Claiming Their Royal Mate: Part One by Andie Devaux Page B

he ached to claim her something fierce—to keep her at a safe distance.
    He admired her independent spirit. And her stolid resistance to what had to be a steadily building lust for him surprised him. He didn’t take the attraction personally, even though a small part of him wished he could. It was simple biology. She was coming into her first heat. And he was the only male of their kind nearby.
    Humans couldn’t satisfy her lust properly, and instinctually she likely knew that, but he’d kept any suitors away, anyway. As for other non-humans, none were likely to appeal to her instincts the same way as a tiger, but he watched all the same. A female were of any kind in heat was vulnerable, needy. Not to mention irresistible to any male who could smell her sweet scent.
    Which was why he had to avoid her as much as possible. Why he’d had to end their friendship. But it also was why he still had to stay close enough to protect her.
    She deposited the bags in her trunk and then swiped her hands on her thighs to rid herself of germs she didn’t even realize couldn’t hurt her. His cock swelled at the sight of her perfect ass. She had him so worked up all the time with her erotic scent that the briefest glimpse of her made him excited.
    She headed back toward the building, and he watched her until she disappeared. The desire to leave his apartment, to meet her along the route to her home, to make sure she made it safely, was overwhelming. But it would be too easy to do more.
    And that wasn’t his right.
    No. He’d do his duty. Protect her. Watch over her. Keep her safe. And hope to hell Erick would get here in time.
    Erick should have come months before, instead of sending Owen to watch over her. But his best friend and prime of their weretiger clan was methodical and logical; he wasn’t driven by passion or even empathy. He wanted to wait until her acceptance of him wouldn’t even be a question. Until she was so driven by need she would beg for him to take her.
    By leaving her here in the human world, far away from where most of their clan lived, Erick avoided the risk of losing her affections to another of their kind. Her tiger would be attracted to Erick’s power, of that there was no doubt. But if Erick brought her to their territory too soon and her human self fell for another, Erick would have no choice but to challenge the male.
    And there were too few weretigers left as it was.
    Hell, their numbers were barely sufficient to hold the territory against other shifters and vampires who sought to make them into unusual, pricy pets.
    Mating wasn’t necessarily permanent, but it often made both parties feel affection for the other, and attachment wasn’t uncommon. It could be resisted, but many times a couple remained paired beyond the initial heat. It was a reality that Erick was counting on. Like real tigers, weretigers weren’t always driven by animal instincts to live in clans or remain in couples, but their human sides did make it likely.
    If nothing else, Erick hoped she would throw herself at him during her first heat. A heat he’d take advantage of by breeding her relentlessly until she carried his cub. After that, Erick would have little interest in her until she was in another heat. He made no effort to hide his goal—securing another generation of royal leaders.
    Owen buried the growl in his throat at the thought.
    It wasn’t right, the approach Erick was taking, even if Owen could see the logic in it. Erick needed to stay with the clan, keep them together as only a royal could. So Owen would guard her. Keep her safe until it was time to call Erick. It was his duty.
    But he wouldn’t touch her, even if his dick never forgave him.

Chapter Two
    S he hurt . Ached. Needed .
    Daniella’s eyes flew open and she blinked against the darkness filling her room. She gulped air into her lungs. Had she been dreaming? She wasn’t sure. Whatever the cause, it was almost impossible to breathe around the