Chapter Twenty-Three
Kyle stiffened. “See what he wants, and put it on speaker.”
She inhaled and gripped her phone tightly. “Madison.”
“Such harshness,” her ex said. “Though I understand your hostility. After all, I did pull the wool over your mate’s eyes.”
His gloating pissed her off. “What do you want?”
Kyle reached across the table and squeezed her hand. It helped slow her heart.
“I want you to meet me at DeLeon’s burned out cabin.”
She rolled her eyes. “And why would I do that?”
“Because I’ve hidden your sister in the woods. If you don’t come, I’ll kill her.” The blood drained from her face, and Kyle’s grip tightened as if he feared she’d collapse. Nessa couldn’t be certain this wasn’t a hoax.
“Why would you do that?” She was pleased her voice didn’t shake.
“Because I want to cause you as much pain as you’ve caused me.”
The only pain he’d suffered was not getting his hands on her family’s fortune. “I don’t believe you have Greer. Let me speak with her.”
Landry laughed. “Suit yourself.”
A second later, Greer yelled out, “Don’t come!”
Landry returned to the phone. “You have ten minutes to get here. Don’t bring anyone or I’ll enjoy her sweet little pussy first before I claw out her heart.”
“You fuck.” Intense anger caused Nessa’s body to glow a dark purple.
“Ten minutes, my sweet. And if I sense another dragon, Greer will die.” He then disconnected.
She nearly crushed the phone.
Kyle slipped the cell from her fingers. “I know you need to go, but after I wait a few minutes, I’ll be right behind you.”
As much as she didn’t want Kyle anywhere near the man who had tried to kill both of them, she wasn’t sure she would succeed against someone who could truly become invisible. Even though Primrose had supposedly provided them with the ability to identify his location, she didn’t want to bank on it, especially if Greer’s life was at stake.
Nessa could tell Kyle this was her fight, not his, but knowing him, he’d follow her anyway. “Thank you. Give me enough time to find Greer first. I can’t have Landry hurt her.”
He nodded. “I’ll call Birk for backup.”
She huffed out a breath. “Having an extra dragon is great, but Birk shouldn’t leave Lily. Landry might expect me to call him so he can go after your sister.”
“Then I’ll ask Logan.”
“Perfect, but if he can’t make it, I can handle Landry alone if need be.” I hope.
Nessa pushed back her chair and hugged Kyle, praying this wasn’t the last time she’d hold him.
“Stall him for as long as you can, until I get there,” he said.
With that she ran out the door and up the stairs to the rooftop deck. How had Landry gotten the drop on Greer? I bet he told her that I was in trouble. Naturally, Greer would rush to my rescue.
She grunted her frustration. Nessa couldn’t wait to sink her claws into that black heart of his. Hopefully, Landry didn’t have any other abilities she wasn’t aware of.
Landry had taken Greer in order to get Nessa alone. Well, I won’t be alone for long, sucker.
Nessa shifted and took off. Before she knew it, she’d reached the wooden area where DeLeon’s former cabin was located. The stench alone made finding it easy despite the dark night. She would have canvassed the woods for her sister from above, but her time was about to run out. As much as she wanted to attack the man right away, Nessa needed to find out where he’d taken Greer, especially if he had hidden her somewhere. Once Nessa knew for certain her sister was safe, she’d kill Landry. By the time the fight began, Kyle and possibly Logan would arrive.
Nessa dropped to the ground near the burned out building and shifted. “Landry, you got me here. Show yourself.”
Primrose said she’d be able to see his outline if he was in his invisible form, but all she could sense was the wind. Hiding from her wouldn’t serve any purpose, unless he thought he could sneak up behind her. Nessa spun around to make sure he wasn’t about to do just that.
“Landry, you vile piece of shit, tell me where my sister is!”
Again, nothing. She glanced toward the sky, thinking he might be circling above, laughing at her. Only he wasn’t. As she walked around the burned out cabin, she looked for markings of a dragon. A shaft of moonlight speared something white on the ground, causing her to stop. When she looked closer, Nessa discovered a scale—Greer’s scale. Damn, she had been there.
Had Landry decided Nessa’s time was up, and he was doing what he threatened to do to her sister? Shit.
“Kyle, Landry’s not here. He must have taken Greer into the woods. I’m heading in there now—on foot,” she telepathed, not positive how far their telepathic connection reached. Their relationship was still young, so the long distance might pose a problem.
Nessa rushed down the trail, fast enough to make good time, but slow enough to spot any evidence that her sister had been there, like a broken branch or even a partial footprint. Nessa had traveled maybe a hundred feet when she saw a reddish blonde hair snagged on a leaf. Thank goodness for her excellent shifter sight. Her heart sped up. Greer was leaving a trail—or so she wanted to believe.
For the next few minutes she called her sister’s name.
