Page 57 of My Demon Manny

A strange sort of jealousy curled in my belly, but I shook it off. The bond he shared with this Artemus was nothing like a mate bond. I had absolutely no reason to be jealous.

Or so I thought until I got a good look at Artemus.

The man was, quite simply put, stunning. With long, golden brown hair framing his face and hanging down to his lower back, green eyes framed by black eyeliner that seemed to see more than what was on the surface, and a slim body that appeared to be all muscles, he looked like he belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. Tattoos covered both his arms, mesmerizing patterns that I had to jerk my eyes away from.

Fuck, he wasbeautiful.

He also wasn't alone, I realized as my eyes slid to his companion. The man at his side was just a couple inches taller than him, but seemed to dominate the room as he stepped inside. His hazel eyes scanned the room, and his lips curved into a smile as he spotted Gunner. His messy black hair fell over his forehead, and he pushed the strands away distractedly as he murmured something to Artemus, making him smirk.

"Artemus, King Damien, thank you for coming," Lux said, dragging my gaze away from the couple. Wait, did he say 'king?' The king of Otherworld was in my home. Holy shit.

"This is my mate, Archer," Lux introduced, and I dipped my head in greeting, glad to have Gunner in my arms. "And his son, Gunner."

I realized suddenly that I didn't need a grand declaration of love to tell Lux how I felt. All I really needed were two words to tell him exactly how important he was to me. Tous.

"Our son," I corrected gently, and Lux's eyes snapped to mine. I gave him a small smile, and he sucked in a breath, biting down hard on his lower lip as his eyes turned glassy. Maybe I shouldn't have said it when we had company...

"Calux. I'm so happy for you!" King Damien exclaimed, and Lux quickly swiped his finger under his eyes before turning to the others and grinning widely.

"Thank you, King Damien. Please, take a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

Artemus shook his head as they settled on the couch, his hand resting comfortably on Damien's thigh. They were clearly very close, and that made some of the jealousy stewing in my gut settle down.

I sat down in the armchair, while Lux picked up the fae baby from the crib before choosing to settle down on Gunner's playmat in front of me, his back pressed against my legs.

"We're fine, Calux. Can you tell us why you invited us over? You said it had something to do with the fae?" Artemus's eyes flicked to the fae baby as he asked. Clearly, he suspected it had something to do with the baby. Either that or he was wondering why the baby hadn't been introduced.

Gunner reached up to grab my chin, and I turned my attention to him, keeping an ear on the conversation as Lux started explaining what'd happened last night.

Lux

I recounted the events of last night as Artemus and King Damien listened with rapt attention. Once I was done, I settled back, smiling slightly when I felt a small hand curl into my hair, tugging at the strands. Gunner couldn't actually hurt me, but Archer still admonished him softly, untangling my hair from his tiny fist as Artemus and King Damien digested what I'd said.

"I can't believe the fae tried to do that. They have to know there's no way changelings would be able to pass as human now, not when there are X-rays, MRIs, and all those human tests. Hell, even a blood test would reveal something was wrong," King Damien said, and I had to agree.

"Well, the fae haven't ventured into the human world in a while. Maybe they don't realize how much it has changed," Artemus suggested, his eyes far away as he searched inward. As part of his new powers, he'd received a veritable library's worth of historical data that now resided in his mind, and I could tell he was searching through it for any clues that might help.

"We should talk to Tharion and Celeste," the king suggested, and I agreed. They were two of the most powerful beings in the world, and they might be able to get to the root of this, especially with their fae past.

"Until we can figure something out, could you take care of him, Calux?" Artemus asked, and I almost nodded. It wasn't like they could take the baby to Otherworld, so he'd be safer here with us. But I couldn't decide that alone.

I glanced back at Archer, and Gunner took the opportunity to lean forward and grab my nose. Smiling, Archer nodded, thenremoved Gunner's hand from my nose. For a little guy, he had quite the firm grip.

"We'll keep him safe," I promised, and the Otherworlders both smiled.

"Thank you, both of you," King Damien said, and I shook my head. He had absolutely nothing to thank me for. If he and his mates hadn't decided to send us demons to the human world, it might've taken me decades to find Archer.

"It's our pleasure," I assured him, glancing down at the baby. "Um, doesn't he look a lot like Tharion?" Tharion and his sibling both had similar russet skin and sparkling green eyes, and I wondered if this baby belonged to their family. I didn't know if they were royalty, but it would make sense if they were considering how good they were at their current jobs.

"He does, doesn't he? He might just be a descendant of Tharion. A great-great something grandchild of one of his other siblings, maybe," the king mused, and I shrugged, not caring either way. All I cared about was that this baby stayed safe and that Artemus and King Damien were able to safely return him home.

"What will you do if it turns out he isn't wanted back home?" I couldn't imagine sending him back knowing he wasn't wanted. I didn't want him to grow up without love.

"If that happens..." Artemus trailed off, clearly searching for an idea.

"The Mistvale clan," Damien suggested, and Artemus nodded quickly.

I knew of the Mistvale clan, and while I'd never met any of them, I had visited the town a few times on Artemus's orders to check that everything was okay. They'd already homed a few supe kids there, and I had a feeling this baby would be welcomed with open arms if they took him there.

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