Hunter Zee, the Touchstone

Holy fuck. She was perfect. Her long brown hair hung in waves spun with random pieces of red and gold. Her lips were plump and ripe and her mouth so hot and wet and…eager. My cock pulsed remembering just how much. She’d conquered me as easily as if I were a young man new to the pleasures of my cock. Her body was perfect; soft skin, generous curves. Everything about her was perfect. Passionate. Obedient. Submissive. Beautiful.

But I was not.

My Marked Mate, Helen from Earth, was everything I’d imagined but never expected to have. I knew from watching her from across the room that her laughter came easily and her eyes were a unique combination of green and gold I’d never seen before. I longed to have her look at me and know me. Know exactly who claimed her. Who mastered her body. Whose soul she’d invaded with more ruthlessness and cunning than the Hive a battlegroup quadrant.

I longed to have those eyes focused on me not just in pleasure, but with love. Affection. Desire. With the soft gaze of a submissive eager to please. But those were a fool’s dreams. Those thoughts did not belong to a scarred warrior like me.

Perhaps if I could seduce her, bring her enough pleasure, she would learn to tolerate my appearance. It was the best I could hope for, but that hope burned and twisted inside me like hot knives. Wanting her was painful, but it was an agony I refused to give up. I knew the sight of her body, the feel of her pussy, the taste of it, the tightness of her throat as she swallowed me down.

I strode to my quarters, my balls empty, my body sated by the pleasure of my one perfect female. Gods, I’d claimed her first virginity. She’d allowed it. Given it to me. Enjoyed it. Even came from the pleasure of it. Of submitting to me. Of course, I’d ensured her desire and completion…several times first, but she’d been right there with me. I’d hovered over her pussy, wanted to feel her clench down on my fingers just as her cheeks pulled taut around my cock.

Me.

My cock. My seed filled her belly. My mouth and fingers had brought her pleasure. Made her writhe and scream. Beg and pant.

As I nodded to a group of Hunters who passed on the garden path, I had to wonder if one of them would be better suited. None of them would need to blindfold their Marked Mate to fuck her. While I’d brought her to climax several times, she hadn’t known who had done it. She didn’t know my face, my name. All she knew was the blunt head of my cock, the thick girth of it, the taste of my cum as it splashed down her throat.

None of the other Hunters would be terrified, as I was, that the very sight of them would cause a beautiful young innocent to run away in fear. It happened often enough, the sight of my scars making females run away in horror. Helen didn’t know about the Hive, the damage and destruction they caused, but looking at me, she’d know first-hand. I would not be the sight that made her afraid of not only her mate, but what was out there.

But even the thought of my mate with another brought my hunting instincts to the fore and I had to fight to control the urge to attack the Hunters as they passed. Instead, I focused on the lingering taste of Helen’s sweet pussy on my tongue, the sound of her cries as she’d come apart for me, giving me everything. Again and again.

Helen had submitted. Beautifully. Following my every command, giving over her control in mind and body. To her Marked Mate. She’d wanted it, saw the evidence of her need, tasted it.

The burning of my palm and my sated cock were proof she was mine.

But she wasn’t. Not yet, even with one virginity claimed. Perhaps not ever. Not truly.

She accepted me, for now. At least, I could pretend she was mine as long as she didn’t see me. I could hold out hope.

A group of brides walked by. After getting a good look at my face, their expressions changed from carefree laughter to horror. As usual. Their pace quickened and their whispers lingered long after they did.

I was used to it. I was scary looking. Dangerous in appearance. Ruthless. It mattered not how I’d come by the injuries. It mattered not that, among other fighters, the scars were proof of bravery, of service. But with the females, with my mate? It wasn’t a badge of honor but a mottling of skin that caused revulsion and disgust.

Gods. I even scared new Hunters—perhaps because I was a reminder of what had happened to me could easily happen to them when battling the Hive. And now, retired from service, I wondered why I was assigned to the Touchstone, where innocent and naïve virgins were brought to find their mates. It was beyond me.

But here I was, the feared one. Not that I would shirk my duties. No, these females were all safe on my watch. No harm would befall them.

I hadn’t always been this way. Damaged. No. One battle and I was ruined. Injured by an ion blast and pinned behind enemy lines. I’d escaped the Hive, but I’d been on the run for days and the wounds to my body had healed before I could reach a ReGen pod. There was nothing the doctors could do. I was scarred for life. Ruthless slices and mottled skin marred my face, my neck. To a female, I was hideous. The virgin brides who’d walked by were proof of that.

And yet I’d been blessed by the gods to find my Marked Mate. Other Hunters were envious of me—for that alone. My mark had guided me to her and the dreams we shared proved the bond. The way she submitted and came for me as well. But she would not want me if she saw me, saw the disfigurement. She would be horrified. Afraid. Scared of me. The one word I feared she’d utter, butterfly, would come from her lush lips and it wouldn’t be from pushing her too far sexually. It would be from a quick glance alone.

I couldn’t survive her rejection. Everyone else in the universe I could handle. But sweet, innocent, pure Helen? Seeing fear or loathing in her eyes would destroy what was left of me. I’d thought myself invulnerable after the ion blast attack. Nothing else could hurt me. Nothing in the war or on my home world would ever be able to bring me low. I was a survivor. Strong. So much stronger than the others.

