Page 28 of The VaDorok’s Unexpected Mate (The Mate Index: Dorok #1)

Kull moaned as something soft and warm brushed against his body in all the right ways.

His cock was swelling beneath the barrier of his coital folds, preparing to extrude and breed with the sensuous female grinding against him, her sweet musk filling his nose.

His tail flicked, a shiver rolling through him as the ulukskinon burned hot within him.

Still mostly asleep, he rolled his hips instinctively, chasing the pleasure that fueled the greater need rushing through him.

He reached for it, wanting the ulukskinon to burn hotter and brighter, joy kindling within him at the feeling that had been absent from his life for so long.

He had felt so cold and empty for so long.

A sense of rightness settled in place. This was exactly as it should be.

He reached for his ulukska with a purr, his hand sliding over soft, smooth heat.

Need quickened within him, the ulukskinon roaring its demand, and yet it was as if icy water had been thrown over him.

It was all so right... too right... he had to stop.

Eyes flying open, he jolted from the haze of sleep with a gasp, his eyes immediately falling on the female curled at his side.

For one long moment his senses were ruled by a riot of need and confusion in his sleep-muddled state as he stared down at the long, soft threads of her mane falling from the top of her head.

Katie.

Her name drifted as a whisper through his mind and tension seized his muscles as he warily stared down at her.

The ulukskinon had caught him unprepared, and it honestly shocked him.

He had thought he could resist its relentless fire, but he had not believed it would sabotage his best intentions so ruthlessly when he did not even so much as have her permission to lay a finger on her.

Had he touched her in his sleep? He recoiled at the thought of committing this sort of transgression, even accidentally.

Narrowing his eyes, his scrutinized her, looking for a sign of.

.. something... he did not know what. Would a VaDorok caught in the grips of ulukskinon mar their delicate human mates?

He tried to recollect if he had seen any markings on Sara the times that he had met her.

He did not think so, but surely there would be some outward sign if he had caressed her soft, human flesh.

A scratch... a forming bruise from eagerness?

His gaze skidded over what he could see of her skin along her bared arm, shoulders and collar. Nothing.

His breath left him in a long sigh of relief, and he rolled onto his back, wincing a little at the tight protest of his coital folds against his engorged cock contained beneath it.

He palmed the spot and groaned at how swollen and tender it felt—he was not entirely sure whether or not it was entirely with misery at his situation.

He ached terribly, and yet he was glad that he had not completely lost control over his cock.

At least he had not yet extruded. It would go down quicker than it would if it were already primed and ready to rut.

He swallowed thickly as his imagination immediately betrayed him and presented him with an image of Katie’s small body warm and open in welcome to him.

He nearly bit his tongue as a hiss of need escaped him, his hips jerking spasmodically in reaction.

The ulukskinon was bound to kill him at this rate.

Kull swiped one big hand down his face, his fingers going still over his lips. Oddly, it seemed that he was smiling. He could feel it beneath his fingers, though he did not understand why he would be smiling. This entire situation was nothing to smile about.

And yet... he glanced over at Katie warily.

She did not do anything at first. Her lips were soft, plush, and parted as she breathed in the gentle, even pace that demonstrated how deeply she was sleeping.

A fringe of hair hung over her face, and he gently brushed it aside with his claw.

His hand froze at the unexpected tenderness.

When had his feelings changed so much? He should get up and put some distance between them immediately. He should—

His thoughts stuttered to a stop, and a sense of contentment engulfed him when she suddenly shifted and mumbled something in her sleep before scooting closer to him to burrow against his side.

Warmth bloomed within his chest as he stared down at her.

Hesitant, he lowered his hand to her head, his fingers sliding over the silken mass of head-fur spilling everywhere in a messy tangle.

He stroked her mane, and his heart quickened and began to beat loudly in his ears as the ulukskinon burned deeper and brighter.

He was being slowly set ablaze by the ulukskinon, and he was helpless to stop it.

Worse—he no longer wanted to stop it. He wanted to greedily cling to it and get lost in the primal call to mate and claim.

His fears suddenly felt insignificant compared to the sense of rightness that was consuming him.

Did he even dare to try to keep her?

“What am I going to do with you?” he whispered.