“I do. I can’t refuse the challenge, nor do I want to. He touched you, Lexi. Marked your delicate skin.”
The thought of Cosmo putting his hands on her had me seeing red and wanting to track him down and beat him bloody. I was justified and anyone else who was two-thirds through their marked mate’s claiming would agree with me. Everyone but Cosmo. We’d been like brothers once. But that made his insult all the worse.
No one touched my mate.
A Junior Hunter walked toward us and saluted. I offered him a nod in response before continuing on. It reminded me we were not alone in the public hallway.
“What’s the deal with you two? Why do you hate him so much?” she asked.
I shrugged, knowing my vague response when she wanted answers the night before would not hold now. Not now that I’d challenged him. I wanted to take her somewhere private to explain, but if we went back to my room, there would be no talking. Only wild fucking. Her suite was off-limits to males. While I wasn’t pleased with the rule since I hated anything that kept her from me, I was content knowing no other male would gain entry either. Especially Cosmo.
“We are of similar age, raised in the same region. Our fathers were friends. We grew up as brothers, close friends from the time we were small.”
“So what happened?”
“What often does. A woman.”
My mate frowned at that and stepped away from me, a move I did not care for. “Did you love her?”
I smiled, lifting my hand to cup her cheek. “No, mate. She was ambitious and wild. A Hunter’s abilities do not reveal themselves until he reaches a certain age. She had chosen Cosmo, seduced him, promised her love to him. He fell in love with her, but when we came of age…” I faltered, my mind wandering back to the day I’d found her naked in my bed. The day she’d cursed me to years of guilt and cost me a friend.
“You were a Hunter and he wasn’t?”
“We are both Hunters, but not all of us are born with the same level of skill.” Narrowing my focus, I allowed my gaze to wander over the perfection of her features, the darkly arched brows, the full lips, her warm, compassionate eyes. “Cosmo is a Hunter by birth, but the gifts were not as strong with him. He was not assigned to the elite units. She was hungry for status and when she discovered the truth—”
“She dumped him and tried to seduce you instead.”
I chuckled. “Do all Earth women finish a man’s sentences?”
That made her laugh. “Only the good ones.”
I traced her lower lip with my thumb. “Then you must be a very good mate.”
“I try.” She kissed the tip of my thumb but turned her head away to resume our walk down the hall as I fell into step beside her, where I would always be. “So, that’s it? Was he really that stupid? Didn’t he know what she was doing?”
“Of course. But the heart and the mind do not always have kind words for one another.”
“So, he couldn’t let it go.”
“No, he could not.”
“So you have to fight him now because of some stupid girl from your childhood?” She seemed angry at Cosmo and that pleased me. Thank the Divine any interest he had for her was not reciprocated. “This is like high school all over again. It’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t disagree. Which is the reason I have never accepted a challenge from him before.”
“He doesn’t seem stupid, Von. Why would he keep this up for so long over a girl who didn’t even love him?”
I shrugged. “Over the years, his hurt turned bitter and cold. He believes things come too easy for me. My rank, my hunting skills. And now you, a marked mate, something so rare most of us never dare dream to find it.”
“You didn’t win me in a battle. We were marked to be together since birth.” Yes, she was right about our marks and I was thrilled to know she believed that. “And he’s a major. He’s still a Hunter. It’s not like he went off to live in a hole and never recovered.”
“A major, while high ranking, is not as respected or revered as an elite Hunter.”
“And you are a Senior Hunter, which makes you what? The best of the best?”
I only shrugged, for while I was skilled at hunting, I was not invincible, nor was I without flaws, such as jealousy, possessiveness, and obsession for my new mate.
“Then why fight him now? Just walk away, like before.”
I took a step back, stopping to straighten my shoulders. “Not this time. He made it personal. He touched you. This is about honor, Lexi. Your honor. When he touched you, he knew I could not allow the assault to go unchallenged.”