by Vella Day
“But he’s not your fated mate—or whatever you call it.”
He was finally seeing her dilemma. “Exactly, which was why I basically ran away.”
“I trust you explained your aversion of this man to your parents?”
Tanner had to know by now that she didn’t blindly obey. “Of course, I did, but they refused to listen—or rather my mother refused. My mom’s parents had set up her mating to my father when she was young. From what she has said, she was happy for a long time. Now? I don’t think so.”
He held up a hand. “I understand. I might have left too. What I don’t get though, is why not tell me? Did you think I’d run to your parents and insist they take you back?”
When he put it that way, it would appear as if she didn’t trust him. “I don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I recognized we were mates from the start, but for some selfish reason, I kept my background to myself. I’ve never been out of Thedia Province and wasn’t sure what to expect. Then when I got to know you, I was embarrassed to tell you that I’d lied.”
His lips pursed. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Surely, you expected your father to send someone after you, right?”
“I was hoping he’d just let me go—or not find me.”
Tanner shook his head. “Not find you? Your car was buried in the avalanche. Didn’t you think someone would have seen your vehicle and contacted your folks? They would have been worried sick. I know I would have been if it had been my daughter.”
She hadn’t thought this through. Ella turned around, walked over to the waiting room chairs, and dropped down onto a seat. “I wasn’t thinking. I was so caught up in my good fortune of meeting you and then getting a job that I blocked them out.”
Tanner huffed. “Then I suggest you start thinking first and acting second.”
As if he’d had enough of her, he stormed into his office and shut the door.
Ella sat there for a few minutes, trying to figure out how her life had gone from wonderful to catastrophic in a matter of minutes. She would have said it was all Moran’s fault, but in truth, she’d been the one to run away and the one who lied.
Oh, no! What if after Moran returned to Thedia, he told her parents where she was? Or worse, that she’d found another mate? While they might disown her—which would hurt—they could try to push Christa toward Moran. Shit. Ella had to tell them that he wasn’t the pure panther they thought he was. Moran Blackwood was a liar.
Wanting to wait until the dust settled before begging Tanner’s forgiveness, she remained at her desk and tried to field as many calls as possible. Tanner didn’t need to be disturbed any more than necessary.
Keeping focused was hard though. Too many decisions about her future needed to be addressed. She probably should drive back to Thedia and tell them about the not-so-wonderful Moran Blackwood. Ella couldn’t let them make the mistake of forcing Christa on Moran. But what if once she arrived, they locked Ella up? Maybe not physically, but her parents had enough staff to make sure she didn’t leave the grounds again. Ever.
In order to reach Thedia though, she’d need money. While Tanner paid her weekly, she might have to give out a few bribes along the way. For that, she’d have to sell some of her jewels.
Believing that was the best solution, she searched for local jewelers online and found two. The problem was that they’d probably run into Tanner at some point and tell him what she’d done. It might be best to confess that she had the jewels and why she needed to sell them, but at the moment, Tanner didn’t seem to be in a very receptive mood.
Tell him, her leopard urged. If you want your mate in your life, you have to be honest.
You’re right.
The question was when to tell him. The door to his office opened, and Tanner strode out. “I’m needed at the construction site. If I’m not back by five, drive yourself home.” She swore his tone was colder than any her mother had used. “Use my car. I’m flying.” He tossed her the keys.
“Thanks.” I think.
Because Tanner was a good man, he’d eventually realize that she hadn’t committed some major crime and should be forgiven. All she’d done was withheld information. Too bad that one action destroyed what little trust they had. Damn.
Seeing the hurt in Ella’s eyes nearly killed Tanner, but her lack of trust ate at his soul. Lying was corrosive and highly damaging to any relationship. He might have fibbed to Sasha about having visited Ella on weekends, but the fact they were mates had been the truth. And to think he believed that Ella could do no wrong. He’d been such a fool.
Tanner strode to the Conrad Hotel, took the elevator to the top floor, and then made his way to the rooftop where he took off for the construction site. He hadn’t been called away. That had been a lie, but he needed to get out of the office.
Your lies don’t count when it suits you? his dragon asked.
Shut up. I need to think.
She is your mate. You can’t deny that. She lied in order to be with you. Doesn’t that count?
I know, I know. I’ll figure something out.
Tanner needed some time to think—without his horny dragon interfering. He, too, might have fled her mountain top if he’d been forced to mate someone he despised, but she should have confided in him. And his wasn’t a big lie. While Clint hadn’t called him, as the owner, he wanted to check the progress of the build every few days. If he had stayed in the office, his dragon might have insisted that Tanner forgive Ella. And he would have caved.
Don’t you worry. We’ll get through this, his dragon said.
I can only hope.
The flight to the park didn’t distract him enough to calm him. Tanner landed on the edge of the site and hoofed it the rest of the way. No matter what he focused on though, all he could think about was that scum Moran and how he’d demanded Ella go back to Thedia with him. It was no wonder she ran away, but to keep that fact from him hurt. Bad.
