by Vella Day
Nessa waited at the end of the bed, not sure if she should disturb him. Then the unthinkable happened. Her nails began to grow, and her scales glowed. Damn. She didn’t know how to stop her body from reacting in such an erotic way.
He must have sensed her because he opened his eyes, but then closed them right away.
Great. He didn’t want to see her, and she couldn’t blame him. Nessa turned to leave.
“Stay,” he said in a wobbly voice.
She hadn’t expected that request, but maybe he wanted to tell her about the attack. She dragged over a chair and sat next to the bed. Too bad moving so close to him made her body react even more violently. Seeing him wounded must have ratcheted her need to protect him. That or her horny dragon just wanted her to slip into bed next to him and hold him tight.
“How do you feel?” She rubbed a hand down his arm, wanting to show her support, but that only pooled heat between her legs.
“Like I got run over by a truck.” He gave her a brief smile, and her pulse rose.
“Do you remember what happened?” she asked. Needing to put some distance between them, she stood, walked over to the window and looked out at the garden behind the building.
He told her about seeing someone acting suspiciously, and how after watching the news on the burst dam, he got it into his head that this person might be up to something.
She twisted to face him. “No offense, but you’re only human.” When his jaw clenched, her heart dropped to her stomach. “I mean, most of the people working for us are shifters, and most of them are dragons.”
“I’m a mining inspector. It’s my job to investigate.”
She was blowing this. Wanting to change the subject, she returned to the chair, determined to keep her focus. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I trust you didn’t see the person who hit you?”
“Only on the monitor. When I got there, he was gone, or so I thought.”
Wanting to give him some hope that the culprit would be caught, she told him about her find. “I located evidence of the explosive caps, and as I suggested before, only a dragon shifter could have put them there.”
“What?” He winced. “You went to the site again? That’s dangerous. It’s cordoned off for a reason.”
“Sorry, but I was careful.” Or so she believed. “I couldn’t get the question you asked me out of my mind.”
He raised a brow. “What question?”
“About whether I would recognize the signature of the shifter who placed the explosive. I had to check it out.”
“Did you figure it out?” he asked.
“No.”
He shook his head and then winced. “Nessa. When will you learn this is my investigation?”
Fuck. “I won’t go again. I promise.”
“Good.” Kyle tried to sit up but then grimaced and dropped back down. “Did you take the evidence to my office so we could document what you found?”
“As for getting the evidence documented, if I had been in my human form, I would have taken pictures. Dragons do have some limitations.” She smiled, but he didn’t return the cheer. “But I will do that once I get back to the mining office.”
“Thank you.”
Nessa stood, in part because she was way too tempted to lift that one strand of hair that had flopped over his forehead. Thankfully, she refrained from touching him again. “I should let you rest. The nurse said to stay only a few minutes. I can come back later if you’d like.”
“Yes, please do.” His eyes closed, and a second later, he was snoring.
Nessa chuckled. Kyle Harper was all male. Even a few feet outside the room, her body continued to vibrate.
All during her short flight back to the office, she tried to sort out why someone had attacked Kyle. This person could have let him walk around the building, and when Kyle saw no one, he would have left. His attacker must have believed Kyle was close to finding out his identity. It was the only thing that made sense.
Back at the office, Nessa headed straight to the monitoring room to watch the incident on tape, hoping she’d spot something Vic missed. Then she planned to check out the warehouse to see if anything had been taken. She told herself she wasn’t investigating a crime, but merely keeping the mine safe.
Vic was inside the room when she entered. “Did you find anything else?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I played the video over and over again. The man was there just like Kyle said, but then he disappeared into thin air. It took me several rewinds to notice some dust kicked up behind Kyle.”
“What does that mean?”
He stopped the tape. “Take a look at this big rock.”
“What about it?”
He fast-forwarded for two seconds. “It’s here one second, and then it’s gone. The man or dragon must have picked up the rock. When it disappeared, he hit Kyle with it,” Vic said with a fair amount of sureness.
“It has to be a dragon shifter who’s also a dark lighter.” That scared the crap out of her.
“Know anyone like that?” Vic asked.
“No. I’ll ask a few men to keep a close watch on the area. If the perpetrator didn’t get what he wanted the first time, he might return.”
“I’ll note any suspicious behavior too. Did you call the cops yet?”
Shit. “Not yet, but I will.”
Nessa stepped outside and called her cousin Detective Anderson Caspian. She told him what happened.
“How is Mr. Harper?”
She explained about the stitches and that the hospital was keeping him over night.
