“Yeah, a person who cooks for other people,” I explained.
“Ah yes, I am the chef of the dekes.”
“What spices did you use on this meat?” I held up a piece of jerky that looked similar to what I had eaten earlier. I knew I wouldn’t know the names of the spices, but I liked the idea of talking about something as familiar to me as cooking. And who knew–I might get lucky and survive long enough to cook a meal here.
Orsu pulled out another piece of dried meat and lifted it up under the beam of the moonlight shining through the cave.
“See this black speck here? That is from the morot root. There are many morot plants that grow close to the mountain, so it is easy to find them, dry them out, and grind them into powder for a sweet seasoning.”
“Morot root. Got it.”
“And this red speck here?” Orsu pointed to oneof the many red pepper-looking things.
“This is from the lukur leaf. It is one of our spiciest seasonings. When you dry it in the sun the oils are drawn out. It makes your mouth tingle with heat and has a nice smoky flavor to it.”
This was turning out to be a lot more educational than I’d thought it would be.
“I add all the spices together in a mixture of thickened broth. Then the strips of meat are dipped in the broth and laid out to dry.”
“That’s really impressive. Where did you learn this recipe?”
Orsu looked wistful as he recalled the jerky recipe. “This one I learned from my mother when I was young. She saw my passion for cooking early on and encouraged me to learn her recipes and to make some of my own.”
“I bet she’s very proud of you. You sound like a skilled chef.”
“I like to think she would be.” Orsu gave me a pained smile. I caught his use of the phrasewould be. On a harsh planet like this, it was easy to imagine she may have died either from a beast or maybe some ailment.
The events of the day were starting to catch up to me and I let out a yawn.
“Come, you must be tired.” Orsu pulled a fur blanket from his pack, lay down, and gestured for me to come closer.
Did he think I was going to lie down on top of him? I made no move to come closer. Instead I placedmy palm on the floor of the cave and my hand came away damp. I bit back a sigh of frustration. Was the whole cave like this? If I slept on a damp floor I’d spend most of the night freezing, and for someone who already struggled to fall asleep in the first place, a freezing damp floor certainly wouldn’t help.
Orsu’z gaze followed mine, and as if he had read my thoughts he mentioned, “This cave is too damp for you to sleep on the floor.” He paused before continuing. “You can sleep on me, Julie. I promise not to hurt you.”
“What about the blanket? Can I sleep on that?” I pointed to the very warm looking blanket currently splayed across Orsu’s chest.
He shook his head. “This blanket is too thin. It would soak up the moisture and then keep you cold and wet for the rest of the night. You can lie on top of me and I will place the blanket on top of you,” he explained.
I looked around the cave again, searching for a dry corner in the room, but found none. It was starting to sink in that Orsu was my only option for a bed tonight. I looked him up and down again. He was a large male with broad shoulders and a thick midsection. My cheeks heated at the thought of spending the night on top of his muscled blue body. Doing so certainly wouldn’t be the worst way to spend the night. I let out a sigh and walked over to Orsu and sat down on my knees beside him.
I looked him over again and marveled at his broad chest. This male was huge.
“My fangs may be sharp, but I promise I don’t bite,” Orsu chuckled.
His joke made me feel a bit more comfortable about the situation. He had such a lightness about him that it was easy to be near him. As someone who was always bogged down with worries, his broad smile and hearty laugh made me feel at ease. His levity was almost infectious and I felt drawn to him, as if a part of me hoped some of his lightheartedness might rub off on me.
I obviously didn’t know Orsu, but he struck me as someone who not only didn’t take life too seriously, but also as someone who would never add to the burdens of others.
“Ok,” I announced, more to myself than to him, as I lay down on his chest, leaving only my hips and legs on the floor.
With a grunt he lifted me and rested the lower half of my body onto his. “Now you are ready for sleep.”
I had to admit he was quite comfortable to lie on. Orsu was a broad guy and I was a short woman with flared hips, but not much else as far as curves went.
I laid my head down on his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. It was going so fast. Was he nervous or did his heart always beat this fast?
I nearly moaned as he laid the blanket on top of me. It was so warm and cozy, and I was so tired. I smiled to myself as I tucked the blanket under my chin and hoped for a good night’s sleep.
