Page 54 of Monster's Obsession

A hysterical laugh squeaked out of me and his concern grew.

“A cake might be nice…but no it’s not my special time. It’s my period,” I said, envisioning myself gorging on an entire chocolate cake.

A cramp rippled through me and I curled my knees to my chest, gritting my teeth and closing my eyes as I tried to breathe deeply and control the pain.

“A period,” Ash murmured, and my eyes flew open to see him flipping through a tiny book, studying its contents intently, his fingers tracing along the bumps on the pages. Hmm. Monsters either could read braille, or they had their own system they used. “Aha! A period. ‘Normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman's monthly cycle. Every month, a woman’s body prepares for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus, or womb, sheds its lining. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus. It passes out of the body through the vagina.’”

I stared at him in horror as he proceeded to give me an analytical description of my cycle. Evidently, his little book was some kind of human encyclopedia.

Ash finished reading and stared up at me proudly. “Okay. I’ve got this.” He peered down at the book, continuing to follow along the lines with his fingers. “Human women often experience mood swings during this time of the month. Try massages, warm showers, and sweets to help alleviate symptoms.”

“What the fuck is that book?” I spit out. Although, I had to admit that those three things sounded quite wonderful at the moment. What I really needed, though, was some Advil.

Another cramp hit me, and Ash panicked as he stared back down at his book. “Ok, where is it, the pain during period,” he muttered. “Oh, here it is! ‘During a human woman’s period, their uterus contracts to help expel its lining. Hormone-like substances involved in pain and inflammation trigger the uterine muscle contractions.’” He read the rest of the sentence under his breath—thankfully—and then snapped the book shut, before glancing up at me proudly.

I stared at him dumbfounded. “Um…that’s quite the book.”

“As soon as I met you, I started to collect human resources so I could know all the things to make you happy.”

I fucking swooned. I mean, how could I not? He was just too…cute. I had a stupid, silly grin on my face that I was glad he couldn’t see. Because that would be embarrassing.

My smile slid off my face as another cramp pushed through me, and I whimpered, wanting the bed to swallow me because I couldn’t handle this.

“Fuck. Okay. I have to get supplies. I’ll be right back,” he assured me before leaping out of the room.

I waited in misery, wondering what odd thing he’d return with…and hoping it would be something that actually helped. I was also hoping he didn’t involve anyone else in his mission. If the rest of them came in and also pulled out little books about human periods, my ovaries would probably burst.

A few minutes later, he hustled into the room, lugging a large bag in his arms.

He hummed as he set it down on one of the armchairs in the room and rifled through it. Ash pulled out a large rock and practically ran towards the bed.

“Um…I don’t think that book has the right information in it. I’m not thinking that—” My words cut off with a squeak as he flipped me to my back and then laid the rock right over my stomach…like the perfectly warm rock was a heating pad.

I moaned in relief and he grinned at me proudly. “The book says that heat helps with cramps. This Wyld rock will stay warm for however long you want it to.”

“Amazing,” I murmured as I sank into my pillows, a little relief strumming through my insides. But then another cramp hit. “Got any Advil in there?” I muttered through gritted teeth.

It was completely endearing how Ash ran back to the bag, searching through it frantically before he glanced up at me sheepishly.

“What exactly is Advil? That wasn’t anywhere in my book.”

“Pain medicine,” I whimpered, pressing on the rock so the heat would seep into me more.

He brightened at that statement and went back to searching through the bag. “Here!” he announced triumphantly, holding up a…green plant. He walked back over to me, tearing leaves off the plant before handing them to me.

“Do I rub them over where I’m cramping? Do I eat them?” I asked desperately.

“Oh, right. You just chew them and they should help with the pain. Those leaves are the closest thing we’ve got to pain medicine here. They won’t take all the pain away, but they should lessen it. Monsters don’t actually find much use for the stuff.”

“Right. Because you guys are all so bad ass,” I huffed, tentatively stuffing one of the leaves in my mouth and chewing it. It was all I could do not to gag. It tasted like ground-up coffee beans…and sewage.

“I know it’s gross…but I brought something to make it better!” Ash ran away again, but this time to the door. He threw it open with a flourish, revealing a cart with a giant, hopefully chocolate, cake sitting on a plate.

“If that’s chocolate, I’m going to marry you,” I announced, wincing as I swallowed the last of the leaves.

Ash’s face lit up with absolute happiness, and I blushed. “I didn’t mean—”

“I accept your marriage proposal,” he said, totally taking my breath away.

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