Oh.
His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, and I realized he was taking in my scent the way his bear would. Something primal and possessive flashed across his features, there and gone in an instant, but not before sending a shock of heat straight through me.
"Nicolai," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
His pupils dilated at the sound of his name on my lips. One large hand moved to steady me, resting lightly on my hip, burning through the fabric of my borrowed clothes.
Neither of us moved—caught in a moment of perfect tension, like a rubber band stretched to its limit.
I could feel his heartbeat, strong and fast, where our bodies connected. Or maybe it was mine. Maybe they'd synchronized, falling into the same rapid rhythm. His breath mingled with mine in the narrow space between us, warm and flavored with the soup we'd shared.
The rational part of my brain screamed to pull away, to reestablish distance and safety. But another part—a part I didn't recognize—wanted to lean in, to close that final inch of separation and discover if his lips tasted as good as they looked.
What was happening to me?
Nicolai's hand tightened slightly on my hip, his breathing uneven. I sensed the internal struggle within him—his human side maintaining rigid control while his bear nature roared to claim what it had already decided was his.
"We should..." he began, his voice rougher than I'd heard it yet.
"Yeah," I agreed, though neither of us moved.
His other hand came up slowly, giving me every opportunity to pull away. When I didn't, his fingertips brushed my cheekwith surprising gentleness, as if I were something precious that might break.
Ridiculous. I'm not fragile. I've survived three months on the run from one of the most dangerous men in the city. Yet under Nicolai's touch, I felt strangely vulnerable—not with fear, but with want.
"This is..." I tried to find words, failed, and settled for, "complicated."
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Very."
"I barely know you." My protest sounded weak even to my own ears.
"True." His thumb traced the line of my jaw, leaving fire in its wake. "And yet..."
And yet… Those two words contained multitudes—acknowledged the inexplicable pull between us, the attraction that defied logic or sense.
The electronic systems around us hummed with my heightened emotions, lights flickering almost imperceptibly. Nicolai noticed—of course he did—his eyes briefly leaving mine to track the subtle changes before returning with increased intensity.
Something shifted in his gaze then—hunger giving way to something more complex, more dangerous. Tenderness. Protection. Desire. All wrapped up in a look that made my knees weak.
This man, this predator who had declared me under his protection only hours ago, was looking at me like I was something precious he'd found unexpectedly. And the most terrifying part wasn't that I was attracted to a supernatural crime boss—it was that I wanted him to keep looking at me exactly that way.
Chapter Four
~ Nicolai ~
Mishka’s scent was driving me wild. A century of practiced control was crumbling under the simple act of standing beside this young man at my kitchen sink.
With each brush of our fingers in the soapy water, my bear stirred more insistently beneath my skin, demanding I claim what it had already decided was mine.
I fought to maintain my composure, but the heat radiating from his slender body was a siren call I was finding increasingly impossible to ignore.
I deliberately reached for the same plate he was washing, allowing my fingers to slide against his wrist. His pulse jumped beneath my touch, his heartbeat accelerating to a rhythm that sang to my heightened senses.
"Sorry," I murmured, not sorry at all.
"It's fine," Mishka replied, his voice slightly breathless.
He didn't pull away.
