by Vella Day
When a bit of light shone through the front window, she blinked. What was happening? No one could have dug her out this quickly. Her pulse quickened as some semblance of heat filled the cab.
She pounded on the window, needing to let the road crew know she was alive. “Hello? Who’s out there?”
A second later sunlight streamed in through the front window, and then the side window. She pressed the button to roll down the window but then rolled it up again when water trickled in.
A flap of a wing swept across her window. A dragon? Was he or she responsible for melting the snow? Ella didn’t have to wait long before water was pouring down all of her windows, clearing the view—for at least two feet around her. She pushed her door open partway, and the cold poured in.
“Hello?” she called.
No answer, not that she expected a dragon to talk. What sounded like a thud landed on her roof, and then a human hand reached down.
“Are you injured? I can help you.”
Ella had never been happier to hear those words. She unsnapped her seatbelt, slid her feet to the snow-laden ground and took hold of the proffered hand. A second later, she was eye-to-eye with the sexiest man she’d ever seen. While she wanted to hug him to thank him, she wasn’t capable of speaking or moving.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Concern filled his tone as he set her on top of her car.
Too many questions bombarded her. “I think so. How did you find me?”
“I happened to be flying by and spotted the avalanche overtaking your car.”
“Thank you.” Those words were so inadequate, but her mouth was having a hard time working.
He smiled, and Ella thought she’d melt. Even though it was cold, she didn’t feel a thing.
“Do you have a coat?” he asked.
“Yes.” She’d taken it off as soon as she’d started her journey. “I also have a suitcase in the trunk.”
The man surveyed the car. “Give me a sec. I can probably get the trunk open.”
He transformed his arm into a claw and then shot fire out of it. While it was a bit slow at first, he managed to clear a path behind her vehicle.
“Stay here,” he said.
Unless she shifted and managed to claw her way out, she wasn’t sure where he thought she’d go. The man hopped down behind the car, did another minute of fire throwing before tugging on her trunk. Crap. It was locked.
“I’ll open it from the inside.”
As much as she didn’t relish climbing back down, considering she wasn’t about to die, Ella wasn’t going to let anything stop her from her journey to freedom. She sat on the hood, rolled onto her stomach, and stepped on the seat. She then crouched down, slipped on her jacket and then grabbed the keys, her phone, and her purse.
She then pressed the button to unlock the trunk. It popped open.
Her hero grabbed her suitcase and tossed it on top of the roof. She hoped he had a plan for getting them out of there. Ella stood on the seat and propped her elbow on top of the door for balance.
“What’s next?” she asked.
He looked around. “Shifting is going to be tricky since I’m so large, but I’ll manage somehow. How about ducking down so I don’t hit you? I’ll grab hold of you and fly us out of here.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
While she’d never taken a dragon flight before, she could do this. She’d gone over ski jumps and flown through the air. How different could it be?
When he climbed on top of her car, Ella ducked. As much as she wanted to watch the transformation, if he accidentally scraped a claw against her skin, she’d bleed. Wind rushed by her and wings flapped. When she looked up, her heart nearly stopped. He was magnificent. And huge. His scales were a deep forest green, the exact color of the frenlen trees high in the mountains and were interspersed with gold.
The man—or rather the dragon—extended his claw. Ella grabbed hold and up she went. Whoa! It was just like soaring through the air on skis. What she wouldn’t give for a pair right now.
His other claw cupped her butt, allowing her to relax against him. She expected him to take to the skies, but instead, he flew them about two hundred feet to the side of the road where the avalanche hadn’t reached. He set her down, stepped back, and shifted.
“Are you okay?” he asked, now with her suitcase in hand.
That was the third time he’d asked. Maybe she’d never answered. Ella didn’t think she was bleeding or anything. “Yes. I’m fine.”
She hoped he didn’t plan to leave her there. There seemed to be miles upon miles of road without any evidence of civilization.
He held out his hand. “I’m Tanner, by the way.”
“Ella S—” She’d been about to say Snowden, but she stopped because she feared he might know about her family, assuming he lived in Thedia. “Snow. I’m so happy you came along when you did.”
“Me too. Where are you headed?”
That was the big question. Telling him she was running away might result in too many questions. Besides, he might run to her parents in the hope of a reward. Her father would pay in a heartbeat. Her mother? Maybe not. “To be honest, I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure?”
“I wanted to see more of the realm.”
His brows rose. “I live in Plux, which is Grindale Province. You could stay there until the road crew unearths your car. What do you say? It’s where I’m headed.”
That sounded wonderful. Ella didn’t know anything about Plux, but if Tanner lived there, it had to be awesome. “That’s great.”
He smiled, and she thought her heart would burst. Tanner picked up her suitcase and then shifted. Ella stuffed her keys and phone into her purse, and then slung it over her shoulder. This time she approached him. With grace and care, he picked her up. When he soared toward the sky, it was the first time in forever that Ella felt free.