“I’m glad he’s going to be okay. As soon as someone is free, I’ll send him over to investigate.”
“Thanks.” She’d also give him the evidence she’d found. She trusted the police more than Kyle’s office.
While she waited for the police to show, Nessa wanted to keep busy, mostly to keep her focus off her desire for Kyle. It was always possible this attack was aimed at her and the mine and not at him. After all, the explosion that collapsed the gold mine occurred first.
Once she left the office, she shifted and flew to the area where Kyle had been attacked. Before she landed, Nessa hovered slightly above the building to see if anything was out of place. No telling if the person Anderson sent to investigate would be a dragon shifter or not. It took her three sweeps before she noticed recent marks of a dragon landing. The tracks changed to human footsteps halfway across the top of the building. Because the roof hadn’t been cleaned in forever, it aided in seeing the tracks.
Considering the person’s extensive talents, she had to scratch off the Royals as possible suspects, unless they’d hired some powerful dragon shifter to do their bidding.
Nessa landed alongside the building and looked for clues. It didn’t take long before she located the bloody rock ten feet from where she’d found Kyle. Her stomach churned at the thought of his head being cracked open. While she doubted the attacker left any of his own evidence, she’d let the police make that call. Hopefully, the shifter’s ability to become invisible caused him to be overconfident.
After entering the warehouse that contained the mining equipment she had planned to use for the gold mine, Nessa mentally ran through a list of what was there. After a thorough search, nothing seemed to have been taken. If they ever did excavate again, she’d be sure to check that nothing had been tampered with though.
The only leads so far were the rock and the small piece of explosive. As much as she wanted to go back and check on Kyle, she didn’t want to overstay her welcome. Right now, he needed to rest.
After an hour of waiting for the cop, she called Anderson again. “It’s Nessa. I was looking over where Kyle was injured and found a rock that has some blood on it. Is your man going to show up or would you like me to take it to the station?”
“Did you touch the rock?”
Damn. “I did. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Then you might as well bring it here. Sorry about my man not
showing up. There was an incident outside of town, and I needed the whole crew to check it out. I’m heading out there now, but I should return in an hour.”
“Not a problem. I’ll see you soon.”
With the rock safely in her grasp and the piece of explosive in her pocket, she hopped in Kyle’s car, knowing he would need it when he was released from the hospital. Because of her bloodied shirt, she had to stop at the SinCas building first to change. No way could she waltz into the police station like that. It would cause too many questions.
Once on the bottom floor of SinCas, Nessa headed to the changing room where she placed the evidence in a bag in her locker. She then slipped off her bloodied top and put on a nice white button-down shirt she kept there in case she needed to attend a meeting. She’d change her pants later.
Anderson wouldn’t be back at the station for a while, so Nessa decided to spend a few minutes confiding in Greer about what had gone on with Kyle’s attack. Nessa found her sister hunched over the jewelry counter at the front of the store.
“Hey!” Nessa called.
Greer jerked upright and smiled. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt and a rather conservative white silk blouse that hugged her body. Her reddish blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, making her look elegant yet approachable at the same time.
Her sister’s eyes widened. “This is a nice surprise. What are you doing here?”
“The mine is closed, and most of the men, including Dad, are over in Grindale, helping out with the emergency from the break in the dam.”
“I heard about that. It’s terrible. I donated to the cause, but I wish I could do more.”
Greer was such a caring person. “If you want, you could tell people that since the mine is basically empty right now, they could drop stuff off there and we could fly it to Grindale. Or the humans could drive the donations to the next province. I know everyone wants to help.”
“That’s a great idea.”
Greer came from behind the counter and placed a hand on her arm. “I don’t think you came here to tell me that. What’s really troubling you?”
Her sister wasn’t psychic, but her ability to heal made her highly intuitive. There was no use lying. “It’s Kyle.”
“The mining inspector?” Nessa nodded. “What about him?”
So much had happened today, Nessa had forgotten to tell anyone, other than Anderson and Vic, about the incident. “He was injured today.” And I’m really upset because he’s my mate.
“Oh, no. How?”
Nessa went through how they were watching tapes to determine if anyone around the gold mine looked suspicious. “I needed to speak to the men who were there to protect the mine, so I went outside. I also wanted to take a break from being around Kyle. He jumbles my brain.” And my body.
Greer shook her head. “Since when do you take breaks—especially when you’re on a mission?”
Nessa hadn’t come here to spill the beans, but she needed to explain herself.
Oh, damn. There was no use keeping it a secret from her sister. Greer would find out soon enough. “As hard as it was to accept, it turns out Kyle is my mate.”
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.