Page 48 of Red Fury (The Dragon Tributes #8)

F ury

It’s not like that between us.

Shadow’s words to the vampire female keep running through my head over and over as I wait for Shadow to come out of the bathroom. Each repetition feels like a knife in my gut, even though I know I have no right to feel this way.

I should be thinking about my upcoming meeting with Roman Kozlov and not replaying those words.

What did I expect Shadow to say? After all is said and done, Shadow is still a Draiger, and I’m a Red.

Nothing has changed. I might have feelings for her, but it doesn’t matter.

There are more important things right now.

The bathroom door opens, and Shadow walks out looking fucking beautiful in a summer dress that brings out the color of her eyes. I’ve mainly seen her in jeans or workwear. For a moment, I forget how to breathe. I forget everything.

My dragon twists and growls inside me, wanting me to claim her, to mark her, to make sure every male within a hundred-mile radius knows she’s mine. But she’s not mine.

She walks toward me, and I note the angry red marks on her neck surrounded by dark bruising that’s only just starting to fade. Kozlov’s brother did a number on Shadow.

A growl rumbles low in my chest before I can stop it. I still want to kill Ivan. The bastard is lucky his brother showed up when he did.

Shadow notices my stare and touches her neck self-consciously. “It looks worse than it feels,” she says softly. “I’m fine, Fury. Really. I’m feeling so much stronger already.”

“Good,” I manage. “If you’re ready, we should get this over with.”

She nods, and we leave the bedroom together. Several guards are waiting in the hallway, and they escort us through the lavish penthouse to the living room, where Roman Kozlov is waiting.

He looks like he’s showered and changed since our last encounter. He’s wearing another suit. This time it’s charcoal gray. His dark hair is slicked back. I’m shocked at how much the brothers look alike. I think if they were standing side by side, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. It’s freaky.

He glances up as we enter.

“ Ostav’te nas, ” he tells the guards, and they nod and leave.

“Please,” he says, gesturing to the plush seating area. “Take a seat. You are my guests, not my prisoners.”

I don’t believe the male and choose to stay standing. My dragon is too close to the surface, too agitated by everything that’s happened.

“Would either of you care for a drink?” Kozlov asks politely, as if we’re here for a social visit instead of whatever the hell this actually is.

“I want to know what’s going on,” I say bluntly, crossing my arms over my chest. “Where is Ivan Kozlov?”

“I’ll have a juice, please,” Shadow says, shooting me a look. “Let’s sit and… Let’s just sit, please.”

Against my better judgment, I reluctantly lower myself into the chair beside her. But I perch on the edge.

Roman moves to a well-stocked bar cart and pours Shadow a glass of what looks like orange juice. He doesn’t get anything for himself or me.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself,” he says, returning with Shadow’s drink. “I am Roman Kozlov, leader of the Mainland vampires. Ivan is my brother.”

“Not just a brother,” I say, studying his face. “You must be identical twins.”

“No,” Roman says, settling into the chair across from us. “We are part of a triplet. And yes, we’re all identical.”

“What? There’s another one of you?” I push out; my voice is deep.

Roman nods. “Yes, there are three of us. Ivan, Konstantin, and me. I have not seen Konstantin in many years. He hates what we are. Our youngest brother is in denial about what he is.”

A monster.

I hold Roman’s gaze for a few long, charged moments. “Where is Ivan?” I ask again, my patience wearing thin.

“Under lock and key, where he can’t hurt anyone,” Roman assures us. “I want to thank you for not killing him. I realize you would have been well within your rights to exact punishment for what he did to your mate.”

The casual way he says mate makes my dragon roar inside my chest. It’s excitement and happiness. For a second, I feel the emotion as well, then I separate myself from my beast. I need a clear head. My dragon isn’t helping matters.

“If you hadn’t arrived when you did, your brother would be dead,” I tell him flatly.

“I understand. Please know,” Roman looks over at Shadow, “Ivan will be dealt with for his actions. What he did to you was inexcusable. It is now an internal matter. The vampires will handle it ourselves.”

“He’s a loose cannon,” I growl the words. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled something like this again.”

