Page 26 of My Demon Manny (Demon Debacles #2)

Archer

Over the next few days, our lives slowly went back to normal. Even though we'd only spent a few days with him, Lux and I both missed Sabre quite a bit.

Gunner was his usual active self, though, and that helped a lot. Playing with him, feeding him, singing him lullabies...all of it made me feel closer to being back to normal.

Artemus checked in with us once to tell us that Sabre was back with his parents, and that they'd thanked us for keeping him safe and taking care of him. They sounded like good people, and I couldn't help wondering what would've happened if the brownie had succeeded. Would they have taken as good care of my Gunner? Or would they have disowned him when they discovered he didn't possess magic? Lux had told me the brownie or whoever sent them would've used their magic to make Gunner look like Sabre, but surely his parents would've realized sooner or later that Gunner wasn't theirs.

There was no point in wondering about such things, but I still found myself thinking of it every now and then.

To distract us from everything that had happened, Lux had decided to host a dinner at our place for Jerry and Kat. I'd asked him if he wanted to invite his friends too, and his face had lit up. He'd invited Ryk, Nico, Star, and Dakota. He'd also wanted to invite a woman he'd been neighbors with before he moved in with us, but she was out of town visiting family.

I was excited to see Dakota again, especially since this time we'd be able to talk freely instead of worrying about our mates being out there and in danger.

Lux prepared a feast that could feed a dozen people because he didn't want anyone to go hungry, and I didn't try to stop him, mostly because I enjoyed watching him putter around the kitchen. He'd gotten much better at cooking recently, and I had a feeling he could learn to do anything if he gave it a try. He was in his demon form with Gunner strapped to his chest, and I'd offered to take him, but Lux had waved me off, telling me Gunner enjoyed assisting him.

Since the little guy had spent the past five minutes waving a tiny spatula around while intermittently smacking Lux with it, I doubted that, but he seemed content doing it this way, so I hadn't insisted. Instead, I leaned against the wall out of his way and just enjoyed watching him work. After the madness of the last few days, this slice of normalcy felt great.

There was a knock at the door just as Lux had finished cleaning up, all the food ready to be served in covered bowls and dishes that I knew Lux would keep warm with his magic.

I told him I'd get it while he shifted into his human form and switched his clothes to proper dinner attire. I'd gotten dressed a while ago, so I made my way to the door while Gunner made his displeasure known. He'd grown quite attached to Lux's demon form, and seemed to prefer him that way. He wasn't the only one.

There was a smile on my face when I opened the door, and it almost faltered in surprise when I realized we had an extra, unexpected guest. Along with the four men I'd been expecting—we'd invited Lux's friends an hour early so they could talk demon things before my human friends arrived—was a woman we hadn't invited. It didn't take me more than a moment to peg her as a demon. She had a certain air about her that told me she wasn't human, and the way her almost-yellow brown eyes flicked around the room with barely disguised curiosity further cemented my suspicion.

"Hey, everyone. Please come in," I greeted, leading them to the living room.

"Hey, Archer. It's great to see you again!" Ryk, the one with the freckles and bright blue eyes, said, his red curls bouncing as he almost seemed to skip over to the couch. He was holding hands with Nico, who had a curvy figure, dark eyes, and short black hair. He gave me an awkward finger-wave, and I smiled back at him.

Star followed behind him, his dark eyes sleepy as his brown hair fell over his forehead. He had a lanky figure, and appeared to be close to falling asleep while still standing upright.

Dakota was the tallest of them and the last one to step inside, his kind blue eyes lighting up as he smiled at me. His long brown hair was tied up in a bun, and diamond studs glinted in his ears.

"Hey, Archer. It's good to see you again without all the madness," he said with a wink, and I chuckled.

"Lux!" Ryk exclaimed, then rushed past us before jerking to a halt in front of my mate. "Oh! Let me see the little human!" He leaned forward to peer at Gunner, then gasped when the baby grabbed his curls, a wide grin splitting his face as Gunner tugged. Knowing how strong that tiny grip could be, I was surprised when Ryk's smile didn't even flicker.

"Since Ryk forewent introducing me," the female demon said with a raised eyebrow before stepping forward and holding out a hand. Except she had her palm down, like she expected me to take her hand and kiss it. Blinking in confusion, I took her hand, and then gave it a shake because I was not kissing it. She scrunched up her nose, and her long red hair shifted as she shook her head slowly. "I'm Fressia. It's nice to meet you."

"You too," I said with a small smile, letting go of her hand as soon as I could do it without appearing rude. Unlike the other demons, she put me on edge, and I wondered why that was. Did bonding to a human mellow demons out? Was that why she seemed so much...sharper?

But Lux had been a sweetheart since the moment I met him. I'd never felt uneasy in his presence, even before we got together.

Deciding demon logic was way beyond my understanding, I shook my head and invited them all to sit, glad Lux had thought ahead and magicked up a second couch. This one was a sectional, and could easily seat all of them.

