Page 18 of The Delver (The Vrix #2)

She removed her backpack and set it before her, opening it up. She switched off the lantern and flattened it into a compact disc. Her heart leapt at the darkness that enveloped her. With shaky hands, she slipped the lantern into her bag and closed it up.

Ducking down, she looked toward Urkot. The crystal’s blue glow was stronger now that it wasn’t overpowered by bright white light.

“I’m coming.” On hands and knees, she crawled forward, pushing her bag along before her. She did her best to ignore the bite of the stone against her palms and legs.

“Good, female,” he said. “Come.”

God, this was not the context in which she wanted to hear those words in his deep, rumbling voice. She would’ve preferred hearing them while he was above her, thrusting his big, thick co?—

Not the time, Callie!

Why not? It’s a good distraction from the possibility of this ceiling collapsing on me, and from the claustrophobia, and the danger of being eaten by a vicious cave vrix.

Bring on all the kinky spider sex!

“ Now you are a delver too,” Urkot said as she neared, derailing those spicy thoughts.

She chuckled. “I’m not gonna make a habit of it.”

When she pushed her bag close enough for him to reach, he dragged it toward him. Then his hand was there, waiting for her. Callie crawled the remaining distance, and once her head was clear of the ceiling, she placed her hand in his, allowing Urkot to help her to her feet.

She’d emerged in another tunnel, perpendicular to the one she’d just exited. A fast-running stream lay before her, its waters flowing downslope to her left. Its surface shimmered with reflected light from Urkot’s crystal. The air was damper here, carrying that clean, freshwater smell.

“We can rest here and wash,” Urkot said, gesturing to the water. “I will check your hurts.”

Callie nodded, grateful for the respite. She was eager to get the gritty dust off her skin, certain that it would chafe her inner thighs were she to walk much farther.

She removed her boots and studied the stream. The water was clear, and she could see the pebbles at the bottom, but the faint reflections of the walls and ceiling made it difficult to judge the depth. “Is it deep?”

Urkot grunted, extended a foreleg, and dipped it into the stream. When it stopped, the water hadn’t even reached his first leg joint. “No.”

“Great. And, uh…there’s nothing in there that’s going take a bite out of me? Nothing venomous?”

Fuck. She hadn’t even considered all the unsettling creepy crawlies that’d be skittering around this place. Thankfully, they hadn’t come across any.

Yet.

“In small water like this, only small fish.” To demonstrate, he lifted his upper hands, holding his palms only a couple inches apart. “It is safe.

“If any fish nibble on my toes, you can’t blame me for screaming,” she warned as she stepped into the stream. The water rushing past below her knees was colder than expected, making her skin break out in goosebumps. She wiggled her toes; the pebbles on the streambed were thankfully smooth.

Bending down, she splashed her legs, biting back a hiss even though she took care with the abrasions behind her thighs.

Despite the flares of pain, the cool water was a balm to the wounds.

In front of her, Urkot set the crystal on the ground and stepped into the stream to clean the dust from his hide.

She washed her arms and scrubbed her face. Short of dunking herself under the water—which she wasn’t about to do—there was nothing to be done about her hair and clothing besides a brisk shake and a pat down.

Once they’d both washed off most of the dust, Urkot approached Callie. Without a word, he braced his hands on her hips and lifted her out of the water.

Callie gasped.

He set her on her feet at the water’s edge and turned her away from him. It wasn’t even a moment before his palms were on the outsides of her thighs, raising the back of her skirt.

“Urkot!” she squeaked in surprise, looking at him over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Tending you.”

Why did those words sound so fucking sexy?

Because he can tend to me any way he wants.

“Oh.” She faced forward. “Okay, um…tend away.”

He curled his big, rough hands around the fronts of her thighs, fingers hooking over the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs, and spread her legs farther apart. Her heart fluttered in response, and heat kindled low in her belly.

It wasn’t just the position of his hands, no. It was their strength, their surety.

The shadows on the cave floor shifted as he moved the crystal. He leaned closer, and she felt his hot breath on the backs of her legs, the sensation pronounced by the cold water clinging to her skin.

His upper hands shifted to her outer thighs and slowly slid down. So, so slowly. Their touch was startlingly light, which made it all the more delicious. She’d never experienced such sweet friction.

When he hummed unhappily, she swore the sound vibrated into her, threatening to coalesce in her core. One of his thumbs brushed the back of her thigh, just beneath a scrape, and the tip of his claw grazed her.

Callie barely suppressed a shudder as that inner heat flared.

His hands continued their downward trek with remarkable steadiness.

How? How could he be so calm and in control when this simple touch was building pressure in her core, pooling desire in her belly, and setting her every nerve alight?

It had to be a result of…of adrenaline, right? After their near-death experience, she was simply feeling everything at a heightened level. This was just a natural biochemical response to what they’d been through.