Yet one touch and Helen made me weak. The flare of my mark made me vulnerable. The taste of her on my tongue made me powerless.

“Well?” Hunter Quinn asked, slapping me on the back as I came through the grand entry of the building. We were cousins, of a size, yet where I was dark he was golden light with chiseled features and an unmarred form. The women of Everis frequently offered themselves to him, yet he waited for a Marked Mate. He was an eternal optimist, full of patience for what I had received.

A fool whose grin was broader than mine.

“She’s perfect,” I admitted, thinking of her sitting on the garden bench waiting for me. Her dark hair, soft curves, gentle smile. Then on her knees naked. On the table spread wide and at my mercy. Of her mouth, stretched wide around my cock.

“I told you.” Quinn was not yet mated. We’d fought together for years and had been stationed at the Touchstone for the past six months. He was hopeful of a match of his own. Eager for it. And when my mark flared to life only a few nights ago, when I’d woken up exhausted from dream sharing and with my cock hard as a rock, he’d been jealous. Happy for me.

Gods, too fucking happy for me. He just didn’t understand.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “Your cock flagged too soon?”

His sly grin backed his jest.

“Asshole,” I growled. “Her first virginity is claimed.”

He slapped me on the back again. We moved away from the doorway as other Hunters wanted entry.

“Then what’s the matter?” He grabbed my arm, tugged me to a corner. When I didn’t respond, he continued, looking around. “Fuck, Zee, where is she? Why isn’t she with you?”

I put my hands on my hips. “She’s not with me because I refuse to let her see me.”

His expression went flat. “What?”

I sighed, looked away. “If she sees me, she won’t want me.”

He frowned. “So how the hell did you fuck her mouth?”

“Blindfold.”

“Blindfold?”

“She’s submissive. Wants me to take control. It’s…incredible.” That wasn’t a strong enough word, but I couldn’t think of one better. Not now in my post-orgasm haze.

The corner of his mouth quirked up, but he remained silent. Waited.

“I blindfolded her to enhance the experience.”

“Bullshit,” he countered. “You blindfolded her so she wouldn’t see your scars. How many fucking times have I told you your Marked Mate—if you were lucky enough to have your mark awakened—won’t give a shit what you look like? The match has been made since birth. It won’t change because of a few scars.”

I shook my head, knowing the truth. He’d said the same to me again and again, but it mattered not.

I knew. Helen wouldn’t want me if she saw me.

And then I’d be alone.

* * *

Helen

The other new bride arrivals gathered around the breakfast table laughing and giggling, their eyes full of hope and excitement. As women do, a few shared details of their first night with their new mates, Hunters eager to stake their claims and make themselves known. Some had found their Marked Mates—only a few, including me—the rest having found a male who they clicked with. It seemed one didn’t have to be marked to have an instant connection. The males they spoke of were proud of their new mates, of the claiming process they were now in.

Not mine. My Marked Mate kept me in the dark—literally—and while I loved everything that had happened between us, I felt vulnerable. Unsure. Why had he refused to reveal himself to me? Was he undecided about me? The mark on my palm was hot and pulsing, even now, but was that a guarantee? Was he not pleased or proud of me?

While he’d come down my throat, I knew it to be an automatic response in men. I’d gotten him off, but had I not pleased him?

He’d come to me last night in my dreams, but had done nothing but hold me as if I were the most precious thing in the world. Breakable china. He’d insisted I keep my eyes closed, and I’d been happy to obey, listening to the strong beat of his heart and melting into his heat as his hands stroked my back.

I’d never felt safer, or more loved. But he hadn’t dominated, hadn’t pinned me to the bed and taken what he wanted. He hadn’t ravaged me. He’d kept the passion at bay.

Even with that I could be okay. But why did he deny me the one thing I needed? Why wouldn’t he reveal himself?

What if he didn’t want a mate? He’d said nothing about a future together. Nothing about claiming me, keeping me, making me his forever. Had I come across the galaxy for a fling? Because I could have had that back home on Earth a hundred times over.

Sure, he’d talked about the three sacred virginities, but still. Was I just a faceless woman to him? It was said the eyes were the gateway to the soul. Was he covering mine to keep himself distant?

I sighed. So many questions and I had no answers.

I’d hoped he’d reveal more than his face to me. I wanted him to give himself to me.

“You’re too quiet, Helen. What’s up? Are you all right?” Lexi spoke from her seat on my left. Lexi was gorgeous, with long black hair and dark eyes. I knew she’d met her mate, a Hunter named Von, and judging by the flushed look on her cheeks and the happy glow in her eyes, she wasn’t grappling with the same doubts I had this morning. Had I looked like that after my mate had made me come? I hadn’t been able to help the smile that had formed on my lips after he’d given me the best orgasm of my life.

“I’m fine.”

“Liar.” She took a sip of her juice and leaned in close. “Spill. Maybe we can help.” By we, she referred to her two best friends, Dani and Katie. Of the three, Lexi was the only one who smiled like everything was right in the universe. Katie scowled, as if angry every time the Hunter named Bryn walked by. And Dani, poor Dani looked even more miserable than I felt.

