Page 26 of My Demon Manny

"Morning," I grumbled as I grabbed my already-full coffee mug and took a few grateful sips. Once I felt marginally more human, I thanked Lux. "Oh, Jerry will be over with Gunner in a bit."

"Awesome! I'll throw some clothes in the laundry and get his bottles ready."

"I'll make breakfast."

Smiling, Lux disappeared down the hallway, and I stared at the counter as I sipped my coffee, mind blissfully blank for a few precious minutes.

I was almost done with the scrambled eggs and bacon I was cooking when Jerry arrived, and he dropped Gunner off with Lux, smirked at my still-a-little-drunk face, and took off, saying something about going on a shopping trip with Kat.

While I plated our food, Lux played with Gunner, murmuring softly to him as he walked around the living room. I smiled at the scene as I carried our breakfast over to the coffee table, and it was only after Lux had placed Gunner on his mat on the floor, placing a toy just outside his reach to encourage him to start crawling, that I remembered some of our conversation from last night.

A chuckle slipped past my lips, and Lux raised a brow at me as he straightened up, curious.

"Just remembered what we were talking about last night. I can't believe you tried to convince me you're a demon. You must've been really drunk, huh?"

Lux blinked, his eyes going wide. He reached up to tug at a lock of his hair, his eyes flicking between me and the floor. He seemed to make some kind of decision, because suddenly his eyes flashed to me as he took a single step closer before stopping.

"What if I said I meant it? That I am a demon?"

"What?" An unbidden laugh escaped my lips, worry closely following behind. Did Lux actually think he was a demon? I'd never speak ill of someone dealing with mental health issues, but I also couldn't trust my son with someone who wasn't completely in control of their actions. "You're joking, right?"

Lux shook his head, making my heart sink in my chest. "I'm a demon. Like I said yesterday, we usually live in the demon realm but are here for a mission. We aren't usually allowed to tell humans about our existence, which is why you're having sucha hard time believing me, but there are exceptions. I can tell you because you're my fated mate. I think humans know it as soulmates."

I blinked, thoroughly blindsided by this version of Lux. He needed help, and he needed to not be so close to my son.

"Uh, maybe you should come sit here so we can talk about this, Lux." I patted the couch beside me. Was this something Lux had always believed or was it some kind of trauma response to the accident?

Lux made a frustrated sound, and I bit my lip, my worry mounting.Please don't do something drastic.

"Oh, we're inside. I can just show you!" Lux said suddenly, and my brows furrowed. Show me? What could he possiblyshowme?

Lux took a deep breath, and before my eyes, he transformed from the small, beautiful man I knew to a...a monster. He was a foot taller than me now, with goat-like horns sticking out of his head, curving backward and adding another foot to his height. His skin had turned a grayish white, his form more muscular, and thick thighs covered in a leathery garment that ended just above his knees. His hands ended in wicked-looking claws, his feet had turned into talons, and a long tail stuck out of his lower back, its end somewhat fluffy. His eyes, previously such a beautiful blue, were now dark, midnight black, with only a hint of blue around the outer edges of his irises.

My voice caught in my throat as I shot to my feet, my eyes flicking from him to Gunner. He could hurt Gunner so easily.

Gunner, completely oblivious to the whole situation, giggled as he reached up and grabbed the end of the monster's—the demon's,I reminded myself—tail, and panic filled me.

I'd thought I knew fear after the almost-accident, but as I watched my son tug at the demon's tail, I realized I hadn't had aclue before at all. Because this? This was the worst fear I'd ever experienced.

Twelve

Lux

Maybe I should've thoughtof a better time to shift in front of Archer than when I was standing between him and Gunner. I would rather die than hurt Gunner, but Archer didn't know that, not now that all he could see was my inhuman form.

Slowly, I turned around and picked Gunner up, careful of my claws as I cradled him in my arms. He still had a hold of my tail, and didn't seem to mind what I looked like at all.

Turning around, I held him out to a wide-eyed Archer, who hastily pulled Gunner to him, trying and failing to get him to let go of my tail.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I promised as I took a few steps back until my tail went taut between us, Gunner's grip on it strong as ever. I let him play with it, focusing my gaze on Archer. "I meant everything I said. I would rather die than see either of you hurt, and I would never, ever want to cause either of you any pain."

Swallowing hard, I turned my gaze to the floor before adding this next part. "I'll leave if you want. I'm sure I've broken your trust. I understand if you don't feel safe around me anymore."

Archer was quiet for so long that I had my answer. I had to leave. To go somewhere far away. Maybe in a few years, once Gunner was all grown up, Archer would be open to the idea of us. It wasn't like I'd get old, and even if Archer never said yes while he was human, I could meet him again in Afterworld, and maybe then he'd say yes...

"Lux?" Archer's voice was hesitant, and I glanced up, meeting his wide eyes.

"Yeah?"

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