Chapter Seven
Nessa didn’t expect the squeal and subsequent hug from her sister. “That’s wonderful. I know Kyle’s human, but does he possess some white lighter abilities?”
The words spewed out of her sister’s mouth so fast Nessa found it hard to keep up. “He could have some abilities. I never asked him. Remember, we are adversaries—or rather we were. It’s not like we met at a bar and struck up a conversation, so finding a way to get to know him is hard—and vice versa.”
Greer waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is whether you are happy.”
“I am, though it’s hard to have too much enthusiasm when he basically distrusts all dragons.”
Greer whistled. “That is tough.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Does he know you are mates?”
Nessa laughed. “Hardly. Right now I’m betting he wants to keep his distance, especially after he was attacked on our property.”
“You can’t let him get away. If you mess this up, you’ll lose your one chance at happiness.”
Nessa shrugged. “Things always have a way of working out.”
“Only if you’re willing to wait a long time. I think you need to go after him now.”
“If I come on to him, he’ll think I’m trying to sway him into opening the mine or something.”
“Not if your passion is real.” Greer clasped her hands together. “This is so exciting.” She then sobered. “Why aren’t you by his side? You need to show him that he matters to you; that you want him in your life.”
Nessa sighed. “I saw him briefly a little while ago. I’m letting him rest.”
“Then you need to go back there this evening to show him your support. I bet even for a guy, it’s scary being alone in a hospital.”
Nessa wanted to see him, but every time she was around him, signs of her lust became more evident. “I imagine it is, but what if I say something inappropriately suggestive, and it turns him off? Besides, I’m more used to being gruff than soft and feminine.”
“Now that you’ve found your mate, I bet that will change.” Greer’s eyes sparkled. “I get off work in a little while. How about stopping over at my place, and I’ll find something for you to wear when you visit him?”
Nessa chuckled. “Wear?”
Greer sighed. “Has Kyle ever seen you in anything other than your work outfit?”
“No.”
Greer planted a hand on her hip. “If you’re going to win him over, a little sex appeal won’t hurt.”
Nessa chuckled. “I have my own wardrobe I can pick from.” Kind of.
Greer shrugged. “If you want to go hiking in the woods or crawling through a mine, sure, but you rarely show off your…”
“My what? Boobs and legs? Are you saying that I’m not feminine enough?”
“Not exactly, but they are your best attributes. While I love your ponytail, it lacks a certain kind of…oh, I don’t know…sensuality.” Greer leaned over, lifted Nessa’s ponytail, and then let it drop. “I’m just saying that if you want Kyle Harper to desire you, consider dressing a little more…shall we say, provocatively.”
Nessa huffed. “Next you’re going to tell me to put on eyeliner and blush so I look like a stripper.”
Greer laughed, and the light tinkling sound helped soothe her bruised ego. “I wear eyeliner, blush, and lipstick. Do I look like a stripper?”
“No, you always look elegant and well put together.”
“See? Tonight. Five fifteen. My place.”
Nessa knew when she was defeated. “Fine.”
Perhaps it would take her mind off this whole sabotage thing if she let her sister play dress up. After one more hug, Nessa left.
The next order of business was to return Kyle’s car since he’d need it once he returned from the hospital. The problem was that she didn’t know where he lived. Her brother Logan might be able to find out though. Not only did he run the business end of the company, he was a computer expert. While he didn’t like to snoop or do anything illegal, the man could find information on the web like no one else.
She called Logan who answered on the first ring. “Hey. I heard you were holding down the fort.”
“I was until someone was injured at the mine a few hours ago.”
“Who?” His tone turned almost cold.
“It’s not one of our workers. It was Kyle Harper.”
“The mining inspector?”
“Yes.”
“Was he badly hurt?” he asked with sudden warmth.
“Kind of.” She explained about the blow to the head and the subsequent concussion.
“Sounds painful.”
“I want to return his car to his place, but I don’t know where he lives.”