They’d transported just the other day from Earth as well and had formed a quick, tight bond. While I wasn’t as close with them, they were friendly. Kind. And now, the three of them looked at me with concern.

“I don’t think you can help me,” I said, flicking my gaze to my lap.

“Try us.” Katie lifted a dark brown brow over blue eyes, managing to look both regal and annoyed all at the same time. The look made me grin.

I sighed once again. “All right.”

They leaned in close and I felt like I was whispering secrets in seventh grade math class.

“I met my Marked Mate.”

“Yes!” Lexi pumped her fist as Dani tilted her head and Katie raised both brows.

“So what’s the problem?” Katie asked.

“I don’t know who he is,” I admitted. I glanced about, thinking maybe he was here…somewhere. But no. He’d only make his appearance later when I was waiting, blindfold once again in place.

“What do you mean you don’t know who he is? Have you met him? Has he—you know—claimed your first virginity?” Lexi blushed, but she didn’t mince words. I could tell by the way she waggled her eyebrows she knew more about it than just what the officiate had told us during orientation. She, no doubt, had had her mate’s cock in her mouth very recently.

“Yes. But he made me wear a blindfold and won’t tell me his name.” I tried not to pout but it was pretty hard.

“What about your dreams? You do dream share like they say, right?” Dani’s arms were crossed, her elbows resting on the edge of the table. She was petite and blonde, like a prima ballerina. Tiny and perfect. The way she tilted her head, the way she kept her voice soft and even made me want to tell her everything. While she was happy for me, she seemed to have less…eagerness about the whole Marked Mate thing than Katie.

I nodded. “He makes me keep my eyes closed in our dreams, too.”

“That is weird,” Katie blurted, then bit her lip when she realized how loud she’d spoken.

Dani slapped her on the arm. “That’s not helpful.”

Lexi was staring at the mark on her palm as if the stupid thing would give her answers. I waited. Maybe it would. Maybe she would come up with some genius suggestion, because I had no idea what to do. She took a deep breath and lifted her dark gaze to mine. “Do you want him? Is he The One?”

I thought of his deep voice, his gentle hands, the way his commands made my body melt and sing at the same time. What he’d done with his mouth and fingers. “Yes. I want him.” God, yes.

Lexi and Dani leaned in even closer and I did the same as Lexi asked her next question. “When are you seeing him again? In person, I mean.”

“Tonight, in my rooms.”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief and I knew, whatever she suggested, I was going to do it. “Does he want you to wear a blindfold again?”

“Yes.”

“Then just don’t.” She offered a simple shrug with those words. As if it were just that easy.

I shook my head. “No. I can’t do that. I have to…I mean, I want to follow his commands.” I blushed admitting that, but none of the girls gave me grief.

“They are dominant, these Hunters, aren’t they?” Lexi asked, that wide grin showing she liked it when her mate took charge, too. “I see the way you’re blushing. Don’t worry, I like it the way Von’s all bossy and gruff. And when he’s doing things to me…” She looked off dreamily for a second, then caught herself. Eyed Katie and Dani, then let her smile slip. “If you have to wear a blindfold, then you’ll borrow it from me.”

I glanced at Katie, whose mouth formed an Oh before stretching into a wide grin. “Oooh, you are evil.”

“Evil? I don’t understand,” I replied, frowning. And I didn’t. I had no idea what the heck was going on. What were they planning?

Lexi rubbed her palms together with glee. “You’ll have to dim the lights a little, so he can’t see the material very well.”

“What are you talking about?”

Her smile made me want to smile back, so I did. Her eagerness was infectious and my curiosity was definitely piqued.

“I have some material you can use to make a blindfold. It’s see-through, you know. So you can obey his command and see him at the same time.”

“And if you keep the lights dim like Lexi suggested, he’ll never know you cheated,” Katie added. “Just keep your eyes closed until you’re pretty sure he’s not looking at your—umm—face.”

“Yeah, your curves are enough to make a grown man fall to his knees,” Dani added, checking out my chest, cupping her hands in front of her chest. I glanced down. Compared to hers, I had cantaloupes for boobs. “If you’ve got them, use them to your advantage.”

When Lexi and Katie just stared at her wide-eyed, Dani burst out laughing. “What?” she shrugged. “Just saying.”

I sipped my juice, sure my face was as red as the strange fruit in the bowl in front of us. I debated their plan, wondering if it was a good idea. If I did what Lexi suggested, I’d be able to see him, study him. But what if I got caught? Would he not want me anymore? He’d definitely be mad. And he’d definitely spank me. He’d mentioned that would happen if I didn’t obey. The idea of being spanked wasn’t that appealing, but when he’d talked about it, it had only made me hot. And wet. Was I willing to face the consequences if I were caught? Hell, yes. I squirmed in my chair, but I wasn’t sure if it was from a potential punishment or because my pussy ached with need for more of only what my mate could give me.

But when breakfast was over, I didn’t resist as Lexi led me to her room. In fact, I was more eager than ever.