His Singularity

Chapter 1

I have always thought that cooking is half science, half art.
There is a science to the measurements, the preparation and the timing. But the artistry is what goes into the food, and what is on every plate.

Cooking is one of the few things I do well. And I do it very well.

"Lala, how's that sauce looking?" A familiar voice pierces through the usual rattling of a busy kitchen.

"Two minutes out." I do not have to check to know. But I do need to check on the chicken in the oven.

I moan at the olfactory assault as I open the oven. The scent is enough to tell me that it is ready, but Henry always insists I check visually.

Henry, is my boss and the head chef of Mikret Dining, one of the best high end restaurants in Europa. He demands nothing but the best of every employee, from the chefs to the cleaners and inspects every plate before it is sent out.

The man is a perfectionist.

I have only been working here for seven months and he has taken a shining to me. He has taken me under his wing and is teaching me so much. So much that I deeply appreciate.

I do not have the heart to tell him he is wasting his time on me.

After removing the chicken from the oven, I turn the lamb chops before I turn off the sauce burner and begin plating.

I love this job.

The hours are insane and I am incredibly sore after every shift, but it is the best job I have ever had and I know to be grateful. It has afforded me a better lifestyle than most humans dream of.
Not only do I live in Yellow City, one of the few human-friendly cities left, I am also guaranteed three square meals a day. I am living the dream of every human out there.

So I work hard and do not complain.
You never complain. As skilled a chef as I am, there are five other equally skilled chefs waiting for me to screw up so they can replace me.

Henry may like me, but I am human, and even in Yellow City, supernaturals are priority hires. Especially in places like this that cater to the elite.
All it takes is one snobby vampire, or worse, a mermaid, to find out that their food was prepared by a human and take it up with the owner.

I would be fired and kicked out of the city in the blink of an eye.

So I make sure to work harder than everyone else and produce nothing short of perfection every single night.

"Is it really him?"
"It can't be."

"Shit."
"I think I'm going to be sick."

The kitchen is suddenly buzzing and I realise I missed something. It is probably a lycan sighting or someone of importance is here.
I do not have time to think about it.

If I make a single mistake, Valdus and I are on the street. Again.

I ignore the chatter around me and focus.

Until it happens.
The kitchen becomes silent.

Kitchens are never this silent, so I finally look up only to be met with crystal blue eyes.

A vampire. I can tell. And an old one too. The older the vampire, the stronger it is and this one feels stronger than most.

Shit. I might as well kiss my job goodbye.
Older vampires hate humans.
Something about humans torturing them for decades before the Grand War.

He takes slow steps towards me and I know I have been made.

"Who is this exquisite creature you have hiding back here, Henrique?" His voice is silky smooth as his eyes bore into mine.