Once he left, the air seemed to evaporate out of the room. While her father always put the Clan first, he did love his daughters, which was more than she could say about her mother.
Her father returned with Mori and Christa trailing behind. They both squealed and then hugged her.
“Are you back for good?” Mori asked.
“No. I came to warn you all.”
“Warn us about what?” Christa asked.
Once they were all seated, Ella told them about meeting her mate. “He’s my true mate. I know you believe duty above love, but that’s not who I am. I want to be with Tanner, though he’s a bit upset after Moran attacked him.”
“What?” her father said. “Moran attacked him?”
“Yes.” She glanced at Mori, who looked away. She’d been the one to give Moran her location. To be honest, Ella was glad he’d come and been defeated.
“Moran was probably defending what rightfully belonged to him,” her mother said, her chin held high.
How sad that her mother considered herself—and Ella—chattel. “Possibly, but did you know he is part panther and part dragon shifter? That means the man is an out and out liar.” The disbelief and shock on her parents’ faces gave her some satisfaction, though she felt a bit sorry for them. Bringing the two clans together would have been a boon to the dwindling population of snow leopards.
“Are you sure?” her father asked.
“When he shifted and took to the air, I was convinced.”
Her parents exchanged a glance. “What happened to this Tanner person?”
“Tanner is a pure dragon shifter and a superior fighter. He could’ve killed Moran though he didn’t, but he did drive him to the ground. And then Moran took off.”
“If what you say is true, this is highly disturbing. I wonder if his father knows that Moran isn’t his son.”
“I’m not sure it really matters anymore,” Ella said. She looked over at her mother. “Do you want someone that deceptive to be part of this family?”
“Does this mean I won’t be mated to Moran?” Christa interjected.
Ella couldn’t tell if she was excited or disappointed. “I should hope not,” Ella said.
“No, Christa. You will not be mated to Moran.” Her father looked over at Ella. “Are you happy being with Tanner?”
“I’ve never been happier.” Until Tanner became upset because she’d lied to him.
A knock sounded at the front door and everyone stilled. No one moved since one of the servants would answer. When she heard Tanner’s voice demanding he speak with her, Ella jumped up. “Excuse me.”
She rushed out. Part of her wanted to be mad at him for coming after her and part wanted to hug him. The joyful half won.
“Ella. Thank goddess you’re safe. I thought Moran might have taken you.”
He held out his arms, and she ran to him, forgetting all about their disagreement. “I’m fine. I had to let my parents know Moran and his parents deceived them.”
“I was hoping that was the case, but why didn’t you tell me you were coming here? I would have flown you. As it was, I had to call in a number of favors just to find you.”
“I’m sorry. I thought my reveal of Moran’s heritage would go over better without you here, but since you are, come meet the family.”
He leaned close. “Why didn’t you tell me you needed money? I saw the jewels.”
Crap. “Those were presents from my parents. I planned to sell them as needed in order to survive.” Now wasn’t the time to discuss that. “Let’s go before they believe you kidnapped me.”
When they entered the living room, her father stood, his expression stoic. Both of her sisters, however, looked love-stricken. That was no surprise since Tanner was a very handsome man. Her mother just stared. It was possible no one other than a snow leopard or a panther shifter had ever set foot in this house. Ella was almost tempted to ask Tanner to demonstrate his prowess by shooting fire into the air, but it didn’t take a second to imagine that going very wrong.
“Nice to meet you,” Tanner said. He shook all of their hands, though her mom did hesitate.
Probably because he was a business owner, he knew how to approach people.
“Tell me what you do, Tanner,” her father asked.
“I’m a contractor in Grindale Province.”
Her father smiled. “I have to say I’m surprised, Ella, that you would consider going out with a contractor. I thought you didn’t like the profession.”
“When Tanner saved me from being trapped under the snow because of the avalanche, I didn’t think to ask what he did for a living.”
Her mother actually chuckled, a sound Ella hadn’t heard in a while. That broke the tension in the room.
“We were told about the avalanche and the car, but when I checked, your vehicle was gone,” her father explained.
“I retrieved it,” Tanner said.
“Thank you. I want to hear all about this near-death experience.”
She regaled them with his story from the moment she left to now.
To her delight, her family asked Tanner to stay for dinner as well as invited him to spend the night.
She had to say the evening turned out to be a big success, partly because Tanner and her dad had a lot in common. The story telling even included a recapping of the battle between Tanner and Moran.
Her father sighed. “Tomorrow, I plan to tell the Blackwoods that our two clans will not be uniting—ever. I will not tolerate that kind of deception.”
She didn’t wish that conversation on anyone.
Her mother cleared her throat. “So tell me, have you two mated officially?” This time her tone held no rancor.
“Not yet, but we do live together,” Ella said.
“I wanted to give Ella the chance to decide if and when she wants to mate with me,” Tanner added.
Her mother looked over at Dad and then back at Tanner. “That is very considerate of you.”
Ella was tired of her mother’s attitude. “Mom, it’s the way it should be. No one should be forced to mate against her will. I understand
