Page 96 of Dancing for the Minotaur

“See? That answer means there is definitely something weird about it.”

Taurex rumbled laughter as he carried the meat to the broad black cooking plant. He touched the side of the bowl and orange veins began glowing beneath its surface, spreading rapidly until heat shimmered above it.

“What do you use for oil?” Terra asked.

He shook his head.

“I don’t need any. The cooking pod produces its own natural oil whenever I add ingredients to it.”

He dropped the first chunk of blue meat into the heated plant, and it immediately began to sizzle.

The sound was so familiar that Terra almost forgot she was standing inside a living house on an alien spaceship. Then the smell hit her.

“Ohhh,” she moaned as her mouth started to water. The scent of the searing meat was incredible. It was rich, savory and slightly smoky, like the best steak she had ever smelled cooking on a grill, but with another note underneath it that reminded her of roasted mushrooms and browned butter. Her stomach growled instantly.

Taurex looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Hungry?”

Terra put a hand to her stomach and gave an embarrassed laugh.

“Apparently.”

“You told me you ate very little this morning,” he pointed out.

“I was excited.”

Taurex frowned.

“You should not skip meals just because you are excited.”

Terra raised an eyebrow. “

Was that my boss talking or my mother?”

The corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile.

“Both may have valid concerns.”

She laughed again—she really liked the big Monstrum’s dry sense of humor.

Taurex turned the blue chunks with a set of wooden-looking tongs, browning each side until the exterior darkened to a deep navy while the scent filled the kitchen.

Terra found herself drifting closer without even meaning to.

“I cannot believe something that color smells like steak,” she remarked. “It looks like it ought to smell like blueberries.”

“Color does not affect flavor,” Taurex remarked.

“Tell that to green ketchup,” Terra remarked.

Taurex frowned.

“Why would ketchup be green? Isn’t it made from red tomatoes?”

“Yes—that’s my point,” Terra said. “But no matter what color the stew is, I can’t wait to try some of it.”

“I hope you’ll enjoy it,” Taurex said, smiling.