Page 40 of The VaDorok's Unexpected Mate
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 laida 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 shitis 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 tomeet 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.
