Page 34 of The VaDorok’s Unexpected Mate (The Mate Index: Dorok #1)
After two days of preparing what they needed, Katie quickly discovered that traveling back to the gathering grounds was a lot pleasanter than her initial trip from there.
Kull had packed a sled with bundles of various sewn things and stacks of small, ornamentally decorated woven baskets to take with them to trade among the tribe, but nonetheless, Katie was able to enjoy the trip comfortably riding on the sled while wrapped in the thickest furs Kull could find.
And because he refused to rush to the gathering grounds, they leisurely made their way through the forest while Ren’s chatter filled the air.
It was probably also the reason that they were the last to arrive to the gathering, but Katie didn’t mind though she jerked back in surprise when an obviously furious female VaDorok stormed by, her tail whipping, as several others, both male and female, trailed behind her.
“What crawled up Ita’s ass?” Ren muttered, and Katie choked on her laughter.
“Where did you learn that phrase?” she whispered, and an abashed look briefly crossed his face before being replaced with a reluctant grin.
“It is a common enough phrase, but Kull would skin me for speaking in such a way about a female, so do not tell him,” he whispered.
She chuckled mercilessly but mimed fastening her lips together, which made his grin widen conspiratorially. She shook her head in amusement, however, as she craned her neck to watch the small party disappear among the trees.
“Some concepts must transcend species,” she observed wryly, “but you are right. It not only crawled up her ass but apparently died there. That is one angry female.”
Shaking her head, she returned to sorting out their belongings within their camp while Ren assisted Kull in securing the final leather ties on their shelter.
They had only just finished when moments later a large male with bloody wounds raked across his chest passed, practically hovering behind Sara who, despite her thick clothing and the basket full of carved wooden toys, appeared rounder than she remembered. Was she... pregnant?
Katie gaped in shock as she watched the couple drift in the direction the rest of the crowd was moving.
She knew it was possible, after all, that was what the Agraak had wanted them for, but it had only been a few weeks since they arrived.
Hell, Katie had spent the majority of the time just trying to work out how to live day to day, she couldn’t imagine being pregnant on top of that mess.
But still... how the hell was she visibly pregnant already?
Human conception didn’t begin to show so quickly.
“Katie, you’re finally here!” Macy’s voice shrieked happily, dragging her attention from Sara to the even more obviously rounder figure of her much smaller friend as the woman rushed her and nearly knocked her over by aggressively flinging her arms around her.
Staggering a little from their combined weight, and whatever bowling ball Macy was packing, Katie laughed and hugged her friend back. “What the hell, Macy? What are you packing?”
“Fuck, tell me about it,” her friend groaned as she released her to rub at her lower back.
She shot Torok an annoyed look as the large male hovered behind her with a besotted smile.
“I feel like a chihuahua who got knocked up by a rottweiler. When the Agraak said that we were breeding compatible across numerous species, I didn’t think nature would have such a fucked-up sense of humor to actually include the VaDorok in that lineup—a species that apparently has a very aggressive gestation.
Not that I would change a thing,” she hastened to add as she laid a hand across her belly and leaned into her male.
“Torok is the best, and I’m actually looking forward to meeting the baby who is currently working hard to destroy my insides. ”
Katie winced sympathetically. “Well, it doesn’t seem like you’re alone.”
“Not at all,” Macy replied with a laugh. “In fact, aside from you, most of us humans here are now pretty round, if you haven’t noticed.”
Katie shook her head. “I just arrived. The only person I’ve seen so far is Sara.”
At the mention of Sara’s name, Macy sobered. “That whole situation with Sara is a nightmare. You wouldn’t believe it, but when they arrived, some bitch tried to mate-challenge and snatch her mate. And they just let her!”
“Ulukska, it is a matter of protecting and giving consideration to the females of our tribe as well,” Torok patiently explained to her. “Ita has long fancied herself to be the one to spark ulukskinon with the warrior-priest.”
“Ulukskinon... what’s that?” Katie asked, latching onto the word.
Torok merely grinned in reply as he drew Macy into his arms. “It is part of the mating process. You will have to ask Kull the details about it.”
“Oh, please,” Macy scoffed. “Why should she wait for a male to get around to explaining anything to her?”
“Macy—” he protested, but she waved a hand at him impatiently, drawing an amused look from her male as he obediently fell silent.
“Girl, it’s crazy. The ulukskinon is like this maddening mating heat that happens when chemistry matches up just right between a pair of VaDorok.
It is what allows them to fully mate and breed.
There are no babies without ulukskinon, and no mates either beyond pleasure-mating.
And trust me... this shit is impossible to ignore, forever.
It’s like a fire that increasingly eats at you the longer you are physically together.
Thankfully, we are human and female, so we don’t experience the brunt of it like their males do, but it’s wild.
And the payoff in bed is mind-blowing. It's just a... well... forever thing.”
Katie blinked at her, at a loss for words.
A forever thing? Sex with Kull had been unbelievable—just as mind-blowing as her friend had said—but he hadn’t mentioned anything about mating or forever.
