Page 27 of Wishing Upon a Monster
We wentto Iceland that night, where I met Bjarndýrakóngur, the King of Bears. He insisted I call him Bear and took us to a beautiful glass building very reminiscent of the snow houses I remember seeing on TV as a child. Inside was the most impressive setup, many pillows and furs were situated around a low table on which sat a massive charcuterie board. There was a sweet wine called Kvoldsol, which was delicious, and I had more than one glass of it.
Supposedly, centuries ago, my husband granted Bear’s greatest wish, but he would only smile fondly when I asked what the wish was. Olan assured me that he hadn’t traded a very big wish for this evening’s date, and I quickly forgot to ask more when the brilliant glow of the Northern Lights filled the night sky. I lay in Olan’s arms, mesmerized. Maybe I had too much wine, or maybe the days were catching up with me, but I fell asleep under the lights only to wake up the next morning in my bed, with the alarm chirping in my ear. I tried not to think too hard on why I was disappointed to wake up with only Sashimi next to me.
I pulled my knees to my chest, less bothered by the brand-new sleepwear I didn’t recognize, in a pale blue I loved, and more concerned about the care he was showing me.
Or maybe... it’s not the care he is showing me, but how much I care about it?
I sighed, watching as dawn broke over the trees.
Am I like... those stupid people in the romance novels? The ones where the heroine has a solid person who makes her life more worthwhile and refuses to see it?
I buried my face in my kneecaps, like the pressure on my face could force the sense into my head faster.
I am one hundred percent that bitch.
I really didn’t have time for life-altering revelations. Then again, I supposed life-altering revelations didn’t have time for me to ignore them. Maybe that’s why they were such a bitch? My transfer to the night shift had been approved, but I wouldn’t start training under Irene until next Monday. I had day shifts on the human side of the preserve for the rest of the week.
No, I need to take time to reflect today, because this isn’t going how I expected. I like him. He’s kind. He’s strangely flirty, and, okay, at first I had trouble reconciling that because, I mean, he’s an eight-foot-tall shadow monster...but he’s becoming less of a monster and more of an Olan.
I lifted my face and reached for Sashimi. Running my fingers through her fur, I continued to think.
Even if he were as handsome as an angel, I would think I would have just as much trouble accepting the attention. People don’t flirt with me. Beings don’t either; Nash’s horny ass doesn’t count. People don’t want to stay the night and have breakfast after––much less cook it. Then there are the kisses that don't have to lead anywhere... the easy affection.
I feel my face heat.The solo orgasm in the conference room...
The problem was, he was growing on me. If he grew on me, I couldn’t break this marriage of ours apart.
Sashimi’s purrs filled the spaces between the morning calls of birds as I wondered if I really wanted to break it apart. What would happen if I grabbed this impossible situation with both hands and never gave it a chance to shatter?
12
Olan
It was a delicate dance of manners, behaving formin søde skat.I didn’t fall into a neat box for her colleagues and her family. They wanted me to act monstrous, for my insides to match my outer flesh––never mind that if I were to return home, I would not have this shape. Even in this restrictive form, I was more than they assumed. If they knew the breadth of my abilities, I doubt they would let me access my treasure as easily.
For shewasa treasure, her moods, her laughter. The way the light seemed to follow her, even though she said she possessed no magic. She was something beyond the paltry powers of her kind. She wasmine.
I was greedy. I waited after her shifts, stealing her away in the night to markets, dinners, and walks under the stars. The internet said women of today loved gifts, good food, wine, and company. So was our life for three weeks, untilmin skatfinally impressed the Banshee enough to join her peers on the night shift.
“I want to celebrate finally passing Irene’s BansheeBootcamp tonight after work,” she said, tilting her head to the side to accept my kiss on her temple after I delivered her French toast with whipped cream and blueberries.
“Where do you wish to go,min skat?” I asked, walking back to my empty plate. “It will be early morning in Tokyo, and the cherry blossoms are blooming. I have discovered an Oni cafe where we can dine amongst the flowers.”
I slid a few slices of French toast onto my plate, topping them to match hers.
She swallowed a bite of her breakfast, a hum of pleasure on her lips, “Mmm, we could; I definitely won't say no to seeing that one day. But tonight, I was hoping,” she licked a bit of whipped topping off her fork as I battled to keep my thoughts in a northern direction, “that we could go out to a little Italian spot I know calledIl Boccone Bestiale.It’s owned by a doña de fuera named Fortunata. Her Spaghetti Carbonara is one of my favorite dishes, and... I’d like to share it with you.”
I blinked at her, shocked. “You want to take me to a restaurant called The Beastly Bite for pasta to celebrate?”
“Well, yeah,” she chuckled. “You’ve been taking me all sorts of places you enjoy or thought I would. It’s time I returned the favor, don’t you think?”
My stomach soured. Returning the favor?
I knew this would take time. Time is something we have. This is a positive turn of events, truth be told. But I could perhaps help her rephrase?
I picked up my breakfast, walking the meal not to the spot across from her but one seat over, closer to where she sat. Small gestures. Small movements designed to not spook my bride.
“To understand... you want to take me out?” I questioned lightly, knowing, thanks to MagiTube, that ‘taking out’ is another way to phrase going on a date. Perhaps another small step––
