Page 43 of The Delver (The Vrix #2)

Urkot lay on his side, facing Callie, atop the nest of fluffed silk he’d made after exiting the pool.

His arms were around her, and one of hers was draped over him, lying comfortably over his scar.

The warmth of her arm and the softness of her skin was enough to banish the ghosts of any pain he’d ever felt there.

She was breathing slowly and steadily, making those soft growls in her sleep.

No, growl is not right. They call it snoring.

And from Callie, it was an endearing sound, one he’d only heard her make when she was in the deepest, most content, most secure of sleeps.

Callie is mine. Mine. My mate.

Never had so simple a thought impacted Urkot so profoundly. All his doubts and worries were gone, if only for this moment. There was only joy here, only fullness. There was only that unseen tether linking him to her, binding their hearts together, entwining their heartsthreads.

Urkot breathed her in, filling his lungs with her fragrance. He could always pick it out, even in a place like this, where many other smells vied for dominance.

For so long, he’d yearned for this, for Callie to be his.

That she had accepted his claim and made her own upon him was more powerful than he could’ve imagined.

For many eightdays, he’d not allowed himself to hope.

It would’ve been easy to curse himself for failing to act on his feelings, for having wasted so much time, but he would not do so.

He had Callie here and now, and that was enough.

And I’m not letting you go, my luveen .

He shuddered as her words repeated in his mind. They’d been a vehement declaration, a passionate vow. And what had come after…

His hide tingled from their mating, and flickers of heat coursed through his blood.

The scent of sex lingered in the air, and his scent marked her as surely as his bite on her shoulder had.

His gaze fell upon it. The small wounds were covered with sticky silk, but he knew the mark was there and would remain so.

A low purr rumbled in his chest. The urge to rut rose within him. It didn’t matter that they’d mated a short time ago, his need for Callie would never be sated. The closeness he shared with her, the intimacy, was something he’d never had with anyone.

Every bit of it was a thrill. The feel of her hot, wet pussy around his cock, of her soft skin pressed to his hard hide, of her hands moving over him, the sound of her voice singing her pleasure, the yearning and love in her eyes as they stared into his…

His slit parted as his aching stem slowly emerged from it.

I need her.

With a hum, Urkot rubbed his face against the side of her neck as his lower hand curled around her ass, clutching it.

Callie groaned in her sleep but didn’t wake.

“My suncrest.” He slipped his tongue out and ran it down her throat.

She tipped her head back, drew in a deep breath, released it slowly, and once more settled.

When he received no other response, Urkot lifted his head and looked down at her. Her eyes remained closed, and her breathing was again slow and even.

He chittered quietly.

Their whole tribe had learned how difficult it could be to wake Callie. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she were to sleep through the most violent of storms, with thunder crashing and trees thrashing.

But he needed to have her…and this was his first opportunity to discover how effectively pleasure could rouse his mate from sleep.

Urkot rolled Callie onto her back, extracted his arms from beneath her, and braced himself over her.

“My heartsthread,” he crooned before flicking his tongue over the dip at the center of her collarbone.

She did not wake.

Urkot ran his tongue down between her breasts, lazily licking up and down, then over one of her lush mounds, where he circled her dark nipple. It hardened, and a whimper escaped his mate. He moved to her other breast, lavishing her other nipple with the same attention as the first.

Callie moaned, arching her back as her thighs fell open. He loved how responsive her body was to his touch, even in her sleep.

The scent of her arousal bloomed in the air, and he breathed it in.

It was sweeter and more potent than any pheromone.

He groaned at the throbbing of his cock.

Hoping to ease it, he wrapped his lower hand around his shaft, squeezing tight.

It did nothing to alleviate the needy ache.

The only thing that could provide relief was the heated embrace of Callie’s body.

He trailed his tongue lower, down the curved flesh of her breast and over her belly, swirling it in her belly button. Her flesh quivered in response, prompting him to dip his head and nuzzle her stomach.

Had his seed taken root in her? Could it do so, or had Ketahn and Ivy’s broodling been a unique blessing bestowed upon them by the gods?

Moving his upper hands to her hips, Urkot lifted his face and looked down at his mate and her flat belly.

He wanted his seed to take root, wanted to see her belly round with their broodling.

Wanted to place his hand against her smooth skin and feel the tiny life growing not in an egg, but inside his mate.

His cock twitched at the thought, and the ache deepened so much that he had to clamp his jaw tight against it. His gaze dipped to her parted slit. It glistened with her essence, a flower luring him with its nectar.

Rut her. Fuck her. Fill her with seed.

A shiver coursed through him, and he tightened his grip on his stem. Yes. He would fill her pussy with his seed again and again to ensure it was planted deep.

Broodmother, give us a broodling.

Urkot dropped his face between her thighs. “Awaken, my nyleea .”

He dragged his tongue up her pussy, groaning at the taste of her.

A low, drawn-out sound answered him—the growling of her stomach.

He replied with a ragged growl of his own, lifting his head to glare at her belly.

Callie chuckled. “I don’t think you can scare away my hunger.”

His attention shifted to her face. She wore a sultry smile that made her full lips all the more enticing, and her sleepy, half- lidded eyes were dark and gleaming with desire. Damn his eyes, but seeing her that way didn’t make it any easier to restrain himself.

My mate is hungry.

And that was more important than his want, than his need. She would always come first.

“Cannot scare it, but I can satisfy it.” He pushed himself up and turned, meaning to move away and fetch her bag.

Callie sat up and caught him by his stem, her grip tight and firm, causing him to go still and grunt as pleasure blasted through him.

Slipping a hand around the back of Urkot’s neck, she coaxed him down with her as she lay back upon the silk, guiding his cock toward her pussy. “I believe there is a hunger we both need satisfied first.”

He should’ve resisted. Should have denied them both this pleasure so he could see to her needs first. Once she was fed, there’d be time…

But he didn’t fight her. Didn’t even try to resist her guidance. He planted his hands on either side of her head to hold himself over her, and once the tip of his stem was against her sex, he knew there was no going back. There was no staving off his desire any longer.

She wrapped her legs around his waist as she scattered kisses over his neck, jaw, and mouth. “I need you.”

“I crave you,” Urkot snarled, pushing his cock deep inside her. He squeezed fistfuls of fluffed silk in his hands as Callie’s pussy closed around him and embraced him, as it welcomed him into her heat, into the heart of her.

And he never wanted to leave.