Tanner’s mind splintered. If he hadn’t been positive this woman was a shifter, he would have thought Ella was a goddess. Her long pale blonde, curly hair fell around the most perfect face he’d ever seen. And those eyes! He’d never seen a color blue like that before. Ever. Was his libido going wild? Yeah, it was, but whose wouldn’t be? She was gorgeous, tall, lithe, and exuded a confidence that thrilled him.
Hell, if he’d been trapped under ten feet of snow with no way out, he might have freaked. Of course, he had an advantage. He would have broken the window and melted the snow around the car, but Ella couldn’t have done that.
While the avalanche had blocked only a part of the highway, the road leading from Thedia to that area wasn’t in the best condition either. Getting a truck down that road—especially one carrying a large load of wood—wouldn’t have been easy and maybe even impossible. His suppliers were smart not to attempt delivery.
To his delight, Ella didn’t struggle in his grasp nor did she shiver. Occasionally, he would draw her closer to his chest in order to provide her with heat. When he finally spotted Plux in the distance, he had to decide where to drop her off. The easiest would be to land on top of the hotel that he’d help build and let her go on her way. Then tomorrow, he’d check on her car to see if the road crews had managed to extract it. From her point of view, it would be rather upsetting to be stuck in a different province with no means of transportation.
Not that she was Tanner’s responsibility, but he had saved her life. Any decent human would make sure she arrived safely at her final destination.
He landed on top of the Conrad Hotel, set Ella down, and shifted. “Here we are.”
“Why are we on top of a building?” She looked around. “How will we get down?”
He laughed. “I guess it seems strange to a non-dragon shifter, but I needed room to land. “Come on. We can go down through that rooftop door. It opens to a staircase that will take us to the elevators.”
“The door isn’t locked?”
It was a reasonable question. Tanner pulled out a key. “It is, but since my construction
company built this hotel, I have a key.”
“I see.”
Normally, he would have returned it, but their manager understood Tanner’s need to have a safe landing place. He escorted her down one flight to the elevators. Tanner suddenly realized he must look a mess. Not only did he need a shave, his clothes were wrinkled from sleeping on the office sofa.
“This is the nicest hotel in town. Stay the night, and then tomorrow we can see about getting your car out of the snowbank.”
When Ella grabbed his arm and stepped close, his body went crazy. His inner scales flashed, and most likely his eyes had turned teal.
“You would do that for me?”
“Of course. Mind you, if I have a meeting tomorrow or something, I’m sure I can find a couple of good men to retrieve your car.”
She stared at him for a moment. “Oh, okay.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. To his dismay, the cramped space didn’t help calm his lust one bit. When they reached the lobby, Tanner set her suitcase down. “Can you take it from here?”
“Sure. And thanks.” She pulled out her phone. “How can I reach you?”
He removed his cell from his pocket. “Let me call you. That way you’ll have my number, too.” She gave him her information, and a moment later her cell rang.
Ella smiled. “Hello, rescue man.”
He laughed. She was cute. “If you get hungry, the New Frontier Diner is right through those doors. Food’s really good too.”
She smiled, and his dragon breathed fire in his gut. It was time to go.
“Thanks again,” she said. “I owe you big time.”
He refused to let his imagination consider how she could repay him. Tanner spun on his heels and had to work hard not to turn around and kiss her.
Chapter Three
As soon as Tanner left the hotel, Ella picked up her suitcase from near the front desk and headed toward the chairs in the lobby. She had no idea how much a glamorous place like this would cost, and she had to make sure she could afford it. While one of her jewels would easily cover the cost of a month’s stay, she wasn’t about to trust a clerk to know its value.
From her purse, she pulled out her wallet and counted her money. This would have to last her until she could find a jeweler who would buy her goods.
The name Conrad Hotel was written in shiny gold letters above the desk. Using her phone, she located the website and checked the going rate. While high, she could afford to spend a week’s stay as well as eat, assuming she didn’t go overboard on drinks or dessert. If she planned to stay longer than that, she’d have to find a jeweler soon.
Ella wasn’t sure when she decided she would give this town a try, but she figured all towns looked more or less the same—except this one had a hero—and a hot one at that. When the line at the front desk disappeared, she strode up to it, reminding herself that she was no longer the daughter of the mighty Alpha of the snow leopard clan. Her mom had brought her daughters up to snub others, but Ella was more like her dad—compassionate and strong.
After she paid for two nights, she headed up to her room. Only because she had spent many nights in high-end hotels during ski season did this room seem slightly cramped. Her room at home had a king-sized bed with a sitting room attached to it. But Ella didn’t live there any more—nor would she ever. This adventure was a new chapter in her life, and she was determined to make it work.
Not knowing how easy it was going to be to sell her jewelry, she didn’t unpack. Why settle in if she wouldn’t be staying long?
When her stomach grumbled, she decided to take Tanner’s suggestion and eat at the diner attached to the hotel.
Most of the seats were empty, probably because it was still early. Ella sat at a booth by the window so she could study the comings and goings of Plux. She’d spent much of her life looking out windows imagining what life was really like. Now she could actually live a little.
Something plastic hit the table in front of her. It was a menu. A pretty girl with a nametag that read Sasha had a pad and pencil in hand. “What can I get you?” her server asked.
