The Monster in the Manor: Chapter 33

Note: Yes, we are close to the end—but don't worry! I'll be airing the standard epilogue on Wednesday, and then you get TWO chapters of breedy breedy extended epilogue after that. I'll also be revealing the cover of the next comic the week after next! Can't wait to share it with you!

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Rupert

I make love to Peony long into the night. With every fiber of my being, I show her how much she means to me, how my world turns because she’s in it. When she cries out my name, clinging to me as if she’s about to be whisked away into a storm, I hold on to her tightly—and I never plan to let her go.

Strange questions cross my mind as I lie beside her sleeping form, my arm curled under her neck as she uses it like a pillow. Would she marry me if I asked her? She wants a family someday. Sure, she said she would set that aside for me, but what do I want? Is it even possible that I could succeed at putting a baby inside her?

That’s getting ahead of myself, but still, I consider it as I lie awake, playing with Peony’s hair. It feels like everything is suddenly possible. Our future is uncertain, but now I am surer than ever that I was meant to spend this life by her side.

I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.

We agree in the morning to take a few weeks away from the manor and retire to my cabin, hoping we can get some peace from the vultures and, perhaps, they’ll get bored and move on. Kellen asks if he ought to come with us, as used to taking care of me as he is—but I wave him off, suggesting he have Ignacio come stay with him while he watches over the manor in our absence. He’ll bring us supplies every week or so.

He’s surprisingly sorry to see us go, but then Peony whispers something in his ear that must be dirty, because he turns bright red and waves us both away, scurrying back into the house.

It’s a few hours’ drive, and Peony falls asleep in the passenger seat on the way. The boot of the car is loaded with our belongings and enough provisions that we should have no trouble getting by for a month, perhaps more.

She awakens when the road gets rougher, and peers out the window into the forest. She gasps, sitting forward in the seat with wide eyes, as if she’s had a frightening dream.

“Are you all right?” I ask her as the 4x4 climbs the steep mountain road.

“Just thought… I was in Andy’s truck again.” She shivers all over. “I had to remind myself where I was.”

My poor Peony, who went through such a traumatic event. She may heal, but she will never truly forget it happened.

As we get closer to the cabin, the woods give way, revealing a crystal-clear mountain lake. Peony lets out a gasp as we drive around the edge.

“We get to stay here?” she asks, even though it will be frigid cold and we won’t be going out much. I pull up to a stop in front of the big house with its log cabin walls, huge windows overlooking the lake. 

“We get to stay here,” I say. “For as long as you like.”

She oohs and ahhs as I show her around the property, hiking through the thick snow. It will only get thicker up here, but that means we can curl up in front of the fire together every night.

As the sun starts to set, we take our things inside. I show her to the largest bedroom, which has its own fireplace and sitting area, with a big fur rug across the floor. We unpack our things into our side-by-side dressers, and I marvel at how wonderfully normal it feels, as if we’ve just gone on vacation.

I can’t help pulling Peony down to the bed, tearing off her clothes in my eagerness to lick her silly. She giggles as I taste all of her body, then slip my tongue inside her to get her ready for me.

As always, my delicate woman takes time and love to bring to her finish, but she is eager and lusty tonight and asks me to fuck her harder, until the bed is shaking and I’m roaring my pleasure to the world. When she clamps down around me, milking my cock, I unleash it all inside her.

I know what I need to do.

While we lie together on the bed, both of us panting and tangled up with one another, I can’t help myself. I have to ask her now.

“Little flower?”

Peony glances up at me with half-lidded eyes, her expression like a cat that’s had plenty of warm milk. “Yes?”

“Would you…” I stop myself, unsure if I’m doing the right thing by asking her now, without a ring of any sort. “Would you ever consider marriage?”

She blinks away the fogginess in her eyes. “Wait, what? Rupert, are you asking me to marry you, or are you asking me if I’m open to marrying you sometime in the future?”

I know what I want now.

“I’m asking you to marry me.”

Without any preamble, Peony throws her arms around me, squashing her face in my mane. I roll over so I’m on my back and she’s astride me, my cum leaking out of her and onto my belly.

“Of course, Rupert!” she cries out, muffled by my fur. “Of course I’ll marry you.” She pulls away, sniffling, and rubs her eyes. “I want nothing more.”

I pull her in for a kiss, relishing this simple act of showing my affection to her.

“Good. Because I want to share everything in life with you. And I want to know that you’ll always be mine.”

“Always,” Peony says, nuzzling my nose with hers. “Just like you’ll always be mine.”

I chuckle. “Oh, everyone knows that already.”

But it does mean one thing. Having a wedding means bringing together the people we care about.

