Chapter Twenty-Five – Grim
Chapter Twenty-Five
Grim
As I moved from room to room, my mind kept drifting back what had happened at the pet hospital. We were living on borrowed time. This little bubble of normalcy we’d created was fragile, ready to burst at any moment. I paused by a window, peering through a gap in the curtains. The grounds of Asterhaven Estate stretched out before me, still in the fading light. It was beautiful, in a melancholy sort of way. The kind of place where you could almost believe in happy endings.
Almost.
But I’d seen too much and lived too long to buy into that fantasy. The world didn’t work that way. Not for people like us. Not for me, a walking corpse held together by magic and darkness. And not for Millie, a woman who’d made a deal with a soul-eating monster to save her sister.
Her daughter, I reminded myself.
I heard laughter from the kitchen and drifted that way, drawn by the sound like a moth to a flame. Millie and Elysia were baking cookies, flour dusting their clothes, and smiles lighting up their faces. It was such a normal, domestic scene that it made my chest ache with a phantom pain. For a moment, I let myself imagine a different life. One where I was just a man, not a decades-old Grim Reaper, where I could walk into the kitchen, wrap my arms around Millie, and be part of that laughter. Where we could raise Elysia together, watch her grow up, grow old ourselves...
But that was a fool’s dream, and I wasn’t a fool.
The truth was that as long as Ma-Vasha had her claws in this family, there was no chance for that kind of happiness. We couldn’t just hide away in this house forever, pretending the outside world didn’t exist. Sooner or later, it would all come crashing down around us. And when it did, who would pay the price? Millie? Or Elysia, an innocent child caught in the crossfire of forces she couldn’t even begin to understand? The thought of either of them suffering made something twist inside me. It wasn’t just about the job anymore, it wasn’t just about fulfilling my contract as a Monster Security Agency bodyguard. This was personal now, in a way nothing had been for a very long time. I protected them both because it was my duty, but also because somewhere along the line, without me even noticing, they’d become my world. It was a dangerous realization, one that left me feeling exposed. Love was a luxury I’d never allowed myself until now.
But as I watched Millie show Elysia how to shape the cookie dough, I knew it was too late. I’d fallen, hard and fast, and there was no going back. So, I’d do whatever it took to keep them safe. To give them a chance at the life they deserved, even if it meant sacrificing my own existence in the process. Because that’s what you did for the people you loved.
Later that evening, I found myself in Millie’s bedroom, my arms wrapped around her as we lay in bed. The glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm light across her porcelain skin, making her look almost ethereal. I marveled at how someone so alive could feel so right in the embrace of death. My fingers traced lazy patterns on her arm, feeling the warmth of her flesh against my cold, dead skin. I could feel the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against my hollow chest.
Millie shifted slightly, turning her face towards mine. Her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity, and I knew a question was coming.
“Grim,” she said, her breath warm against my neck. “Ansel is such a beautiful name. Why don’t you use it?”
I tensed, my hand stilling on her arm. Of course she’d ask about that. I should’ve known it was coming. I took a moment to collect my thoughts, trying to find the right words to explain.
“I’m not that person anymore. Ansel Sullivan died a long time ago. I don’t feel like him. I prefer Grim. It’s what I am, it’s my job, my whole sense of self now.”
My fingers resumed their gentle exploration of her skin, tracing the delicate curve of her shoulder. I felt her shiver slightly at my touch, and it sent a jolt of electricity through me.
“Do all reapers think like that?” she asked.
I shook my head, my hand moving up to cup her cheek. “No, most of them still use their mortal names. They cling to what was before, to their past lives.” My thumb brushed across her cheekbone. How long had it been since I’d touched someone like this? Since I’d allowed myself to feel this way? “But I was nothing, no one,” I continued. “I don’t want to remember my mortal life. It’s easier this way.”
Millie’s eyes softened with understanding, and she reached up to cover my hand with her own. The warmth of her touch sent a shiver through me, a reminder of what I’d lost, what I could never truly have again.
“Millie,” I said. “Promise me something. Never call me Ansel. Please.”
She nodded, her fingers intertwining with mine. “I promise, Grim. You’re you, and that’s all that matters to me.”
Her words made me melt inside. How could she say that? How could she look at me, know what I was, and still see someone worth caring about? Before I could spiral further into my thoughts, Millie leaned in and pressed her lips to mine. The kiss was soft, tender, full of unspoken emotions that neither of us was ready to voice. I responded instinctively, my hand sliding to the back of her neck, pulling her closer. The warmth of her mouth against mine was intoxicating, making me forget for a moment about the cold emptiness inside me.
As we kissed, I felt the familiar spark of life ignite within me. It was as if Millie’s touch had the power to breathe life into my dead form, even if just for a few moments. I could almost feel a ghostly heart beating in my chest, phantom blood rushing through long-dormant veins.
Her hand came to rest on my neck, where my pulse should’ve been, and it was as if her warm palm left an imprint on my dead skin. She curled her fingers slightly and dug into my neck, and that gesture alone poured energy into me, a wave so strong and delicious that I felt myself tremble. It moved down my body, settling in my lower belly, making my cock become impossibly hard. Millie was pressed flush against me, and she felt it. She parted her lips and let out a moan, and I took that opportunity to plunge my tongue deeper into her mouth. Her saliva was enough for the both of us. She was soft and wet, and all I had to contribute was darkness.
