“The dress isn’t your surprise, Kythel,” I said, chuckling, even as my cheeks heated, pleased by the compliment.
He pulled away, confused. I gestured at the small table behind me, the one I’d restored. The flowers he’d given me still looked in perfect health. The first course was already set into place, a decanter of Drovos wine sitting beside the platter.
“I’m giving you the universe tonight,” I said, taking his hand and leading him to the chair, the back of it straight and narrow, specifically made for a Kylorr to accommodate their wings. “Four dishes from four different Quadrants. And a fifth of my own creation.”
Kythel’s lips parted. His head tilted down in a quiet, assessing expression, his eyes flickering back and forth between mine. “You’re giving me the universe?”
“You said you had dreams of traveling throughout the Quadrants,” I said. “I thought I would bring a portion of them to you here on Krynn. One of the recipes is my father’s, two we worked on together. One I learned from a Tirutian—from the party where I met Ver Teracer actually. But the last I made for you. Only for you. Inspired by Stellara.”
The intensity in his gaze was making me a little emotional. Not the response I’d expected, but when tears sprung in my eyes, he blew out a sharp breath, tugging me into him more fully, kissing me again. This time more restrained but no less passionate. Soft and deliberate, the way he kissed me made my throat tighten with the sweetness of it.
“You are unlike anyone I’ve ever met, Millie Seren,” he whispered against my lips, his forehead resting on mine when he broke the kiss. “Thank you,sasiral. I love my surprise.”
I laughed, dashing away the tears that threatened to fall down my cheeks, though I wasn’t embarrassed that he witnessed it. “You haven’t tasted anything yet,” I reminded him. “I’m a little rusty, you know.”
“Whatever you give me will be perfect,” he replied, “because you made it.”
I flushed until I was certain I resembled one of the bright red berries I’d used in one of the compotes. Kythel’s gaze went to the prep counter, where the other dishes were sitting under hydro-warmers. Telaana had let me borrow the clear domes for the night. They would keep the individual platters at the ideal temperature, and then I would add the fresh garnishes as I served Kythel.
“No peeking,” I chided, ushering him into his chair. When I took a seat in the chair just next to him, I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and said, “This is inspired by Bartu. You said you wanted to see the great cathedrals there, right? This is a dish from Inru, which has the largest cathedral dedicated to a deity in all of the First Quadrant, perhaps even the entire universe.”
Kythel couldn’t take his eyes off me, and they drifted back and forth between my eyes and my lips as I spoke, flustering me, though all I wanted to do was grin. But I kept my composure, always nervous about a first course, especially considering I hadn’t made this particular dish in years. But the Bartutians and the Kylorr enjoyed similar levels of spice in their food, so I thought it would be a good choice.
“They sell something similar on the streets right outside the cathedrals,” I explained. “It’s simple food, meant to be eaten after they sing their long chants. It takes a lot of energy, I’m told. But the Bartutians begin to sing at sunrise, and to hear them sing is hauntingly beautiful. And so when my father and I created this recipe, we used all the same ingredients as the original we had that day, but we added an orange glaze made ofojunfruit to brighten up the smokiness of the game. And little poppingalcuiberries because they snap on the tongue, and the sound reminded us of the clicking chorus of the Bartutians’ chants. That’s what those little spheres are,” I explained, gesturing down to the plate.
The plates were mismatched because I’d bought them secondhand at the market. Mine had a chip in it, but I thought they were both a pretty blue, each complimenting the other. The Bartutians servedbunoon a skewer, but ours sat in a pretty orange glaze, the color of the sunrise that morning on Bartu.
“I’m not boring you, am I?” I asked, laughing a little when I realized I’d been rambling and the dish was getting colder by the second.
“Not at all,” Kythel rumbled, leaning forward to capture my chin in his grip, giving me a lingering kiss. He admitted, “This is a side of you I haven’t seen much. You think you’re boring me? It’s quite the opposite. I promise you,sasiral, I could listen to you talk about faraway places all day and night.”
I swallowed, feeling a lump rise in my throat.
Falling in love with him had been much too easy, I realized. Hadn’t it?
“I hope you’re hungry,” I told him quietly.
“Ravenous,” he replied, throwing me a secretive smile I recognized, one that made me squirm in my seat. Kythel pulled back, picking up his two-pronged eating utensil and using the sharpened side to cut through the Bartutian game—which had taken a week to source—like it was warm butter from the New Earth colonies. He popped the bite into his mouth, making sure he got a bit of everything, which pleased me.
I watched him with bated breath, watching his jaw work, though I knew the game would melt on his tongue. When he said nothing, I worried I’d messed up the recipe and quickly took a bite of my own.
The flavor was mild at first—the protein lightly spiced—but then I got a hint of the tart but sweet glaze, followed by the surprising spark of the berries.Delicious.Just how I remembered making it with my father.
Kythel said nothing, only peered over at me, the corner of his mouth quirking upward in a decadent smirk.
“What do you think?” I asked, though I was confident in the first course, a hint of triumph entering my tone. “You’re in love with it, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” he said, those eyes pinned on me. “I am.”
I didn’t read too much into his words or the intensity of his expression as he said them…though it was difficult.
“Like your dishes at RaanaDyaan,” he started, “I’ve never had anything quite like it, Millie.”
That was a high compliment coming from aKyzaire, who’d no doubt had only the best throughout his life. Which made me think of Telaana, setting her clothes on fire on a regular basis, and I let out a small chuckle.
“What?” he asked, going in for a second bite, his movements eager.
“How did you meet Telaana?”
