43. Taurex
TAUREX
Taurex had negotiated the purchase of medicinal compounds worth several million credits without experiencing anything like the anxiety he felt while standing beside Terra in a small bakery in South Tampa, waiting for a human woman named Marcia to bring them samples of cake.
It was ridiculous, really. There was no danger here—no hostile government to placate, no complicated trade language to decipher and certainly no reason for his pulse to accelerate merely because Terra was standing close enough that the sleeve of her pale blue blouse occasionally brushed his arm.
This was not even a real Joining ceremony they were planning, he reminded himself.
It was an elaborate deception intended to support Terra’s testimony and keep the human authorities from reconsidering his involvement in Viktor Orlov’s death.
And yet Taurex had spent more time than he cared to admit thinking about today’s appointment.
Perhaps that was because it allowed him to be with her again.
He disliked admitting that even to himself, but it was the truth. He just wanted to be near her—even if everything they were doing was a lie and a pretense.
Terra had called him three days after they agreed to the false engagement and informed him that she had found a bakery willing to fit them in for a tasting.
Taurex had immediately rearranged two business meetings and moved an interplanetary trade consultation to the following morning, then spent the rest of the day telling himself he had done so because the appearance of an authentic engagement required cooperation.
The fact that he had arrived at the bakery twenty minutes early was completely irrelevant.
Terra had arrived five minutes late.
She had rushed through the door apologizing, slightly breathless, with her brown hair loose around her shoulders and a large handbag slipping down one arm, and Taurex’s first thought had been that she was beautiful.
His second had been that she was not his…the two thoughts had become unfortunately inseparable.
“Sorry,” Terra said again as she joined him at the little consultation table near the back of the shop. “There was an accident on Dale Mabry and traffic was insane.”
Taurex looked her over carefully.
“You are unharmed?”
She nodded.
“Well, yes. The accident was two cars in front of me—just a fender bender but they blocked half the road.”
“As long as you’re well, there is nothing to apologize for,” he told her.
Her expression softened in that way that made Taurex want things he had no right to want.
“Thanks for understanding,” she murmured.
Taurex inclined his head and forced his attention toward their surroundings. He knew if he let himself, he would become lost in her eyes and that wouldn’t do. So he looked around instead.
The little bakery smelled delicious.
Sweetness filled the air—vanilla and butter and chocolate along with several scents he could not identify—and glass cases displayed dozens of intricately decorated pastries.
Taurex had sampled many human desserts since arriving on Earth, but apparently wedding cakes occupied an entirely separate category of food because the wall behind the consultation table displayed photographs of enormous, tiered structures covered in flowers, ribbons, miniature sculptures and elaborate decorations.
He studied them seriously and nodded at Terra.
“Humans eat all of that?” he asked.
Terra followed his gaze.
“Well, not usually all at once.”
“One of those structures appears large enough to feed a military unit,” Taurex observed.
“That’s probably for a big wedding,” she told him. “We’re planning for a small, intimate occasion. Family and close friends only.”
“We are?” This was news to Taurex.
She frowned.
“Unless you have a lot more people you want to invite?”
He gave her a look.
“You’re asking how many people I want to invite to our fake wedding?”
“Well, yes,” she said a tad defensively. “We need to be able to tell the bakery how big a cake we need.”
“How many humans typically attend a mating ceremony?” Taurex asked.
Terra shrugged.
“It varies. Anywhere from ten people to five hundred.”
His eyes widened.
“Five hundred?”
She nodded.
“Sometimes more.”
Taurex frowned.
“Why so many? What is the need for so many people to attend a Joining?”
She laughed.
“You ask that like weddings are tactical operations.”
He frowned.
“They do appear logistically complicated.”
“They can be,” she said seriously.
“Then limiting attendance seems prudent,” Taurex pointed out.
Terra’s smile widened.
“You know, most men just show up and say, ‘Whatever you want, honey.’”
His frown deepened.
“That seems irresponsible.”
Terra laughed again, and Taurex felt the familiar warmth move through his chest. He had missed that sound far more than he should have.
But before he could think about it too long, a cheerful woman with short black hair emerged from the kitchen carrying a large tray covered with small white plates. Each plate held a narrow slice of cake with a different filling or frosting.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” she said, setting the tray between them. “I’m Marcia. You must be Terra and Taurex.”
Taurex nodded.
“That is correct.”
Marcia’s eyes flicked upward toward his horns, though to her credit she recovered quickly.
