Page 27 of Bread By the Grim
He studies me for a moment, then puts a hand to my cheek. “You’d be willing to go through this all over again?”
“Grim! What do you think ‘I love you’ means?”
He shakes his head. “Everyone has boundaries. Maybe this is a one and done for you? Maybe I should go away next time? Or maybe the doctor has some type of suppressant?—”
“Grim, are you always so stubborn? I want to be with you. If this is part of that, then we’ll work through it together.”
“I just want you to be sure.”
“Grim, you promised me no blue balls, ever. I expect you to keep to that promise. You are mine. You’re not going away during breeding season.”
He smiles. “I like when you’re possessive.”
I roll my eyes and turn away to turn on the taps, but he stops me and pulls me close. Our bodies are absolutely gross. My hair is one hundred percent a rat’s nest. We smell…not good, but his eyes are full of laughter.
“Do you know how beautiful you are, Phil?”
“Grim, you’re nuts.”
“I am. But, you…” He kisses me softly. “You’re absolutely perfect.”
Epilogue
“Are you sure you want to do this? There’s still time,” Grim looks nervous as he checks his watch. It’s 11:55. He doesn’t get nervous, so it’s a new and amusing thing to see the worry on his face.
“I have Doux and Charlie boarded for the night at Ruff N’ Tumble. I’ve eaten, hydrated well, and even shaved for this, Grim.”
His face changes from worry to amused. “You shaved for this?”
“EVERYTHING.”
“So you shave for the gremlin and not me?” he teases.
I kiss him on the nose. “I shave for occasions, not people, love. Remember our anniversary? And the cabin in the mountains? This is a big occasion. I’m meeting someone for the firsttime.”
Tonight’s the night.
I’m finally going to meet the gremlin and see what he’s like when Grim’s not overwhelmed with breeding hormones. Since his first one has passed, he’s had four more breeding cycles. We’ve been fortunate that they seem to come at regular intervals—about once every four months. We’ve gotten so good at seeing the signs that we can usually head them off by taking a day off and “breeding” before his body forces the shift and he becomes completely mindless. It makes the whole experience a lot more enjoyable when it’s with Grim who can be reasoned with as opposed to the full on, hormone-addled gremlin.
It took me a while, but I finally convinced Grim to stop locking himself in his closet and to sleep next to me. For months now, Grim has insisted on casting the spell overnight, leaving me to sleep next to a doll of sorts—a small version of him that honestly creeped me out at first. While I understand his desire to immobilize that part of himself, it feels like it’s keeping us from our future. What kind of dad can he be if he has to be frozen every night? How do I get him and the pets and any kids we have out if there is a fire?
It took a while, but my arguments finally wore him down. And today’s the day, or rather night I’ve been waiting for. The night he’s going to let me meet the gremlin.
“There’s still time to back out,” he says as he strips down to nothing. I’m already down to nothing—something I learned to do around Grim’s breeding cycles. I stand up from the bed and wrap my arms around him, my face just inches from him.
“Nope, it’s time, Grim.”
He sighs, and I do the only thing I can do to comfort him. I press his face to my neck and let him breathe in my scent. We stand that way, motionless, as the seconds tick by, until at last the clock on the microwave flashes 12:00.
I feel it before I can see it. The spikes begin to form along his back, and his posture begins to change. He goes from standing straight and tall to hunching over me as the overall structure of his body changes. Thick, corded muscles push to the top, beautiful scales begin to cover every surface.
“You smell…incredible, Phil,” his voice rumbles.
“I know,” I smile, bracing myself to see the gremlin once again. It’s been over a year, and back then, we didn’t spend much time face-to-face.
“Hmmm… you’re aroused…is it this body, love? Is the gremlin more appealing?”
I snort. “Grim, are you jealous of your gremlin?” I tease before I lean back to look in his eyes.