“Nessa, where are you?” It was Kyle. His pain only added to her anxiety.
“In the woods, looking for Greer. I haven’t found Landry yet either.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Be careful.” Nessa didn’t have to warn him, but she couldn’t help it. “Is Logan with you?”
“I couldn’t get a hold of him.”
Damn it. He should have tried someone else. Like Anderson. It was too late now to rectify that oversight. At least Kyle would get there soon. Nessa needed to push onward. What seemed like a lifetime passed when soft moans finally reached her. Were they coming from Greer? Fearing it was a trap, Nessa stopped and looked around but saw no one.
“Nessa?” That was Greer’s voice—faint and shaky.
“I’m here. Where are you?” Nessa asked.
The bastard was probably watching her right now. Damn his invisibility shield. So much for her new ability to detect him.
“In a cave,” came the weak response.
A few hundred feet in front of her stood a sheer cliff. The base was littered with fallen rocks, probably blocking a few entrances that Greer would call a cave. Nessa ran down the path in the direction of her sister’s voice. “Greer? Talk to me. I need to find you.” Before Landry returns—assuming he isn’t here now, that is.
It would take too long to find her sister if she had to search behind every nook and cranny. And where the hell was Landry? If Nessa could hear Greer’s plea for help, he must be able to as well. Nessa’s feet crunched the leaves and blocked out any more of her sister’s pleas.
Once Nessa reached the cliff face, she tried to peer behind each of the large boulders. “Greer, where are you?”
“In here.” This time, her voice seemed closer.
Judging the direction of her sister’s voice, Nessa rushed up to one of the boulders and peeked behind it. Oh, goddess. Greer was leaning against the back wall—or rather, Greer’s head was peeking above a pile of rocks. Getting her out would be difficult since moving the rocks might cause a landslide.
“I’m coming for you. Hold on.” Just as soon as I move the six-foot tall boulder blocking the way. There might be another entrance into the cave, but she didn’t have the luxury of time on her side.
“Kyle, I found Greer. She’s been hurt. Take the path to the right side of the cabin and follow it to the end.”
“Okay. Hold tight.”
A second later, Kyle landed at the cabin. He had to assume that his deceitful assistant was either following Nessa or lying in wait for her. “I don’t see Madison either,” Kyle telepathed. “Is he with you?”
“No, but he can’t be far. Greer’s trapped in a cave. I’m having a hard time moving the rocks to reach her.”
Nessa’s anxiety rolled off her, ratcheting up his adrenaline. “Where are you again?” he asked.
“To your east. Just follow the path to the right of the house.”
“Got it.”
Kyle shifted into his human form since he needed to go on foot. He hadn’t taken more than ten steps when Tom—or rather, Landry Madison—stepped from behind a tree. “Well, well,” his assistant said. “I knew Nessa wouldn’t follow my instructions and come alone.”
Kyle stood taller. “She did come alone, and she found Greer.”
“Good. Moving all those rocks should keep her busy. Actually, it’s you I wanted.”
Kyle couldn’t figure out the man’s game. “Is that so? Why?”
“If I kill you, Nessa will have to live the rest of her life without a mate. That would be such a shame.”
Kyle huffed out a laugh. “I hope you don’t think you can waltz in, offer her sympathy, and take my place.”
He shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
Kyle debated telling Nessa that Madison had shown up at the cabin, but it would be better if she worked on freeing her sister first. He could handle this guy. After all, he’d spent much of his youth battling it out on the streets. Sure, those punks were human, but fighting was fighting. Hadn’t Nessa told him that a new dragon shifter was stronger and had more stamina than some old dragon? He hoped it meant he’d be stronger in his human form too.
“If you wanted Nessa for yourself, why did you try to kill her?” Kyle asked.
Madison held up a hand. “I didn’t think she’d be down there when the explosion went off. I was merely trying to destroy the mine.”
Kyle had to control himself to not beat the crap out of him. It was possible his former assistant wanted to fight in his human form, especially if he believed Kyle couldn’t see him when he became invisible.
“When you had the chance to kill me, why not finish the job?” Kyle asked.
Madison shook his head. “I thought I had killed you the first time when I smashed your skull in with the rock. I sure as hell didn’t anticipate you’d have such a thick skull.”
“While this chit chat is nice, I promised Nessa I would help save her sister.”
Madison smiled. “Be my guest, but be careful. After Nessa reached the caves, I set some explosives along the path. Poor Nessa will have to clean up your carcass if you step on one of the devices.”
Madison might be lying, but Kyle couldn’t chance he wasn’t. Not able to take this man’s murdering ways any longer, he charged. Before he was halfway to his opponent, Madison disappeared—but not completely.
