{"id":255115,"date":"2026-07-13T04:03:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/bread-by-the-grim-dakota-cockaday\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T04:03:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:03:35","slug":"bread-by-the-grim-dakota-cockaday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/bread-by-the-grim-dakota-cockaday\/","title":{"rendered":"Bread By The Grim – Dakota Cockaday"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<\/figure>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re always saving me.\u201d He runs a hand through his hair and meets my eyes. \u201cYou, uh, look nice.\u201d \u201cThanks! I know we\u2019re just delivering a cake, but I figured I was representing the bakery. I wanted to make a good impression on our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

He takes a few more steps back and looks away. The mood in the room shifts. \u201cYou\u2019ve already made a good impression on the customers. They love you.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s sweet of you to say,\u201d I say, suddenly feeling awkward as he puts more space between us. \u201cI\u2019ve got everything loaded up already, if you\u2019re ready to go,\u201d he says, backing up to the door.<\/p>\n

Guilt creeps into my belly. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I shouldn\u2019t have spent so much time getting ready. I won\u2019t let that happen again.\u201d He just looks at me strangely and shakes his head. \u201cPhil, this is important to you, so it\u2019s important to me. Don\u2019t apologize. You did all the work. The least I can do is load the cake into the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

He motions for me to step through the back door first, and so I do. His truck\u2014older than us both\u2014is sitting outside. In the bed, he has set up a piece of plywood for the boxes to rest on. A wooden frame has been fitted into the bed on top of the plywood base. It surrounds the cake boxes, keeping them secured in the center of the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is smart,\u201d I say, touching the frame. Grim just shrugs. \u201cI don\u2019t have a van to do a proper delivery, so I wanted to make sure the cakes arrived safe and sound. I just hammered together a couple pieces of plywood.\u201d I turn to him in disbelief. \u201cYou made this?<\/p>\n

Just so I can deliver cakes?\u201d He looks slightly embarrassed. \u201cIt\u2019s nothing, really.\u201d I have to stop myself from hugging him. I\u2019ve already made him feel weird once today. \u201cGrim, I really appreciate the support.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s what friends do.\u201d He comes around the passenger side of the truck and opens the door for me. \u201cThe door is old and weird. If you can\u2019t get out, I\u2019ll come around and open it for you, too. Sorry it\u2019s so rough.\u201d I can\u2019t help but laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve ridden in far worse. My mama had a car with rust holes in the floorboards. I think I can survive a weird door.\u201d We buckle up, and because we\u2019re early, Grim drives me around the small square that comprises most of the old part of downtown so I can get the lay of the land.<\/p>\n

The shops on the main square are adorable. There\u2019s even a cute little pet shop a block over called Ruff N\u2019 Tumble that I can hit for Doux\u2019s supplies. He\u2019s been needing a new bed and some toys to ignore. \u201cThere\u2019s more to Ghostlight Falls, but this is the touristy part.<\/p>\n

\n

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact dakota.cockaday@cassiopeianpress.com The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, or buildings is coincidental and not intended by the authors. This book was created entirely by human authors. No generative AI was used anywhere in this work.<\/p>\n

Cover Artwork by Mairena J. Cover Design by Unfortunate Design 1kitap1.com\/en Contents A Note About This Story 1. Grim 2. Grim 3. Phil 4. Grim 5. Phil 6. Grim 7. Phil 8. Grim 9. Phil 10. Phil 11. Grim 12. Phil 13. Grim 14. Phil 15. Phil 16. Phil Epilogue Check out all the stories in the Ghostlight Falls series! 1kitap1.com\/en A Note About This Story It took me so long to write this story, in part because I had no idea how to deal with the consent issues that come up when one character shifts into something not quite human.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a strange line to straddle for my MMC, Grim\u2014starting a new relationship just as his biology is forcing him into a mating rut where he has very little control over his instincts. It seemed a little too non-consensual to me, and I struggled for a while on how to approach their relationship as my MMC shifted back and forth.<\/p>\n

I feel really satisfied with how it has worked out within this story, but I still would say this borders on noncon\u2014though not in the cool dark romance way, but in the far more realistic way my brain approaches monster problems. So if noncon is a trigger for you, I\u2019d skip this one and grab one of the others in this series.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still here, I\u2019m proud to welcome you to Ghostlight Falls. This weird town has lived in my mind for a very long time, and I was incredibly happy that I could drag my favorite author friends into this with me. Though they were unable to fit us in their schedules, I\u2019d also love to thank Holly Wilde, Ivanna Schloppykoch, and Vera Valentine for all the support and friendship they\u2019ve provided us as we built this world.<\/p>\n

I love Ghostlight Falls and my MCs, Phillipa and Grim.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n