“You’re coming back to Thedia with me now,” said a stranger’s voice.
What the hell? Tanner stormed out. “Can I help you?” he asked.
Dressed in a very expensive suit, the man looming over Ella’s desk was large with dark eyes and short black hair—a man Tanner didn’t recognize.
“I’m here to take Ella back home.”
Take her home? “She is home. And you are?” Not that it mattered. Even if the man had been her father, Tanner would have something to say about her leaving.
“I am Moran Blackwood, and Ella is my mate.”
The absurdity of it all made Tanner laugh. “Your mate? I beg to differ. Ella and I are mates. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
She pushed back her chair and stood. “Yes. Tanner and I are together. I’m sorry you spent so much time driving partway across the realm to find me, but there is no way I’m going back with you.”
“You can’t speak to the next Alpha of the panther clan like that. Your parents will make sure you return.”
What an ass.
“How did you find me?” Ella asked.
“You know how talented Mori is. She was able to ping your phone.”
Tanner had enough of this blowhard. “You can tell Mr. and Mrs. Snow that Ella is staying in Plux.”
Blackwood laughed. “You have no idea who she is, do you?”
His heart dropped to his stomach. “Ella Snow is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. That’s all I need to know.”
Blackwood turned to Ella. “You told him your name is Ella Snow?”
Ella’s shoulders slumped as she faced him. “It’s really Ella Snowden. I was worried you might recognize my father’s name and somehow think you should take me back to Thedia.”
He would never do that. “I know your father is the Alpha of the snow leopard Clan. So what?”
She mouthed a thank you.
Blackwood stepped around Ella’s desk straight toward Tanner. “How about we settle this man-to-man or rather animal-to-animal?”
“I’m not fighting you.” Even if the man was a dragon shifter, Tanner would win. Of that he was certain.
Blackwood’s eyes widened. “Afraid you’ll die or lose your mate?”
“I’m not losing anything.”
Ella rushed up to them and planted her hands on her hips. She faced Blackwood. “Don’t do this.”
“Don’t tell me you think I’ll get hurt? How touching, but I assure you I won’t lose. You will be returning to Thedia with me.”
Tanner wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge, and he certainly wasn’t going to let some fancy douchebag steal his mate. Unfair fights were not his thing though. He’d blow some flames at him and maybe drag a claw across his body, but he wouldn’t kill him. Since Ella had never flown with a dragon before, he had to assume this man was not one. As abrupt as the man was, Tanner couldn’t blame him for not wanting to let Ella go.
“How about taking this outside then? There’s some space out back.”
Tanner didn’t wait for Blackwood’s response. He strode out the front door. It banged shut and then opened again.
“Tanner,” Ella called. “I’m not going back with him. You don’t have to fight.”
“Yes, he does, sweetheart,” Blackwood said, clearly mocking Tanner’s affectionate nickname for Ella.
“I won’t kill him. Don’t worry,” Tanner said.
“I don’t care if you do. I will never ever mate with Moran Blackwood.”
Tanner was not pleased that in the last two weeks Ella hadn’t seen fit to tell him the truth about her identity, but he’d deal with that afterward. Right now, he wanted to set Blackwood straight. Ella Snow—or rather Ella Snowden was his.
Tanner charged around the building to the alley behind his office. Fighting in the middle of the street would only cause a disruption. The last thing he needed was for people to think he was a bully for taking on this man. Yes, his kind was fast, but if the animal was also a snow leopard, Tanner would shoot to the sky or keep him back with a wall of fire.
When they reached the back lot, Blackwood shifted into a panther. Even though this shifter was larger than Tanner expected, he wasn’t a threat. Tanner shifted into his dragon form.
And then he waited. Tanner would not be the one to initiate this battle. It was possible that Blackwood didn’t realize he’d be going up against a dragon.
Tanner stood there working hard to contain his anger when Blackwood charged. Fire seemed to be the easiest way to discourage him, so he shot out a blast a few feet in front of the man—or rather the panther. Then came the shock. Blackwood shifted into a dragon.
Holy goddess.
“Tanner, be careful,” Ella shouted. Pain and fear tinged her voice, but that only served to bolster his spirits that she was rooting for him.
Had Tanner’s reflexes not been as quick, he might have been harmed. Instead, he shot upward, flapping his wings hard. It appeared as if Ella didn’t know that her supposed rescuer was both a dragon shifter and a panther. There were several explanations, but he couldn’t worry about that now.
Fire singed part of his tail, and that pissed him off. He had promised Ella that he wouldn’t hurt this man, but that was before Blackwood made it an even fight. Tanner spent his life flying and practicing to do battle, and he bet Blackwood had hid his other identity. Too bad for him.
In the space of a few feet, Tanner turned around and went after his adversary. Going head to head rarely worked, which meant he needed to get underneath him in order to do any real damage. As he approached Blackwood, right before they collided, Blackwood went on the offensive and ducked under him. Smart—but not smart enough. Tanner then did a steep dive before circling upward again.
