Page 26 of Wayfinder (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #5)

The kitchen was a sensory delight. The air held an enticing mix of fragrances, from the savory aroma of herbs and spices to the sweet scent of baked goods.

The sound of pots and pans clanging together added to the lively atmosphere, like strange, upbeat music.

Despite the bustling energy of so many people moving about, there was a comforting vibe that enveloped the space.

It felt like a warm hug—the kind that Priemba excelled at giving.

Of course, the people were the thing I enjoyed least about the kitchen right now.

It was nothing personal. Just with Deema and Aqsa helping and the constant influx of deliveries, it was hard to get my hands on Pearl.

In the past few hours, we’d been limited to exchanging heated looks, unable to touch or kiss without prying eyes.

The way the harem girls giggled each time they caught us sharing a glance, I’m not sure we’d succeeded at hiding anything.

I wondered how Deema and Aqsa would giggle if they knew the table they chopped vegetables on had been—as Pearl called it—christened by us last night.

We’d christened a lot of the kitchen, the storage closet, tables, and the freezer.

Only one virgin countertop remained, and we would have christened that last night if not for the damn delivery men.

My mate.

Pearl was my mate.

I wanted to shout it through the halls of the space station, but I held my tongue. Technically Pearl still belonged to Baron Oappo and I worried about his reaction to finding out we’d mated. I possessed no doubt it would be unpleasant and make our escape all the more difficult.

I felt my heart kick up a notch as I watched her taste the recipe Deema was working on.

Cooking was one of the things that kicked her heart into a happy beat, echoed by my own.

She had donned her chef garb once again, the baggy pants and jacket with her thick locks pulled into a low, messy bun.

Despite her disheveled appearance, she was still the most stunning female I had ever laid eyes on.

As I returned my attention to dicing chunks of behia, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the height of the tabletop, conveniently hiding the sign of the growing desire for my mate.

“Very good, Deema. We just need to add a little salt.” Pearl smiled at the girl, who seemed to swoon under the praise.

With the utmost patience, Pearl grabbed the dish of small yellow crystals from the counter, showing Deema how to crush the stones into a fine powder before sprinkling it into the dish.

Steam rose, the sweet scent morphing to savory, as Pearl’s fingers wriggled over the pot, wielding more magick than just a simple spice.

“Hello!”

The abrupt clamor at the doorway startled Pearl, causing her to jump in surprise.

I furrowed my brow as Baron Oappo made his grand entrance, adorned in the lavish red robes befitting his high status.

Qaimus trailed behind him, flanked by a pair of guards carrying a mysterious bundle swathed in gauzy fabric.

The air shifted with an air of tension as they entered the room, like a sudden gust of wind before a storm.

Deema spun away from Pearl, her dress swirling around her knees as she joined hands with Aqsa.

Together, they moved to the back wall of the kitchen and huddled in a submissive pose.

As I watched them, I couldn’t help but think that it could have been Pearl in their place if not for her extraordinary talent.

Just the thought of what she might have endured made me want to throttle the Baron as well as figure out a way to rescue all his harem.

“Human chef Pearl!” The Baron held his arms wide, dark eyes dancing.

Pearl shot me a glance that held the minutia of an eye roll before greeting the Baron.

“Baron Oappo, Chancellor Qaimus, what brings you to my kitchen?”

Her voice sounded friendly and pleased, but from the echo of her heartbeat in my chest, I knew she was anything but.

“The dinner is tomorrow night. I wanted to check your progress.” Baron Oappo strode around the room, eyeing the piles of meat, vegetables, and tools. He stopped near my table, frowning as he looked me over.

Pearl was at my side in a minute, her hand resting on my forearm. Perhaps with the mating bond, she’d felt my desire to punch the slimy bastard.

“Baron. Do you know my sous chef, Jutuk?”

The dark eyes sitting atop the flat skull narrowed. “You are Vaktaire.”

He said the word as though he felt it beneath him.

“Yes, my lord.” I inclined my head graciously, ignoring the gag reflex in my throat as I said the words.

“I wouldn’t have won the competition if not for Jutuk. His knife skills are legendary.” Pearl gushed, and the hand on my arm gave a gentle squeeze before moving away. Her meaning was clear.

Show him.

The blade I held was not a warrior’s knife, but it was long and sharp, and the weight felt good in my hand. I flipped it, going through a series of motions in which I balanced the blade on my fingertips and appeared to narrowly avoid slicing off an appendage.

Younglings play.

Grasping the hilt in my hand, I attacked the slab of behia, maneuvering a series of cuts that yielded translucent slices of meat.

The Baron tried to seem unimpressed, but he issued a heavy sign of acquiescence before turning and motioning to the guards. At the crook of his fingers, his entourage carried over the gauze-wrapped object, depositing it on the end of the table.

“I wanted to speak to you about the Duke’s dinner.” Baron Oappo waved casually in the direction of the mystery package.

“Have you got the menu I prepared?” It wasn’t a question that needed approval, but a statement of simple fact.

The Baron seemed to recognize it, too. “Yes. Chancellor Qaimus speaks very highly of your boeuf bourguignon.”

Pearl turned to the Chancellor, her lips curling into a gracious smile—not a genuine smile. I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of one of her real smiles, and this wasn’t it.

“However,” The Baron huffed, drawing her attention.

“The Duke is an esteemed guest of honor. We cannot expect him to partake of the same dish as the rest of the party.” A webbed hand waved at the guards, and one of them slowly peeled the gauze away, revealing a deep red cut of thick meat marbled with fat striations.

Pearl’s blue eyes went wide, and I noticed she bit her lip to keep from seeming overly excited. “What is it?”