If she had the pleasure-mating version, then she wasn’t sure she would survive whatever Macy had experienced from being mated to the big alien.
“And you agreed to this?” she said slowly, not quite able to believe it.
A blush rushed into the other woman’s face, but she shrugged. “Why not? It’s not like I was batting a hundred on Earth, and faring even worse with the Agraak... and besides, Torok is good to me. He is pretty easy to love,” she admitted.
In love with an alien. A tiny hint of warmth betrayed her feelings as it spread through her chest as her mind turned toward Kull unbidden. Maybe that part wasn’t so absurd to imagine.
“Aw, look at you blush,” Macy teased. “Things must be going well between you and Kull. It seems like we’ve all fallen under whatever spell these VaDorok weave. Even the most reluctant among us have paired up and mated. I think you are the only hold-out.”
“It is not magic, my heart,” Torok chuckled. “It is nature and the blessing of the gods.”
“Well, Katie will definitely be next. If any of us has a blessing waiting for them, it will have to be her,” Macy replied.
Katie smiled with embarrassment, and perhaps a little secretly pleased. That was short-lived, however, when Ren grunted just behind her.
“It is not,” he said. “She is my brother’s pleasure-mate. If she has not found ulukskinon with him by now then it is unlikely to happen,” he said. “There is no shame in that.”
Pain stabbed deeply, knifing her heart, and Katie’s smile wilted in response, though she didn’t hold it against him.
There wasn’t so much as a note of malice in his voice, which in and of itself was a big change.
He was calling it as he saw it... and it made sense.
If there was any chance of ulukskinon between them, she would have seen some evidence of it by now.
The fact that he was defending her status as a pleasure-mate was actually touching.
“How do you know?” Macy, ever her best friend and defender, shot back.
Ren glanced at Torok before frowning at her in confusion. “This is what I overheard Mother Zalla saying to another female when I was looking to greet my friends. It is common knowledge. All the females were agreeing with her.”
“Mother said what?” Kull’s deep voice growled from behind them, and Torok’s eyes widened as he took note of Kull’s presence and gently drew Macy away.
“This is a family matter. We will leave you to discuss it and meet you later in the gathering,” Torok said quietly.
Kull nodded, his expression grim as he watched them depart. It wasn’t until they were some distance away that he rounded on his younger brother, his tail whipping furiously. “Speak truthfully, what did mother say?”
A look of discomfort came to Ren’s face, but he nodded solemnly.
“Somehow word got to her that you have a pleasure-mate... someone who saw us arrive and set up camp. She said she was happy that you were open to accepting females again, but after so much time that it was clear that there was no ulukskinon and so she was going to arrange for females within the tribe to meet with you and...” he trailed off as Kull’s expression became icy.
Katie had never seen him that way, so she certainly didn’t blame Ren for suddenly being wary. Kull didn’t make a sound, however, he merely nodded and stormed away with only the rapid flick of his tail betraying the depth of his anger.
“Should we go after him?” she whispered to Ren, and the younger male grimaced and shook his head.
“It is better if we do not. Regardless of Mother Zalla’s intentions, Kull does not tolerate her interference. I should have told him this immediately, but he asked me to help him finish raising your shelter and did not think any further of it.”
“Our shelter?” she echoed, and she gave him a puzzled look. “Aren’t you staying here, too?”
He grinned suddenly in response. “No, this is all for you. I am of age to join the scouts, which is where I will be heading now to meet up with them and also where I will be sleeping. I do not wish to hear whatever you do without walls separating us.”
Katie choked on a laugh and waved him away.
“Go away, then,” she chuckled. “I will catch up with Macy and see what other gossip I can pull out of her.” She paused for a moment as uncertainty caught up with her and tightened its vice-like hold on her.
“That thing with Ita—the mate challenge—is that common? Could it happen with someone who is just a pleasure-mate?”
A look of understanding came to Ren’s face, as well as a small measure of reluctance as he dropped his eyes to avoid her gaze.
“You don’t want to answer?” she asked. “I just want to know what Kull might potentially face.”
“It is not that.” He sighed. “It is just that mating is complicated and not something I am even prepared to put much thought into. Mate challenges like what happened with Ita and Vidok are usually only for circumstances where ulukskinon has already risen. It is like a last effort to exert a potential claim. It happens more often with highly desirable males than with those who are not. For males who are not in the grip of ulukskinon, it is different. Not a formal challenge, but the female can request to join his household. She will not have the same privileges as what happens in the challenge, but her presence there could be allowed for one full moon cycle to see if she can inspire ulukskinon. If she does, then the pleasure-mate is set aside to rejoin the rest of the tribe.”
“So if she marches a bunch of females past him, and none of them inspire this ulukskinon but one takes a liking to him—”
“Then Mother Zalla will encourage her to push for asserting her rights now that Kull is interested in taking a female again,” he said. “I just hope that Kull maintains some control over his temper about this.”
She hoped so, too.