Page 18 of My Demon Manny

Or how he never talked to Gunner in a baby voice because he thought it was dumb and he wanted Gunner to grow up hearing the right pronunciations of words.

Or how even though it'd been a week since he started work, he still checked in with a video call at least three times a day and texted me more than half a dozen times.

There were so many things I'd learned about Archer in the short time I'd known him, and each new fact had stoked the fire of my interest in him until I was practically burning with it.

So yeah, I no longer wanted to ignore the fact that Archer was my fated mate, that we belonged together. But knowing it and acting on it were two very different things, and that was where I was stumped. How did I tell Archer any of this?

I couldn't outright tell him I was a demon, not when he'd trusted me with Gunner. He'd feel betrayed, but more than that, he'd think I had some ill-intentions toward his son. So, I had to be careful.

Maybe the other demons could help. Nico, Star, and Ryk were mated to a human, while Azazel had been summoned by one and was now dating him. Maybe one of them would have some advice I could use?

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I clicked into the group chat and typed out a message. It was only after I hit send that I realized I could've privately messaged one of them instead of advertising my business to all the demons—not that they wouldn't have found out soon enough.

Me: So...how would you go about telling a human he's your mate? And that you're a demon?

My eyes widened, and Gunner started giggling as ping after ping assaulted my phone. Shit. I really should've privately messaged one of them.

"Oh, Gunner. You think this is funny?" I asked as I placed my still pinging phone onto the table and turned my attention to the little onesies I was folding.

Gunner merely giggled some more, waving his rope toy around as he sat on his blankets for some floor time.

I waited until the phone stopped pinging, then counted to 200 before picking it up. Practically everyone except Korrigan—who never, ever said anything, in the group or otherwise—had demanded to know if I'd found my mate, and what they were like and a billion other questions.

Scrolling past them all, I paused at Star's message. He was mated to a human, so his text might be helpful.

Star: Well, Ryk showed Dakota a painting of our demon forms and then shifted in front of him.

Me: Yeah, I can't do that. I'm taking care of his baby. He would freak out.

Jeska: Wait. Your mate is the baby daddy you work for?? This is AWESOME

Ignoring Jeska, who lived for any kind of drama, I read Star's text as it came in, closely followed by one of his mates, Nico's, text.

Star: Yeah, you might have to wait until he's fallen for you before telling him the truth

Nico: But wouldn't that feel like a bigger betrayal?

Star: It might, but he'd also be more likely to listen, don't you think?

Kali: I don't think so. Getting such a huge shock and a heartbreak? That would make anyone unreasonable. My advice would be to tell him as soon as possible.

As they discussed my situation amongst themselves, I realized something. There would never be a right time. No matter when I told Archer the truth, there would be a downside, a way things could go very wrong.

I also realized that every situation was different, and only I could decide what the right way for us was.

The smack of Gunner's toy against the floor pulled my eyes to him, and I smiled as he peered at me with his big blue eyes, waiting for me to pick up the toy he'd thrown as far as he could manage.

I'd figure out how to tell Archer in a way that didn't risk anything, because the thought of leaving Archer and Gunner was worse than the thought of returning to my old job of torturing souls.

Archer and Gunner were mine. My responsibility and hopefully soon, my family. I wasn't going to let anything come between us, and certainly not something as inconsequential as my demonhood.

Me: Thanks, guys. I'll figure something out.

Elva: Keep us updated, Lux! Good luck!

Putting my phone away, I went over and settled on the floor beside Gunner, grabbing his toy and handing it back to him. He promptly started smacking the toy against my knee.

Laughing, I picked him up, and then started regretting it as he began smacking the toy against my head.

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