Roman nods. “Loose cannon is an apt description. I am handling it, and I don’t do things by half measures.”

That fucker will get a slap on the wrist at best.

I drop it for now, because there are bigger issues at stake.

Roman leans forward slightly. “I realize you have no reason to trust me, but I’d like a chance to explain a few things. Would you be willing to listen?”

Shadow nods before I can respond. “Yes.”

I fold my arms. I’m probably going to regret this, but I finally nod. “Fine. Talk.”

Roman’s expression grows serious. “I’ve known for some time that the Mainland government has been monitoring the dragons. I’ve also been aware that there have been suspicions about other supernatural beings living on the Mainland.”

“They know about you?” Shadow asks.

“They suspect,” Roman says. “The occasional body has turned up with fang marks and drained of blood. It’s difficult to keep such things secret indefinitely, even though we have rules in place to protect ourselves. We’re not in the business of killing humans. I swear it.”

“No, just wolf shifters,” Shadow remarks.

Roman’s jaw tightens. “That’s not entirely true. There is an ongoing dispute between the vampires and the shifters, but that is a discussion for another day.”

I lean forward. “What does any of this have to do with us?”

“For whatever reason, Harrison hates dragon shifters and any other potential biological threats . Threats he correctly suspects are living on the Mainland. He recently set up a task force geared to sniff us out. He wants us found and eliminated. Since he definitely knows about the dragons, he’s made you his main target… at least for now.”

My blood runs cold. We suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed makes it real in a way that’s hard to process.

“That’s why he’s trying to secure nuclear weapons?” I ask.

“You know what’s going on within the Mainland government?” Shadow asks before Roman can answer. “You know about their discussions regarding biological threats?”

Roman nods. “I do.”

“How?” she asks.

“I have people strategically placed to gather information and keep me informed. If the dragon shifters are under threat, then potentially so are we as a species. This is particularly true after this task force was formed. As hard as I try, I may not be able to keep our existence secret forever.”

“And?” I prompt when he doesn’t continue. “How long have you known that Harrison was getting ready to exterminate us?”

“I’ve known for a while now. Ever since he first tabled the motion.”

Shadow’s face has gone pale, and I can smell her fear spike in the air.

Kozlov holds up a hand. “It’s why I stopped supplying arms altogether.

I don’t want my people or others like us killed with my weapons.

I refuse to supply such weapons to the Mainland government.

Ivan took things into his own hands without knowing or understanding the bigger picture.

I’m correcting this as we speak. I’ve already informed Webb that I’m pulling out of the deal.

It will be difficult for the government to get its hands on nuclear devices through the correct channels. Almost impossible.”

“But surely they’ll come up with another plan?” I say, my mind already racing through scenarios. An army with guns and bombs. Chemical weapons. The possibilities are endless and all of them terrifying.

“My pulling out of the arms deal will buy you time,” Kozlov says. “They won’t be able to come up with a Plan B overnight. There’s always red tape when it comes to government departments. But you won’t have to worry about that.”

I study his face, looking for any sign of deception, but I don’t see any. Either he’s an excellent liar or he’s telling the truth.

“What do you mean by that? Of course we have to worry,” I say.

“You don’t have to worry because I’m going to handle it. Like I mentioned before, when I make a decision, it happens.”

“What do you mean?” I all but snarl.

“You need to understand something.” He looks from me to Shadow and back.

“It suited me just fine when dragon shifters stayed on their islands. I was content with not interfering. That is no longer the case. I will make all of your problems go away on the condition that you leave the Mainland and never return.”

Shadow shakes her head. “That’s impossible. I’ll need to return as an agent for the dragon shifters. Especially with everything going on. The long and short of it is that we’re still under threat even if you buy us time. Harrison isn’t going to back down. He’s going to find another way.”

“You’re right. He will, but I won’t let him. I will deal with it…I will deal with him,” Kozlov says.

“We can’t trust you,” I tell him bluntly. “Deal with him how? Will you buy him off? Get him fired? What?”

Roman hesitates for a moment, seeming to wrestle with how much to reveal. “I plan on taking him out of the picture permanently. He is dangerous to our kind. It’s as simple as that.”