“Well, congratulations on your upcoming wedding.”
Taurex felt his chest tighten but Terra gave the woman a bright smile.
“Thank you. We’re really excited!” she said. “And I’ve heard you make the best wedding cakes.”
“Well, we like to think so.”
Marcia smiled as she settled into the chair across from them and began arranging the plates.
“So I pulled together a little bit of everything. We’ve got classic vanilla bean with buttercream, chocolate ganache, almond with raspberry filling, lemon with raspberry mousse, red velvet with cream cheese, carrot cake, coconut cream and our champagne cake with strawberry.”
Taurex looked at the array in surprise.
“All of these are for us?”
Marcia grinned.
“Well, of course! You have to taste them all before you can pick just the right one!”
Terra leaned closer to him.
“We’re supposed to try everything.”
Taurex nodded.
“I am more than willing—they all look delicious.”
Marcia handed them each a fork.
“Well, dig in then. Let me know what you like.”
The first cake was vanilla. Terra cut off a small bite and tasted it.
Taurex watched her expression closely as she considered it.
“Mmm, this is good.”
“Only good?” Taurex asked.
She gave him a look.
“What’s wrong with good?”
“You made a face,” he pointed out.
Terra frowned indignantly.
“I did not.”
“You did.”
“What kind of face?”
Taurex attempted to reproduce it, and Terra stared at him.
“Do I really look like that?”
“When evaluating food, apparently.”
Marcia covered her smile with one hand. Apparently they amused her somehow.
“I’ll just step in the back for a moment,” she said to them, leaving the table.
When she was gone, Terra pointed her fork at Taurex.
“Fine. You try it.”
“All right—I will.”
Taurex took a bite. The cake was pleasant enough, soft and sweet with a rich cream coating but nothing special.
He swallowed and gave his verdict.
“It is acceptable.”
Terra’s eyes widened.
“Just acceptable?”
“Yes.” He shrugged. “I like it but it’s not exceptional.”
“You know, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” Terra said.
Taurex frowned at her.
“Just because we are only pretending to marry is no reason to serve mediocre cake.”
Terra shook her head, but the corners of her mouth were twitching as though she wanted to smile.
“You’re taking this way too seriously.”
Taurex looked at her.
“No, this is important. I intend to treat this with the same gravity as if we were really getting Joined.”
“Oh…okay.”
Terra’s smile faded slightly and for a heartbeat, the false nature of everything they were doing seemed to hang between them.
Taurex looked down at the plate.
“In Monstrum Joining ceremonies,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “food has significance.”
Terra leaned closer.
“What kind of significance?”
“The newly Joined pair feeds one another,” he told her.
“Oh, we do that too,” Terra told him.
Taurex looked at her.
“You do?”
“Yes—during the cake cutting the bride and groom feed each other the first bites of cake.” She gestured at the different cakes with her fork. “So how does it work in a Monstrum ceremony?”
“The male feeds his bride the first bite of food from his plate and gives her the first sip from his cup,” he said. “Among my people, the gesture signifies that he will always nourish and sustain her. It is not necessarily a sweet food, though some regions use ceremonial fruits or breads.”
Terra propped her chin in her palm and smiled.
“That’s actually really beautiful.”
“It’s practical,” Taurex told her. “A Monstrum must be able and willing to sustain and care for his bride. He must be willing to give his life to save hers. He must put her happiness before his own always.”
“Wow…” Terra was looking at him with an emotion he couldn’t quite interpret in her eyes. “Is that really how Monstrum feel about their brides?”
“If a male is lucky enough to be given a bride by the Goddess, he will do anything in his power to protect and care for her,” Taurex told her.
Somehow they were looking into each other’s eyes, and he found he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
“He will lay down his life for her without a second thought,” he added.
“Oh, Taurex—” Terra began.
But just then they were interrupted by Marcia, returning from the back part of the bakery.
“Well now—do you have any questions?” she asked brightly.
“Er, no.” Terra looked down. “We haven’t tasted them all quite yet.”
Taurex said nothing. He found himself imagining Terra standing before him during a true Joining ceremony, taking a sip from the cup he held to her lips. The image came so vividly that he had to look away.
This was precisely why pretending to plan a wedding was dangerous.
Marcia, apparently oblivious to his internal struggle, pushed another plate forward.
“Try the almond raspberry,” she urged.
They did and Terra liked it more than the vanilla.