Page 2 of The VaDorok's Unexpected Mate
With a grim shake of his head, Kull sighed and began to withdraw back among the trees. They proceed without him. Unfortunately, it drew Borax’s eyes to him.
“Do you have objections, Kull?”
Kull froze as all eyes turned toward him. His gaze slid over to Vidok, noting the way the male stiffened. The male was right at the edge of his control. He weighed whether or not he wished to speak, as it was bound to insult the priest and upset his ulukska. He shrugged. He might as well.
He looked back toward the chief and inclined his head. “I just had a thought. Would attacking this laboratory truly be in the best interest of the humans? Vidok’s female appears to be a breath away from death and half-frozen. I am concerned that dragging them all out here from a place where they are being kept warm might harm them. It may be more prudent to get ahold of the Edoka trader and have him contact the council on their behalf. I, for one, have no wish to see any more females die in my lifetime.”
Several of the males withdrew, backing away as they made wary sounds of agreement. Kull almost felt bad for the way thelittle female’s eyes flew among them, her eyes going wide with panic as she shook her head.
“That will take too long! Even if you got ahold of this trader immediately, it would take him time to even be able to speak to the council, much less arrange for a rescue party! The Hunt is due to begin very soon. They will be assaulted, impregnated, and taken off this world to be hauled back to Agraadax before anyone even arrives.”
He grimaced. He had not realized that the timing was so dire. “Female, you have just arrived here. You do not understand. This world is cold, and can get even colder, and you lack even the most basic natural protection against the elements. Rescuing them could be a death sentence for them?”
“And you think that it is not to leave them there?” she retorted angrily. “Do you really think that there isn’t one who would trade a chance—any kind of chance—in exchange for a life imprisoned and repeatedly raped by the Agraak?”
“Do you think that the males here will not be grievously affected watching them die here in front of them?” he demanded with a snarl that drew a deep growl from Vidok as the male drew his ulukska closely against him. Kull drew in a deep breath as he fought to regain control of himself. “You can do it without my participation. I will not be a witness to it.”
“Kull, everyone here knows and understands your loss, and why these thoughts weigh so heavily on you,” Borax replied, his voice pitched low so as to be soothing. “But she is right. They at least deserve the opportunity to make that decision for themselves rather than be abandoned there. You are one of our best warriors. We need you with us on this.”
A look of strain came over Vidok, and the male lowered his head humbly toward him as a look of regret passed over his face. “Apologies, Kull, but Borax is right. I understand your reasoning and the depth of pain behind your words. The ulukskinon hasme a little off-balance, but even so, there is an urgency here that even I cannot ignore. I ask that you set aside your own pain to aid us. We will truly need every warrior at our side to make certain that these females do not suffer further.”
Kull narrowed his eyes at him. The last thing he wished was to be around any females at all. Even at gatherings, he kept his distance from them, not wishing to risk rousing another ulukskinon. He would not survive the loss of another mate. Vidok knew that better than all the others, for they had often quietly spoken when come across each other in their wanderings—and yet, he still asked him. Guilt stirred within him. He could not blame him, nor the chief. The situation was urgent.
“Very well,” he growled as he withdrew another step. “But after we have assured their safety, expect nothing more from me regarding their care.”
Borax frowned, not entirely happy with his response, but Vidok lowered his head in a bow, cutting off any reply that their chief might have made.
“It will be enough, Kull. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”
Kull nodded in reply, his tail lashing. “Very well.”
Without a word of farewell, he disappeared back among the trees towards his solitary camp. No one expected anything more of him. He was not a male who socialized after Siouli’s death. That laughing, carefree male that he had been in his youth was gone. Some blamed it on the ulukskinon happening between them when they were far too young—younger than what was considered the average age for mating, but Kull did not entertain such speculations. The world was flat and colorless and had not ceased being so in the twenty revolutions since her death. The scar of old pain was there, but the world had ceased to interest him without her.
Kull growled, impatient with his own morose thoughts. He had long become accustomed to his solitary life. He would not let the presence of the females disrupt that. He would do his part to rescue them, and then he could retreat once again in peace, where nothing and no one could touch him. Alone in his shelter, he collapsed into his furs and lay there until sleep finally took him.
The next morning, the VaDorok warriors were assembled to depart, males and females among their tribe alike. The sole new addition to their company was the Edoka. A’Jular stood impatiently at the front of his small trading ship, his attention fixed on his comm while the warriors organized themselves. Sacks filled with supplies and plentiful furs for the humans were carried from leather straps over their shoulders, and in their free hands, they carried their biriate lances. They stood silently at ready, their tails curling and lashing through the air. Vidok was easy to spot at the fore with Borax, his small female wrapped heavily in furs, and it appeared that someone had found clothing their one of their younglings had outgrown for her. Kull snorted in amusement and speculated at just how many young females had parted with extra clothing to warm the alien females. That was bound to make them unpopular among at least a few of them.
His gaze shifted among the warriors, and he noted that Merlor was glaring furiously at Vidok’s back. What was going on there? He shook his head in bemusement as his eyes drifted over to the tribal females watching silently from the perimeter. Unlike those females assembled among their party, these were not warriors but were merely present as spectators. Among them was Ita, anger glittering with a cold fury within her eyes as she, too, stared at the warrior-priest and his ulukska. That was trouble waiting to happen.
The entire tribe knew that she was determined to be his ulukska, no matter that she was still considered under the age of maturity and Vidok had repeatedly driven her off. The rejection had made her cruel over the revolutions, according to the gossip that drifted among the tribe. She tormented any potential rivals at the hot-spring pools where the females gathered. And when Vidok ceased pleasure-mating several revolutions ago, she made every effort to lure him in that it had become painfully obvious to the tribe. Even Kull had not been spared from witnessing it on the rare occasions he was present. She had even taken to bragging to the other females that it was just a matter of time before the ululskinon ignited between them as she had yet to test ulukskinon with him. But now, Vidok had returned with an ulukska, humiliating her in front of all the other females.
It was no wonder that she was furious. Kull gave a quiet, dry laugh as he adjusted his pack. He would hopefully be far into his own territory long before that blew up, but he did not envy Vidok. Even he was getting uncomfortable with the way she was glaring. And he was not even the target of her dark looks.
Relief filled him as the four horns sounded. Altogether, the warriors loaded onto the ship. Kull paused upon entering and turned to watch as the loading bay door slowly lifted. As it closed, a strange premonition seized him. He was struck with a sense that everything was about to change, and for a moment, he considered leaping from the hatch to his freedom. But then it was too late. The door closed and the ship’s engines roared, giving him no opportunity to do anything except cling to a support rope as the ship rose into the air. In a matter of minutes, they left the gathering grounds, striking out north for the ice flats and the battle that was to come.
Chapter 3
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 throughthatparticular 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.”
