Page 56 of My Demon Manny

"Lux? Are you okay?" Archer asked, leaning out of the window. Then his eyes fell on the bundle in my arms and went wide. "Is that...is that ababy?"

Nodding, I used my magic to get back inside the house, not wanting to jostle the baby by climbing through the window again. The baby was pretty quiet for someone who'd just been abandoned, their bright eyes blinking up at me calmly as I held them. They reached out a hand to touch my chin, as if trying to figure out if I was friend or foe. I knew fae kids developed faster than human ones when they lived in the fae realm, and I wondered if this baby was younger than Gunner even though they appeared to be the same age.

"Why was there a baby in our backyard?"

Sighing, I shook my head, unable to believe what I was about to say. It'd been a long, long time since something like this had happened. The fae had stopped doing it when they realized humans were getting smarter, developing technology that would make it extremely easy to tell there was something wrong. What dumb fae had thought this would be a good idea?

I had to admit, if the brownie had gone to any other house, they might have succeeded. But how long would this baby have survived in the human world? How long before someone noticed there was something inhuman about him?

"Lux?"

"Sorry," I said with a shake of my head. "The being I chased off was a fae. A brownie. They usually serve one of the royal fae families. I think they were sent here to leave this baby behind, to swap it for a human one."

Archer's eyes widened, his gaze snapping between the two babies. "Wait. You mean that person was planning to kidnap Gunner?"

I nodded quietly, and Archer shook his head, his breath coming out in a trembling sigh. I couldn't imagine what he was feeling. He'd gone from not knowing of the existence of the supernatural world to being mated to a demon and almost having his son kidnapped by a fae. His head had to be spinning.

"Did they really think I wouldn't notice if my son suddenly changed hair, eye,andskin color?"

The incredulous look on his face made me chuckle, and I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. "They would've used magic to make him look like Gunner. Then the baby's own magic would've kept up the illusion until he needed it."

Archer shook his head, then glanced at the fae baby in my arms. "What are we going to do with him?"

Peering down at the baby, I couldn't help the pang in my chest. He'd been abandoned by those who were supposed to care for him. Either that, or someone had stolen him from his home because they didn't want him to stay in the faerie realm. Judging by the soft, silky clothes he wore and the fact that he'd been left here by a brownie, I'd say he belonged to one of the royal families, which meant that it could've been a political move. If he had any claim to the throne, someone competing with him could've sent him here to get him out of the way. A human baby would've been disqualified from the running the moment they realized he didn't possess fae magic.

If I hadn't stopped the brownie, or if they'd taken him to a different house, he'd have grown up feeling different and never knowing why. I couldn't let that happen to him. How could I help him?

The only fae—or previously fae—people I knew of were Fate and their brother, the king of Afterworld. Would they be able to help?

Either way, I had to try. The fae were bonded to their land. That was how they got their magic. Which meant the longer this baby stayed in the human world, the weaker he'd get. One day, he might not have any magic left in him, and he'd lose the ability to even revert to his true form. I couldn't imagine losing my powers and getting stuck in this weak, human form, and I wasn't going to let that happen to him.

"We're going to find a way to send him back home."

Twenty-Four

Archer

I watched as Luxfed the fae baby and hummed softly under his breath, a tiny smile on his lips. I felt like there was a balloon in my chest, and it kept growing bigger and bigger the longer I watched him. Instead of air, the balloon was filled with my love for this sweet, affectionate demon.

I'd never imagined I'd love someone as much as I loved Lux. Before I met him, I'd been content with the life I had. My plan had been to split my focus between Gunner and work, with no space leftover for anything else. But somehow, Lux had made room for himself in my life without making me compromiseon either of my priorities. He'd situated himself in my life so completely that I could no longer imagine it without him, and I didn't want to.

Gunner babbled in my arms, his eyes on Lux and the baby as he waved his hands in the air. He either wanted to see the baby, or wanted to be the one in Lux's arms. Either way, Lux grinned as soon as he noticed Gunner's insistent waving, and made his way to us, joining me on the couch. His side pressed against mine, and I leaned into him, unwilling to allow even an inch of space between us.

After the excitement of last night, we'd gone to bed after Lux had magicked both the cribs into our room and put Gunner and the fae baby to sleep right by his bedside. He'd promised me that nothing would touch them, and I hadn't doubted him for a second. Despite everything, I'd slept deeply, secure in the knowledge that he'd keep the babies safe. I had a feeling he hadn't slept, though, which was why I'd taken today off so I could watch over all three of them.

Archer had contacted Artemus, who was the person who'd summoned Lux and asked him to stay in the human world. He was also the mate of a king, though he'd been human like me before. Sometimes, I still wondered if all of this was some big fever dream, but I never could've dreamed up someone as amazing as Lux.

Still, it was strange to think there were worlds other than this one, and that I was going to be meeting the ruler of one such world today. Archer had said Artemus and his two mates all ruled over Otherworld, and while only one of them had the title of king, they were all equally responsible for it.

"When do you think he will be here?" I asked, and Lux shrugged.

"It depends on if he's coming alone or not. If his mates decide to come with, they might be a bit longer."

Nodding, I smiled when Gunner reached over to grab the fae baby's hand, then tugged it to his mouth as the baby simply watched him. They were about the same age, but the fae baby was a lot calmer, as if his soul was much older than his body. Even if the magic had changed how he looked, I knew without a doubt I'd have known he wasn't my Gunner. Not that anyone would've believed me. Hell, even I would've thought I was going crazy.

Thank heavens Lux was here with me, or I would've lost Gunner twice over by now. First that stupid car crash, and then this.

"Oh, here he is," Lux murmured a moment before a knock appeared at the door. My brows shot up, and Lux shrugged as he got to his feet. "It's a summoning bond thing."

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