Page 15 of Healing His Mate

His head pops up from the closest dining table where he chops raw kuhnypa meat into thin strips. “Eh? You want me to cook the entire meal this eve?”

“And the entire meals for each meal until further notice,” I add. I am not worried about his sloppy knife skills, or how he sometimes undercooks the root vegetables. He will learn. This will be good for him. I have coddled him too much, I think. When he makes a mistake, I do not always take the time to show him the proper methods. Instead, I nudge him aside and do the work for him. “You will do a splendid job!” I pat him on the back as I head to the sidewall to grab herbal mixes for tea.

He hisses a breath a moment later, and Elle-noor sighs heavily. “He just cut himself, Waldric! Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Yes, a great idea,” I mumble, not truly listening. I am too busy trying to decide what I shall prepare for Nalba’s meal. It is important my selections will trigger her memories. Shall I make a spicy stew with roastedmujitavi? Does she like the taste of that rare fungi from Nu’Piix? Or I could grill kuhnypa strips and layer them on junasii bread with viiki spread on top.

“Waldric!” Elle-noor shouts, grabbing my attention. “We don’t even know what you planned on making tonight. Can you leave us with a menu or something? At least for tomorrow’s meals?”

“Certainly,” I reply, deciding to go with the kuhnypa strips on bread. It is a simple enough meal I know she will like. I can concoct more elaborate meals later. Krahn holds a rag tightly wrapped around his pointer finger and uses his other hand to give me his screen pad. I pull his wounded hand toward me and check beneath the rag. “You will be fine within moments,” I say to him, then lean toward Elle-noor, “we heal quickly, remember?”

She takes over cutting the rest of the meat as I note the easiest meals to prepare. I tell them to follow this same menu for three days, and I will add more options to it at that time.

“Make sure there is enough junasii bread. Have a loaf baking at all times,” I tell them. “It goes with every meal. Our stock of tree fruit and berries will be enough for now. Krahn knows where to collect more. He can show you.”

Elle-noor looks at my notes and lets out a whistle as her eyes widen. “Okay, I can’t read any of that. Krahn, you’ll need to translate. And how—”

“I am sorry, I do not have time to discuss more. I must take these things to my ma—” I slip, then quickly correct myself, “uh, Nalba. I must take this to her.”

I place my hand on Elle-noor’s shoulder. “Krahn knows what to do. I thank you for your help, Elle-noor. You have my gratitude.”

“We’re even,” she says with a smile. “You covered for me when I was sneaking out to observe the tr’gorys, remember?”

I do remember. Worry tore through my gut when I realized she was stealing food to hand-feed the tr’gory pups, but she was determined to do it, and I knew she would whether I helped her or not. I chose to help her. To let her know she was not alone in her secret.

“So we are,” I reply. I toss my bags over my shoulders and lift the boxes of cooking tools into my arms.

I take three steps toward Nalba’s when I hear Elle-noor shout, “Wait!” as she uses her tiny legs to race after me.

“I’m sorry we didn’t take the time to congratulate you before. You! At Nalba’s! That’s great!” she exclaims cheerfully. “Do you need any more flirting tips?”

“No,” I tell her. “I am going to focus my energy on the food and let that speak for me.”

She presses her lips together firmly and nods. “Genius. I love it.”

We part ways, and by the time I return to Nalba’s, Cloh-ee has returned, which is slightly disappointing. Although, I should not assume that I get Nalba all to myself. She is determined to focus on her projects as much as possible and will need Cloh-ee’s help with that.

“I am back,” I say once I enter her shop. “Hungry?”

Perhaps I am imagining it, but when she sees me, I could swear she sits up just a bit taller. She even returns my smile, which is not something that has happened before. Nalba is polite, if a bit aloof, and usually does smile when I bring her food, but this smile is different. It feels genuine, not forced. Genuine and warm.

“Always,” she replies, holding my gaze.

I wait for my stomach to stir, for my vision to blur around her, for my heart to feel as if it is going to burst from my chest––any sign of the tether. How wonderful it would be in this moment to discover that Nalba is my inara, that we are fated to be together.

But I feel none of these things. Just my rapidly beating heart and sweaty palms, but those are a constant when she is near.

Nalba rises from her stool and gestures toward the table against the wall. “I thought you could cook here. The fire pit is there,” she points to the end of the table, “and you can store your things on this shelf.”

“Yes, this shall work well,” I tell her as I pick up the boxes and place them on the shelf beneath the table.

Nalba goes back to where she was sitting before and resumes her chatter with Cloh-ee. I try to keep my focus on unpacking my things and organizing my new cooking station, but it is quite difficult knowing how close Nalba is. I could steal glances at her all day long. What a gift to be in her presence this often.

“Hang on,” Cloh-ee says from behind me. “Let me pull up that list we made the other day.”

“I do not understand why I refused to document my findings and list my projects,” Nalba mutters. Her voice is muffled. When I glance over my shoulder, I notice her hands covering her face.

Cloh-ee ‘mmm’s briefly and says, “Well, itwassomething I suggested a few times, but you weren’t interested in it.”

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