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"Nyet," I correct. "Never. You are my first mate. My only mate."

"Well — I've never done this before either."

She ignores my declaration. Fine. It's the truth; we both know it.

"And I don't even know what this is. It's a lot."

I pull her back into my arms. "You're making it complicated when it's so simple. All you need to know is this."

Angling down, I take her lips again, and her taste does something to me. And to her.

"You're slick," I say, murmuring. "It drives me wild. If you had any idea of what it does to me... "

She shakes her head quickly. "Ivan..."

I growl.

"Your heat is coming. I will get you to Russia because when it comes, I won't be able to hold back like this. Just your smell — your scent — the thought of tasting you..."

I glide my hand down her thigh and under her skirt. She freezes, but she doesn't push me away. My hand cups and holds the dew that has soaked through her panties. I bring it to my lips and take the exquisite drop from my finger. My tiger detonates, and I draw on forty-six years of training to hold him in check as he begs for release. Her eyes are saucers, but I'm not embarrassed to show her how she affects me.

"We have to get to Russia. Because if this is your preheat — when your real heat hits, there'll be nothing I can do, nothing that will stop me from taking you and claiming you. I won't give a fuck if it's in the middle of your lab, on the floor of my dining room, in the hallway, on the grass. I'd like the grass. I'd like you to run. Run, so that I can chase you."

I drag my finger along her cheekbone. "I like that. I think I would very much like to chase you."

Her eyes widen, and she takes a little gasp.

I lower my voice. "You'd like that too, little one. Run. Run from me, and let me claim you like the animals we are."

I don't give her a chance to respond. I can't. The image is so strong in my mind, brutal — her running through the snow, brown legs splayed out as I cover her and let my tiger rest on her first, her running her hands through my thick fur before I shift back into myself and claim her, marking her neck, breeding her with my cubs. And now my cock roars as loud as my tiger: yes, do it now, do it now.

I take a deep breath and step back. My tiger fights me every inch of the way, demanding I put my mark on her before another male so much as looks in her direction. And fuck, I want to. But Aleksej is lying in a hospital bed with a hole in his arm, and this little doctor is the only person who might be able to save him. If I claim her now, my tiger won't give a damn about surgical schedules or medical emergencies. He'll want her beneath us until her heat passes, and I can't risk that. Not even for my mate. I walk to the door, take my frustration out on the knob, and let it slam into the wall. I've waited this long for my mate. I can wait another few days. Probably. Fucking hell, I hope so.

"Konstantin, bring everything in her lab," I command, ignoring her little gasp behind me. "Have it on the plane and ready to go. No excuses."

I turn and grab her hand.

"You will be on that plane. You can come willingly, or you can come tied up in my arms. And I think you already know — I think you suspect — that bringing you tied up in my arms is something I would relish."

Her eyes narrow, but I'm already ripping out my phone, making commands, ordering, controlling, preparing.

"I fucking hate flying," Konstantin complains.

"Patience," I tell him, looking toward the bedroom suite of our private jet.

"Patience," he growls back, spitting the word out. "Is that why you haven't mated your doctor yet?"

"Yes, yes, brother," Georgy chimes in. "Tell us why — three hours into a twenty-hour trip home — you are out here with us here, while your bride, your mate, is locked away. How can you do this? I know all about your legendary control, but even for you, this is a lot."

I look at the door and turn away. My staff brings me the cold Russian vodka I requested.

"Maybe now that he's finally found a mate, he's too scared to take her. I know I would not hold back."

"Konstantin. Do you challenge me, brother? Do you question my decisions? Is that what you do now? Perhaps you would like to remove the crown from my head as well."

Silent seconds pass before Georgy says, "We don't question your wisdom, Ivan. But if she's your mate, then she deserves a proper introduction. We should meet our sister."

"Maybe our sister doesn't quite accept her role yet," Konstantin says. Teasing me. Testing me further. And it only takes one swipe of my hand, cuffing him across the head, for him to stand down.