“I’m going to call my mum tomorrow,” I tell her as we climb into bed together, and I reach over to turn off the light. “Invite her to come and meet you. And, well, for the wedding, of course.”

Peony wriggles with delight. “I get to meet your mom? Oh, I’m so glad you’ll talk to her again. She must be worried sick.”

“As your father must be worried about you.”

Peony falls silent at that. She turns her head so she doesn’t have to look at me and curls her hands close.

“What if he hates me, Rupert?” she asks miserably. “I couldn’t bear to hear him say no.”

“I suppose that is always the risk we take with those we love. But I think you might be surprised.”

“All right.” Her voice is quiet and meek. “I’ll call him and see what he says.”

“That’s all I ask.” I pet her hair, sniffing it and reveling in her scent before I fall asleep.

---

Peony

I put off calling Dad for a little while. Rupert and I get settled in at the cabin, making grand meals together in the huge, open floor plan kitchen and having mind-blowing sex on the couch in front of the massive windows that look out onto the falling snow. Then we go on adventures in our heavy coats, investigating the forest and testing the thickness of the ice on the lake. There’s a massive stack of firewood by the shed, but we have to dig our way to it through the snow.

Our days are simple, and we spend a lot of time playing checkers and watching Rupert’s favorite shows on the “telly.” It’s a good, easy life, but I know that soon, I’ll want more again. I can’t be holed up forever, as much as I enjoy the time alone with Rupert. We’ll eventually have to return to civilization.

One day, a few weeks after arriving, an unseasonable warm spell melts some of the snow. The sun shines down, bright and warm despite the crisp air, and that’s the day I finally work up the nerve to call Dad and tell him the big news.

Rupert’s mom took everything incredibly well. She was just grateful to know her son was all right after so many years of silence. She knew when she saw him on the television, she said. “That’s my son.”

She’s eager to come to the States and meet me. I hope I can say the same about my dad. 

The phone rings and rings. Rupert stands nearby making dough, keeping one eye on me as I wait for Dad to answer. Just as I think the call’s about to go to voicemail, and I take the phone away from my ear to hang up, I hear my father’s voice.

“Peony?”

I bring the phone back to my mouth. “Dad?”

“Oh, Peony!” He gasps like he’s overwhelmed with emotion. “I’m so happy to hear from you!”

“You… you are?”

“Of course I am! Where are you?! I saw all over the news—”

“I’m okay, Dad. I’m up in the mountains right now.” Just hearing his voice again brings tears to my eyes. It’s been so long, I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

“The mountains?” Dad asks quizzically. “Are you with the… the monster?”

“His name is Rupert. And yes.”

I can hear his disapproval as he says, “He took you off to some remote place alone?”

I know what he’s thinking, how Andy did the same thing.

“We had to get away from the press,” I explain gently. “We’re just lying low for a while.” Now I know I need to rip off the bandage. “And he… he just asked me to marry him, Dad.”

The line goes completely silent.

“Dad?” I say after a few seconds.

“I’m here,” he says quietly. “I’m just processing. I haven’t heard from you for years, and then I saw that video, Peony!” His voice cracks, revealing his fear. “I’ve been so worried about you, and now I find out you’re marrying this, erm, ‘Rupert’?”

I can hear him shaking his head, disbelieving.

“I’m sorry for waiting so long to call you.” I clutch the phone tight in my hand as I sink onto the couch. “I just… after what happened with Andy, I didn’t think you would want to hear from me.”

“Of course I want to hear from my daughter!” Dad sighs heavily. “I thought the same thing about you. After I called your boyfriend a ‘dirty, puckered asshole,’ I assumed you’d never want to speak to me again.”

This breaks my heart. I wish I could just hug him through the phone.

“You could always come by if you want to meet him,” I venture. “The road is plowed. It’s beautiful out here.”

There’s a thoughtful pause on the other end, and then my dad says, “All right. I’d like that.”

I could just jump for joy. We plan a time, and Rupert helps me give him directions in case his GPS stops working on the way up.

When we say goodbye, Dad tells me firmly, “I love you, Peony. I never stopped loving you. And I can’t wait to see you again.”

By the time we hang up, I’m radiating relief and joy, and I jump into Rupert’s waiting arms.

---

Rupert

It was wonderful to hear my mum’s voice again, and I imagine Peony feels much the same way after speaking with her father. The relief that washes over me at having finally told my mum the truth is immense. She forgave me for disappearing, which I did not deserve, and easily agreed to come visit. Regardless of my form, she said, she misses me and wants nothing more than to see me again.

“And your new fiancée, who’s so special to you that you bled for her,” Mum says solemnly.