“It is a prime cut of meat from the stroaig, the rarest, tastiest meat in all the universe.” The Baron said proudly, his chest puffing.

“The stroaig are hand fed. Their menu is based on the flavor desired, and the beasts receive massages daily to ensure the tenderest, juiciest meat.” The Chancellor chimed in reverently, as though his words revealed the secrets of the universe.

Baron Oappo made a low warbling sound, thick, slimy lips curling upward. “This particular piece of meat cost more than what I paid for you.”

Pearl’s eyes went sharp, and she paled, although she somehow kept a smile on her face. I gripped the edge of the table, feeling my fingertips sink into the metal as I fought against the sudden rage of desire to kill the Baron.

“I trust you will prepare the stroaig with the same deliciousness as your other meals.” The words came couched as a compliment, but I knew an order when I heard one.

“Of course.” Pearl inclined her head.

“The Duke has heard of your prowess and is eager to taste your culinary efforts,” Chancellor Qaimus chimed in with no small amount of pride.

The Baron stepped closer to Pearl, leaning forward so his green, slimy face was only inches from her pale skin. The need to do violence screamed inside me.

“You will not disappoint me.”

One look, one word from Pearl, and I would kill the green bastard where he stood and face whatever the consequences. Instead, my mate merely smiled, raising her hand, and giving a dismissive wave along with a roll of her blue eyes.

“Of course not.” Disdain dripped from her voice at the Baron’s inference.

Goddess, this woman was magnificent.

The Baron straightened, awkward for a moment at my mate’s reaction to this threat, then turning on his heel, he swept from the kitchen, followed by the Chancellor and guards.

With a roll of her eyes and a giggle, Pearl waved her hand again like she was trying to rid the kitchen of any residual muck from the Baron’s visit.

Deema and Aqsa slowly crept away from the wall, not shaking off the Baron’s visit as easily as my mate. Their body language spoke of years of mistreatment, and it made me even more determined to get them and the others out from under the Baron’s control.

Pearl moved to stand beside me, her attention directed at the slab.

“It’s a gorgeous cut of meat.” Her fingertips traced along the lines of fat, crisscrossing the flesh like spiderwebs.

“Straoig is a singular delicacy,” I admitted, taking a whiff. The meat had the slightly metallic smell inherent to all butchered animals. Still, there was a grassy undertone that didn’t seem quite right.

“What’s the matter?” Pearl watched me intently.

I took another whiff, my opinion unchanging. “Does it smell...?” I hesitated, unsure of the word. “Spoiled?”

Pearl frowned but lifted her fingers to her nose and took a deep breath.

“Not spoiled.” Her expression morphed from curiosity to something more. She leaned over, almost touching the tip of her nose to the meat and inhaling deeply.

A small gasp escaped her lips as Pearl shot upright, her eyes dancing nervously from me to the harem girls. I opened my mouth to inquire, but Pearl gave a short, jerky shake of her head, dislodging strands of reddish-brown hair from the bun at the back of her neck.

“Ladies.” The timbre of her voice didn’t hint at worry. “Could you excuse us for a minute?”

Deema and Aqsa shared a look, their faces fading from worry to amusement in the time it took me to blink. The way they giggled as they left the kitchen made me think they expected Pearl and me to be all over each other the minute the door closed.

Not a bad idea. Yet the minute I glanced at Pearl, I knew kissing wasn’t on her mind.

“What is it?”

“You don’t smell it?” Her voice held a tinge of fear, and she rubbed the fingertips she’d used to touch the meat almost obsessively on her jacket.

I put my nose closer, once again taking in the metallic meat and blood scent, plus that odd grassy smell that seemed so out of place.

“There’s something....” I began, unsure how to identify the strange taint.

“It’s that plant,” Pearl blurted. “The one that smells like lemongrass that you said was poisonous.”

Now that I had an idea, I sniffed again, and the earthy, citrusy scent was much easier to discern. I nodded in agreement, and Pearl smiled triumphantly.

“One of my best assets as a chef is the ability to recognize a spice by scent.”

Gingerly, I pulled the gauze over the meat, then slipped an arm around Pearl’s waist, pulling her away from the table. “If we are right, do you know what it means?”

Pearl glanced at me, puzzled, and I watched as comprehension settled on her beautiful face.

“Holy shit!” She didn’t say another word. There was no need.

“We need to be sure.” My mind raced as I let out a heavy sigh, the weight of our situation bearing down on me. It wasn’t enough to simply be cautious. We needed to handle this with the utmost care to ensure that Baron Oappo never discovered our suspicions in case they turned out to be unfounded.

“How?” Pearl breathed. For a moment, everything went still, as though the very air was trying to come up with a scheme. The low, constant hum of the space station engines tickled my ears, bringing with it a sudden rush of inspiration.

“What?” Pearl asked. Could she feel the change in my heartbeat as easily as I could feel hers?

“Don’t touch it.” I pulled her against my chest, pressing my lips on the top of her hair for a moment before pulling away. “Don’t let anyone else in the kitchen. I will be back as soon as I can.”

“Where are you going?” Pearl took a step to follow me. I didn’t enjoy leaving her here, but we couldn’t take the chance—not if we were right in our suspicion.

“To find something that will tell us if your nose is right.”

Unable to help myself, I pulled her against me, pressing a kiss on the tip of her nose before dropping my lips to hers and kissing her soundly.

“Be careful,” Pearl told me, the faint, breathy sound of her voice making me want to abandon all duty and reason.

My eyes stayed fixed on hers as I slowly backed towards the doorway, studying every emotion that flickered across her beautiful face.

I could see the apprehension in her eyes, but she tried to mask it with a dazzling smile.

With one last longing look, I stepped into the hallway, my heartbeat giving a sudden uptick, echoing the worry in hers.