“That’s the spirit.” Jillian laughed and handed her the rectangular pitcher with the strange spiral spout. Liv took it and doused the pale orange pasta-worms on her plate liberally with the thin blue-green oil. When they were bright green and didn’t move when she poked them, she felt better. But only marginally. After all, she still had what amounted to a plateful of freshly killed raw worms. Grimly she wound some of the long thin strands around her fork and lifted the dripping mass to her mouth. Come on, she told herself. It can’t be worse than Baird’s first attempt at pizza! Closing her eyes tight, she shoved the worms in her mouth and began to chew.
At first she was so intent on not spitting out what she’d just put in her mouth that Liv couldn’t taste a thing. But after a moment the flavor exploded across her tongue and it was…Sweet. It’s actually sweet! The Grieza worms seemed to melt on her tongue, filling her mouth with a taste like the richest, most decadent chocolate she’d ever had. There were other flavors mixed in, a hint of something like mint and something else like citrus and raspberries and almonds but the main flavor was definitely chocolate.
“See, didn’t I tell you?” Jillian grinned at her delightedly. “It’s like Godiva died and went to heaven in your mouth, right?”
“It’s…pretty damn amazing,” Liv admitted, swallowing and reaching for another forkful. The taste was instantly addictive and she wanted more no matter where it came from. “Why didn’t you tell me they tasted like chocolate?” she demanded after she finished another forkful.
“It’s better if you find out for yourself.” Jillian dug into her own plateful of chocolate pasta-worms happily. “I didn’t believe it myself until my guys got me to try them. Now I can’t get enough of them. And you know the best part? They’re pure protein—no fat and really low calories. You can practically eat as much as you want and not gain an ounce.”
“Wow,” Liv mumbled around another mouthful. She knew she was being rude but she didn’t want to stop eating long enough to really talk. The weird looking Grieza worms were literally the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth. Go figure.
They ate in silence for a moment until both plates were completely clean. Unlike eating real chocolate, the Grieza worms tasted decadent but weren’t too rich too eat a lot of at one sitting. Though she was alarmingly full when her plate was clean, Liv thought she cheerfully could have asked for seconds. However, she didn’t want to be rude so she just smiled at Jillian. “Thanks for getting me to try that. It was amazing.”
“I knew you’d like it.” Jillian smiled. “Seriously, I gave up a lot to leave Earth and be with my guys but between the hot sex every night and the Grieza worms it was totally worth it.”
“You really think so?” Liv looked at her closely. “I mean, didn’t you leave family behind? People you loved? And now you can never see them except once or twice a year.”
“It’s a little rough,” Jillian admitted, pouring Liv a glass of wine. “I’m really close to my mom and she cried and cried when I got drafted. Actually, both of us did. At first I was determined to resist but, well…” She shrugged. “The guys are just so sweet. I mean, they think the sun just rises and sets on me. It’s hard to resist that kind of devotion.”
“Baird seems really, uh, devoted to me, too,” Liv admitted. “He’s always really patient.” And I’ve really been trying his patience lately. But she was ashamed to say that out loud. Jillian seemed so happy and well adjusted here on the Kindred ship. It was hard to admit that she herself wasn’t. Only because you won’t let yourself be. But she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
“It’s funny you should say that because Beast Kindred have a reputation of being really impatient. Very fiery and impetuous—especially if they feel like they’re bride is threatened. Of course, that last pretty much goes for all Kindred. Don’t you think it’s kind of romantic to be with a guy who would fight to the death to keep you safe?” Jillian sighed happily. “I mean, my last boyfriend on Earth was nice—he bought me everything I wanted, had his own yacht—you name it. But he never really had time for me. If I complained or wanted to talk he just threw more money at me. It got really boring after awhile. Not to mention that his bedroom technique was, shall we say, lacking.” She giggled. “And I have to say I have no complaints about the guys in that department. What about Baird? Is he amazing in bed?”