Page 26 of The VaDorok’s Unexpected Mate (The Mate Index: Dorok #1)

Kull studied the human beside him as she slept. The ulukskinon disturbed him day and night. Even when he had crouched so near her playing Falling Sticks, it had tormented him despite the distraction, burning through him and leaving fiery paths beneath his flesh.

It was getting worse.

And yet... she was so small curled next to him that he was afraid to even breathe on her, much less touch beyond the light sweep of his tail down her side.

Need tightened within his lower extremities even as his heart constricted with an entirely different need unfulfilled as he maintained a stubborn distance he maintained.

Lying beside her, enjoying the moments of closeness when no one else was aware of it was all that he allowed himself despite the heavy weight of his needs fed continuously by the ulukskinon.

His desire to be closer to her in every way aside, he was shocked that his cock was not extruded and angrily engorged by now from his consistent denial.

Kull sighed heavily and groaned to himself.

This was going to either drive him to madness or kill him.

He had hoped that being out all-day hunting again would have helped him clear his head after becoming so quickly further entangled with her, but it had not.

The more time he spent with her—the more he got to know her and was affected by her immediate presence—the less distance worked as a method of control and relief.

Now it was more like simply punishing himself.

What was worse was that the longer he was near her, the harder it would be to hide what was going on from Ren.

His younger brother assumed that they were pleasure-mating for the time being until it was time for her to leave.

If he suspected the truth—he would put Kull’s wellbeing over that of the human.

That much he was certain. Even a sudden desire to remain at the den with her would be considered so out of character that the younger male would likely begin to suspect something.

No one could know, least of all Katie.

Glancing down at her regretfully, he rose from the bed and put on clean clothing as he tried to think of how he might find a reason to linger around the den without raising suspicion.

He had just finished dressing when he heard the light scratch of claws on his door.

With another glance at his female to assure himself that Katie was not exposed, he turned toward the door.

“Come in, Ren.”

The door opened, and his younger brother slipped inside, sparing only the briefest glance toward the bed as if wary of waking Katie.

“She is a heavy sleeper,” Kull quietly assured him. “What is it?”

The male’s tail twitched nervously, but he recognized the look of determination on his face. “I wanted to catch you before you left to go hunting.”

“Oh?” Kull murmured as he picked up a brush and began to groom his fur.

Ren nodded. “If it is okay, I would like to go out and check the traps instead.” He gave a wry grin.

“No offense, but as amusing as your pleasure-mate can be, being trapped in the den with her at all times out of fear that something might happen to her if we step out the door is far too stressful for me.”

“You will hunt?” Kull echoed, hardly able to believe that he was being handed exactly what he wanted.

“I understand that you enjoy hunting and consider it your responsibility,” Ren said in a hurry, “but perhaps you would consider letting me do the majority of it for now. Katie is your pleasure-mate after all. So, if anyone is here with her, it is better if it is you.”

Kull set his brush down and crossed his arms over his chest as he made a show of thinking deeply over the matter. “I suppose that could work,” he rumbled thoughtfully, and then nearly laughed at the look of relief that came over the other male’s face.

“Good,” Ren replied as he brightened considerably. “You will be happy to know that I told her she could dig roots today. So, enjoy!” he said as he abruptly turned and hurried out of the room, leaving Kull staring at him.

Digging for roots? Ren had hated that particular task since he was a youngling, and yet he had actually volunteered to take Katie out to do it?

Kull shook his head. What was he thinking?

There was no mystery in that. It was another trick, but this was designed to have Katie do a task for him that he hated to do.

“Unbelievable,” Kull grumbled with a reluctant chuckle.

“What is?” Katie asked around a yawn.

He looked over at her, and warmth filled his chest. She looked so warm and huggable.

Her cheeks were still flushed slightly from her sleep, and her hair fell around her face in a tangled mass as she smiled groggily at him as she reclined back on her arm.

He doubted he would be able to keep himself from crawling back into the warm cocoon of their nest if she opened her arms for him and beckoned him to join her.

The pressure within his coital folds tightened miserably and came close to drawing a ragged pant from him as he imagined her little body tucking closely to him.

Fortunately, she did not, and he was spared the embarrassment of an accidental extrusion.

Instead, she sat up the rest of the way and brushed her hair from her face with one hand.

“Here,” he rumbled as he picked up a wide-toothed comb from where it sat beside the brush and approached the bed, “let me help you.”

A look of surprise overtook her, but she nodded and slowly presented him with her back as he lowered himself onto the bed behind her.

Kull could see the tension within her back and shoulders with how rigidly she now sat, but he did not comment on it as he gently drew her hair back behind her shoulders.