“A coffee to start. Black.”
Sasha smiled. “Sure thing.”
Ella debated calling home to let her sisters know that she’d arrived safely at her destination, but Mori was very tech savvy and could probably figure out where Ella was calling from by doing her computer magic. Because her younger sister was shy, she would never go against their parents’ wishes and withhold that information. Sadly, it was better to cut ties entirely.
“Is this seat taken?” said a deep, rich voice.
Ella looked up and stilled for a moment, almost not recognizing Tanner. He’d put on a fresh shirt and had shaved. “By all means.”
“Have you settled in?” he asked as he slid in across from her.
“More or less.” Ella wanted to ask him about selling some of her jewelry, but that would open a host of questions—ones she wasn’t ready to answer. “What’s good to eat here?”
“The hamburgers are the best in town.”
He didn’t ask her what her story was, and Ella appreciated that Tanner seemed willing to keep the conversation casual. “Thanks.” She waved a hand around the diner. “Did you really build all of this?”
“Just the hotel, though I only came in at the end of the construction project.” He explained how a man by the name of Slade LaMont started the construction company with Jace Sanders. “When Slade found his mate, who lives in Edendale, he moved there and put his partner Jace in charge. Then through Slade, Jace met his mate, who also lives in Edendale. He too moved and put me in charge.”
Mates always seemed to create a lot of upheaval in a person’s life. “I hope you don’t intend to visit that place.” She was only kidding, but she wanted to keep things light.
He laughed. “Not on your life. The last thing I need is to find a mate now.” From the way he was avoiding her gaze, he wasn’t comfortable with the topic.
Her body, however, was vibrating something fierce—partly from lust and partly from disappointment that he had no intention of mating. Ever. Her family claimed that the annoying physical attraction she would experience at some point in her life had nothing to do with Fate’s decision to put them together and had everything to do with mere desire. Now she wasn’t so sure.
I can tell you’re feeling that pull, her leopard said. It’s the real deal.
Are you sure?
Before she could figure it out, Sasha came up to them, her gaze only on Ella’s dinner partner. “Hi, Tanner.”
Her smile caused something ugly to erupt inside Ella. It made sense that since both lived in Plux, and the fact Tanner helped build the hotel, that they would have interacted often.
“Sasha, can you get me a cup of coffee?” he asked.
Ella appreciated his attempt to defuse the tense situation. “Sure. Oh, I forgot to ask you something last weekend when we were at dinner.”
“You mean when I came here for dinner?”
She waved a hand. “You know what I meant.”
“What did you want to ask me?” Tanner’s tone came out rather curt.
“Do you want to go to the Expansion Day dance this weekend with me?”
Really? Ella had been convinced that her mother had been brainwashed into thinking some people outside of their town were peasants, but Sasha just might be one of them. Who asked out a man when he was sitting with another woman? It didn’t matter she and Tanner barely knew each other.
Had Tanner and Sasha been an item? It made sense in a way since they were both beautiful people, but he hadn’t shown much interest in the waitress. Maybe Ella had read him wrong. She might be suffering from hero syndrome. Just because he’d saved her didn’t mean he liked her. Her feelings for him might have nothing to do with him possibly being her mate.
“I, ah, have a date.” He looked at Ella. “Right, honey?”
The slight kick under the booth implied he needed her to play alon
g. Normally, she’d never lie like that, but this man had saved her life. “Absolutely. I’ve been waiting for it forever.”
She hoped this was some annual shindig.
“Oh.” Sasha turned to her. “I didn’t realize Tanner had a girlfriend. He’s never mentioned you.”
Tanner reached across the table and clasped Ella’s hand. “Ella has a big job in Thedia. I’ve been commuting there on weekends to visit her.”
“I see,” she said to Tanner. “I’ll get that coffee.”
She turned to Ella and sent out a chilling stare. Her lips were pressed together so firmly, Sasha almost looked like Ella’s mom.
As soon as Sasha spun around and rushed off, Tanner let go of Ella’s hand. The quick shot of comfort that came from his grasp disappeared. “Why did you tell her I’m your girlfriend?” Ella whispered, not sure how to respond.
“I’m so sorry, but Sasha has been hitting on me for months. I needed an excuse to get away from her.”
“You could have said no thank you, darling, I’m not interested.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, I’ve tried. That woman doesn’t take no for an answer.”
“Is she that bad? She is pretty.”
“I know she’s just after my money.”
He had money? That almost made her not want to be with him. It was what caused her mother to shun people. “I get it.” More than he could ever know.
“I am sorry. You don’t have to go with me to the Expansion Day event. I’ll tell Sasha you became sick or something. I know she’ll go to the dance. I’ll need some excuse.”
“You could skip it.”
He dipped his chin. “I’m afraid it’s a command performance. I might run the construction company here in town, but I own it with two other men. This day is set aside to celebrate the start of the Plux expansion—which Slade had a large hand in. Both Slade and Jace, along with their families, will be there. I have to go.”
“I see.” Ella totally understood command performances.