“Give me a sec to check.” Tapping sounds filtered through to her. “Got it. He lives over on Pindale and Wayne.” He gave her the address.
“Thanks.”
“I have to say, you sound overly worried about him.”
Her pulse shot up. Nessa wasn’t ready to blurt out that Kyle was her mate. The two of them needed to spend more time together before she told everyone.
“I just feel responsible for leaving him alone in the monitoring room.” She wouldn’t have left him in the first place if her hormones hadn’t been going wild—and if she hadn’t needed to make sure the skeleton crew was clear on their jobs. Knowing her, if she stayed in those close quarters, she might have done something stupid—like kiss him. Or worse, straddle him.
Who was she kidding? Every time she was close, she wanted to rip off his clothes and do him.
“Ah, huh.”
“Thank you, Logan.”
She smiled then disconnected. Her brother was too intuitive for his own good. It was partly what made him a good businessman. He could tell when someone was telling the truth and when he was lying. Clearly, he’d spotted her stretch of truth on why she wanted to help Kyle.
This was a bad idea. She never should have let Greer dress her. For starters, Nessa Caspian did not wear dresses. It was why she didn’t even own one. It would be one thing if this had been a dinner date, but a trip to a hospital? She felt ridiculous. If she didn’t possess excellent balance, she’d never have been able to walk in heels. Sandals were much more her style.
After Greer finished with her, Nessa didn’t have time to go home, shower, and redress before visiting hours were over. Because she wanted time to think about what she was going to say to Kyle, she took her car to the hospital instead of flying. Since he had no idea how that man got the drop on him, she bet he’d be curious to know what she’d learned. His reaction when he found out that some magical beast had bested him would be less than positive.
She wouldn’t be surprised if Kyle told her he would never come near the mine again. If Kyle hadn’t been her mate, she would have been thrilled by this fact, but not anymore. It wasn’t just because they were mates either. Everything about Kyle drew her in. No doubt about it, he’d hooked her.
Regardless of their mate status, she needed him to sign off on the fact that her family had not been at fault for any of the accidents. The insurance company was already breathing down their necks.
Nessa pressed the elevator button to Kyle’s hospital floor, and it arrived too quickly. Once at his door, she knocked and then entered. Two heads turned. Oh, crap. One face glared at her, while the more important one gave her an appreciative look, helping to boost her confidence. Clearly, she was interrupting some important conversation.
“I, ah, can come back later,” she said. Talk about uncomfortable. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“No, stay. This is my sister, Lily.”
She should have guessed. Wasn’t this just fantastic? Standing straighter, Nessa plastered on her best smile and held out her hand, but the handshake was not returned. Nessa hoped Lily would excuse herself, but she must not have trusted Nessa with her brother, so she remained seated. That was okay. Nessa would have to try harder to show both of them that she meant well.
Because there was only one chair in the room, Nessa had to stand. “I’ve studied the video of the incident.”
Kyle pushed up on his elbows. “Were you able to identify him?”
“No.” She glanced at Lily, who was still glaring at her. “The video shows you collapsing. That’s all.”
He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t either at first. Vic thought you’d just fainted, but we couldn’t explain the blood to the back of your head since you landed on your face. After watching a few times, it became clear that an invisible being picked up a rock and smashed it over your head.”
“Invisible being?” he asked.
“I bet it was a dragon shifter,” Lily said. “Nelor could cloak himself when he became a dragon.”
Nessa stepped closer. “Could Nelor become invisible in his human form?”
She shook her head. “No, or at least not that I knew of.”
Nessa didn’t know this Nelor so there’d be no reason for him to target her family. “Good to know. From what Vic and I could tell, this person was able to become invisible in his human form as well. That means he’s a dragon shifter as well as a powerful dark lighter.”
“Damn,” Kyle exclaimed.
The image of the attack raced across her mind. Oh, shit. She’d meant to take the rock that had Kyle’s blood on it to the police department, but after Greer told her she was such a tomboy, Nessa had totally forgotten about it. “I plan to ask the police to test the rock to see if there is any trace evidence on it.”