I would bleed myself dry for Peony.

Now, though, lurks the specter of her dad coming to visit us. I get the sense that he doesn’t approve of Peony entering another relationship so soon, especially not with an individual whose life is as rife with conflict as mine. But there’s nothing to be done about it, and we will just have to work through it together.

We plan a rather elaborate meal, one that we hope will offer Peony’s father—David—a unique and exciting dining experience.

When his car pulls up in front of the big windows, Peony is a bundle of nerves, running her hands through my fur frequently as if she finds it soothing. We greet him at the door together, and he can’t help taking a step back when I appear in the doorway.

“Oh, wow,” he says, standing stock-still. “You’re huge.”

Peony giggles, a kind of wild giggle that betrays her nerves. “Hi, Dad.”

He holds his arms out to her. “Hi, Peony."

When they hug, my heart warms seeing just how happy they are to be reunited. I hope he will eventually come to accept me, too.

We begin the dinner with an appetizer, where we’ve used tapioca to create caviar-like bubbles of flavor, which burst when poked and spill their goodness across the crispy fried prawns. David is enchanted by them, popping each one and watching with interest as the magic happens.

“This is fabulous,” he says, relishing each bite. “Have you considered going back into the restaurant business, Peony?”

Her happy demeanor cracks for a moment. “I have, but I’ve been out for so long, it would be hard to find a job again.”

He nods in understanding, though I don’t think he agrees. But it triggers an idea in my mind, one that only develops as the meal continues. Peony dreamed up all the recipes tonight, and I merely helped execute them. Planning the menu brought her so much joy, I wonder how she might glow should she be able to come up with even more.

The entree is a bison mousse atop homemade phyllo dough alongside creamy haricot verts, each plate served with a small boat of sauce to be poured over the top. David makes all sorts of happy noises as he eats, and I can see where Peony gets much of her personality from.

And then comes dessert, where we’ve crafted a perfectly cooked caramel flan. It’s simple but beautiful with a curly slice of orange rind on top. We all enjoy it together, falling into easy conversation about what David has been doing since they last saw one another. He’s moved from manager at a single retail shoe store to overseeing regional operations, which earns a clap of approval from Peony.

“I’m buying a new house,” he says proudly. “With two guest rooms, you know, in case…” He trails off, and I cock my head, wondering what he was going to say.

“In case of what?” Peony asks.

He ducks his head. “I don’t know what the two of you have planned, so I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but if you do decide to have children—there is plenty of room if you want to come visit.”

I arch a brow at him, and he shrugs. But Peony’s expression is uncertain.

“Well, I don’t know if, you know, if we plan to… um…” She’s obviously flustered, so I dive in to rescue her.

“Maybe, maybe not,” I say, scooting my chair over to put an arm around her. “We’re going on Peony’s timeline.”

David studies both of us carefully before nodding. “I understand. Those aren’t decisions to be made lightly.”

Especially in our case, when who knows what our children might look like?

After finishing dinner, David rises to his feet. “I suppose I should go soon. There’s snow in the weather forecast, and I don’t want to get stuck.”

Peony hugs him, and he returns it just as fiercely. We stand at the door and wave goodbye as he gets in his car and drives away, just as the snow begins falling.

My fiancée is thoughtful that night as we wind down for bed. She still doesn’t speak as I pull her into my arms and flick off the light. Finally, I broach the subject of my own thoughts in the darkness.

“What would you think of cooking again?” I ask. “Professionally.”

Peony’s eyebrows jump. She thinks for a moment, and then says, “I want to, I do. But I don’t know how to get back in. I feel like I might have ruined my reputation.”

I comb my claws through her long hair. “What if you didn’t need to do all of that? What if you started your own restaurant?”

She freezes under my hands. “What? How?”

“You receive an angel investment and buy a location. We remodel it to suit your purposes, and then you develop a menu.” It seems simple enough to me.

“Really?” Her tone is disbelieving. “You’d buy me a restaurant?”

“Why not? It would be a solid investment. You know how to do it.”

She’s quiet for many long moments, but I don’t rush her. Eventually she says, “Wow. My own restaurant. I could come up with my own branding, my own menu, my own seating arrangement. Design my own kitchen.” Her tone turns dreamy. “Rupert, that’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

I hug her tight. “Then you should have it.”

Peony is especially tender as we lie on our sides and I make love to her in the darkness, reaching around to stroke her clit with every long, languid thrust. She comes surprisingly easily, her squeezing, clenching finish pushing me over the edge. I stay seated inside her, simply relishing the perfect feel of her around me, until my cock is hard and ready to go again.

I will show my Peony every bliss until our time on this plane ends.