"Dead serious," he said with a smirk. "It's cleaner that way. Stronger. But I didn't want to scare off your plate."
He put the meat on a plate, nothing fancy just poured a little oil over it and sprinkled something that looked like salt. Then he set it down in front of her.
Lydia stared at it like it might bite back.
"Go on," he said. It wasn't exactly an order but it also didn't sound like she had a choice.
She picked up her fork and knife, hesitated for a second then cut a small piece. The knife slid through it easier than she expected. She put it in her mouth and her eyes shot open a little.
It didn't taste weird at all. In fact, it was...really good. Deep and full like it hit something inside her she didn't even know was empty. A slow warmth spread through her chest an
