Page 74 of Wrapped in Their Arms

At the stove, a towering alien was busy orchestrating a culinary symphony.Hehad four muscular arms, each one moving independently.Onestirred a pot with a long-handled spoon…another sprinkled herbs into a sizzling skillet…the third flipped something meaty on the griddle…and the fourth was chopping vegetables with a knife the length ofBright’sforearm.

The alien chef wore a stained apron over a squat, barrel-chested body, and his skin was a smooth, pebbly blue-green with patches of iridescence that caught the light from the hanging lamps.Apair of round black eyes peered out from beneath a heavy brow, and two nostrils flared on a snout that looked better suited for rooting through a forest floor than working in a kitchen.

Burn setNoellegently on the cool tile and shouted,

“Hey—we were told to come here to eat!”

The alien chef paused, all four arms coming to rest as he turned around.Helooked them over briefly, his snout-like nose wrinkling.

“Ah,Isee oldThunebought himself some more breeders to play with.Well, sit down, sit down.”Henodded toward an oversized wooden table lined with chairs built for giants, each one a regular seat for theTrolloxbut a mountain for the three of them.Thetable itself was scarred and stained, its thick legs bolted to the floor.

Noelle craned her neck to look up at the massive chair, then tried to climb into one.Whenshe sat, the table hit her right under the nose—she could barely see over the edge.

“Oh, there are some booster seats for humanoids your size,” the chef said, waving a spatula absently toward the far corner.“Overthere.I’mCookie, by the way—not that we’ll have long to get to know each other.”

Bright stood and fetched a booster seat—a contraption of molded plastic with a harness and safety bar that looked like it belonged in a toddler’s playpen.Heset it on the chair and helpedNoelleinto it, murmuring,

“Here you go, sweetheart.”

“Thanks,Bright.”Shegave him a grateful look, shifting until she was perched high enough to see the tabletop.

The chef namedCookiereturned to the stove, his four arms a blur once more.

“I’m fixinghogarthhash—you’re going to love it.Oryou might not.Eitherway, doesn’t matter to me.”Hisvoice was rough, like gravel rolling in an empty can.

Bright eyed the dinner plates the chef began slapping down in front of them—each one the size of a car tire, with a rim deep enough to hold soup for an army.Theplates steamed with a riot of colors—yellow and purple cubes of roasted root, glossy green leaves that wilted in a garlicky oil, something that looked like fried seeds, and a scattering of bright blue noodles all swam in the same brown sauce.Therewere also cubes of pinkish meat—slippery and shiny, glistening under the harsh kitchen lights.

The smell was…unexpected,Brightthought.Thehash was rich with the scent of sizzling fat and peppery spices, layered with something floral, almost sweet, that tickled his nose.Despitethe strange appearance of the food, his stomach actually growled.

Gods,I’mhungrier thanIthought,he realized, but there was a nervous flutter in his chest as he eyed the meat.

He poked at a cube with a two-tined utensil, sniffing it.Thescent was unfamiliar—almost briny, with an undertone of rubber.Hedecided to steer clear of the pink meat and focused on the roots and noodles, which tasted earthy and garlicky, with a lingering heat from the sauce.Theblue noodles were surprisingly chewy—almost like squid—and tasted faintly of the sea.

Not bad but not great either,Brightthought, shoveling food into his mouth.Theroots were fine, and the fried seeds popped pleasantly between his teeth, but the noodles were an acquired taste, and he had no intention of even trying to acquire a taste for the mystery meat.

Burn, he noticed, was doing the same—picking around the pink cubes and eating everything else with mechanical determination.

Better safe than sorry,Brightthought grimly.

Noelle, for her part, bravely speared a cube of the pinkish meat and popped it into her mouth.Shechewed, her nose wrinkling, and swallowed with difficulty.

“That tastes…strange,” she admitted, making a face.

“Don’t eat it,”Brightadvised quickly.“We’renot sure what kind of being it came from.”

“Oh, that’s slimish meat,”Cookiecalled over his shoulder, two arms stirring while the other two started washing dishes.“It’sa big creature with lots of tentacles and multiple eyes.Theylive onScreme’leTwo—the whole planet is covered in living slime,” he added conversationally.

Noelle’s eyes went wide.

“Er…thank you for the information,” she said, clearly trying to keep her tone polite.“Andfor the delicious food,” she added, her voice rising a little with effort.

Cookie only shrugged, all four shoulders rising and falling.“Idon’t care if you like it or not—I’mjust doing my job.”

Noelle blinked, at a loss for words.

“Oh, er…I’mNoelle,” she tried, offering a smile.“Andthis isBurnandBright.”

Cookie’s snout twitched.