Chapter Twelve
Seeing Lily wake up brought Kyle great relief. He would have crawled over to his sister, but Greer instilled confidence in him.
Lily’s question about why Nessa was in her house held quite a lot of animosity, but it was also tinged with curiosity. “I called Nessa. I feared those men might come back, and if they had, I wasn’t in any shape to defend you.”
Lily sucked in a big breath and hiccupped. Birk picked up the wet towel and wiped away some of the blood on her face. “You’re healing nicely,” he said softly.
Her brows scrunched, and then she grunted. “Then why do I hurt so much?”
Greer placed a hand on Lily’s arm. “I promise the pain will go away shortly.”
Lily glanced up at Greer then over at Kyle. “Maybe you can help my brother.”
“I’ll try.” Greer looked up at Birk. “What about Declan? Is he coming?”
“He’s on his way.”
“Good,” she said.
Greer rose, and when she moved over to Kyle, Nessa scooted out of the way. If her brother hadn’t been watching, he would have asked Nessa to stay by his side. Just being next to her brought comfort. No doubt about it, Nessa Caspian had gotten under his skin. Hell, every time he was near her, he couldn’t help but want her. When the attraction had grown to this heightened point of need, he didn’t know—but it had.
Greer placed her hands on his face, and when she touched an open wound, he winced.
“Close your eyes,” Greer said. “Try to absorb my healing energy.”
The moment he did, Nessa returned to his side and held his hand. Her touch helped him relax. Seconds later, the pounding headache subsided, and the stinging on his arms and back lessened, though he wasn’t certain which of the sisters was giving him more relief.
Kyle opened his eyes, and both Greer and Nessa smiled down at him.
“How do you feel?” Nessa asked.
It took him a moment to assess his condition. “I can’t believe it. My headache is finally gone for the first time in days.”
Nessa smiled. “Greer is amazing.”
No, you are amazing, Nessa.
Kyle looked down at his arms and then touched his face. The wounds had dried up and were healing. “Thank you, Greer. I never would have believed it was possible if I hadn’t just experienced it.”
“You’re welcome. The wounds on your back will heal as well,” Greer said.
Nessa squeezed his hand. “We probably should get out of here. Those men might come back.”
“Why would they? They delivered their message—loud and clear.”
“Perhaps, but I like to be cautious.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m very sorry you had to go through this.”
“Thank you. I’m more worried about Lily right now,” he whispered. He would handle whatever came his way, but his sister was innocent. “She has nothing to do with this.”
Nessa rubbed his arm, and his thoughts scattered. “In a way, she does. I’m betting the attackers want her to suggest to the injured workers that they sue us for everything we’re worth. Avonbelle insurance might say everything is our fault. If we lost in court, it could do some serious damage to our reputation.”
Lily spoke up, sounding a lot stronger. “My company is not like that. Besides, I’m just one of many workers who make recommendations. People review my case files. I can recommend all I want, but Avonbelle Insurance would only spend the money to fight your family if they thought they could win.”
Kyle loved hearing his sister’s passion. The fact she wasn’t spewing hate was a good sign that she might be softening toward dragon shifters.
Birk looked down at Lily and then at Kyle. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”
Kyle didn’t like the possessive look in the man’s eye. Nelor had acted like that at one time and look what happened. Kyle sat up straighter. “I can take care of my sister.”
The moment he said it, he realized he might not be able to. Those men had barged in and shoved him like he weighed nothing. Sure, he got in a few good swings, but when the men’s claws came out, he was smart enough to know he couldn’t fight them both.
One of the men started tearing up the place, and Lily nearly lost it. She screamed at them to stop, but the men ignored her. It was then that she charged one of them. He swung a fist and connected with her face, and she’d dropped like a stone. The second man then lifted her off the floor and shook her.
To protect Lily, Kyle had jumped on the man’s back and tried to pry him off his sister. Sadly, his act of aggression only made things worse. That was when one of them clawed him.
With his memory becoming clearer, he told Nessa what had occurred. “After that, everything is a blur. I remember them giving me another warning about never reopening your mine and then they left. I texted you but then passed out before I could finish my message.”
“Thank goodness you contacted me.”
Birk sat up straighter. “Declan is here. He must have flown in at super speed.”
Right now, Kyle was thankful for all the help they could get. Lily’s face was white, and despite her recent outburst, her breathing was becoming shallower. His sister must be weak, or she would have never let Birk hold her. Or did she yearn for the comfort?
While Greer had worked a miracle in rousing his sister from the depths of unconsciousness, Lily had a long way to go before she was restored to health. He, on the other hand, was improving with each minute.
Someone knocked, and then another giant of a man entered. Birk motioned him over to Lily. She looked up at him and seemed to shrink back against Birk. That wasn’t the reaction Kyle wanted. His poor sister. Being surrounded by so many dragon shifters had to be traumatic for her.
“Hi, Lily. I’m Declan. I’m sorry it took me so long to arrive, but I was helping out in Plux.” Her brows pinched. “Where the dam broke. Did you hear about that?”
“Yes.” Her voice came out weak.
“I know that Greer helped you, but I might be able to restore your health completely. May I try?”
Kyle was thankful this huge man came off as non-threatening.
She looked up at Birk, who nodded. “Okay.”