She pulled away and looked into my dark pits. “Take me.” She was panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Before I could react, she climbed on top of me, straddling me with her beautiful, pale thighs. Her nightgown rode up, and I caught a glimpse of her silk panties. There was an obvious damp spot on them, and she rubbed it along my cock, staining my black pants.
“Millie...”
She grinned, then her hands went straight for the buttons of my cloak. Underneath, I was wearing a shirt, so I wasn’t too concerned, but when she was done with the cloak, she went for the shirt, and I was shocked for a moment. I pulled myself together and grabbed her wrists to stop her.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I want to see you.”
“No.”
“Grim, I’ve seen you already. On the first day, on the rooftop of Monster Security Agency. And nothing happened. I didn’t run away scared, so why are you so self-conscious?”
“Millie, don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because!”
“Because what? You can trust me. You can be real and vulnerable with me, Grim. You can be yourself.”
“I’m hideous,” I said. There was so much pain in my voice, and I couldn’t hide it. “I was hideous when I died, and I’m hideous now.”
Millie leaned forward, her raven hair cascading around both our faces, shielding us from the world outside. She cupped my skull face with her hand, and with the other, she toyed with the edge of my hood. She hadn’t seen me without my hood either. Except for that one time on the rooftop.
“No, you’re not. Don’t say that.”
“It’s the simple truth.”
“Let me see you and let me be the judge of that.”
She wasn’t going to give up this time, was she? The room was semi-dark, so maybe I could risk it... One thing was for certain – I would never let her see me naked in the full light of day. Still, I hesitated. It was unbelievable enough that this beautiful woman had fucked me once, knowing what was under my cloak. Now she wanted to fuck me again, but if I let her see... There was a good chance she would change her mind.
“Grim, you don’t have to be completely naked. I’ll just open your shirt, that’s all.”
We were negotiating. I owed it to her to try and meet her halfway.
“Here,” she said, straightening her back and pulling her nightgown over her head in one fluid motion. “Look at me. Focus on me and only me.”
The void that resided in my empty sockets took in her bare beauty. Her round breasts, her pink, perky nipples, the ribs that were slightly jutting out through her skin – she needed to eat more, but I knew she couldn’t due to the never-ending stress. Her stomach was perfect and flat, her arms so thin and elegant. She leaned over me again and took my hand in hers. She guided my hand over her breast, down her abdomen, until my fingers grazed her panties. She made me hook one finger inside her panties and showed me that she wanted me to pull. My digit was so sharp – made of literal bone – that it tore through the silk. Now she was completely naked, and it was impossible to resist her. Especially when she started rubbing herself against my clothed erection.
“Grim?” she asked gently, running her hand over the buttons of my shirt.
I didn’t look at her face, I focused on her incredible breasts. I nodded.
As Millie unbuttoned my shirt, revealing the marred skin underneath, inch by inch, I cupped her breasts with my hands and kneaded them, played with them, pinched her nipples, hoping this would distract her from thinking about how ugly I was. It wasn’t just my skin that was hideous – burned, melted, and scarred – it was also the fact that I was a literal skeleton. My bones were visible through the darkness that kept me together – white and glowing eerily, as if they were polished with magic. Which they were, technically. I was a skeleton covered in patches of flesh and a whole lot of darkness.
“I will remove your hood,” she said.
I hesitated, but what was I supposed to do? Tell her no when I’d already let her do whatever she wanted? I nodded again, grateful she was asking for permission.
As I felt the hood fall off my hairless skull, I focused on her body, running my hands down her sides, reaching behind her and gripping her firm buttocks. She let out a moan and rocked back and forth, applying pressure, making my cock throb. I wanted to be inside her, but she was in charge. I would penetrate her when she wanted me to penetrate her. She moved faster, rubbing her clit against me, pushing herself closer and closer to orgasm.
“See?” she murmured. “It’s not so bad.”
The hood was completely off, my torso was exposed, and I still didn’t dare to look into her eyes. When her fingers started working on my belt, I didn’t stop her. Didn’t protest. Of course she would want to see my cock next.
“Say something,” she said. “How does it feel?”
All I managed was a low growl. How did it feel? It felt like I was going to explode. I needed her so badly that my balls hurt.
“Grim, look at me...”
I forced myself to comply, afraid of what I would see in her eyes. There was no way she wasn’t at least a little bit disgusted. When my dark gaze met her sapphire eyes, she smiled down at me. Her face looked serene, albeit flushed with lust. She didn’t look at me like she should’ve – with contempt and disbelief that she was giving herself to an abomination. She looked at me like... there was nothing wrong. I wasn’t wrong, my body wasn’t wrong... It took me aback. Now I couldn’t take my eyes off her face. Not even when she pulled my cock out and rubbed her wet folds over my length, I didn’t look down, I kept looking at her.
Her lips parted, and she whispered my name softly as she rubbed herself against my hard cock, faster and harder, coating me with her juices. Then she stilled and let out a deep, long moan. Her body shuddered, and she closed her eyes as she came – a small, quick orgasm. She collapsed on top of me, pressing her lips to mine. The kiss was slow and languid at first, and as she regained her breath, it deepened, becoming more urgent, like she wanted me, and she wanted me now.
As I pulled her close, one of my hands moved down her back and over the curve of her butt. My finger dipped into her wetness, and she impaled herself on it, driving it straight into her pussy.
I would never get used to this woman craving me like I craved her... It was... unnatural. But was I ever going to say no to her?
Absolutely not.