Once at the park, he located Clint, whose open mouth and wide eyes were uncalled for. It hadn’t been that long since he’d come to the site to inspect it. Hell, he’d just been there with Ella.
“Boss, is something wrong?” Clint asked.
“Why would you think that? I am in charge of this construction.”
Clint glanced to the side. “Sure. Whatever you say. Do you need anything?”
A distraction. “No. I’m just going to check on a few of the sub-contractors to see if we are on time.”
“We are,” Clint said.
Tanner had come there to get out of the office. “Good to know.”
Not wanting to explain what happened, he left the construction trailer and walked toward the zipline course. He hadn’t meant to go there, but he couldn’t help it. As he neared, he could almost hear Ella’s shouts of joy as she sped down the wire. Damn. What would it take to get her out of his head? Just because she was his mate didn’t mean she could pretend as if their lives were not connected. There was only one solution: focus solely on work and only work.
For the rest of the day, he spoke with most of the workers and a few vendors that were around. Clint was right. Everything was going smoothly, probably due to Clint’s efforts.
When it turned dark and the machines shut down for the day, Tanner wasn’t in the mood to go home. Ella would be there, probably wearing some sexy outfit that he wouldn’t be able to resist. To keep from being tempted, Tanner decided to fly to Edendale. Slade or Jace might be able to give him some advice. Was he being reasonable? Or had his ego taken over?
After he told Clint not to expect him tomorrow, Tanner took off. Normally, he enjoyed the hour flight to the next province, but he wasn’t in the mood to find beauty in anything right now.
Even though it was after dark when he arrived in Edendale, he thought Slade or Jace might be in their main office. They were workaholics like he was—or at least they had been until they met their mates.
Tanner landed in an open field behind the office property. When he walked around to the
front, the office was dark. A bit of jealousy shot through him at the thought that his two partners were probably home enjoying their mates and children.
Pushing aside his messed up situation in Plux, he shifted and took off again. Their homestead—for lack of a better word—was only a five-minute flight away. Since most of the men, and a few of the women, were dragon shifters, they had a spacious area in which to land.
Because Tanner believed Slade’s mate, Poppy, had magical powers—especially in regard to mates—she was the one he needed to talk to. Many lights were on in their house, indicating they were home. Tanner knocked, and a second later, Slade answered.
“Hey, man. I didn’t know you’d be stopping by. Come in.”
“I should have called.”
“No. It’s all good.”
Poppy appeared a second later. “Tanner. Nice to see you so soon, but something is troubling you. Come into the kitchen, and I’ll fix you a drink.”
Slade dipped his chin and then raised his eyebrows as if to say: You see? Poppy is indeed special.
Tanner followed both of them into the kitchen. “Have a seat,” Slade said. “Tell me what’s wrong?”
Tanner didn’t bother denying it. Poppy grabbed two beers and handed one to him and one to Slade. Tanner twisted off the cap and tossed back a good portion of it. He might as well get to the bottom of it. “It’s Ella.”
Poppy pulled out a chair and sat down. “I can sense all is not well.”
“You’re right. It’s not.” He explained how things had been going great until the man she was supposed to mate with came to town.
Poppy shook her head. “You and she are mates, just the way Fate planned.”
His smile was brief. “I know, but in an effort to combine her snow leopard Clan with the local panther Clan, her parents arranged a mating between their eldest children. Ella was not in favor of that. After having met Moran, I can see why.”
“That’s terrible,” Poppy said. “It was why Fate had to interfere.”
“I don’t follow,” Tanner said. “Did Fate make Ella leave home?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Let’s just say something caused the avalanche.”
Really? “Even if that were true, Ella should have told me about the mating arrangement.”
Slade held up a hand. “Easy there, big boy. You’ve known her what? Less than three weeks?”
“So?”
“It takes time to develop trust,” Slade said.
“We trust each other completely—or at least I trusted her. We are living together. Why didn’t she just say that she ran away to avoid an arranged mating? I would have understood.”
Slade set his bottle on the table. “Tell me this. If she had come to you and said there was another man in the picture, how would you have reacted?”
“I would have asked his name and then kicked his ass.”
Slade laughed. “My point exactly. I bet Ella knew that. You don’t really know the circumstances that drove her to leave her parents and her sisters. Until you do, you probably shouldn’t judge.”
Wow. He hadn’t expected that hard ass comment. “I’m supposed to go back and forgive her?”
“Sleep on it tonight and then talk to her tomorrow. Can I ask if this Moran is any kind of threat?”
“No. I had the sense he rarely, if ever, shifted into his dragon form. He had no fighting skills whatsoever.”
“In that case, he might have been pressured by his parents to go after Ella. Returning empty handed would be highly humiliating.”
Good. “I hadn’t considered that. All I saw was red. Ella is my mate, and nothing is going to stop me from being with her.”
Slade smiled. “Problem solved.” He held up his bottle. “To mates.”
What had they solved? Tanner tapped his bottle. “To mates.”
