Page 51 of The Delver (The Vrix #2)

“The surprise is here?” Callie asked as Urkot lowered her to her feet onto the wooden floorboards. This was the platform where Ivy and Ahmya lived with their mates.

Urkot grazed his mouth over her temple. A kiss. Callie smiled and looked up at him.

“Yes,” he said, taking her gently by the shoulders and turning her toward the dens. “But you must not look.”

He covered her eyes—along with half her face—with his large hands.

“Not even a teeny, tiny peek?” she asked playfully.

With his lower hand curled around her waist, he slowly guided her forward. “No.”

Chuckling, Callie stretched her arms out in front of her as she walked, a slight limp in her gait. Urkot’s steps were heavy behind her, sending faint vibrations through the planks, and she could hear the chatter of nearby vrix. The soft sound of far-off music floated lazily in the air.

It was hard to believe that she and Urkot had been trapped beneath the earth only two weeks ago.

As excited as Callie had been by the things they’d seen, she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to visit a cave again anytime soon.

Even Urkot, who’d been a delver all his life, had no desire to go underground again.

When Nalaki had visited Callie’s den to check on them a few days ago, he’d told her as much, offering to instead work as a shaper.

Upon impulse, Callie had chimed in and told Nalaki that Urkot was good with his hands. Very, very good.

Nalaki hadn’t understood the double entendre, but Urkot had chittered and given Callie a look that was both amused and heated.

That heat hadn’t led to anything, though; Urkot hadn’t touched her sexually since their return to Kaldarak.

Only this surprise of his had delayed her from taking matters into her own hands, like she had their first time together.

She understood his restraint, but that didn’t stop her craving for him from growing day by day.

She’d spent the first week cooped up in her den recovering from the spiritstrider’s attack.

She’d never been more thankful to have had those injections from the Homeworld Initiative.

Without them, Diego said her best outcome would’ve likely been losing her leg to the infection that had set in, and the worst case… she would’ve died.

Urkot didn’t like thinking about that. He’d been near inconsolable at the possibility, and he hadn’t left her side for more than a few moments at a time during her recovery, despite her fever having subsided by their third day back in Kaldarak.

After that, it had been a matter of tending to the wounds on her leg.

He hadn’t even allowed Diego to touch her, insisting that caring for her was his duty as her mate.

He’d treated her as though she was the most delicate thing in the world.

Unfortunately, the injections had no magical healing properties, forcing her to deal with the pain and time it took to heal.

Her calf had hurt like a bitch for that first week.

That was when Diego had deemed the wounds fit enough to seal using his medical device.

Now she was left with faint scars and fading bruises discoloring her skin, and she felt only mild discomfort when she walked. It was a huge improvement.

Callie was tempted to kiss Lacey to thank her for that herbal tea, which helped with the pain. The stuff was heaven sent.

It wasn’t until midway through the second week that Urkot had begun leaving her for extended periods of time.

He hadn’t told her where he’d been going or what he’d been doing, but whenever she’d woken up in the morning or between naps, she would notice some of her belongings were missing.

At first, she’d thought she’d simply been mistaken, that her mind was just foggy due to the stress of healing, the grogginess caused by the tea, and the trauma of what she and Urkot had survived.

Yet as more and more empty spots appeared on her shelves, she knew something was up. When her bowl of beloved rocks disappeared, she’d asked Urkot flat out what was going on.

He’d told her that it was a surprise and had been very firm in not revealing anything else despite her repeated attempts to get more information out of him.

Until today. Today, he was finally going to show her what he’d been up to.

She had a pretty good idea, but she wasn’t about to spoil anything, neither for herself nor Urkot. His excitement had been infectious.

“You are peeking,” Urkot said.

“I am not!” Callie laughed, walking forward, hands still in front of her.

Despite his accusation, she was in fact not peeking.

She was completely at his mercy, and she trusted him explicitly.

She was simply grateful he hadn’t done this while they were crossing one of the rope bridges.

That would’ve been terrifying, and it would’ve called for much peeking.

“Are we almost there?” she asked.

A low, contemplative hum resonated from his chest.

“That’s not an answer!”

He repeated the sound, exaggerating and prolonging it.

Callie chuckled. “Big meanie.”

“My own mate throws barbs at me,” he said with a sigh.

Her grin only stretched wider. “You like my barbs. For you, they’re practically foreplay.”

Urkot chittered. “I much like foreplay, female.”

Callie halted abruptly as her hands brushed something soft that gave way to her touch. She recognized the feel—a silk curtain.

“A few more steps,” Urkot said.

She carefully swept aside the cloth, her fingers bumping what was likely a doorframe on one side, before continuing forward. Her bare feet came down on something plush and cushioned. She wiggled her toes atop what she was sure was a fur rug.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded, a swell of anticipation building in her chest. Urkot lifted his hands away.

Callie opened her eyes and drew in a sharp breath.

The room was open and spacious, nearly three times as large as her den.

There were numerous shelves on the walls displaying rocks and crystals of various sizes, many of which she recognized as the gifts he’d given her that she’d collected in her bowl.

All were displayed proudly here, each with its own spot, and there was plenty of space for more.

But the most beautiful piece was a clear, multifaceted crystal hanging from the top of a window that faced the morning sun. The crystal fractured the sunlight into dazzling rainbows, which shimmered around the den as it slowly spun in place, filling the atmosphere with magic and wonder.

“Urkot, this…this is beautiful,” Callie said in awe as she gazed at all the dancing colors.

