Page 39 of Red Fury (The Dragon Tributes #8)

I force myself to concentrate on my phone, reminding myself that he’s still off limits. If I didn’t know it well enough for myself, he went and made it crystal clear earlier as to where we stand with one another. Especially after that stinging comment.

“You say that sunlight kills them,” he says, the machine hissing as he froths milk for his coffee.

“When I met with Kozlov for the first time, it was in his office. He has these huge windows that let in all the sunlight. That can’t be a weakness if he sat there like it was nothing. The guy has a tan.”

“That he does. Okay, so sunlight isn’t a problem for them, which sucks.

” I scroll down to the next item. “Garlic. It supposedly repels them. Awesome. We’ll add plenty of garlic to our eggs this morning, which will end up repelling everyone we come into contact with today. I doubt garlic will help us.”

Fury looks over his shoulder and throws me a half-smile that hits me low in the belly, sending heat spiraling through me. Damn him and his effect on me. I force my attention back to the phone yet again.

“Holy water can burn them and even kill them if ingested,” I read the next line with obvious skepticism. “That seems far-fetched. Since we don’t have any holy water lying around, I might not look too much into that one.”

“What else?” Fury asks, moving around the counter with his coffee.

“The other way to kill them is with a wooden stake through the heart.”

Fury lets out a short laugh. “A stake through the heart would kill anyone.”

I can’t help but laugh too, some of the tension leaving me. “It has to be wooden to work, according to this article.”

“Noted,” he says as he sits down next to me on a barstool, so close that I can feel his body heat. The scent of him – something wild and masculine with a hint of smoke – fills my senses.

Arghhhhh! Why does he have to smell so good along with everything else?

“Decapitation is next on the list,” I say, glancing up at him.

We both burst out laughing, harder this time.

“Decapitation will kill anyone,” I say, rolling my eyes. “This is ridiculous.”

I keep scrolling anyway. “They don’t like running water, which would make showering impossible.” I shake my head in disbelief.

Fury chuckles. “They do wear far too much cologne, so maybe that is a thing.”

I laugh too, but quickly turn serious. “I think that might be to mask their scent. It was weird. They didn’t smell like humans at all.” I shake my head.

“I know what you mean. So, we keep our eyes open for large humans with strange scents.”

“Or wearing too much cologne.” I lift my brows. “I must say, it all seems like a bunch of crap to me. They’re not supposed to have a reflection, either, but Neilina, one of Kozlov’s cronies, had a very definite reflection.”

“So, what do we actually know about them?” Fury asks, his tone turning serious again.

“We know they’re stronger and much faster than humans, but not as strong as us. Hence the need for those drugs of theirs.” I set my phone down for a moment. “The key is not to get shot with a dart.”

“So, bottom line,” Fury says, “we really don’t know much of anything about these bastards.”

I pick up my phone again, scrolling further.

“Wait, there’s more. It says there are two kinds of vampires: originals and turned vampires.

Originals are born as vampires. Turned vampires are made.

They’re drained of all their blood until they die, then they come back as the undead.

” I pause, lifting my eyes in thought. “Kozlov was warm. Tanned. Very much alive. I wouldn’t call him undead. ”

“Neither would I. His guards were very much alive as well,” Fury says.

“Since Kozlov has a scar, I would assume he was turned – if that is really a thing.”

“I saw it too,” he nods. “You could be right.”

“So, to recap, they’re fast, strong, and have dart guns filled with drugs that render our beasts useless to us. I think it’s safe to say we’re the underdogs.”

“We have a secret weapon.”

“What weapon?” I laugh. “Tell me more.”

“Sex.” He smiles, showing his dimples, and I’m suddenly hyperaware that Fury has moved even closer. I think it might have been to get a look at my screen while I was scrolling.

I look back down, not seeing much of anything.

“Oh…um…yeah, of course.” I clear my throat. My face feels hot. The fact that his thigh is pressed against mine just makes me feel hotter. The warmth burns through me, and when I look up, my breath catches.

He’s so close. Close enough that I can see the flecks of silver in his blue eyes, close enough that I can feel his breath on my face. My gaze drops to his mouth, and all I can think about is how he’s almost close enough to kiss.

Fury’s expression turns almost angry, and I’m not sure why. He suddenly gets up, putting distance between us.

“I have something I need to do,” he says, his voice carefully controlled. He mutters something about an email and then disappears into his bedroom, leaving me sitting there alone.

A hollow feeling settles in my chest.

Crap! I think I might have feelings for Fury. No! I definitely have feelings for him, or I wouldn’t be feeling this way.

Arghhhhhhh!

No…what have I done?