Page 13 of The VaDorok's Unexpected Mate
“Ren,” Kull warned. “Whatever your problem is—work it out. You are nearly of age to be a scout. You will have plenty of time to enjoy your solitude then. For now, you will, at minimum, be polite and respectful. Do not think I have missed your comments or attitude toward Katie. I let it slide before as she had just arrived, but you will not continue.”
“Understood,” the younger male muttered. Lowering the metal tool in his hand, he gathered up his things, stood, and stalked from the room, leaving Kull alone in the central chamber.
Kull shook his head as he watched him go. Ren’s petulant reply was not encouraging, but he knew that it was the best that he was going to get. Sighing heavily, Kull laid out a large, oiled leather mat and sat upon it as he placed the first of his catch on the mat in front of him. While he had gutted it in the woods, he had waited until returning to strip the hide and prepare the meat for cooking. He had pulled off the fur from two burrah and set them aside when his ear turned at the sound of Katie’s footsteps that immediately faltered to a stop.
“Shit... is that what dinner looks like before it’s cooked?” she asked in a weak voice.
He looked up to find her staring at him—or rather, the burrah—with a pinched, nauseous look that oddly made him want to laugh rather than frustrate him as he thought it would. He had guessed that she was not a female accustomed to the necessities of hunting. In his admittedly limited knowledge ofthe major species that comprised the Intergalactic Union, he knew that many did not hunt their own food or were capable of surviving in the wilderness with few tools other than their wits. He had correctly guessed that the fragile female he had taken home with him was similarly lacking in experience. The look on her face not only confirmed it but made him feel even more certain that she would struggle to survive on Dorok if she could not even look prey in the face without becoming sick.
He nodded and, grabbing the fur that he had split on one end, gave a sharp tug, peeling from the dark pink meat in one smooth motion. His eyes never left her face, and he watched as she swallowed thickly, battling for control as he drove a spit through each of them and hung them, stretched out over the fire.
“Yummy,” she replied from behind the hand pressed to her mouth, and the corners of his mouth hitched with reluctant amusement.
How was it that, despite her frustrating weakness and incapability, she made him smile and want to laugh so easily?
“You seemed to think so when we ate it earlier,” he agreed as he rose from the mat and wiped it down with a damp rag before storing it once more.
Katie watched him skeptically from where she stood, as if she were uncertain of whether or not she wanted to venture another step closer to him. He watched her from the outer edge of his vision as he crouched by the fire, careful not to look directly at her. She looked like she wanted to bolt and hide, and an ache filled his chest. Of course, she would be frightened after seeing him rip fur from small animals.
“Are you afraid of me now?” he asked, keeping his tone mild, almost bored in order to help ease her tension.
She did not respond for a long moment, but he let out a slow breath of relief when she shook her head and slowly crept to his side before lowering herself onto the fur Ren had vacated.“I admit that seeing you do that a little too easily took me by surprise, but after thinking about it, I think rabbits back home are supposed to be the same when it comes to taking off their fur... I think,” she added again, unnecessarily. “It did strike me that you are big enough and strong enough to probably be able to do that to anything... or worse... but... I also know that I’m not a small animal that you are interested in eating, so I’m willing to bet that I’m safe.”
His lips twitched again, but he nodded. “You are safe. I would not wish to even scratch or bruise your skin, much less harm you.”
She nodded again, a pink hue rising into her cheeks. “Yeah, for some reason, I know that, too.”
Her lips twisted in a faint smile, and she rearranged the heavy leather skirt that he had provided her around her legs. Thankfully, it had taken little work for him to adjust his clothing into something suitable and far warmer for her to wear that morning. They sat companionably in silence as he cooked.
There was no need to talk. Her presence seemed to fill the space perfectly, and he allowed himself to simply bask in the pleasure of it as he rotated the burrahs over the fire. He felt a stillness—a peace he had not felt in some time—settle within him. He glanced over at her and then smiled. She was curled peacefully on her side, her head just a short distance from his leg, dozing. That she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep beside him.
He looked back at the fire and stared into its depths. Perhaps that feeling of peace was something that they both needed and had somehow found within each other.
An illusion of the ulukskinon playing with their minds—he was sure of it. But it was one illusion that he was content to leave alone and enjoy rather than fight against it. For both of theirsake. They would enjoy the moments of peace wherever they could find them.
Chapter 11
Katie wandered through the food storage room, her wet hair tightly wrapped in a drying cloth on top of her head, and stomach groaning in protest. The den was uncomfortably chilly, but she only had one mental space to worry about one thing at a time for the moment... and currently it was more important to find something to nibble on before she looked for something flammable to toss onto the fire so that her extremities didn’t feel quite so icy. She didn’t recognize ninety percent of the stuff stored within the various pots and baskets on the shelves, but Kull kept little snacks stored in there that he made in advance... and that was what she was after.
Her stomach growled louder as she peered into the baskets and briefly glanced at the contents of the pots as she picked up the lids and set them down again. Ground powders, roots, different chunks of dried and preserved plants... nothing was looking very promising. Pressing a hand against her belly, she grimaced. Did Kull make more of those little pots of fruit mash? She didn’t recall him mentioning it that morning but was certain that she had seen Ren eating one earlier. While the mash wasn’t much to look at, it at least tasted pretty good. From what she recalled, the small pink pots that the mash was stored in were smaller and more delicate in appearance than those used for regular storage... and nowhere to be found.
“Did he seriously eat them all?” she muttered in exasperation.
“Looking for this?”
Katie jumped at the unexpected sound of Ren’s voice behind her and spun around, her arms crossing in front of her body defensively only to come face to face with a small pink pot held right in front of her nose. She blinked at it in surprise andgingerly lifted her hands to accept it as the male grunted and stopped just short of shoving it at her.
“I was planning on eating it, but I decided to save one for you,” he said, offering her a faint smile.
She returned his smile and glanced down at the little pot now in her hands. Lifting the lid, she sniffed the contents. Despite bearing some resemblance to porridge mixed liberally with pureed berries, it actually smelled pretty good.
“Thank you, Ren.”
He shrugged in response, his horn spikes tipping toward the pot slightly as he nodded to it. “Make sure you eat all of it. Kull wakes up early to prepare these on the mornings he decides to make them.”
“Of course,” she assured him. “I have no intention of wasting a bite of it. I’m starving.”
He slanted an unreadable look at her and nodded. “Good. Kull disapproves of any kind of waste.”
