Page 61 of Dancing for the Minotaur

Taurex nodded.

“It holds the remains of my people and–for those who are lucky enough to find them–their mates.”

“Do many Monstrum find human mates?” Terra asked, giving him a sidelong look.

“A fair number,” Taurex rumbled. “You may meet Commander Rarev’s mate. She is an official in the British government.”

“Wow, she must be a really strong woman,” Terra murmured.

He nodded.

“She is admirable–Commander Rarev’s equal in every way.”

Terra looked down at her hands.

“I guess she doesn’t have to worry about anyone finding out she used to be a stripper,” she murmured.

“You don’t either, because you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Taurex said firmly.

Terra looked up and saw that he was looking at her intently.

“You say that, but you weren’t the one on that stage taking off your clothes and dancing for money,” she pointed out.

The corners of his mouth twitched.

“Well, I doubt anyone would pay me to take off my clothes,” he rumbled. “But I saw you on that stage, Terra, and I respect you. You did what you had to do to protect and provide for your family. There is no shame in that.”

Terra had been telling herself that exact same thing for ages, but she still felt validated by the big Monstrum’s words.

“Thank you,” she said to him. “Thank you for not looking down on me or making me feel less-than because of my time stripping.”

“I would never do such a thing,” he said seriously. “You don’t look down on people you care about–people who are important to you.”

“Well, my ex might disagree with you,” she said dryly. “If he ever found out I’d been stripping he would have used it to try and take the kids away from me.”

“Then he never really loved you,” Taurex said firmly. “And any male who won’t provide for his younglings is beneath contempt.”

The growl in his voice surprised Terra and she realized the big Monstrum really felt strongly about her ex and his refusal to pay child support, which she had mentioned only once, in an off-hand way.

“I take it that Monstrum take care of their kids, then?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“It is a mark of pride for us to provide for our family–when we are lucky enough to have one,” he said gravely. “If the Goddess blessed me with a family, I would provide for them and protect them with my life.”

Terra wondered if he was trying to tell her something. She had definitely noticed how quickly her kids had taken to her Monstrum boss and he seemed to like them as well. Even her mom liked him, and that was saying something–her mom had been skeptical of every man she’d ever dated. She had absolutely hated Jackson and Terra had often wished she’d listened to her mom’s intuition before she started dating her ex.

So was Taurex saying he would like to protect and provide for her family?

The thought made her heart flutter but before she could explore it further, they flew through what looked like a giant window in the side of the Mother Ship and landed.

Taurex helped her unfasten her safety harness and led her through the vast, echoing Docking Bay which was filled with the golden Monstrum shuttles. Then he led her down a long corridor that made Terra’s eyes go wide.

The Monstrum Mother Ship wasn’t just a ship, as Taurex explained it. It was actually a living vessel, and the interior really showed that. Everywhere, growing on the walls and ceilings, were vines with multiple glowing flowers. They provided the illumination for the entire ship, and they came in many colors–gold and pink and pale green and deep blue and royal purple–it was beautiful to see.

The effect of the glowing flowers was magical, making Terra feel like she’d stepped into a Disney movie. She couldn’t stop looking all around her as she held Taurex’s hand and let him lead her through the alien ship.

At last they came to the Commander’s office. Taurex knocked on the door and a deep, purring voice said,

“Come in.”