Page 3 of The VaDorok’s Unexpected Mate (The Mate Index: Dorok #1)

Katie scrubbed a hand over her face, her skin prickling with dread. The day of the Hunt had finally come. Never had she imagined that she would be living through that particular nightmare twice, but there she was.

The door slid open, admitting a tall guard whose eyes swept over her dispassionately. “It is time.”

She scowled in response. “I don’t think so. I still have a few days and—”

The guard shook his head and raised his hand, cutting her off.

“I have my orders. We are expecting the arrival of a distinguished guest to the facility, so the doctor has moved up your Hunt in order to be more accommodating to the male. He does not wish to be plagued with excessive hormones from the Hunt while attending to other duties.”

“We could just wait until after,” she volunteered with a hopeful smile that wilted under the glower he directed at her. “Or not, I guess.”

“Not,” he growled firmly. “Now cease stalling and come with me.”

Grimacing, Katie reluctantly slid off her cot and walked toward him, aware that his eyes followed her every step.

There was a sharpness within his gaze, and she knew from past experience that he was just waiting for an opportunity to force compliance.

Any thought of rebelling or refusing to cooperate had fled at the memory of being brutally and painfully pinned to the ground while a guard growled and rubbed against her as he carried out her punishment.

The guards looked for any excuse at all to punish them, even those that spoke more politely like this one did.

Head slightly bowed to convey submission, she followed the male from the recovery unit.

She was nearly overwhelmed with nausea upon stepping out into the corridor, a prickle of fear racing over her skin.

Tension tightened her muscles with every step as she followed him down the hall.

Although she was coming from another direction than the HS02 cellblock she’d once inhabited, she knew exactly where they were headed.

The main corridor that ran through and connected the cellblocks was always used as the scene for the Hunt.

The males got some strange voyeuristic pleasure out of demonstrating their mating prowess in front of the captive humans and enjoyed the fear that it inspired among the women.

It was sick, and she knew that Dr. Xixon, no matter how educated or refined he was compared to the average Agraak guard, would take the same perverse pleasure.

She wanted to throw up and wondered if even that would buy her at least a few more minutes.

With the way the guard was watching her, she was certain that it wouldn’t matter.

He would haul the rest of the way, covered in her own vomit if necessary, and throw her naked into the cellblock corridor without hesitation.

The only question was, which cell block would she be started from?

Although the corridor connected them all, she could be released into it via any entry point.

The Agraak believed that a long, exciting hunt bred stronger, healthier offspring.

As humans were smaller and generally slower than their own species, the human women were given considerable head starts.

In her opinion, that just prolonged the horror of what was happening.

Every second during her last Hunt had nearly paralyzed her with terror.

She licked her lips as a small door came within sight with the Agraak numeral that she’d come to recognize as a three marked upon it.

Cellblock three out of ten. She was given a small head start with a long corridor to run, far longer than before.

Sweat popped out on her skin, and she began to tremble as the distance between her and that door gradually closed.

When they reached the door, she would be brutally stripped of her clothing before being tossed inside, naked and alone with only the cries of frightened women cowering in their cells for company.

Tears sprang to her eyes despite her best efforts to prepare herself for the moment. She couldn’t do this. Punishment or not, she couldn’t force herself to go another step forward. Stomach turning, she gagged and attempted to backpedal.

The guard’s hard gaze swung toward her, a dark glee making his pupils expand. “Female,” he warned.

That token warning was all she was going to get. Katie shook her head, tears streaming. “I... I can’t. I’m going to be sick. I just n... need a... a moment.”

His eyes narrowed impatiently, his hand going to the electrified club at his hip. “Move, or I will—”

An alarm shrieked, drowning out whatever threat he’d been about to make.

The Agraak’s eyes lifted momentarily, startled by the sound, but then he was turning in place, warily peering down both ends of the corridor.

He stiffened as a shout rose in the distance and the sound of blaster-fire echoed up the hall.

There was the sound of feet running, and a guard rounded the corner, a look of panic on his face.

With one hand, he struck the side of his inopreating blaster as he ran.

It wasn’t until he was almost upon them that he noticed them standing there.

“Get the female out of here!” he shouted. “The entire lab is under atta—” his words finished with a spurt of blood flying from his mouth as his entire body bowed backward from the force of a giant spear slamming into him, carrying him a good foot through the air.

Katie scuttled back, her eyes widening at the sight of the dying Agraak.

As often as she’d fantasized about killing the fuckers, being confronted with the reality from an unknown aggressor was not the least bit comforting.

She attempted to wheel around and flee only to find her arm caught in her escort’s iron grip.

“Where are you going?” he snarled.

She gaped at him in disbelief. “Didn’t you hear him? We need to get out of here and—”

“What we need to do is locate Dr. Xixon and priority evacuate you both from the facility,” he ground out in reply. “This may have delayed the Hunt, but you will not be escaping the doctor.”

“Are you seriously that worried about me escaping when there is something coming to kill us?” she shouted.

A deep roar filled the corridor, and she swung around in a panic, her eyes landing on the thing that had thrown the spear.

Massive and covered in snowy white fur with several large horns jutting from its head, the thing roared like a lion—even looked like one with its thick mane of amber-beaded fur and feline ears peeking out from it.

Its amber eyes narrowed at them, and it lashed its thick tail and charged, not even slowing as it ripped the spear from the guts of the guard crumpled on the floor.

Katie stumbled back with a scream, landing a swift elbow in the stomach of the Agraak holding her captive.

He released her with a startled snarl, but he didn’t even try to stop her as he brought up his blaster.

It was the dark promise in his eyes, however, that told her that she would pay for that blow before he turned his attention back to the charging alien and began to fire.