Page 21 of The VaDorok's Unexpected Mate
“Your turn. Do it how I showed you.”
She gaped at it for a moment and shook her head. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He gestured dismissively with his empty hand. “Do not be concerned if you do not get it right away. It took me many attempts as a youngling before I understood the mechanics of successfully starting a fire and then building it and keeping it alive. You will master all three of these things before the day is done, I promise you.”
Her shoulders dropped. So... no breakfast.
She gave him a weak smile as she imitated him to the best of her ability. She grabbed a handful of kindling and dropped it in the hearth in front of her, and then promptly leaned forward with the fire-starter. She clicked it and clicked it, her frustration growing when the few sparks that she managed to get puffed out in sad little deaths the moment they hit the kindling. She scowled at it and clicked it faster, but with even less result as sparks failed to even erupt. She glared at the fire-starter, shook it, tried it again and then threw the whole damn thing onto the kindling with a grunt of disgust.
“It’s impossible.”
Kull chuckled as he plucked the fire-starter from the pile of shavings. The warm sound washed over her pleasantly, much to her surprise.
“Most younglings know how to start a fire by the time they have seen seven summers. It is hardly impossible.”
“That doesn’t sound like something to brag about. Who wants a kid setting fire to things randomly?” she observed as she glared at the kindling dourly.
“They are taught patience and respect for the fire. Which is what you need,” he pointed out. “First, start with the finer kindling, leave out the larger chips, and use half the amount.”
She frowned doubtfully, but she adjusted her little pile as he instructed. What was left didn’t look the least bit convincing that it was capable of doing anything, but she had to admit that it did resemble his pile a bit more from what she recalled.
“Now try again. Slow, sharp scrapes.”
She nodded and bent to attend to her task. Again, she got nothing more than the occasional little spark that arrived and fizzled out. But Kull kept encouraging her and made her try over and over again. A few times he took the fire-starter from her and showed her how to get the kindling to light, but he immediately stamped it out before handing it back to her. They did end up stopping for a few minutes to enjoy some dried meat and fruit, but it wasn’t quite how she pictured breakfast with Kull. It was barely satiating and seemed to give her barely enough energy to keep at it for what felt like hours.
Not only was the entire process taking forever with no results, but she was starting to feel achy and sweaty, and her mood didn’t improve in the least bit when Ren came out of his room and lumbered forward, a mocking smile on his face. He sat a short distance away, grinning as he watched her. He got a few snickers out but quickly choked them down when Kull shot him a warning look.
Ha! Take that, evil brat!
Her internal gloating didn’t last long, however, because she was beginning to feel more and more like she was even more helpless than an alien child.
“Ignore Ren. It took him four days to figure it out,” Kull soothed and then promptly lashed his tail at the younger male when he began to bluster. Katie bit back a reluctant smile, and Kull purred softly. “Just slow and steady. Don’t get impatient with it.”
She nodded and slowly clicked it again. A bright spark flared and leapt from the fire-starter, and a trail of smoke slowly rose as the glow brightened. Katie’s eyes widened in excitement as she immediately threw on a huge handful of woodchips only to watch that glow snuff out in the blink of an eye. She stared at it in disbelief, her bottom lip trembling. Throwing her head back, she screamed all her pent-up anger and frustration in a dropped bomb that had both males withdrawing rapidly from her. Spent, she dropped her head and sobbed to herself as Kull crept back to her side, his big arms drawing her awkwardly into an embrace. Despite how stiff he was as he hugged her to him, she really appreciated it and curled into his embrace.
“You can try again later. Let me build a fire so you can warm yourself again, and then I will prepare the midday meal.”
It was only midday? Katie sagged against him in disbelief and sobbed. She had been completely defeated by a task as ridiculously simple as building a fire. The fact that it took Ren four days when he was something like six years old didn’t make her feel much better. Still. Kull continued to hold her awkwardly until she finally grew quiet, and then silently extracted himself from her octopus hold so that he could rebuild the fire. Its warm glow made her feel marginally better, but it didn’t go beyond her notice that he carefully avoided the topic of the fire for the rest of the day. Instead, he engaged her by teaching her about thevarious foods in the VaDorok diet and explaining how the food was acquired and preserved.
It was that gentle and patient consideration, and a full belly, that brought her back from the brink of her frustration. And when he lay beside her in the bed at night and slowly began to massage the kinks from her back and in between her shoulders, it made her more determined than ever to succeed. The last thing she wanted was for Kull to decide that she was unteachable and to basically avoid her until he could get rid of her—especially when that seemed to be his preference. As long as there was some hope that she would be able to do this, he seemed to be willing to try. So, she wasn’t going to give him any reason to doubt her now. She wasn’t licked yet.
Licked at fire-building, she hastily reminded herself as heat rose rapidly into her cheeks. She certainly didn’t mean the other kind. Nope. Even though the VaDorok seemed to be blessed with an exceptionally long tongue from what she observed while he was eating. Nope, not that at all.
Chapter 17
Kull peered down at Katie as she bent over the fire yet again, her face set into stubborn lines. It brought back memories of teaching Ren, as he had worn that same expression, and yet that had not inspired the same feelings within him that he felt crouching so close to Katie. He shifted a little in an attempt to put some distance between them without making it too obvious. The last thing he wanted was for her to find a reason to redirect her current ire from the kindling to him.
“Perhaps that is enough for today,” he decided. He reached forward, plucking the fire-starter from her fingers. “I have changed my mind. There is no reason to rush to perfect something all at once but approach things in their own time.”
Her brows flew upward as she turned her head to stare at him, but he did not miss the look of relief that flashed across her face. Nor did he miss the way she quietly sighed as she straightened and rubbed the small of her back. “That may be the best idea you’ve had yet,” she replied, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
He ducked his head and rumbled a nonsensical sound of agreement as he proceeded to quickly build the fire. With his attention trained on his task, it was at least easier to speak to her.
“I have sent Ren out today to check the traps, but I will take you tomorrow to show you how to set a very basic trap. You will need to learn to manage the softness in your heart when it comes to animals if you wish to survive here,” he pointed out gently when he noted her grimace from the corner of his eye.
“Yeah, I get it. It’s survival.” Katie’s lips twisted wryly. “The carnivorous-heavy diet is pretty much necessary here, so it’s either that I learn how to deal with it or starve. I certainlycan’t just bring everything home, either. I don’t think you would appreciate it if I flooded your den with every new pet I find.”
Her words surprised a chuckle from him, and he nodded in agreement, drawing a small, but genuine, smile out of her. Her eyes softened with amusement, their color warming in a way that he found indescribably pleasing to watch. She drew her knees up in front of her and looped her arms casually around them in a way that drew his eye. Humans, though small, were surprisingly limber compared to many VaDorok. It was position that he would find difficult with his bulk and thick fur.
