Page 46 of Red Fury (The Dragon Tributes #8)

F ury

He’s on his own.

I’m at full strength.

The fucker is dead; he just doesn’t know it yet.

The dart shoots through the air, and I have to give it to Kozlov; the bastard is a hell of a shot. But he’s not dealing with some helpless human. I’m better prepared this time.

I move at the last second, feeling the familiar burn and stretch as my bones begin to elongate. My shift happens fast, raw anger fueling the transformation. The dart whistles past where my torso was a split second ago, embedding itself in the dirt behind me.

My dragon form erupts from my human body. Scales burst through my skin like black armor, my wingspan unfurling with a sound like thunder. I want this piece of shit to know exactly what he’s up against.

The second dart comes at me. I don’t bother moving out of the way. It hits exactly where I expect it to, square in the chest, but it bounces off my scales with a metallic ping. Kozlov’s eyes widen in shock, and I bare my teeth in what might be considered a smile if dragons could smile.

Still, I’m not stupid. Even in this form, I have vulnerabilities. My wings, for one; the membrane between the bone structure is thinner, more susceptible to penetration. My deep underbelly, where the scales are smaller and softer. A few other spots that I’m not about to advertise to this asshole.

I need to be very careful.

He can’t get me. I won’t let him. Not when Shadow is lying there bleeding, barely conscious from what he’s done to her.

Kozlov raises the gun again as I launch myself forward, my huge body covering the distance between us in seconds. He fires twice more, but I’m already moving, dodging left then right. My tail whips out, catching the weapon and sending it flying through the air in a perfect arc.

Fucker!

The gun lands somewhere in the darkness behind the son of a bitch.

Now it’s just him and me.

Kozlov doesn’t run. He should run, but instead he squares his shoulders and meets my charge head-on. We collide with bone-rattling force, and I’m surprised by his strength all over again. He’s faster than I expected, too, managing to dodge my claws and land a solid hit to my ribs.

Still not as strong as me, though. Not even close.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Shadow would be dead if I hadn’t arrived when I did. The thought makes me want to tear him apart, but I hold back. I want him to suffer a little first.

My tail slices through the air like a whip, the razor-sharp tip catching him across the face. His skin parts, blood flowing freely down his cheek. He staggers but doesn’t go down.

Instead, he comes at me, moving like a blur and landing a blow to my snout. I don’t so much as move. Smoke wafts from my nostrils as I swipe at him with my front legs.

There is a satisfying snap. He screams, grabbing his arm, which is now at a strange angle. Good! I want him to hurt. I want him to suffer.

I throw my head into the air and growl, flames licking from my mouth. Kozlov cowers away, still cradling his arm.

As soon as I face him once again, he comes at me. The asshole doesn’t know when to quit. Perhaps if he begged for his life, I might… Nah, I can’t leave him breathing. I know he’d come after Shadow again. Only one of us is leaving alive.

I bash him with one of my wings, and he goes down again. As I crouch down to inflict more damage, he grabs a handful of sand and throws it directly into my eyes.

Still playing dirty.

The grit hits me like a thousand tiny needles, and I rear back with a roar of pain and fury. My vision blurs, tears streaming down my scaled face as I try to blink away the irritation. It takes precious seconds to clear the worst of it.

I spin toward the sound, still half-blind, just in time to see Kozlov aiming the gun at me again.

He must have gotten to it while I was distracted.

There’s that familiar pop of compressed air.

This time, he’s aiming at my wings. I start to move, but I know I’m not going to get out of the way this time.

Shadow throws herself at Kozlov with everything she has left, just as the gun goes off.

The shot goes wide, the dart disappearing into the night.

Kozlov hits Shadow, and she goes down hard. She hits the earth with a sickening thud and doesn’t get back up. Her eyes are open, thank fuck, and I can see her chest rising and falling, but her breathing is shallow, and she’s so pale she looks like a ghost.

I roar, consumed by a rage that has my vision narrowing on Kozlov.

I punch the bastard with the full force of my shifted strength behind it. The impact sends him flying backward, and the gun goes sailing through the air again. This time, I don’t let it get away.

I stomp on it with one massive, clawed foot, crushing it to pieces under my weight. I screech my rage at the night sky, smoke curling around me.

Then I turn back to Kozlov, who’s struggling to get to his feet, with his broken arm dangling uselessly at his side.

I stalk toward him slowly, deliberately, letting him see his death approaching. When I’m done with him, there will be nothing left but a blackened mark on the ground. He’ll be ash, and I’ll scatter him to the wind.

Just as I’m about to incinerate the bastard, the unmistakable sound of rotor blades cuts through the night air.

Two choppers appear, moving fast and descending quickly. The downdraft from their rotors whips the grass around us into a frenzy, and dust churns up in choking clouds.

I shift back to human form immediately and run to Shadow, throwing myself down beside her and shielding her body with mine.

The choppers land, engines winding down but rotors still spinning.