I wondered how things would go once Jerry and Kat showed up. Would they sense something off with Fressia like I could? I hoped not, because I hated keeping secrets from my friends, and I didn't know what I'd do if they asked me something outright, something I wasn't allowed to tell them.

Lux

Ryk, Nico, and I chatted about our time in the human realm so far, while Star—as per usual—was curled up in the corner of the couch, napping. When I'd snuck a glance at him, Ryk had told me Star had been up all night with a waggle of his brows, and I'd shaken my head with a smile. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed my demon brothers—and sister—until now, but I was glad Archer had suggested I invite them. I was especially glad I'd invited them a little earlier so we could talk freely.

Soon enough though, the hour had passed and the doorbell rang again. Archer, who'd been in a deep conversation with Dakota, got to his feet and headed for the door, while Fressia strolled around the room, seemingly fascinated by all of Gunner's things.

I heard Jerry and Kat a moment before they walked into the living room, and I stood up to greet them. Jerry pulled me into a one-armed hug, then stole Gunner from my arms, raising him up into the air.

"Oh, look at you, little man! When did you get so big?" Jerry asked like he did every time he saw Gunner, grinning up at him. His long hair was in a braid tonight, and I distantly wondered if he and Dakota used the same hair products, since they both seemed to have such silky hair.

"Hey, Lux," Kat greeted as she sidled up to me, her eyes scanning over the new faces. Then, she leaned even closer to me and asked, "Who's the hottie over there? Is she single?"

I followed her gaze to Fressia, and I blinked in surprise. While Fressia was beautiful, she was also a little intimidating. She got along with us just fine, but she wasn't truly close to anyone except maybe Azazel, another demon who'd been living in the human realm for a while before us. Humans seemed to find her especially unnerving, so I was surprised Kat was showing an obvious interest in her.

"That's Fressia," I said, knowing full well the woman in question could hear us. "And yes, she's single, as far as I know."

Fressia turned around, as if she was going to correct me, and then froze. Her eyes widened as they scanned Kat up and down, a series of expressions flashing over her face, too fast for me to figure out what she was thinking. Before I could ask her, Ryk called me over, and I glanced between them before walking over to him and leaving them to their devices.

When I looked up next a few moments later, they were both gone, and I hoped Fressia wouldn't do anything to scare Kat. She was a close friend of Archer's, and I'd hate it if anything happened to her.

The sound of some very enthusiastic making out reached my ears a few minutes later, and I hissed under my breath before putting a silencing ward on the guest room they'd shacked up in. I shared a look with the other demons while the three humans chatted on obliviously, and Ryk made a face, Nico shook his head, and Star snorted in his sleep. He'd woken up to greet Jerry and Kat before going right back to sleep.

Kat and Fressia returned as I started serving dinner, taking seats right next to each other. After we'd all settled with our plates, Kat spoke.

"So...we're dating now," she declared, waving a hand between herself and Fressia, and silence fell over the table before Jerry whistled softly.

"Wow, that was fast, even for you, Kat."

Kat smirked, and then her eyes flicked to me before falling on Ryk, Nico, and Star. Wait. My eyes widened as realization sank in, and I glanced at Ryk, who seemed to be coming to the same conclusion.

Fressia and Kat weren't just dating. They were mates.

What the fuck? How had Fressia done all of that in the forty minutes they were upstairs? It'd taken me weeks to win over Archer's trust, to make him ready to reveal my secret, and even then I'd been terrified of rejection. How had Kat accepted everything so easily?

I also realized that now Jerry was the only one in the dark, and I hated that. I wished I could tell him too. He was so close to Archer and Gunner. But the rules were the rules, and I couldn't do anything about it.

Once we started eating, conversation drifted back to safer topics. Nico told us about his latest culinary experiments, while Ryk described the painting he was working on, which was a pet portrait for their dog and cat, and sounded absolutely adorable.

After dinner, I bathed Gunner and got him ready for bed while Archer and the others cleaned up the after-dinner mess, and I took my time since this was one of my favorite parts of the day, not only because Gunner was a sweetheart when he was sleepy, but because putting him down meant I finally got some alone time with my mate. Not that that would be happening anytime soon tonight.

I waited until Gunner was asleep before turning on the baby monitor and leaving the room.

Downstairs, a game of Pictionary had broken out in my absence, and I slid in beside Archer on the couch, leaning against his shoulder as I called out a guess and joined in on the fun.

As much as I liked having our friends around, I hoped they'd leave soon, because I really wanted to get Archer alone and in our bed. We hadn't done anything more intimate than cuddling since the night we found Sabre, first because we were exhausted taking care of two babies, and then because we were sad after losing Sabre. But tonight? Tonight I wanted to feel him deep inside me, and our friends were unfortunately in the way. Why had I thought inviting them over for dinner was a good idea?