“I appreciate that. You said you found the location of the explosives. Let me ask you this,” Kyle said. “If you wanted to blow up your mine, where would you have placed them?”
Her initial reaction was to go on the defensive, but then she realized it was an excellent question. “Exactly where this person put them.”
A small smile lifted his lips. “Then I’d say that narrows down the suspect pool even more. How many men or women are experts in demolition?”
Nessa looked down to the side then back up at him. “I couldn’t say, but there have to be two or three people at each mining company who specialize in explosives.”
“If you limit the number of mines to this province, what are we talking about? Ten or fifteen people max?”
She liked the way he thought. “I’d say even less than that.”
“I’ve spoken to every mine owner already, but I’ll ask them again to list the people who possess the skill. I’ll pass that onto the cops.”
“I suggest you ask them to only list dragon shifters.” Goddess, she was adding fuel to Lily’s fire.
“Have you figured out why this person conked me on the head?” Kyle asked. “I never saw his face.”
“That’s what I’m hoping the cops will find out.” She chanced a glance at his sister again, but she still had a sour look on her face. “I need to get going. I’ve taken up enough of your time. Sorry to have interrupted.”
“I’m glad you came,” Kyle said.
“Me too.”
His eyes turned softer, and as he scoped her out from head to toe, heat suffused her body. Nessa could tell some of her purple scales were starting to glow under her dress, so she smiled and waved as she hauled her flash dancing dragon ass out of there.
As soon as Nessa left, Kyle looked over at Lily. “You weren’t very nice to her.” Though Kyle should probably be thankful his sister hadn’t been outright rude.
Her jaw dropped. “Nice? She’s a dragon shifter. Did you forget what—”
“No, Lily. I never forget, but I’ve learned that not all dragon shifters are the same. Nessa is a great person.”
She huffed. “You’re thinking with your other head.”
Heat flushed his face. His usually sweet sister never said anything like that. She must be upset. “Do I find her hot? Hell yeah, but I’m trying to stay objective. Trust me, I can’t forget what she is.”
“Your eyes tell a different story.”
He lifted one shoulder. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of dating her. Nessa is just interested in finding out who tried to kill either of us, more so than any human I’ve ever met. She’s never done anything to indicate she’s unscrupulous.”
Lily shook her head. “You are a fool. She’s trying to seduce you so that you’ll reopen the mine. Ten bucks says she knows who tried to harm you. Hell, I bet she hired him to run you off the property.”
That couldn’t be true. “If that were the case, would she have brought me to the hospital?”
“Kyle, she set you up. She probably had you knocked out so she could swoop in and save you. Like a knight in shining armor. She wants you to think she’s amazing.”
He still didn’t buy it. “I can’t be that bad a judge of character.”
“Seriously? What about Mary Lou or Janet? You thought each of them was the perfect woman.” She tapped her chin. “Let me see. Mary Lou got pregnant with another man’s baby, and she wanted you to pay for it. And Janet? She stole you blind.”
“I was young and foolish.”
Lily held up her hands. “Do what you want, but I will never believe Nessa cares for you. She clearly came here to catch your eye, so be leery of her motives.”
“Don’t forget it was Nessa who almost died in that last explosion.”
“No one could have survived that. She must have known about it and protected herself somehow.”
Her bitterness was eating such a huge hole in her heart that Lily might never recover. He hated that his sister would never know true happiness if she didn’t change. “Until Nessa proves that she was behind any of these attacks, I’m going to believe she means well.”
Lily stood. “You’re an adult and will do what you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning and drive you home if the doctor releases you.”
“I appreciate that.”
Once his sister left, Kyle’s head pounded worse than before. He didn’t want to believe anything Lily said, but she’d brought up some good points. The fact that Nessa had dressed up kind of implied that she was trying to use her wiles on him. But why? Did she think he’d open the mine just because he liked her? Hell, maybe he had been blinded by Nessa’s beauty and strength. Kyle should probably keep his distance and gain some perspective.