He trilled behind her, smoothing his rough palms down her arms. “This sight will greet us every suncrest. But you will always outshine it.”

Warmth flooded her.

With Urkot trailing behind her, Callie stepped farther into the room, following those little dancing rainbows until her eyes caught on the domed ceiling, where dozens of little blue crystals had been embedded.

In the daylight, they looked lackluster, but she knew the moment the sun went down, their glow would transform the ceiling.

“Urkot…”

“You said you wanted to look at the stars every time you sleep.”

Callie turned her wide eyes toward him. “You remembered that?”

His mandibles rose. “All you need, my heartsthread, I will give.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision. She caught his jaw and pulled him down to press her forehead to his headcrest. His hands settled on her hips, holding her close.

Throat tight with all the overwhelming emotion swirling inside her, she said, “All I need, all I want, is you, my luveen .”

A deep purr rolled through him. “Ah, my nyleea .”

With a smile, she drew away from him and took in the rest of the room.

All the things she’d noticed were missing from her den were here, along with some things she hadn’t realized he’d taken.

Her chest of tools was against one wall, beside Urkot’s pack, tools, and spears.

Her clothes were hanging from nearby pegs, arranged exactly as she’d had them.

There was a table in the center of the den with a single chair and a blue vase atop it filled with a bouquet of colorful flowers.

A broad worktable stood on the wall to the right, with cloth-wrapped chunks of clay, several large stones, and more tools and atop it.

The shelves nearby were full of baskets, pots, and jars that likely held food and other supplies.

And toward the back, near the window with the crystal, was a huge, fluffed silk bed, larger than any bean bag Callie had ever seen. She could only imagine how cozy it was.

This place was a perfect blend of his and hers. A mated pair’s den. Their den.

Our home.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. Turning, Callie threw her arms around Urkot, burying her face against his hard chest. “I love it so much. Thank you. This is the best gift ever.”

He embraced her snugly and nuzzled her hair. “You are the best gift ever, my nyleea .”

“Oh, stop!” Callie sniffled as her tears wet his hide. “You’re making me cry.”

Urkot withdrew and cupped her face, turning it up toward his. His blue eyes brimmed with concern and heartrending tenderness as he wiped her cheeks with his thumbs, mindful of his claws. “Good tears?”

Smiling, she covered his hands with her own and nodded. “Yes. They are good, happy tears.”

He crooned and bent down, pressing his mouth to hers, and Callie kissed him in return. She’d never felt this kind of fullness before. Had never felt so much happiness, so much love.

“This is our home,” she whispered against his mouth.

“Ours,” he echoed in his rumbling voice, carefully combing his claws through her curls.

Ours.

God, she loved the sound of that.

Pulling away from him, she turned and padded toward the table. She trailed her fingers over the flat, grainy surface as she glanced over her shoulder at her mate. “This is our table.”

Urkot chittered as he strode toward her. He flattened a hand on the tabletop. “Where we will share our meals.”

An image appeared in her mind—Callie sitting in the chair with Urkot seated next to her as they ate from a shared platter, the den bathed in the blue glow of the many crystals around the room.

Familiar warmth suffused her. To most people, sitting with a loved one to share a meal and conversation was a mundane thing, often taken for granted.

But sitting down together at dinner time had been a rare occurrence for her throughout most of her life.

Knowing that she and Urkot could do that not just every day, but every meal if they wanted to, meant more to Callie than she could express.

She walked toward the bed and ran her fingers over the silk blanket covering it. “And this is our bed.”

Urkot moved up behind her and trailed a finger down her spine. “Where I will hold you every night as we sleep.”

Callie closed her eyes and hummed. “I love the sound of that.”

He trilled, his hands framing her hips as his rough mouth brushed over her shoulder, where his teeth had marked her, sending a delightful shiver through her. “As do I.”

She skimmed her nose over the side of his face. “Do you know what I love more?”

Turning in his arms, she stepped back and sat on the bed. She smiled coyly at him as she scooted back toward the center. He stood unmoving but for his gaze, which tracked her as keenly as that of a predator who’d spotted his prey.

Leaning back on her elbows, she spread her thighs wide and bunched her skirt in her hands, drawing the hem up to bare her pussy to him. “That this is where you’ll be making love to me for the rest of our lives.”

With a deep, rolling growl, Urkot stalked forward and slowly knelt atop the bedding.

His upper hands grasped her ankles, spreading her legs wider.

Callie’s breath hitched as the air brushed over her sex, and her core clenched in arousal as his gaze, brightened by a possessive gleam, dipped to her pussy.

“And this is my mate,” he said, his eyes flicking up to hers as he lowered his head. He turned his face toward her healing calf and lightly grazed the scars with his mouth. “Who I will love.”

Another shiver coursed through her, and she craved more. More of his touch. More of him.

He moved his mouth higher, another graze, another kiss. “Who I will cherish.”

When he reached her inner thigh, his tongue slipped out to tease the tender flesh, making her quiver.

Callie moaned, clutching the spun silk beneath her. “Urkot…”

“My mate,” he growled once more, his eyes never leaving hers as his tongue lapped her pussy from bottom to top, sweeping over her clit. “Who I will worship.”

He plunged his tongue deep inside her. Callie gasped at the surge of pleasure, at the fullness. Whispering his name over and over like a benediction, she thrust her fingers into his silky hair and pulled him closer, undulating her hips to take his wicked, forceful tongue deeper.

And worship her he did.