Page 85 of Monster's Obsession

It scared me, and something told me that once I found out what else was in his shadows…I’d never be the same again.

CHAPTER 18

BLAKE

Iwas in the kitchen with Bane, attempting to have him teach me how to make a meal. I’d decided if we were all going to make this work, we needed to have some bonding moments with all of the guys that didn't involve my bedroom—although I really liked those bonding moments too.

Regardless…I decided that family dinners were going to be a thing.

What I hadn't taken into account was how much their food grossed me out. Steele was currently perched on a stool, a smirk on his handsome face while he watched me cook. I was definitely putting on a show.

Bane was surprisingly patient, and seemed to not be taking offense at the fact I had to take breaks every couple of minutes because I was afraid I was going to throw up with every dish he taught me how to prepare.

The one I was currently working on was considered another delicacy. There were alot of those, evidently. I was a little worried I was in fact preparing Freddy, because what I was currently rolling into small balls was a gross, gray-colored goo, the same shade as him.

"A little smaller," Bane commented as I worked on rolling one of the balls. We were going to fry them in oil afterward, after dipping them in the scales of a sea monster. It was supposedly one of Seven’s favorite dishes.

I’d come up with the brilliant idea of making a favorite dish for each of them, so after this, I was going to have to cut the eyeball I'd seen last time I was in here into slices.

I didn't know yet what I was going to make for the others, but I considered this an extreme act of love.

"You’re looking a little…green," Steele teased, his bond fluttering in my chest with his amusement.

I shot him a dirty look as I dropped the grey ball of goo into the scales, rolling it around so that the entire outside was covered.

"The oil’s ready," Bane announced, and I picked up the ball and plopped it in the basket. The fact that it was oil was where the similarities ended between their frying process and humans’. The oil was actually a gland from another kind of monster, and it smelled…like rotten cheese.

"What's your favorite dish again?" I asked Steele, wishing I had some sort of gas mask to block out the smell of the oil, and maybe a blindfold as well so I didn't have to see what I was doing. The eyeball dish was next, and it was just sitting on the plate on the other side of the counter…staring at me.

"Macaroni and cheese," Steele said with a sly grin. I nodded, before his words sunk in. I glanced up at him hopefully, because macaroni and cheese happened to be one of my favorite dishes as well. And although the food that was prepared for me here was less monstrous than the dishes I was currently preparing, they were still nothing like human food. Just thinking of macaroni and cheese had my mouth watering.

"Really?" I gasped, seeing Bane frowning out of the corner of my eye, as though we'd mortally offended him. Evidently, gagging over his monster food was acceptable, but suggesting we cook human food was offensive.

"Can we by chance make that…?" I joked, not thinking that would be possible.

Steele walked over to the fridge that was more like an old-school ice box and opened it up. He began to pull out ingredients, and my squeal filled the kitchen as I actually recognized what the ingredients were.

Cheese. And noodles. And milk. Okay, I was pretty sure the milk was not from a cow, but there was still cheese and noodles.

"How did you get that?"

“I slipped back to your realm to grab some things I thought you would like. I remembered how you would smile on macaroni and cheese day."

I lunged forward and threw myself at him, belatedly realizing I had the gray goo all over my hands still.

"All right, we’re making this next. But you're going to have to take the dish away from me as soon as it’s done, because I don’t have enough willpower to not eat the whole thing before we get it to the dinner."

Steele’s gaze filled me with butterflies as I pulled away. It was so besotted looking, that I would've thought it was fake had I not felt him inside of me. Out of all of them, he stayed by me the most. And I didn't mind that at all.

"I'll just finish these…ball thingies," I murmured, turning back to the gross dish. Bane appeared next to me and pushed me to the side gently with his hip.

"You obviously have no taste, and neither does your mate, but regardless, I’m not sure you’ll be able to concentrate on my cooking lessons until you've made that dish. And we wouldn't want the Perverian balls to be ruined. Seven would have my hide. I’ll just finish these up."

I didn't argue with him. I figured that rolling the balls and getting them in the oil counted as making Seven’s favorite dish.

Steele set the ingredients on the counter, and then he pulled on an apron that was only slightly different from the ones you wore in the kitchen on earth. It was hilarious looking on his huge monster form.

"You’re going to help me?" I asked.