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

in. Her life had been spent trying her best to be who she thought she was supposed to be, but she’d always felt like an imposter—an impersonator.
    The only parents she’d ever known were no exception. They loved her and she loved them. And for the most part, they’d never had any real issues. Bob and Carol Clark were standup people, with nine-to-five jobs. They went to church every Sunday and had urged Daniella to go to school for business or law. Her desire to pursue art had been almost unfathomable to them. They’d forced smiles and supported her decision, but it had always been obvious to all of them that she wasn’t quite a perfect fit for their family.
    Once, she would have readily blamed that on being adopted. But now…now she had a tiger with a crazier, but maybe more fitting, explanation.
    And what a tiger.
    Owen was everything she’d dreamed of—or he had been until he’d started acting like a jerk. Kind, intelligent, gorgeous. And with incredible taste in movies. Sure, he hadn’t struck Daniella as her type when they’d first met because he’d been so physically imposing, but she was more than a little aware she’d resisted any kind of attraction because she thought he was so far out of her league that he might as well be a dream.
    She blinked into the shower spray, a sudden dread hitting her. Firmly, she pinched her own shoulder, hard.
    “Ow,” she hissed softly. Okay, whew. Not a dream, then. But it was no wonder she was worried. Ending up with a man like Owen lusting after her was pretty unbelievable, but to have two men of that caliber fighting to have her…well, that just didn’t happen. Heck, such things probably didn’t even happen to super models all that often, let alone girls like herself.
    The curtain flew open, and she screeched.
    Wild-eyed, Owen stared at her. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine! Holy crap, give a girl a heart attack, why don’t you?” She threw the washcloth at his head, but he ducked and dodged it easily, sending it to splat against his bathroom wall.
    “I heard you. You were in pain.”
    She just stared, until realization hit. Heat traveled up her neck to her face, and she turned to face the shower spray. “I’m fine.”
    “Did I hurt you?” The fear in his voice drew her attention back to him.
    “God, no. Why would you think that?”
    “I was…rough with you. And you haven’t even changed, come into your power. You’re nearly as weak as a human right now.”
    “Thanks, I guess. I’m fine.” No way was she admitting she’d pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. That kind of thing could give a man a big head. “Really, Owen. I’m okay.”
    He searched her face for a moment before nodding. “Then please, scoot over.”
    “No way. You’ll totally hog the water,” she protested, but she scooted.
    “I would never.”
    “On your honor?” she teased.
    He nodded gravely and stepped into the shower.
    It took all of thirty seconds before she realized he’d lied. But by then, she didn’t care.

Chapter Six
    D aylight had peeked through the curtains by the time they’d settled into bed—and Daniella suspected the sun had been out for a couple of hours already. She was dead tired, and after agreeing with Owen that sleeping in his apartment—now un-lockable, thanks to his prime—wasn’t the best idea, they wandered over to her place to pass out. Even though her bed was queen-sized, Owen seemed to take up all the space. Luckily, he was more than willing to hold her—keeping her tucked against his body while they slept.
    But when she woke, the bed beside her was empty. Still slightly warm to the touch, but empty. And night had fallen.
    She blinked, searching the darkness for him. For half a second she thought it might have all been a strangely vivid dream, and her stomach dropped. Then she sat up to get a better view of the room, and her whole body ached with a mostly-pleasant pain. Her breasts were heavy and sore. And while she