Chapter Twelve #2
Excitement surged through me and I knew I was grinning like a fool. I’d been a picky eater as a kid but the string of nannies, some of whom had been different nationalities, had gotten me to expand my palate. I’d become something of a foodie whenever I had the chance to indulge.
“Yes, please.”
Drazien raised a brow, his own lips twitching before he turned to the vendor.
“Rhae.”
Cutting me a glance from the corner of his eye, he switched to Common.
“Everything, or all.”
My breath caught, but I wasn’t going to argue. If he’d asked me to choose something I wouldn’t have been able to, and since we’d left his place without breakfast, I was hungry enough to try anything.
He passed the vendor a coin that was as black as the walls of Veyrdrahl’korash, then we stood off to the side as they loaded a tray with one of each item. It was a little intimidating to see the amount the Morrak considered a single portion, and for a moment I worried about the waste.
I shouldn’t have.
Once Drazien had the tray he herded me farther behind the stall. I was confused until I saw the two little tables set up in a gap between the back of the food vendor and another stall.
Drazien’s little smirk when I rushed to pull a chair out for him almost made me want to yank it completely out from under him, but he was holding the tray, and I didn’t want the food spilled all over the ground. Especially before I had a chance to taste it.
“So, my rethari can be caring.”
I pasted on a fake smile, keeping my voice sweet as I responded.
“You seemed to be struggling with the tray, and I just didn’t want you to drop my food.”
His laugh rang out, forcing a reluctant chuckle from me as I took the seat opposite and waited for him to position the tray to his satisfaction. Before I could decide which item to try first, Drazien took a small purple ball between his fingers and held it in front of my mouth.
The expectation was clear even without the smirk.
“It is soft. Bite straight through.”
For a heartbeat I considered protesting, but he’d ordered all of it for me, so I could do as he wanted and let him feed it to me.
My teeth sank through dough that reminded me of a mochi, but the filling was a burst of something like curry. Savory and spicy, it was a bit chewy, and it took a moment before I could swallow it.
Drazien popped the rest into his mouth and seemed to swallow without chewing at all.
“Well?”
I was still trying to clear my teeth of the dough, so I raised a hand to rock it back and forth.
“Good, but chewy. Not sure I could eat many of those.”
He grunted and picked up what looked like a moss-green turnover. The flaky dough had a glaze that dripped from the corner as he held it out and arched a brow.
Since he didn’t give any instructions, I assumed it was safe to take a normal bite, so I leaned forward. His gaze was locked on my mouth as I opened, his focus making me shiver even though it was still warm on the second level.
I had expected a filling in the center since it looked like a turnover, but I hadn’t been prepared for the gush of meat-flavored chunky pudding that was inside the flaky dough. My nose scrunched before I could stop it, my jaw moving slowly as I tried to get over the texture.
Drazien’s grin was toothy, and he set the rest aside instead of eating it the way he had the purple ball.
“That’s not a favorite of mine either.”
I gave a cough after forcing it down, and he rose with a command to stay put. I eyed the rest of the food while he was gone, but he returned before I could decide which to try next.
“Kharev,” he said, lifting the hand holding two small cups before placing them on the table. Lifting the other holding a single jug, he said, “Vorreni juice.”
He pushed one of the small cups towards me and took the other. His gaze was intense, expression blank, but the little twitch at the corner of his mouth gave me a hint to what kharev was.
When my hand closed around the cup, he lifted his and knocked it back, exactly like he was taking a shot. Steeling myself, I followed his example, my throat seizing with the expected response the moment it hit my tongue.
My eyes bulged as I swallowed the liquid, every tissue it touched tingling. My eyes started to water as it dropped into my stomach, and Drazien came around the table to pat my back as I let out a dry cough.
I’d drank whiskey a few times, even taken shots, but nothing I’d had before compared to the deep, pervasive warmth spreading through my throat and chest. Despite the heat it produced, it didn’t burn the way alcohol I was familiar with did.
It was sweet and smokey, with spices I couldn’t name, and thick enough to coat my tongue and throat.
It was nothing like I’d expected it to be.
“Drink the juice. It will mellow it out.”
He grabbed the larger cup before I could reach for it, bringing it closer to me as his other hand remained on my back.
His bulk blocked most of my vision as he leaned over beside me, his tail looping around to rub my opposite thigh.
The next breath I took was full of his scent, adding to the way my head was starting to spin.
I gulped down half the juice, the sweetness complimenting the lingering taste of the kharev, before looking up at him. I’d expected to find him smirking like usual, but the look in his eyes stole my breath more than the drink had.
“I…”
My thoughts clouded, core clenching as I swallowed.
“I think we have more food to try.”
His usual smile returned as he patted me on the back once more before taking his seat across from me again.
“As you wish, rethari. Try this next.”
He fed me by hand, eyes moving between mine and my lips. Goosebumps rose along my arms, and my nipples were hard points inside my bra, and by the time I nibbled a corner off the last of the dishes, I feared I’d soaked through the shorts I’d worn.
Increased secretions was too mild of a phrase to explain what was happening.
Eventually we made it through a good chunk of the Markets, with Drazien insisting on buying me some of the Morraki style robes and dresses we looked at, as well as jewelry and accessories.
It was strange to see a giant alien who resembled what most Humans would have called a demon walking around carrying my bags like a dutiful boyfriend back on Earth.
We moved on to the Fungus Gardens which were on the same level, and they stunned me almost as much as the River Caverns.
Towering shelves of bioluminescent growth stretched upward through carefully maintained chambers.
Vines of soft blues and pinks draped between benches and garden beds, giving the space an intimate feeling the Markets had lacked.
The effect was almost magical.
I spent entirely too long wandering through the quiet space, whispering questions to Drazien since it felt wrong to speak louder.
He answered all of them with a patience that surprised me when I thought about it, and I realized he’d shown many unexpected qualities.
Beneath the cocky smile was a depth he didn’t seem to want people to see.
And, even more surprising, I was having fun.
The thought stopped me, and I turned to blink at the male by my side. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed myself.