Page 22 of My Demon Manny (Demon Debacles #2)

Lux

"Do you really have to go?"

Archer glanced up, his hand still on the satchel zipper, and smiled. "I do. I've been putting off this meeting for months because of Gunner, and if I don't go, we'll lose this client. I promise I'll be back before tomorrow night."

A whole day and night without Archer? I wasn't sure I'd survive. At least I'd still have Gunner with me.

It'd been two weeks since Maya visited, and she hadn't contacted us since. Archer had said the visit had probably worked as closure for her, and he was quite sure we wouldn't hear from her again.

"I understand," I said, even though I really didn't. I could easily magic up all the money Archer could ever need, but I knew he wouldn't allow it. Archer was an honest man, and most of the time, it was a quality I admired.

"I'll be back before you know it," he said, stepping around the couch and wrapping his arms around my waist. Gunner cooed between us, then reached up to paw at Archer's chin, making me smile.

"See? Gunner doesn't want you to leave either."

"Oh?" Archer raised a brow at me, his lips quirking up in a smile. "I thought he was saying bye-bye. Weren't you, Gunner?"

Gunner gave a shriek, then said "Ba-ba," in utter betrayal, and I shook my head, trying my best not to smile. I was annoyed Archer was leaving, damn it.

"I promise I'll be back as soon as possible," Archer said, then leaned forward to press his lips to mine. I kissed him back, of course. How could I not?

"You better."

Smiling, Archer pressed a kiss on Gunner's forehead, grabbed his satchel, and then left. A few moments later, I heard the garage door open and close, and then he was gone. Tomorrow night couldn't come fast enough.

"Come on, Gun-Gun. It's just you and me now. We're going to have fun, aren't we? Later, we'll video call your dad and make him jealous with all the fun we're having, okay?"

Gunner gave me a wide smile, completely agreeing with my plan. Smiling, I carried him over to his play area, and sat him down before settling beside him cross-legged. Gunner had just hit the nine-months mark, and he'd gotten a lot more active recently. He still hadn't managed to walk without support—I was really hoping it wouldn't happen when Archer wasn't here—but he could walk along the couch with his hand on it, and he'd also explored most of the living room by now. And his nursery.

With no Archer, I didn't much feel like doing my usual tasks manually. Instead, I was going to spend the whole day with Gunner. I used my magic to make sure all the boring human stuff was done—and to make sure all the baby-proofing I'd done around the house was still in perfect condition—before turning to Gunner.

Gunner was a part of Archer, so I felt closer to him when I was with Gunner. Not that Gunner wasn't a ton of fun all on his own. This little boy and his dad had changed my life in all the best ways, and I loved them both. I hadn't told Archer yet, because I wasn't sure how he felt, and I didn't want to pressure him.

I could tell Gunner though, couldn't I?

"Gunner," I said, and he glanced up, big blue eyes wide and curious. "I love you very much. And I love your dad too, but that's our little secret for now, okay?"

His cheeks dimpled with another smile, and then he held out a toy to me, along with the wise words, "La la la," which I took to mean 'I love you too.'

Smiling, I took the toy from him, and we played together for a while. Playing with a baby was oddly peaceful, but I still needed to shut my brain up or give it something to do instead of missing Archer.

In an attempt to distract myself, I pulled up the demons' chat on my phone. There hadn't been a lot of activity over the past few days, but I was sure someone would reply if I sent a message.

Me : Anyone around? I'm bored.

Pythor : I'm annoyed

Grinning, I shot back a quick reply.

Me : When are you ever not annoyed?

Ryk : LOL. Lux's right. What's gotten your panties in a twist now?

Pythor : Fuck off, Ryk.

Pythor : It's my neighbor. He's a pain in the ass.

Me : What did he do?

Pythor : What doesn't he do? He plays loud music at all hours of the day, his lights are on all night, his yard is a mess—

Me : Wow, that sounds positively awful. However will you survive?

Pythor : Fuck you

Me : Why don't you go have a conversation with him?

Pythor : Yeah, that's not gonna happen

Ryk : Why not? I've never known you to shy away from a confrontation

Pythor : He doesn't talk to anybody. I've never even seen him, and I've been here for 2 months now

I blinked, surprised. It sounded like Pythor's neighbor was a bit of a recluse. Only Pythor could manage to get so annoyed by someone he'd never even met.

"Oh, did you lose your toy?" I asked when I felt a little hand patting my foot, and Gunner peered up at me, his lips pursed in a pout. Smiling, I held out one of his soft toys, and he grabbed it from me, then threw it across the room. For a little guy, he could throw pretty decently.

My phone buzzed, but I had to put it on the floor so I could give Gunner my whole attention. Had he sensed his dad was going to be gone for longer today? Or was he somehow sensing my feelings? Maybe he was just annoyed I wasn't giving him my full attention.

I'd read that babies took their cues from the adults around them, and that they'd be more disgruntled if we weren't feeling very positive, but surely it wasn't that accurate.

"Can you tell I miss your dad, Gunner?" I asked, then picked him up and plopped him into my lap. He grabbed a fistful of my t-shirt and gazed up at me with an expression that made him look like a carbon copy of his dad.

"Don't worry—he'll be back before we know it." I wasn't sure which one of us I was trying to reassure, but Gunner's lips quirked up in a smile, so I considered it a win.

My phone buzzed again, and I remembered the conversation I'd been having. Giving Gunner another look, I grabbed my phone and opened the text chain.