I’m preparing to shift and to fly Shadow to safety when a figure steps out of the lead chopper. I suck in a deep breath.

What the hell is this?

It’s Kozlov.

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. He’s in a business suit, complete with cufflinks that catch the light from the helicopter’s spots. His hair is styled, his face clean and unmarked. He looks like he just stepped out of a boardroom.

I look from the bloody, broken male on the ground to the one who just emerged from the helicopter. One is covered in blood and dirt. The other looks like he’s ready for a fucking photo shoot.

But they’re identical. Same face, same build, same pale blue eyes. Even the scar is in the same place.

“His brother,” Shadow whispers from the ground. “Must be a twin,” she croaks, her eyes fluttering closed.

I drop to my knees beside her, scooping her up and cradling her against my chest. Her head lolls back, lifeless, and my heart stops for a terrifying moment before I feel the weak flutter of her pulse against my wrist.

She’s alive. Barely.

I look down at her face, and fear hits me. She looks terrible. So weak and pale that her skin is almost translucent. Dark circles shadow her eyes, and her lips have lost all their color.

“What the hell have you done, Ivan?” the suited-up Kozlov asks, his voice booming.

So that’s what this piece of shit is called.

Ivan struggles to his feet, still cradling his arm. The cut on his face is already starting to knit itself back together. He’s looking stronger by the second, which pisses me off all over again.

My dragon surges forward. He wants me to kill the bastard. He also doesn’t want me to put Shadow back down on the ground.

“Hello, brother,” Ivan says, his voice strained but defiant. “I didn’t expect you home so soon.”

“Clearly,” the real Roman Kozlov says, his eyes taking in the scene. His gaze lingers on me and Shadow before moving back to Ivan. “What is the meaning of this? What are you playing at?”

Ivan straightens up as much as he can with his busted arm. “I assure you, it’s no game. I had a plan, Roman. I—”

Roman rubs a hand over his jaw. “You always do. What was it this time?” He sighs.

“I thought you were crazy to stop operating as an arms dealer,” Ivan continues, his voice gaining strength.

“So you told me. I explained that it was the best way forward. Why didn’t you listen?”

“You were crazy not to hear them out, and as it turns out, I was right. It paid off, brother. It’s huge. They—”

“You impersonated me,” Roman says, his voice deadly quiet. “Told my staff it was my wish. You lied through your teeth.”

“I know, but—”

“No buts,” Roman growls. “Didn’t you think there was a reason I turned down that meeting? A reason I’m stopping with that particular part of the business?”

Ivan gives a one-shouldered shrug and immediately winces as pain shoots through his broken arm. “I didn’t think—”

“You never do,” Roman cuts him off. “That’s your problem. Then I have to hear about an auction. An auction I’m supposedly holding. Can you even imagine my embarrassment when I didn’t know anything about it?”

Shadow stirs slightly in my arms, and I adjust my hold on her, making sure she’s secure. If I need to shift and get us the hell out of here, I will. Nothing and no one is going to hurt her again.

“Do you have any idea how much money we can get for dragon shifters?” Ivan demands, desperation creeping into his voice.

A growl rumbles deep in my chest.

“Again,” Roman says, his voice dangerously soft, “don’t you think there’s a reason I haven’t gone near the dragon shifters?”

Ivan’s eyes widen in shock. “You know about them?”

“Of course I know about them. I make it my business to know about everything that could potentially be a threat.”

“Then you’ll know how powerful they are,” Ivan presses on, glancing nervously at me. “I know you’re looking for a bride, and I found one for you. The she-dragon is—”

I snarl, baring my teeth at Ivan. The asshole actually shrinks back, which gives me a moment of satisfaction.

“It looks like she is already spoken for. Besides, I don’t need your help to find a bride,” Roman tells him. “I can find someone on my own.”

Ivan snorts. “That isn’t true. You’ve—”

“Enough,” Roman snarls.

Then he turns to look at me and Shadow, and I see something unexpected in his eyes. Genuine regret.

“You must excuse my brother,” he says, his voice softer now. “I want to make this right. Please. Come with me. I’ll offer you a roof, medical care. Whatever you need. Let me fix this.”

“You can’t take her,” Ivan says, his eyes looking red.

“Stand down, Ivan.”

“Yes, but—” He bares his fangs, hissing. Then he launches himself at us.

There is a popping noise, and Ivan falls to the ground, a dart protruding from his chest.

Roman puts his gun back in its holster under his fancy suit. I note that there is a second weapon as well.

“Please…” Roman gestures to the waiting choppers. “Shall we go?”

I shake my head. “We’re not coming with you. We’ll be just fine. Leave us.”

Once the drug leaves Shadow’s system, she’ll be fine. I need to get her back to my apartment.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Roman says, and there’s something in his tone that makes my dragon go on high alert. “This isn’t what I wanted either, but here we are. Please let me help you.”

“No.” I take a step back, preparing to shift.

Several males jump out of the choppers, all of them armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Within seconds, they form a wide circle around us.

“I must insist,” Roman says.