Kyle hadn’t expected she’d seek Birk’s opinion, but he was pleased she had. Declan knelt in front of Lily. Unlike Greer, he merely held his hands inches above her body without touching her. Slowly, the lines of pain in Lily’s face softened, and right before his eyes, the wounds closed up completely, and Lily’s labored breathing slowed.
Kyle looked over at Nessa, who was smiling. “Declan is amazing,” he said keeping his voice low.
“He is,” Nessa said, her voice filled with pride.
“Do you think he can heal the scars on her back?”
She shook her head. “The wounds need to be fresh.”
“Oh.”
Lily touched where her face had been injured and smiled. She then looked up at Declan. “I can’t believe it. Thank you.”
Declan leaned back on his heels and then rose. “My pleasure.”
Birk slid Lily off his lap. He stood and helped her up. “I think both of you should come to our shelter. You’ll be safe there.”
Shelter? For some reason, Kyle didn’t want to be taken care of anymore. It might have been his wounded pride talking, but he and his sister had been a team for a long time. “I appreciate the offer, but we’ll head on over to my place. I’ll hire some bodyguards to keep watch.”
“They better be dragon shifters, because no one else can protect you,” Birk said.
Nessa placed a hand on his arm. “Please reconsider. It’s not a prison, but rather a safe place. Both of you can go to work. One of us will even escort you there to ensure they don’t harm either of you again.”
Kyle wondered if it would be Nessa by his side. If that were the case, he’d gladly stay at her safe house. He looked over at Lily who was worrying her bottom lip. She must be considering it. “I’ll go if Lily is willing.”
Lily actually looked up at Birk. “Maybe for a little while.”
Thank you, Lily.
“Are there showers in the shelter?” Lily asked Birk.
He looked as if he were fighting a smile. “It has all the comforts of home. Why don’t you pack and then you can see for yourself?”
Lily faced Kyle. “What about you?”
Before he could answer, Nessa spoke up. “I can go with Kyle back to his place so he can grab a few things too.”
Kyle didn’t want to leave Lily with all these men. “Greer, can you stay with her?”
“Definitely.”
Declan walked over to them. “I’ll fly overhead to make sure these men don’t follow you back to the safe house.”
“Thank you.” Nessa spun to face Kyle. “We’ll need to drive your car, since I flew here.”
“No problem.”
Kyle assured his sister she was in good hands before he and Nessa left. Declan followed them out. When they reached his car, parked out front, Declan said goodbye and headed in the direction of the park.
“Where is he going?” Kyle asked.
“The streets are too narrow for him to take off. The park down the street has more space.”
“Ah.”
Nessa held out her hand. “Mind if I drive? You did suffer a second concussion.”
As much as he didn’t like giving up the control, she was right. His vision was still a bit blurry. He probably shouldn’t have driven Lily home in the first place, but she’d been insistent. He stuck his hands in his jeans pocket and withdrew the key. “Be my guest, but please drive carefully. Most of the accidents around here seem to be with dragon shifter drivers.”
She laughed, and the sound bolstered his spirits. “That’s true. I admit I’m better at flying, but I promise to take care.”
“Thanks.” He touched her arm. “I appreciate all you did tonight, and I also appreciate you retrieving my car from the mine. I never thanked you for that either.”
She smiled. “I figured you would need it.”
They both climbed in, and Nessa started the engine. The drive to his place only took a few minutes.
Once inside his apartment, she placed the car keys on the coffee table. Something had been eating away at him during the drive over. “Do you think it’s possible those men followed me to Lily’s?”
“I wouldn’t rule anything out, but don’t start blaming yourself. If one or both cloaked themselves, you wouldn’t have seen anything even if you’d been looking.”
He liked how she tried to make him feel better.
“Thanks. I’ll only be a minute.” Only then did he realize he didn’t know how long this protection service would last. “Any idea how long Lily and I will be in your safe house?”
“No way to say, but pack light. You can always come back for more, though we do have laundry service there.”
She made it sound like a hotel. “Got it.”
Kyle tossed some essentials in his case, still amazed at how much his body had healed. He then returned to the living room with his duffel in hand. “You know, Declan and Greer should go into business as healers. They’d make a mint.”
Nessa chuckled. “I agree, but it tires them out. Declan has been working non-stop over in Plux helping the flood victims there. I’m surprised he was able to fly as fast as he did, let alone heal Lily.”
Kyle knew that Declan was a relief worker, but he hadn’t realized the extent of his help. He’d bet the two men who’d attacked him and his sister would never take the time to help with any relief effort. He hoped Lily realized that.
Kyle lifted his bag. “I’m ready.”
Once more, he let Nessa drive. For some reason, he’d expected them to head to the Caspian mine, but she drove past the turn off.
“If you’re wondering, we’re going to the Sinclair mine, but I have a favor to ask you first.”
“Anything.” He meant it too.
“This is a safe house that both families use, and as such, no one must know about it.” She glanced over at him.
“I give you my word that I won’t divulge where it is.”
She tossed him a brief smile, and his cock hardened. Without thinking, Kyle reached over, and when he squeezed her leg, heat shot through his hand. It was almost as if she’d sent a bolt of electricity straight through him. He jerked away.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Well, crap.