Page 30 of My Demon Assistant

My mind was still reeling. So much had happened this evening, and I...I needed some time to process.

After Eshim disappeared, I walked back to the couch, then fell on it. Tom instantly clambered up and plopped himself in my lap, but I was surprised when Hella followed him, then lay on the couch beside me, her head resting on my thigh.

"Hey, puppies. That was something, huh? I don't even know what to think about first."

Eshim's true form returned to my mind, and I shivered. He was so...big. And strong. I was sure he could break me in two quite easily. Surprisingly, I was just as sure he'd never do that. And those arms…

I didn't know much about this fated mates business, but I couldn't deny Eshim and I had a connection.

I eyed my phone, then contemplated calling Archer or Kat to talk things over with them. I'd given them the cold shoulder all day. What if they didn't pick up?

As if he'd read my mind, my phone started buzzing, and Archer's name flashed on the screen. I picked it up quickly.

"So?" Archer asked without preamble, and I blinked.

"So what?"

"Lux told me Eshim and you had a date tonight. How did it go?"

I swallowed hard to dislodge the sudden lump in my throat. Despite how badly I'd treated Archer and Kat—for something that wasn't their fault, no less—he'd called me because he'd known I would want to tell him about it.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out instead of answering his question.

There was a pause, and then Archer spoke, his tone soft. "We're okay, Jerry. I—and Kat—understand why you were hurt. I'd be too if the situation was reversed."

I sighed, grateful he'd said that but not quite sure if it was true. Still, I was glad he wasn't mad at me, and very much ready to close this topic. I'd call Kat later to make sure we were good too, but I had no doubt she'd forgive me just as easily. Kat wasn't one to hold grudges. Not unless someone wronged someone she loved.

"Now, stop trying to distract me and tell me how the date went."

I sighed like it was the last thing I wanted to talk about, even though we both knew it wasn't.

"It was good. Really, really good. I haven't connected so easily to someone in a long time."

Archer hummed happily. "That's good to hear. You do take a while to let people in. Do you think it helped that you'd spent time with him in a non-romantic capacity first?"

I wanted to protest his observation, but I couldn't. I did take a while to let people in, because I'd learned over the course of my childhood that being left behind—or sent away—sucked, and it was easier when you weren't attached to people. While I'd gotten over most of my hangups, that one had stuck around. I tended to keep people at a distance until I could be sure they planned to stay.

"Maybe. I got to know him a bit at work, and that certainly made things easier."

"Yeah? I'm glad. What did you two do?"

"Nothing fancy. Dinner at home and a movie. Hella showed up. She's still here," I said, glancing over at the large black dog, whose ears had pricked up at the sound of her name.

"She's a sweetheart, isn't she?"

"She is," I agreed, reaching over to scratch behind her ears. Then I took a deep breath and said what I'd actually wanted to talk to him about. "I saw Eshim's true form."

"Yeah? What did you think?"

"Have you seen him?"

"Nope, not yet. How was he? Scary?"

I thought about how I'd reacted and snorted. "Not really."

"Hot?" Archer asked, a hint of knowing in his tone, and I swallowed hard.

"Is that weird?"

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