Now Kyle wished he’d asked if the way to kill a dragon shifter in his human form was to stab him at the top of the heart. Hoping it was, Kyle mentally pictured growing his claws like he’d seen Nessa do. His anger must have been the needed ingredient because his hands transformed into sharp talons while the rest of him remained human.
Seeing Landry Madison’s outline, he moved closer. As he drew near, his opponent rushed behind him and Kyle spun around. “We can do this all day, but I believe it takes energy to remain invisible. It’s your choice,” Kyle said.
Madison ran toward him, and Kyle thrust out his hand right at Landry’s chest. At the last second, his adversary scooted to the side. Then suddenly, he appeared. “How could you tell where I was?”
“It’s called magic. I inherited it from Nessa.”
“You won’t win, you know.”
“We’ll see.”
Nessa’s cousin Thane hadn’t had the chance to train him yet, but Nessa was always giving him pointers. Without warning, a strong ache attacked him. Shit. It was coming from Nessa. She must be struggling to free Greer.
“Stay where you are, Nessa, no matter what. Madison set charges on the path that were meant to kill me,” he telepathed.
“Landry is there? Shit. I’m coming to help.”
Fuck. “No. You need to stay with Greer.”
Without warning, Madison shifted, and Kyle had no choice but to follow suit despite the tight quarters. They both remained on the ground, because the trees blocked an easy exit. Kyle was fine with that as he was an expert in hand-to-hand combat—or in this case, claw-to-claw.
He went on the offensive and managed to stab Madison in the neck. Had his former employee not moved as quickly as he had, Kyle might have reached his heart. If nothing else, Kyle was tenacious when he wanted something, which meant he’d keep trying until he succeeded.
Keeping his opponent close, Kyle managed to swipe a claw at the dragon’s face while avoiding a similar fate. Wiggling and ducking in an evasive manner seemed to confuse and tire Madison. Most likely, no one had ever fought him in such an unorthodox manner before. Keeping him off guard seemed to be the best way to win.
“Kyle, are you all right?” came Nessa’s sweet plea.
“Yes. I need to pay attention to Madison though.”
He loved talking to her, but right now it would take all of his concentration to avoid death.
“Okay, don’t you die on me!”
“I’m doing my best, love.”
Madison must have not liked how the fight was going because a moment later he shot upward, smashing his way between the tree branches. Kyle debated following him, but he believed that was what the man wanted. Kyle lifted off the ground a few feet and moved closer to the line of trees, preventing Madison from diving at him.
There had to be something Kyle could do that Madison wouldn’t expect. He couldn’t remember if his opponent could see him if he cloaked himself, but it was worth a try. Concentrating on becoming invisible, his body disappeared from view. Knowing it took more energy to stay in this form, he had to make the attack quick and decisive.
Kyle spotted a long stick that he believed he could grasp in his claw. When he picked it up, it too disappeared. It was time to see just what he was capable of. He figured he had one shot at this, and he wanted to make it a good one. Nessa and Greer needed him, and he refused to let them down.
Focusing all of his energy on flying, Kyle rose straight up. His wings bashed against the branches, but he managed to power through the limbs. With his claw outstretched, he aimed the sharp stick at Madison’s chest. He expected his foe to move to the side as he drew near, but it seemed as if he couldn’t detect him. Yes! Retracting the sharp stick in order to give it more power, Kyle moved closer, but not too close for their wings to touch and give away his position.
Madison looked around and then beat his wings hard. It was as if he sensed something, but he didn’t know what.
Now, his dragon commanded.
With as much force as Kyle could muster, he drove the stick forward and hit the mark—or so he hoped. He then flew toward his foe to prevent Madison from dislodging the stick.
Kyle’s energy waned, and he reappeared, but Madison didn’t react. His eyes glazed over, and his wings fluttered spasmodically. His mouth opened and a spit of fire shot out, but it wasn’t enough to make Kyle lean to the side.
A second later, Madison’s body turned limp, and he fell toward the ground, chest up. Kyle let go of the wooden spear and watched the horrid man spiral toward the terra firma. Once he crashed, Madison transformed into his human form, his body a tangled mess. When he didn’t move, Kyle guessed he was dead. He sucked in much needed air.
As much as he wanted to rush to Nessa, he had to be positive this wasn’t some trick on Madison’s part. Kyle landed next to his prey. Madison’s chest didn’t move, and his eyes had turned black. Guess this was no trick.
“Goodbye Tom, you piece of shit, or should I call you Landry Madison?”
As if reality finally sunk it, Kyle refocused his attention on Nessa. Even though she had hiked in, Kyle couldn’t afford not to believe Madison when he said he’d set charges at ground level to kill him. While Kyle was somewhat of an expert on explosives, he didn’t want to chance that he’d miss one.
Remaining in his dragon form, Kyle flew eastward, hoping to spot the rock face with the cliffs below. He’d just have to figure out some way to save the woman he loved.