The VaDorok: The Mate Index Book 1

by SJ Sanders

  Without warning Sara was snatched up, her pelvis aligned with his, and Vidok thrust his hips up into her damp heat. She screamed as the hard bar of his length plowed deep inside of her, hitting the mouth of her womb. The tips of his claws erotically scraped her hips and upper thighs, holding her in place, as he thrust aggressively up into her over and over.

  The erotic glide of the bristles overwhelmed the nerves deep within her channel and Sara could not stop the roll of climax after climax. On one brutal climax she felt those lovely little bristles swell as once again they were locked together, throwing her again into rushing orgasm as he pumped copious amounts of his hot seed into her as he roared.

  Vidok threw himself back, cock still firmly lodged within her, and wore a smile of bliss that she was sure was echoed on her own face. He leaned forward to kiss her thoroughly before laying back again, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. Sara grinned down at him in satisfaction and pressed a kiss against the muscles of his chest.

  Mine. This is all mine.

  She let out a huge yawn and drifted to sleep to the deep roll of his purr, vaguely aware of her mate wrapping his warm arms around her.

  Chapter 6

  Vidok rolled onto his back and stretched leisurely, enjoying the pull of muscle as he woke in the piles of furs of their nest. On that first night, Sara took one look at it and declared it the strangest looking bed she ever saw. She found it oddly amusing when he corrected her that it is a traditional VaDorok nest. She was entertained by the fact that they called a large shapeless sleeping pad, covered with large soft pillows and thick furs, a nest. He hadn’t understood what was so amusing about it. It was what it was, but he loved seeing the humor she found in it. He was unexpectedly truly enjoying watching his mate discover their world. That is started with their nest, all the better. Vidok grinned in memory of the way he turned her amusement into cries of pleasure when he demonstrated the comforts of the sleeping nest to her.

  His nose pressed against her, he breathed her scent in deeply, luxuriating in it. He couldn’t get enough of his mate’s smell. Over the last few days he had noticed the deepening perfume of her body. She smelled ripe. A sweet fertile musk betraying the secret it held. His hands skimmed down Sara’s belly. Though it was normal for the ulukskinon to breed young, there were no guarantees that breeding would take so quickly with offworlders. He waited patiently all the weeks he had Sara with him in their den, curious to see if his seed took root. And now finally he knew without a doubt it had.

  Rising from their nest, Vidok looked fondly down at his mate, burrowed in the furs, as he dressed. He would have loved nothing more than to wake his ulukska in the manner he had every morning in the weeks since bringing her to their den--with his mouth between her soft thighs. Sara teased him about his ‘oral fixation’ and endlessly remarked, with great enthusiasm, on how much she loved it.

  He sighed, a bit disgruntled, as he heard the quiet voices and movements in the primary living area of the den that had woken him. He tucked the edge of a fur around Sara’s naked body and headed toward the door. Few would just enter uninvited into Vidok’s den, but he was unconcerned since he knew the scent and voice of his visitor. It seemed that their mating seclusion was now at an end.

  Borax looked up from the fire where he set water to boil and grinned seeing Vidok enter the room. At his side, his oldest offspring was quietly playing with a carved wooden alpak. In the other hand he held a carved VaDorok hunter, clearly acting out the hunting of the beast. Vidok recognized both figures as ones Sara had finished carving just recently. The alpak largely from his description since she had yet to see one herself.

  The youngling looked mostly VaDorok, favoring little of his Forad mother. The red bands across his face and jewel green eyes were the only testimony to his maternal heritage. At the age of six sun cycles he had lost most of his fine baby fur and his juvenile fur was steadily thickening. Vidok noted that his fur on his head was finally long enough that Borax’s offworld mate, Nadar, had finally been able to twist it into a series of short locks.

  Borax rose and gripped Vidok’s arms in greeting.“Vidok, I am pleased you and your ulukska made it back home safely. I see you have survived any lingering affects of the ulukskinon successfully.”

