Page 55 of My Demon Assistant

"It does to me, Mats. Tell me."

She stared at me for a long moment, then relented. "I want to stay with my sister. My daughter has a family of her own. They have each other. My sister never had kids. Her husband's gone. We're very close, always have been. I'm all she has."

I nodded, then took her hand in mine. "I'll pay."

"What?"

"I'll pay for the retirement home, so you can stay with your sister."

"I can't ask you for that," she said, shaking her head as if even the idea was preposterous. Humans could be so weird about money. I'd never understood why those who had too much of it didn't just use the excess to help others. It wasn't like they could take their fortune to Otherworld with them.

It wasn't a coincidence that most people who had a fortune right up to their deaths ended up in the Burning Chasm.

I grinned at Matilda, then pulled her into my side with a one-armed hug. "Well, I guess it's a good thing you're not asking, right?"

She stared at me some more, as if she was waiting for me to say it was all a joke. When I just watched her watch me, she sighed.

"You mean it, don't you? Where will you even get money like that? The place isn't cheap."

"I have money. I don't have much to spend it on," I said, since I couldn't exactly tell her I had magic.

Matilda nodded, and I had a feeling it hadn't sunk in yet. She didn't believe me, not completely, but I didn't need her to.

"Thank you," she said, her voice soft, and I smiled.

"It's my pleasure. And I'll make sure to pop in for some of your cookies from time to time," I joked, making her laugh.

"You better. And come over to mine tomorrow for dinner so I can thank you properly. Bring that boyfriend of yours."

I blinked, surprised at the invite, especially since she hadn't met Jerry yet. I nodded because who in their right mind would say no to dinner at Matilda's place? I'd caught the scent of some of the things she cooked, and I'd almost begged for a bite more than once.

"I will."

"Good. Now I'll leave before he gets here," she said as she stood up, and I followed suit.

Then, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. Surprised, I froze for a long moment before my brain logged back on online and I hugged her back.

I'd hugged a lot of people in my lifetime. I'd hugged my friends, I'd hugged people I slept with, I'd hugged Jerry. I'd even given Mats a half-hug a few minutes ago. But this hug was unlike anything else I'd ever experienced before. It was warm and comforting in a way I didn't recognize. Or maybe I did, but the memory was lost in the dark nothingness that was my human life.

I imagined this was what a mother's hug felt like.

Matilda pulled back, then patted my cheek, giving me a warm smile. "You're a good one, Eshim. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded, then watched her leave, my chest warm and unusually light.

By the time Jerry showed up at my door—right on time, my punctual mate—I was back to normal and very much ready for our big date day.

I opened the door with a smile, and Jerry's eyes lit up as they roamed over me. "Hey, Eshim. You look wonderful."

Jerry had gone with a casual look too, with faded blue jeans paired with a dark polo shirt and an open jacket. His hair was in a ponytail, with a few loose strands falling forward to frame his face. He looked gorgeous.

"So do you."

Jerry held his hand out to me. "Ready to go?"

I grinned, and placed my hand in his as I stepped out of the apartment and let the door fall shut behind me. "Ready."

Twenty-One

---