re planning, along with all the details.”

“I will do my level best. I’m working hard at making inroads with some of Harrison’s key people.” Namely, with Shadow. Bottom line, she’s in a better position to gather intel than I am. I need her – just as long as she stays in control. “I’ll contact you if there are any new developments.”

“Good work, Fury. I know this isn’t easy.”

If only he knew how difficult it really was.

“Just doing my job.”

“I’ll report to the king. Stay safe.”

The line goes dead, and I stare at the phone for a long moment before powering it down and hiding it again.

The guilt sits heavy in my chest. I’ve never lied to Steel before.

Never kept information from my king. But something about Shadow…

I can’t bring myself to expose her. Not yet.

Soon. And then I need to make it clear that I need her.

That she isn’t a threat. That she can help rather than hinder me; I just need to be very sure of it first.

Right now, I just don’t know.

I strip out of my suit, hanging it carefully in the closet before heading to the bathroom. The hot water feels amazing against my skin, washing away the stress and tension of the day. I brush my teeth.

Then I collapse onto the king-size bed naked. The Egyptian cotton sheets are cool against my skin as I sink into the mattress, but sleep doesn’t come easily. My mind keeps replaying the day.

The soft knock on my door yanks me from the edge of sleep. I glance at the digital clock, and it’s almost midnight. Who the hell would be knocking at this hour?

I can only think of one person.

I hope it’s her.

I grab a pair of boxers from the floor and pull them on before heading to the door. A quick check through the peephole has my heart rate spiking.

Big, green eyes stare back at me.

I unlock the door and pull it open to find her standing in the hallway. She’s wearing faded jeans and a simple black T-shirt. Her face is bare of makeup, and her short hair is lightly mussed.

She’s fucking gorgeous.

I check the hallway, noting that we are alone.

“I need you,” she says, her eyes meeting and holding mine. She shakes her head once, as if to dislodge a thought. “Help. I need your help. That came out wrong.”

I can guess what kind of help she needs, and relief floods through me. She’s finally ready to listen.

Thank Claw!

“Sure… What do you need?” I ask.

She looks down at her hands, then back up at me.

“I need to take you up on your offer. I’m sorry it’s so late; I had to work, and I wasn’t sure whether to even approach you or not.

But in the end, I decided it was the best course of action.

” She takes a shaky breath, also looking up and down the hallway.

“I need to shift. You were right. I should have listened. As long as you’re sure you can handle me…

” her eyes flare, “in my dragon form. You know what I mean.”

“I can definitely handle you…in your dragon form. No problem.”

The relief that washes over me is overwhelming.

Not just because she’s finally admitting she needs help, but because it validates my decision to protect her.

I made the right call by not exposing her to Steel.

Within a day or two, I can announce her presence and let them know we are working together.

“I’m glad you came,” I say, stepping back to let her enter. “Give me two minutes to get dressed.”

She nods, coming inside. I quickly pull on jeans and a T-shirt, facing the other way. When I turn, she’s standing by the window, staring out at the city lights.

“Did you overhear anything else today?” I ask, grabbing my wallet and keycard. “After Harrison’s call in the elevator?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing worth reporting.” She turns to face me. “But what he said about biological threats… It’s worrying, to say the least. Our people are in real danger, aren’t they?”

“It seems that way,” I say. “Whatever they’re planning, it doesn’t sound good for any of us.”

“Harrison spoke of multiple biological threats.” She narrows her eyes in thought. “It sounded like he wasn’t just talking about the dragons, but could he have meant something else?”

“I’m sure he meant Draig and Mistveil Islands, but I know what you mean. For a second there…I thought he might be talking about another threat entirely. One that has nothing to do with us.” I gesture to the door. “We should get out of here before it gets too late.”

She nods.

“I’m going to assume that you haven’t heard anything else about other biological threats before?” I ask her.

“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “This was the first decent intel I’ve had since arriving here.”

I’m not sure if I believe her, but why would she lie?

We go out into the hallway, and all is still clear, which is normal for this time of night.

“It had to be the two islands. There’s no other explanation that makes any kind of sense,” I say under my breath.

“Agreed,” she replies.

We choose to take the stairs down to the parking garage instead of the elevator. I press a button to unlock the SUV, and we climb inside, buckling up.

A few minutes later, we’re on our way back to Inwood Hill Park.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. It’s been on my mind since last night.”

“Sure, ask away,” I say as I indicate and turn right. The streets are also relatively quiet.

“When I first arrived on the Mainland, I heard all about how there are sixty Tributes going to the dragons. That this is the second year with that many Tributes going.”

I make a noise of agreement.

“I head up the academy that trains the Tributes in the hopes of getting some of them to bond with our dragons. I train the new recruits and then the dragon riders.”

I glance her way. “I see. I must say, it’s a bit of a leap from Academy Leader to operative.”

“There is the odd shifter on Draig who has a little more control over their dragons. I am one. Octane – you might know him since he’s on your island – is another. I run my department by myself. I don’t have a PA. I’m quite capable.”

I nod. “Yeah, I’ve met Octane, and I’m sure you are.”

“Here’s the thing: we only received thirty Tributes at the last intake, and we only got thirty again this year. We suspect that the extra thirty Tributes are for Mistveil Island since they weren’t being sent to us. This was later confirmed when documents crossed my desk to that effect.”

“Yes, it’s true; we had thirty Tributes sent to our island last year and again this year. We put in a petition to the Mainland, which was granted.”

“Why? You don’t need riders to stay in control. My Council is trying to convince me that you’re an anomaly, Fury. That would explain everything. Is that true?”

I don’t know how much to tell her. I like Shadow; I’m certainly attracted to her. But I can’t trust her or the rest of her people for shit.

“Can we agree to work together and to share intel?”

“I thought we were doing that already. Didn’t we call a truce?” Her eyes narrow. “I’m in this vehicle with you; I’m about to trust you with my life. I think that it’s safe to say we’re working together.”