Page 60 of My Demon Manny

Once the hour was up, Archer and I pressed kisses to Sabre's forehead before reluctantly handing him over to Artemus, who cradled him in the way of people who'd never held a baby before. I adjusted his arms so Sabre was upright and showed him the proper way to hold him, then offered to magick up a stroller, which he declined.

It was hard to watch them go, but between one blink and the next, the two Otherworlders disappeared with Sabre, leaving us behind.

Walking back to Gunner, Archer and I settled on either side of him on the playmat. Being close to him, to both of them, made me feel a little less sad about losing Sabre.

Archer placed a hand on my knee, and I placed mine on top of his, smiling when he flipped his palm up to tangle his fingers with mine. "We're going to be okay," he said with a determination that made my heart squeeze. I knew he was right, that even though it felt like Sabre had taken a piece of my heart with him, the wound he'd left behind would heal. It might take a little time, but we were going to be okay.

Nodding, I placed my other hand on Gunner's head, ruffling his wavy hair. He babbled happily, crawling over to me. Picking him up, I placed him in my lap, and Archer rested his hand on Gunner's back. With both of them so close to me, I found myself relaxing for the first time since the night Sabre first came into our lives.

Finding Sabre wasn't something I'd ever expected to happen, but then again, neither had I expected to find my fated mate in Archer.

Getting summoned to guard the human realm from the dark souls and Mammon was the best thing that'd ever happened to me, and losing Sabre didn't change that. As long as I had Gunner and Archer, I'd be okay.

Twenty-Six

Archer

Over the next fewdays, 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 happenedif 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 wasnotkissing 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.

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