She offered a curt nod as reply. “Hunters, please wait outside.”
Von waited for the major to leave the room before he followed, but stopped before me. The heated look he gave me was scorching. “This is a formality only. Soon you will be mine. It is now my turn.”
I frowned, unsure of what he meant.
“My turn to wait for you.”
He was saying his words from our dream.
Without touching me—although his gaze felt like a lover’s caress—he left, ensuring the door was closed firmly behind him.
“I’ve seen many marked mates before, but I’ve never seen a male so…intent,” Treva said as I continued to stare at the door.
“You believe we are marked mates?” I asked.
“I have no doubt. But Major Cosmo does. You are very popular, it seems.”
I looked to her, saw her not as the official in the fancy uniform, but as a female.
“I have never had two guys into me before,” I admitted. “I thought it would be pretty cool, especially when both of them are really hot.”
“Cool? Hot? Is there a temperature problem on Earth?”
I had to laugh, and it made me feel better. “Sorry. I guess those NPU things that translate for us don’t understand slang. I thought I would enjoy having attractive men fight over me, but I’ve changed my mind. They are powerful and dangerous.”
She offered me a smile. “Yes, all Everian Hunters are. Your mate, especially. Now show me this mark of yours.”
I slid the strap of my dress off my shoulder, pushed it down so that it exposed my right breast. Lifting my hand, I cupped it, covering much of it except for the side, which curved outward. The mark was clearly visible to her.
“Thank you.”
I pulled the dress back into place.
“Ready for them to return?”
I was ready for Von to return, but knew the major wouldn’t be far behind. “Yes.”
She opened the door and Von came in, looking me over from head to toe as if to make sure I hadn’t been hurt. The major came in, crossed his arms over his chest.
Treva pressed a button on her thigh again. “Alexis Lopez’s mark has been witnessed and confirmed as an exact match to Senior Hunter Von. Let the record show that they are marked mates.”
She turned to me and the look in her eyes made me freeze in place, barely daring to breathe. “Alexis Lopez, do you accept Major Cosmo’s claim?”
“No. I do not.”
“Do you accept Senior Hunter Von’s claim?”
I could feel Von’s eyes on me and my body responded as if he were a blazing sun kissing my flesh with warmth and light. I was so hot, so eager to turn to him and finally know what it felt like to touch him. “Yes. I accept Von.”
Officiate Treva spoke into her recording thing again. “Alexis Lopez of Earth has chosen Senior Hunter Von as her first claim. The thirty days afforded the female to accept or reject her new mate begins now.”
He looked at me, and if I’d been wearing panties, they would have melted right off my body. “It won’t take that long.”
Her clear gaze shifted. “Senior Hunter Von, please be aware that your mate is untouched. You have thirty days to claim her virginities or return her to the care of another here at the Touchstone.”
He nodded and held out his hand to me.
The major, Cosmo, looked like he was going to punch a hole in the wall, but there was nothing he could do. Thankfully.
“I am done waiting, mate,” Von said, his voice rough. Just like in the dream. I shivered and took his hand, felt the hot tingle up my arm. This was the first time we touched. His skin was soft, his caress almost hot. I felt callouses I remembered from the dreams. I didn’t want to let go.
He pulled me from the room and I thought over what Treva had said and recorded.
“Wait.” I stopped and Von yanked my arm before he, too, could stop. Looking down at me, he stroked a finger over my cheek.
“Yes, mate?”
“Virginities?”
Chapter Eight
Von
I held her hand. My bride. My marked mate. Her long black hair fell in a dark curtain halfway down her back, the strands shimmering in the light. Her eyes were lined with accent that drew attention, making them the focus of her beautiful face. She was small, not reaching my shoulder, but her full breasts and flared hips were those of a woman ripe for the taking. Every curve was outlined by a flowing red gown. If the Officiates had followed standard protocol, she would be naked beneath.
She’d been waiting for me, just as I’d told her to do. In the room with the other females and a number of men, she’d stood out like a space beacon. It had taken only seconds to find her. Her perfect curves, her dark hair, her wary and eager gaze catching mine.