Page 28 of Wishing Upon a Monster
“Yes! I’ll pay too; you always end up paying or calling in favors when we go out. I should start pulling my weight in this relationship, unless your old-fashioned sensibilities won’t allow you to let me?” she sassed, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
I extended my hand, caressing her arm, “Our relationship,min søde skat?”
“Well, yes. I mean, every being you talk to on a daily basis is in a relationship with you. Sashimi is my pet, so we have a pet and cat mommy relationship. And Rocio, Cece, Selen, Vickie, and I have a friendship.” Her cheeks turned red as I took her small hand in mine. “And, uh...”
Her mind started to overthink; her nervousness became palpable.
At first, I thought it was because she was afraid of me. Even after she came so beautifully for me in the conference room, she had drawn back. She was shy, yes, but it felt like more. I could feel, judging by her emotions, that she was considering. Hopefully, consideringus—as a couple. I’d been trying to follow her cues, but I wasn’t sure she knew what signals to give me.
So now, I pushed, just a little.
“My old-fashioned sensibilities are fine with you paying if we are engaging in current courtship rituals,” I agreed, squeezing her hand before pulling mine away.
“Yes,” she whispered, her face red as she looked down at her plate, “that’s... yes.”
My heart beat a little faster, and hope soared in my chest. “Then I accept. I will pick you up after your shift––”
“Uh, you could, or we could try something a little more...It’s a restaurant that is exclusively open at night for magical beings, so we could meet there?”
Like a date.I felt the blood rush to my cheeks in response. “I would like that very much,min skat.”
She took a deep breath and looked at me with a grin. “Then it’s a date.”
I followedher directions to the letter. She had texted a small map to what she called the supernatural entrance.Il Boccone Bestialewas enchanted to look like a traditional human restaurant, with an entrance that led to the front of house dining area, with the kitchens in back.
The truth, Aurora explained earlier, was that the kitchen was situated in the middle with an exit to the human side at the front and an exit to the monster side in the back. The back exited into the trees, which provided cover and camouflage for the restaurant’s more unique diners. I was also pleased to find that there was a connected well on that part of the property. Being that this was an Italian establishment, the likelihood was that a Pettenedda was the reason why. We Brøndmands were not the only creatures to use wells as a means of transport.
I leaned against a lamppost a few yards away from the entrance. The hostess said I could wait inside, thatmin søde skathad made reservations, and I could wait at the table. But I preferred to enter with my wife.
Shortly after I got my phone, I was approached by the group, Rocio, Vickie, Selene, and Cece. They explained that I would likely need help navigating the world as it was today, and offered me their contact information, telling me to message them if I needed anything. They had been correct in their prediction.Humans had their rules, and at times, it was baffling. I texted them earlier asking about the dress code for this establishment. I already knew pants were required. Cece sent me pictures of button-down shirts because she said I couldn’t walk around bare-chested. It ‘wasn’t that kind of establishment.’ She never answered my question about what sort of establishment allowed you to be topless.
I tugged on my black button-down shirt, which I had fashioned, like my pants, from shadows. It felt restrictive. The things a being did for love.
My phone chirped in my pocket. I hoped it was a text from Aurora, and I was sad to see it was from her eldest brother, Aiden Aurum. It had to be against the rules, how her family had gotten my phone number. I never gave it to them, and I doubtmin lille skatdid, either.
I harrumphed at his text warning me to treat her right, or else. Where were they when she dated that fool Kenton? Did they threaten him with their paltry displays of power?
I sighed. Humans’ valuation of family was a concept that I was still adjusting to. Brøndmands were created, not born, so family was a concept we learned after we found partners. I sent back a simple, “Yes, sir.”
The dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared, then disappeared again. I smirked. I put my phone away and watched the woods, waiting formin skat.
She emerged from the shadows dressed in a way I had not seen before. Her coverings were varied; the uniform for work was splotched to conceal her in the forest, while her charming dresses and forest-themed accessories were reserved for days at home or running errands. This was different.
I felt the blood quicken in my veins as I pushed myself off the lamp post, drawn to the vision that was my wife. She wore a long deep-purple satin gown, her toned physique on display in a sensual way. Never had I considered that clothing couldenhance the way I felt towards another being. Or maybe this was one of the magical things about Aurora.
“You look stunning,min elskede.” I trailed a finger along the golden skin of her shoulder, where only a thin strip of fabric held her dress to her body. The urge to rend it, to tear the soft casing away to expose her skin to my gaze, was warring with my desire to have this date. To take things at the speed she wished us to.
This dress shredded my patience. I used my shadows to discreetly shield the erection I now had from view.
She blushed prettily, the color sliding down her throat and across what I could see of her chest. “Thank you. You look very formal,” she said, reaching out to tug on my shirt.
“This seems to be a formal place,” I responded, trying to clamp down on my lust.
“It is, but I uh... I didn’t know you did shirts.” She took my hand, giving it a squeeze before walking forward.
I walked with her to the door, enjoying that they had taller entrances than the enforcer’s command center or our little cottage; I needed only to duck a little to come inside.
The restaurant was very intimate, the lighting dim, with high-backed cushioned benches set in ‘c’ shapes. White tablecloths with jars of fairy lights decorated each table, the glow soft and inviting. Large mosaic murals were placed throughout the restaurant, depicting famous monsters like the gorgons. It was very Italian and yet not all at once; such is the effect of living in the New World.