  Vidok returned his knowing grin--well pleased with his mate--as they seated. After a brief period exchanging pleasantries, Borax addressed the reason of his visit.

  “Is your mate ready for the full moon gathering?”

  Vidok nodded. “I have spent the last weeks training her. I am confident that she knows her part for the opening ceremony. And I am sure you are aware that Ula and Brodi will be having their youngling’s naming then.”

  “Ah yes,” the chief smiled, “the naming of a new member of our tribe is always a happy occasion.” His smile turned sly, “Will we soon have news of another member to celebrate?”

  Vidok felt sure his chest would burst with youthful vanity, puffing out with pride as he smiled broadly at his oldest friend.

  “Sara carries our youngling within her,” he confirmed.

  Borax slapped his leg and laughed. “I knew your seed would not fail to take root with the ulukskinon. I told my mate this. I said I am certain at least you, of all the males, will have a new youngling arriving within the next few moons.”

  “I wouldn’t count Torok out either,” Vidok laughed. “He seemed quite enamored of his little yellow-haired female.”

  Borax chortled and nodded enthusiastically. “I stopped at his den when traveling back from dealing with a matter of a dispute. That tiny female of his is already swelling with his young, and I have never in my life seen Torok smile so much. She was busy bossing him around while they were making preparations to attend the gathering. It seems that she does this thing called knitting. Some weeks ago she made Torok immediately travel to the neighboring tribe and trade for raw telinx fur. This she winds into thick cords with her own fingers and makes into thick blankets for nests of different sizes, and smaller ones for younglings. When I arrived she was instructing Torok on how to pack the small pile of blankets.”

  Vidok’s brows rose as he took the water Borax heated and prepared tea for them.

  “She is very good for Torok then. He needs a strong active female to keep him busy. I know one thing though--”

  “That we will be seeing Torok at more gatherings,” Borax finished with a hearty laugh. Borax sobered.“There is one problem we may have.”

  Vidok’s fur prickled in ill omen.”Tell me.”

  Borax sighed, “You recall Ita?”

  Vidok grunted and handed him a cup. “I wish I didn’t. She is a cousin of Merlor on his father’s side. They sit together at gatherings often.”

  Borax nodded in affirmation. Vidok dreaded where this was going.

  “Nadar says she has heard some gossip among the females that Ita is going to challenge your mating.”

  Vidok’s cup dropped from his hand, shattering on the hard stone floor. “Borax, no. We experienced the ulukskinon, and my Sara carries my young.”

  Borax rubbed his horns with both hands and groaned. “Trust me I am not happy about this either, but you know she has the right to do so. Ever since we began to bring in offworlders for mating it was agreed, that since their biology is different from ours, we could not deprive our own females. We have to allow them to test for mating compatibility. It is open to anyone at the first lunar cycle gathering following the mating. Unfortunately Ita turned of age just in time to be able to legally challenge.”

  Vidok growled and began to pace. He should have suspected that Ita would try something like this. He honestly didn’t think she would come of age in time to challenge.

  “And the females support her? This youngling!”

  Borax growled in frustrated affirmation. “Not fully. Many support her right to do so though, especially since she is from a priest family, but several females are saying that it is in bad taste. I know Nadar is pretty disgusted by the tradition, but you
know we had to endure three mating challenges when I returned with her to my den.”

  Vidok remembered that all too well. He had agreed to stand as witness for the mating compatibility for each challenge.

  Borax grunted and slapped Vidok’s arm, “Don’t worry overmuch Vidok, she may loose her nerve and not carry through with it. And if she does challenge, you know I will stand witness for you.”

  Vidok released a deep breath and ran his hand over his horns and down the back of his locks.

  “Besides,” Borax continued thoughtfully as he stared into his cup, “we may have another problem.”

  Vidok groaned. Another problem? “What else?”

  Borax looked up at him grimly.“Three days ago I heard from A’Jular. The Agraak are making complaints to the Intergalactic Council that we have stolen their mates from them. They demand they be returned. The Council wanted him to inform us.”