There were a few texts between Ryk and Pythor, more complaining about the neighbor, and some gushing from Ryk about his mates. Since it was almost time to feed Gunner, I sent a text apologizing for disappearing and then excused myself. I was sure I'd be able to pick the conversation right back up later. There was always someone around in the chat group, and one thing about living in a realm that only consisted of twenty-four people was that we were all pretty close. Even Mammon, the demon we were now supposed to be hunting, had been a good friend at one point, before he let the darkness swallow him.

Archer

I missed Gunner and Lux.

I'd thought I would be able to do this, that staying away for one night wouldn't be all that hard. I was wrong.

"Earth to Archer!" I blinked, then shook my head, pulling my thoughts together. Kat was staring at me with a wry smile on her face, while Jerry was outright grinning at me.

"What?"

"Nothing," Jerry said in a voice that implied there was definitely something.

I narrowed my eyes at him, then huffed, turning my attention back to the dinner that was well on its way to getting cold. Our meeting was early next morning, which was why we'd flown down tonight so we could grab some rest and not show up to the meeting half-asleep. Still, I wished I could've opted to fly in tomorrow morning, get the meeting over with, and then fly right back home.

"Thinking about your little one?" Jerry asked, a soft smile on his face.

Before I could answer, Kat scoffed. "Nah, he's thinking about his man. Aren't you, Archie?"

Scowling at her, I decided not to answer either of them. They were both right, but I wasn't going to grace them with an answer.

Instead, I shoveled some food into my mouth and raised a brow at them.

"Very mature," Kat said with a roll of her blue eyes. She'd let her hair down tonight, and the strawberry-blond ringlets bounced as she shook her head.

Shrugging, I chewed as Jerry brought up our meeting tomorrow and the two started discussing it. I piped in now and then, but mostly let them talk it through. Usually, only one of us would've made the trip for a meeting like this, but Jerry had decided it would be a good way to hang out since I'd been so busy the last few months. My guilt over not being a very good friend had played a major role in me agreeing to come, and despite how much I missed Lux and Gunner, I was glad I had. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed hanging out with my friends until now, but before Gunner and Lux, they'd been the closest thing I had to a family. They were still a part of my family, even if it'd grown by two.

After dinner, we opted for ice cream instead of drinks because of the meeting tomorrow, and upon their request, I regaled Jerry and Kat with tales about Gunner and Lux. I had no shortage of stories, and before I knew it, our ice cream was gone and it was time for bed.

"You really like him, don't you? Lux?" Jerry asked as we stepped inside the elevator. Kat and Jerry were sharing a room like always—they were the only divorced couple I knew who was closer now than they'd been during their marriage—and mine was just across the hall from theirs.

"I do." My lips curved in a smile just at the thought of him.

"Oh, he doesn't just like him. Archie loves him," Kat murmured, her blue eyes sparkling, and I opened my mouth to refute her claim, but I couldn't.

I sucked in a breath as I realized that she was right. I hadn't told him yet, hell, I hadn't even thought of the words until now, but I did. I loved Lux. I was in love with him.

A few months ago, I never would've imagined I'd fall in love, much less with a man. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I'd fall for a demon, and yet here I was.

"I think you broke him," Jerry said, and I scowled at him.

"I'm all right," I said, and they both grinned at me like a couple of assholes.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Kat asked smugly, and I sighed.

"Yes. But I haven't told him yet."

"You can do it when you get home. Bring him some flowers," Jerry suggested, and Kat nodded quickly.

"Flowers are good. Maybe some chocolates too. I know a really great chocolate shop here and it's right by the office we're headed to tomorrow. We can grab some on our way out."

I guessed having friends like these two had its perks after all.

Once we reached our floor, we parted ways. It was past ten by the time I slid into bed, and I wondered if Lux was awake. I wanted to hear his voice before I slept, but I didn't want to wake him.

Instead of calling, I sent him a text.

Me : Hey, are you up?

I didn't get a reply, but a few moments later, my phone started buzzing with a video call. Smiling, I accepted the call, and my smile widened when I found Lux curled up under the sheets in our room.

"Hey," I murmured, wishing I could reach through the screen and touch him. I knew he could teleport here with his magic in less than a second, but I also knew he would never leave Gunner alone like that. I could stay away from him for one night, couldn't I?

"I miss you." Apparently, Lux had no compunctions about admitting things like that, and I loved him more because of it. He was always so truthful about his feelings, it was refreshing. There were no games, no lies, nothing but honesty and care.

"I miss you too. I've never felt like this before."

"Me neither. I think it's because of our mate bond. It wants us to be close so it can grow stronger."

I supposed that made sense, but I had a feeling I'd always feel like this when it came to Lux.

"Is Gunner asleep?"

"Oh yeah. He's out like a light. He misses you too. He was really fussy at dinner because you weren't the one feeding him."

I sighed, wishing I was back there with Lux and Gunner.

"You know, I could teleport you here for the night. And then I could bring you back to your hotel room in time for your meeting," Lux suggested, and I blinked at him, the sleepy haze that'd started to cloud my mind disappearing instantly.

"You could?"

Lux nodded, his eyes hopeful as he watched me.

"Then please, by all means," I said, and before I could exhale the breath I'd been taking, I was in my bed, right beside Lux.

Dropping my phone onto the mattress, I wrapped my palm around the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss. I'd only been away from Lux for a few hours, and yet it felt like it'd been weeks since I'd seen him, since I'd touched him.

Fuck, I truly loved this demon, didn't I?