Page 87 of Wicked Witchmas: Elara & Tripp

“What the?—”

Tripp hauled her to her feet and positioned himself in front of her to confront the threat.

They were both stunned stupid when her father spoke.

“I won’t let you use my little girl, Nightshade,” Rupert growled. “Step away from her, and I’ll let you live.”

No one was more surprised than Elara when Mae approached and called up the snow, turning it into a building-sized water spout.

“Wewon’t let you useourlittle girl,” she corrected.

“What the hell are you talking about? Have you gone crazy?” Elara screeched.

The ground rumbled, and she noticed the shimmering bubble encasing them for the first time. It rippled and dipped but held firm.

Tripp placed a hand on her arm. “Stay calm if you can. Remember the boots and Rainier.”

“Got it. Thanks.” Stepping around him, she placed herself between him and her parents. “I don’t know what you have against Tripp, but I love him. You’ll have to accept that he’s my chosen mate.”

A stone flickered on her boots, indicating she was on the right track.

But what exactly did they require?

“You left Payton and me to fend for ourselves with some half-baked hippie at a commune,” she said, keeping the judgment out of her voice. “It hurt both of us to know we meant nothing to you.” The purple beam flickered faster. She was getting somewhere! Curbing her excitement, she poured out her heart, keeping her angst at bay. “We had no knowledge of who youwere or what we are, and had Tripp not uncovered our heritage, I might’ve died during the transition.”

Her mother’s gaze touched on him. “We were just in his apartment, Elara. He has a dossier on everyone in this town.”

“Meaning he didn’t just uncover what you were. He’s known all along,” her father stated grimly. “He’s been playing you.”

Doubts crept in, and the stone dulled as if it was being snuffed out.

Stepping forward, Tripp held out a hand to her. “Human lie detector, remember?”

She grinned and nodded. “I don’t need to ask. I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t. He’s a?—”

“I know what he is, Dad. He’s the man I love, and the man who loves me. We’re not playing the games of the Gods or out to trick each other.” She entwined her fingers with Tripp’s, squeezing tightly. “He told me about his research. But consider this…”

Kissing his knuckles, she released him to approach her father. “Consider that he’s a demigod who craves normalcy, not war. A man who feels the call of his mate’s soul across time and space. One who is compelled to find her in each lifetime.” She half turned and smiled at him. The fierce love staring back from his glowing eyes made her entire body tingle. “One who values her thoughts and honors her by considering her feelings first even if they are at odds with his.”

“A man who would kill for her without question,” he said gruffly. “But who would also make peace with a Titan determined to destroy him if it meant he could spend eternity with his mate.”

“Why the files?” Her mother asked. The accusation in her voice had turned to curiosity. “What does it serve?”

“I’ve been on the run from a matchmaking mama for centuries,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Wherever I go,I learn the layout and look for those who might wish me harm. Those files give me an idea of who to watch out for. That’s all.”

“I don’t buy it,” Rupert snapped. “Elara’s file is the thickest.”

“Because she’s the one I became obsessed with from the moment I set foot in Witchmere,” Tripp confessed. “And I suspected the nymph heritage, but not the Titan. I found very little information on either you or Mae, Hawthorne.”

“But your notes indicate you suspected her potential power. Do you deny it?”

A sick feeling started in Elara’s stomach. The question was valid, and Tripp’s guilty expression was damning.

He locked gazes with her. “No. I don’t deny it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

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