  Tirzon take it! Fuck!

  Vidok snarled, “They are not taking my mate. I do not care who this Agraak male is who thinks he has some claim on her. Surely the Council can not enforce it?

  Borax frowned and shook his head, “It does not matter, all the females have been mated and all are currently breeding. We will not surrender our mates and younglings to a species of such depravity willingly.” Borax set his cup down with a heavy thunk. “But we have to at least make a show of being cooperative with the Council. This may mean that all the males, and myself included as chief, will have to go to testify if or when they call our human females to witness.”

  Borax rose, his heavy locks swaying.“I regret to say I must go now and return to my den so I can speak further of this with A’Jural. There is much I need to prepare for in dealing with the Council. May the gods look kindly upon you. Come Orotok.”

  The boy scrambled to his feet, gently setting the carved figures back on the table, his tufted tail twitching happily as he followed his father out of the door.

  At their departure Vidok turned and stared at the fire, seething. He was angry. Angry at Merlor who wanted his mate. Angry at the Agraak who thought they too have claim on her, and would try to take her. Mad at foolish Ita, a girl half his age who he barely knew and had only met a mere handful of times, who out of her sense of vanity would seek to test mating compatibility with him. If his cup hadn’t already been broken,Vidok would’ve been happy to break it again to release some of his fury.

  He heard the door creak open and saw his mate, blurry-eyed and hair knotted, walk out wrapped in a fur, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

  “I thought I heard voices,” she mumbled.

  He smiled at the visage his mate made. Two steps took him to her side to gather her in his arms, and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “It was just Borax come by for a visit. There was no need for you to wake so soon ulukska. Is all well?”

  She grimaced, “I woke up feeling nauseated, and felt like a bit of fresh air might do me good. I hope I am not coming down with something. I am the worst sick person ever when I get ill,” she laughed weakly.

  “Nothing to worry about my love, you are not sick. Your body is just busy working hard at nurturing our youngling inside of you,” he said into her hair.

  She blinked very slowly. “Come again? Youngling? Are you talking a baby?!” He could see her quick mind doing some rapid calculations before her expression settled into stunned silence. “Oh. My. Gods. I am...pregnant. How--?”

  He smirked down at her.“My love, I suspect you have been carrying our young since the culmination of the mating heat. The ulukskinon instantly brings the female fertile in most cases. Sometimes the male is able to fertilize her with his seed, sometimes not. But it is normal for newly mated couples to have their first young within four lunar cycles of the ulukskinon. Only just over the last few days have I been able to smell the difference in your changing hormones from the presence of our young growing within your womb.”

  Sara pressed her hands to her belly, no doubt imagining a fuzzy little youngling curled up within her. Vidok did not doubt the Agraak were right about human tendency of genes to disappear under dominant alien ones. That meant that their baby would, for the most part, look like any other VaDorok young.

  He could see when the excitement began to bubble through her.

  “This is just--wow. I mean I hated the idea of being a baby-momma for some Agraak offspring. But this our baby. Yours and mine. I can’t wait to greet our little one!” She paused. “Hold the phone. You are telling me your babies gestate fully formed in only four months?” she asked, alarm mounting.

  Vidok peered at her curiously. “If a month is the way your reckon a lunar cycle, then yes. How long is it for humans?”

  “Freaking nine months, that is what! I am going to blow up with your giant baby in half that time!” Sara wailed in panic.

  Vidok chuckled and pulled her up fully into his arms.“Our youngling will not be so large my love. VaDorok newborns are even smaller than Ula and Brodi’s youngling was when you saw him at the temple. He was just over two weeks old then and had easily doubled his size since birth. You will be fine.”

  Sara rubbed her face with her palms and she worked to reign in her panic. “What did Borax have to say?” she asked.

  “Nothing to be concerned of my mate,” he lied. He didn’t want her to be worrying. What happened would happen. He would spare his mate whatever stress and unhappiness he could. “We were discussing the full moon gathering coming up. He just left.” Not a complete lie then.