His hands glided lower, and his thumbs skimmed the backs of her knees. A thrill coursed through her. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and grasped the front of her skirt in both hands, clutching the fabric.

God, she wanted his hands all over her body. Wanted him to touch her everywhere .

Did he even realize what he was doing to her?

If you don’t calm down, Callie, he’s gonna start smelling exactly what you’re thinking pretty damn soon.

She heard him move behind her, but she didn’t dare turn to look.

Instead, she focused on the stone ahead, slightly visible in the dull blue light.

A few minutes ago, she’d been desperate to think about anything but cannibalistic ghost vrix prowling these primordial caves, but what other thoughts could possibly distract her from the things Urkot was making her feel now?

“I am sorry,” he rumbled, curling his fingers around her ankles and squeezing gently, comfortingly. “I tried to shield you when we fell.”

He brushed the callused pad of a thumb up her Achilles tendon, and she nearly whimpered at the tenderness of the gesture. But it was his words, filled with pain and guilt, that cut through the desire he’d roused in her.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Urkot,” she said, finally turning her head to look down at him. “You risked yourself to save me. My skin will heal. What matters is that we are both alive.”

Even if his hard, masklike face couldn’t change, his blue eyes shone with all the emotion his voice had expressed. But there was something beneath all that, something unwavering and unbreakable. A solid stone core that became more apparent as he spoke.

“We will leave this place, Callie. Alive and together. We will feel the touch of the sun again. I weave my words into a bond, stronger than any thread.”

Callie’s chest constricted at the conviction of his vow, and she told herself once more that she would not cry. Instead, she smiled. “Stronger than Rekosh’s?”

Urkot chittered low and deep, his mandibles rising. “He spins words of silk. I carve them in stone. Mine will always be stronger.”

She chuckled, glad that she was able to lift his spirit, at least a little. She caressed his face. “We will leave this place. Together. I carve these words next to yours.”

Holding her gaze, he nuzzled her hand, tenderly scraping his rough mouth against her skin. It tickled her palm and reignited the warmth in her belly.

The soft sound he made was very close to a content purr. That a small moment like this could mean so much and be so soothing, despite everything they’d been through, was a wonder to Callie, and she would hold onto it forever.

Urkot released one of Callie’s legs to cover her hand with his. He pressed her palm more firmly to his face before guiding it down. A nudge on her shoulder had her facing forward again.

“See? Bossy,” she said with a chuckle.

“Not bossy. Urkot,” he grumbled, not without a hint of humor.

Callie couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. She loved it when he was bossy.

She felt him moving behind her, but she didn’t know what he was doing until his fingers touched one of her larger abrasions, covering it with a familiar substance—the sticky silk the vrix used to seal wounds.

Though the pain caused by that touch was brief, she flinched. Urkot crooned, his deep hum creating a lovely melody with a powerful resonance. It was surprisingly pleasant.

While she wouldn’t have believed it months ago, that sticky silk put her at ease. Perhaps it was only in her head, but that didn’t matter. Better to have the wounds securely covered than exposed to all the dirt and germs and who-knew-what down here.

With continued care and consideration, he treated her other larger scrapes with more silk, crooning that same soft tune whenever she reacted to the pain.

She couldn’t help but imagine a very human scene—little Urkot, sniffling and upset, running to his mother with scraped legs, and her crooning to him just like this as she covered his wounds with silk.

Would he do the same for his children?

She recalled the way Urkot had played with the broodlings during the festival and knew she already had the answer.

When he finished applying the sticky silk, he stepped back and crouched, scooping up handfuls of water and pouring them into his mouth. As he drank, she grabbed her boots and pulled them on. She straightened to find him holding a handful of water up to her.

“Drink, female” he ordered.

She smirked. “And you say you’re not bossy.”

Chittering, he moved his offering closer.

Callie cupped the underside of his hand, leaned forward, and drank. The water felt wonderful on her tongue and down her throat. She hadn’t realized how parched she was until that moment. He offered her another drink, and she accepted it gratefully.

When she was done, she wiped the water trickling down her chin with the back of her hand as Urkot grabbed her pack.

“We must be away,” he said, swinging the bag around behind her and helping the straps over her arms. He turned his hindquarters toward her and held out a hand. “Come, Callie. Ride me.”

“You know I’m capable of walking just fine, right?”

“Save your strength.”

“You need to save your strength too, Urkot.”

“I am strong. Always.”

“Hard-headed male,” she muttered as she took his hand and carefully threw her leg over his hindquarters. He was the one that had taken the brunt of the cave-in.

Urkot chittered. “Takes one hard head to know one.”

Wiggling her bottom, she adjusted herself until she was straddling him, legs on either side of his waist. She pressed herself close to his back and wrapped her arms around his broad chest.