After a few drinks, all of them turned in, but Tanner wasn’t sure anything had been settled. Did it really matter if Moran had a good reason for coming after Ella? This wasn’t about Moran. It was about why Ella didn’t want to tell him.
For now, he’d try to put his anger to bed. Because Slade had been smart enough to build a house that would handle a handful of kids, there were several spare bedrooms. To his surprise, the comfortable bed helped Tanner fall asleep.
When he rose the next day, Poppy was with their son, Brody. Since Tanner didn’t want to cause any more work for her, he thanked both of them and said he was heading back.
“You have to go so soon?” Slade said. “I’m sure Jace would like to visit.”
“I promise I’ll catch him on the next trip. I need to speak with Ella. We need to clear up a few things.”
Slade patted him on the back. “Good luck. I’m sure it will work out.”
“I hope so.” Tanner hugged Poppy and then headed back to Plux.
He probably should have called Ella last night to let her know where he was, but if she had been terribly worried, she would have contacted Clint. He might have given some excuse why Tanner had to take a trip to Edendale, but at least she wouldn’t have worried.
Needing a change of clothes, he flew straight home. His car wasn’t in the driveway, which meant Ella was probably at work or at the diner eating breakfast. It was for the best. Being home with her would have weakened his resolve to keep his distance. As he headed to his bedroom, her scent didn’t permeate the air like usual. When he stepped inside, he stopped. The bed wasn’t made, and that was something Ella insisted on doing every morning.
His gut churned. Something wasn’t right. If she’d moved out, he’d go ballistic, but he was the one angry with her—not the other way around. She wouldn’t just leave without telling him, would she?
Tanner rushed over to the dresser where Ella kept her things. He’d given her two of the dresser drawers. When he pulled open the top one and spotted her underwear, his racing heart slowed. Good. She hadn’t left.
From her point of view, he was being unreasonable, and she might have decided she’d had enough of him. After having had some time to think about what happened, he could have handled the situation better.
He lifted a bra to his face to inhale her essence. Endorphins flooded his system at his mate’s scent—or rather the scent of the detergent she used. When he set it down, Tanner spotted something shiny hiding underneath. He moved the underwear to the side.
What the hell?
Chapter Eleven
Tanner scooped up several necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, all encrusted in expensive gems. What was she doing with this stuff? No way Ella was a thief.
Her family is royalty, you dumb ass, his dragon said.
He hadn’t been thinking. The expensive car she drove proved it.
Before he jumped to any more conclusions, he replaced the jewels and closed the drawer. He needed to speak with her in a calm and reasonable manner before he could determine if Ella was who she claimed to be, or not.
After he changed, Tanner took off again for the office, hoping to find her there. When he spotted his car parked in front, he relaxed and mentally prepared for their little chat.
The front office door was locked which was odd. Ella had a key in case she needed to duck out if no one was around. He opened up, but she wasn’t at her desk.
“Ella?” he called. No answer.
She might be in his office shredding a few things, something that would make it hard to hear. His door was ajar, and when he stepped in, she wasn’t there either.
He pulled out his phone and called her. Most likely she was still at the diner having a long breakfast. It went to voicemail. Damn.
“It’s Tanner. Call me back when you have a moment.”
Now Tanner was beginning to worry. She had to be somewhere. It wasn’t as if she could have flown away.
Oh, shit. Had Moran returned and dragged her off? Tanner’s gut churned and his hands burned. The bastard better not have touched a hair on her body, or he would die.
Before he went off half-cocked, Tanner called Cl
int.
“Hey, Tanner. You coming to the site again today? Or are you staying in Edendale?” His second-in-command had a bit too much cheer in his voice.
“Neither. I’m at the office. Have you seen or heard from Ella today?”
“No. She’s not at home I take it?”
“No, and my car’s here. She might be at the diner though. I need to find her.”
“Let me know if I can help,” Clint said.
“Will do.”
Shit. After locking up, he took off for the diner. Unfortunately, Ella wasn’t there either. When he spotted Carolyn, the owner, he rushed up to her. “Was Ella in here this morning?”
“No. I haven’t seen her in a while. Something wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll find her somewhere.” He wouldn’t be surprised if she was at the office supply store. Ella loved to organize. Since the store was a mile away, she would have had to drive. Because his car was at the office, she would have to use hers. They’d purposefully left her car behind the hotel. They hadn’t driven it to his house because it gave them the option of having a car in town should they need one, and the hotel was good with them leaving it there.
Tanner walked through the hotel lobby to the back lot. Ella’s car was gone. That gave him a bit of relief that Moran hadn’t kidnapped her. She probably was at the store. Because he really wanted to talk to her, he jogged back to his office and jumped in his car. He would have flown had there been space to land.
When he reached the office supply store, her car was not in the lot. Where was she? Tanner called her cell again and got the same response: no answer.
To his knowledge, Ella hadn’t made any friends in Plux yet, so there was no one he could ask. Think! Would she have gone home to divulge Moran’s secret identity? If so, why not ask him to go with her?
Because you would have been a jerk about it, his dragon shot out. You would have told her to stay put so you could play the hero and unveil the fraud.