“Yes.” She glanced up at me through her dark lashes. “I can’t lie to you.”
“No,” I said instantly. “Every emotion shows on your face. I will know if you lie. But why would you want to? There are no secrets between mates. Between us.”
She nodded. While my balls ached knowing the extent of her innocence and my interest in being the one to enlighten her, in this moment it would have been helpful for her to be a little less naive as to what we’d do together.
“Do you trust me?”
“I don’t know you,” she countered.
“You do. Our minds have touched, mate. You know me,” I repeated.
She studied me for a moment. “I think so. Yes.”
“Then know this, I will claim you in the sacred way. I will prove my worth to you. I will prove that I can love you, adore you, bring you unimaginable pleasure before I ask for your most sacred gift.”
“My virginity?”
“The right to lay my seed within you and pray it takes root. The right to care for you and protect you and our children until my death. Your trust. Your love. I want everything, Lexi.”
“You want a baby?”
I grinned. I couldn’t help it, not with the shocked look on her face. “I’d like many children, mate. As many as you would gift to me.”
Her smile faded. “What if I can’t have kids?”
I lifted my hand and touched her cheek gently. “Then I will be honored and pleased to be gifted with you. I need nothing else.”
She lifted on tiptoe to kiss me, a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. But it meant more to me than any battle I’d ever won fighting in the war. Her shy smile made something hard and cold unravel in my chest and pain lanced behind my eyes. Years of loneliness and bleak, barren days melted under that kiss. I quickly turned away, blinking hard, else the pain of my soul coming back to life would manifest on my cheeks.
A Hunter did not cry simply because a beautiful woman pressed an innocent kiss to one’s lips.
“I don’t know what to do. You’ll have to tell me what to do.”
Stepping back, I reached for her hand. I needed distance, time to adjust to the heavy, painful weight settling in my chest where I’d been dead and empty for so long. “I’ve got you, love. Are you hungry?”
“Hungry?” She seemed confused by the change of topic. “Yes.”
“Then I shall feed you.”
“But I thought—”
“I will not claim you here in the hallway, Lexi. I will not claim any of your virginities until you are ready.”
She had thirty days. It was my job to make it happen sooner. Starting tonight. Starting right now.
With her small hand wrapped around my arm, I escorted her to the dining halls. The Touchstone had a large community dining room used by the officers, unclaimed females and Officiates. It was large, public and very safe for the potential mates.
But on the upper level, private dining quarters had been built to accommodate the needs of warriors who came here to seduce and claim their brides. Men like me.
The Officiate stood at attention in his blue uniform. “Senior Hunter Von, greetings.”
“Is my room ready?” I’d known she was here, known she would be mine. I’d also known she might be nervous and most certainly hungry at some point today. It was private and not my own room. The perfect place for her to relax and enjoy being together. If it led to more—which it would since I knew we were more than just marked, we were matched—it would be private.
“Of course, of course.” He bowed low to my mate, which earned him my gratitude, and swung his arm to indicate the direction we would go. “If you would follow me, my lady.”
The man led and I followed behind Lexi as she fell in step behind him. Abruptly, he halted and Lexi nearly slammed into the man’s back.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her back against me just in time.
“No! You will not take her upstairs!” Cosmo’s voice boomed over the suddenly quiet dining hall and Lexi jolted at the loud, aggressive sound.
“Hush. I’ve got this, love,” I whispered in her ear and kissed her temple before gently moving her behind me. One of my men had used his Hunter’s speed to appear at my side and I placed Lexi behind me where I knew my friend could protect her if something should happen here. Now.
I did not want to answer this challenge. Cosmo’s was a fool’s plight, yet his pride would not allow him to back down. I understood, but more than anything, I wanted Lexi in my arms, the taste of her sweet cream coating my tongue, her soft cries of release in my ears. I wanted the wet heat of her mouth stretched wide around my cock.