As gently as possible, he began to comb her hair as he spoke.

“Ren mentioned that he was taking you out to dig for roots today,” he murmured.

Katie’s breath escaped in a soft burst of laughter in response.

“Yeah, I remember he said something about that. I strongly suspect it is more about trying to shove an unwanted chore off onto me more than anything else, but anything beats sitting around with nothing to do and no one to talk to. And as entertaining as Gremlin is, she has her limits.”

“Ren means well,” he slowly replied as he worked to form them into something intelligible while his focus seemed to be shifting more and more away from the conversation as the ulukskinon thrummed through him.

“He is resistant to change and does not know how to behave toward females—as I have mentioned—but he is also very protective of our life here. He would not harm you physically, or do anything to hurt you, but he does not warm up to people very easily.”

“No lie there.” Katie sighed and she turned slightly to look back at him. “Don’t you think the pleasure-mate lie is making it worse?”

Kull shook his head as he continued to drag the comb through her hair despite her swiveling to look back at him.

“No. It puts it into a framework he socially understands in accordance with our ways. It demands a certain level of tolerance and respect even if he does not like it, which is why he only resorted to jokes that might have frightened you or made you angry. He would have tried harder to push you out otherwise if he had perceived you as nothing more than an intruder in our den.”

“Dramatic,” she muttered as she relaxed into his administration, drawing a quiet laugh from him.

“A little,” he agreed. “He is at that age. He is on the cusp of adulthood and will soon enough be a warrior venturing out across the wide expanse of our territory as a scout, but as he is not yet of age, he is dealing with a lot of difficult instincts. It can make him overbearing and difficult at times.”

“ You are overbearing and difficult at times. Don’t tell me it’s just an age thing,” she retorted.

“We are very territorial,” Kull agreed, “and possess a preference for a solitary life unless unmated or caring for younglings. If you recall, I told you this before. At his age, this instinct becomes paramount, replacing the clinginess of younglings.”

“But you took in Ren and me despite that,” Katie pointed it. She cocked her head as she peered at him. “Why?”

Very gently, Kull turned her head so that she was facing forward again, and he began to braid her hair. “I was never a particularly smart male,” he replied.

“Liar,” she teased, sending a curl of warmth through his heart.

Was this what mates did? Did males brush and comb their females as they talked with each other and teased each other?

His time with Siouli had been too brief and many revolutions ago, but all he recalled was the passion that they had shared, which had resulted in the quick breeding of their youngling.

They had not enjoyed much time together to settle into living together as mates beyond what they had shared with the consuming need of the ulukskinon dominating their relationship.

He certainly had never sat with her in such a way.

Everything felt different with Katie. Not necessarily better—but different.

Comfortable. Though the ulukskinon was difficult for him to ignore—and it would not allow him to ignore it forever—he felt an odd peace and contentment being with her.

Drawing her braids through his fingers, he smiled and gently laid them across her shoulders. “There. Done.”

Lifting a hand to them, she turned and smiled. “Thank you.”

He inclined his head as the warmth continued to spread through him. Was it happiness? It had teased him the previous night when they played Falling Sticks, but it seemed even more potent. “Of course. It is what I should do if it pleases you.”

Her cheeks grew pink as her eyes shone with obvious pleasure. This time that pink color seemed to be a good sign, and he smiled in response as he stood.

“You must be hungry,” he rumbled. “Come.”

A look of surprise crossed her face once more. “Oh, you aren’t hunting today?”

Kull shook his head. “Ren wished to hunt, so I will be here with you today... digging roots,” he added, his lips twitching with amusement when she groaned.

“We don’t really have to dig roots, do we?” she whispered. “No offense, but that sounds like digging a potato out of a block of ice—in other words, back-breaking labor.”

He did not know what a potato was, but given the context, he suspected it was a root that her people ate.

Good. Although he prepared many of their meals utilizing roots, he doubted that she had noticed.

At least now he knew that she would not be too picky once she realized that a good part of VaDorok diet, aside from meat, often came from roots.

“It will not be as difficult as you think,” he reassured her as he stood. “The roots are close enough to the surface to be uncovered easily once you know what to look for. But first, I will have you work to build the fire while I prepare what we need for the meal.”

The groan that she groaned when he turned away and headed for the door brought a smile to his lips.

She did not argue or complain. Just that one weary groan.

She was determined enough, however, that she would get it soon.

And then there would be no stopping her from learning how to do everything she wanted and needed to do.

He was eager to see that day come. The day that she did not need him was the day that he could probably allow himself to hope for me.

Kull shook his head, pushing the thought away. He would not think of such things. Not yet.