“And then the person who takes his place could be ten times worse,” Shadow mutters, almost to herself. “Should we just simply trust that you will handle things then, too?” She lifts her brows, not looking too convinced.

Roman smiles. “That is an excellent question. I have someone lined up to take Harrison’s place. We hadn’t planned on mobilizing this soon, but needs must.”

“Who?” Shadow asks.

Roman wrestles with telling us, his jaw working as he considers.

I push him. “You want us to trust you, but surely it’s a two-way street?”

Finally, he speaks. “Fine. General Delport.”

Shadow gasps. “Really?”

“Yes. She’s a vampire,” Roman confirms. “She will look after the interests of all of us. I need to get her in position as soon as possible, and then it will take time for her to change things. Starting with the disbanding of the task force. Your species is currently listed as an active threat. She’ll ensure that you’re reverted to the monitoring category.

With Delport in place, we’ll be able to bring more of my people into strategic positions.

I’ll soon have the whole Mainland government in my pocket. ”

“Why can’t we send people? Surely we can work together?” I don’t love the idea, but neither do I want to leave everything in the hands of this male.

I still don’t trust him one damned bit.

Kozlov’s expression hardens slightly. “I was warned by the Great Elders that dragon blood must never be consumed. This is something I already knew since it was information passed down by my predecessor. I was taken to task by the Great Elders over the auction notice Ivan broadcast all over our networks. They know you are here, and they’re fuming.

I now need to fix it, or my head will be on the chopping block.

Long story short, dragon shifters and vampires don’t do well together as a species. ”

“Let me guess,” Shadow says. “Dragon blood is addictive to vampires.”

Kozlov nods. “Your blood turns a vampire into a thirst-crazed beast. Make no mistake, we are governed by our instincts at the best of times. We have a drive to drink blood that becomes all-consuming after consuming dragon blood. We become insatiable. We lose our minds.”

“Your brother was crazed and tormented when he abducted me the second time,” Shadow says, her eyes going hazy.

“Ivan is having to detox, much like a human addicted to hard drugs,” Roman continues.

“He’s in a world of pain. He may not survive the detox, and if he does, he will, more than likely, never be the same.

It cannot happen to any more of my coven.

You smell good to us. Your blood tastes like life itself, only it is a sure path to death.

Therefore, dragons cannot be here among us.

We do not mix well together as a species. ”

“I agree with you on that note,” I tell Roman. “But the fact remains that Shadow and I are needed on the Mainland. You can’t expect our people to trust blindly. End of story.”

Roman shakes his head. “That’s not true. You’re not needed. I will protect my own people, and in doing so, I’ll protect the dragons too. I will take care of Harrison.”

“And I’ve made it clear that we can’t trust you or your kind,” I tell Kozlov. “You can’t expect us to just sit back and do nothing. You’ll have the interests of vampires at heart. Screw the rest of us.”

Roman leans forward, his expression intense. “I need you to leave and stay gone. I understand that you have a hard time trusting me. I have information that might change your mind. Information you can look into. In no time, you will see that I’m telling the truth.”

“And you’ll tell us all of this now, so that we stay away?” Shadow asks.

“Yes. The government has worked hard to suppress dragon shifters and keep you under Mainland control. I never interfered because it suited me and my people to have you stay put on the islands. Things have changed. You being here is a threat to my people. The government has since become a threat, too.”

He pauses, letting that sink in. “I’m about to give you the inside information you need to thrive.

I’m going to tell you how to get out from under the human government.

Long term, I will help you as a species.

I promise to protect you, but the only caveat is that you can never return to the Mainland.

If you do, I will declare war on your kind. ”

The threat hangs in the air between us.

“That’s a bold statement to make,” I say, my voice low.

“I mean it. We’re in an age where supernatural creatures such as us need to work together, not—”

“That’s what I’m suggesting.” I sound frustrated.

“You can help us by staying away. I will help you with information and by destroying your enemies,” Roman continues. “I know exactly what the Mainland has been doing for years and years. Do you want the information or not?”

I look at Shadow, seeing the conflict in her eyes.

She pulls in a deep breath and then nods once.

I turn to Roman. “We’re listening.”