  “He was telling me that some of the new human females are pretty skilled. Torok’s little mate has been working at something called knitting to make blankets.”

  She perked up noticeably.“Oh, that is great! I will have to see if she would be willing to trade some of my carved figures for a blanket for our daughter.” Her set a palm lovingly on her stomach.

  Vidok chuckled at her.“It is far more probable that we will have a son, my love.”

  She smirked, far too happy to take up this banter with him. “I don’t know. I have a feeling about this. I tended to be quite good at predicting pregnancies back home.” His mates narrowed her eyes, speculatively, her grin widening. “How about we make this more interesting...a wager.”

  He laughed, “You know everything mine is already yours ulukska, you only have to ask.”

  She made a noise and waved her hand. “Pft. I am not talking about that kind of wager.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  She played with the end of the fur as she eyed him. “If I am right and we have a girl, I get to name her. Lily has a nice ring to it.”

  Vidok shuddered. “My love, we are not naming our offspring that.” He raised a hand as a look of belligerence crossed her face. “Ulukska, in my language lili is the word for the hard grassy excrement of alpak,” he said kindly.

  Sara’s jaw dropped, “How can you use such a pretty word to name something so revolting? Are you telling me I would have named our daughter after alpak patties?”

  Vidok tilted his head. “What is a patty?”

  She giggled. “On Earth we have large grass eating herd animals whose dung can be found similar in appearance to hard round discs. We call them patties. In the past they were gathered and used for fuel.”

  “Yes exactly that,” he laughed, sweeping her up off her feet. “But do not worry my mate, if you are right you can have naming privilege. I will just be there to make sure we don’t name our offspring something unfortunate.”

  His mate giggled and twisted a length of his locks in her hand, tugging gently.

  “Just so you know,” she whispered in his ear, “in my language Lily is a perfectly lovely name. It is a flower.”

  He pulled back to grin down at her playfully. “Yes my heart, but we are not on Earth and no one but eleven of our number will know it is a flower.”

  She jabbed him with an elbow as he laughed loudly.

  “Beast,” she grumbled affectionately as she gripped one of his horns firmly, dragging his he
ad down for a kiss.

  ***

  Sara trailed after her mate through the temple as they recited prayers and presented offerings to the gods of the tribe, beginning and ending with Udula and her mate Tirzon. Over the days Sara found peace in the regular rituals in the morning and evening. She also took over the responsibility of sweeping the ashes from the altar and debris from the floor every morning to give her mate time to focus on tasks of grinding new herb incenses, and various powders used at the temple and the surplus used to trade at the gathering.

  Apparently this was a never ending thing for him, and one of his first duties when he was taken in by the previous priest. So every morning Sara grabbed the coarse broom, made from long fibrous plants that her mate said grew in long stalks in marshy areas to the west of them--about two days trek--and she swept as he settled down near the altar, praying and grinds herbs. When they finished, he built up a new altar fire and they began the rituals.

  Once their duties were done for the morning, he smiled, love shining in his silver eyes, as he stored their ritual supplies. Sara stripped off her ceremonial robe, hanging it next to his before taking his warm hand. She loved the feel of his hand in hers as he led her from the temple back into their den. After those months with the Agraak Sara never could have imagined this life. Her life was perfect, well worth those months of misery where she felt her suffering deserved a cosmic refund. But now her lot had turned around.

  No refund necessary!

  She had more recently been busy adding her own touches to their den, making it truly their home. One of the first things was getting back into her passion for carving. Now she had dozens of tiny figures carved from bone or wood sitting everywhere. She pursed her lips as she considered that she would have to soon sort out her favorites and pack the others up to be taken for trade.

  Vidok informed her that many of her figures would be cherished playthings for many tribal children, which delighted her to no end. She never really considered herself as having any potential as a toy maker, but things were different here than Earth. Her work would not be just some curiosity or knickknack, but a beloved cherished toy!