Page 19 of My Demon Assistant

Archer winced. "Eshim will tell you everything, but I'm sorry we hid things from you. It wasn't about you, Jerry. I swear. I wished I could tell you every day, but there are rules. Not following them wasn't an option, and I was so happy when Lux told me about Eshim because it meant we wouldn't have to keep secrets from you. You weren't supposed to find out this way."

"If you're just going to talk in circles without telling me anything, stop!" I snapped, and Archer nodded, sharing a look with Lux.

Lux walked over, and plopped Gunner in my lap. "Hold him for a bit, will you? Thanks!" He took Archer's hand and tugged him away before I could reply, and I peered down at Gunner, who gave me a wide, gummy smile.

"You're lucky you're cute," I told him, and then sighed as his fingers tangled into my hair.Here we go.

Eshim

I winced as I came to, my whole body feeling like it'd been drained of every last drop of energy.

I blinked a few times as my vision cleared, and my lips curved up instantly when my eyes fell on Jerry. He was here. He was okay.

He sat with my legs in his lap, and Lux and Archer's baby on my legs. Gunner was happily tugging at his hair, and Jerry seemed content to let him do that as he smiled softly at the baby.

I cleared my throat, and his eyes snapped to mine. Giving him a weak smile, I struggled to sit up. "Hey, boss."

I'd barely uttered the words before Lux, Archer, and Kat were on me, checking me over and demanding to know I was okay.

By the time I'd reassured them and calmed them down, Jerry had left the couch and was now on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall with Gunner cradled to his chest.

Lux glanced from me to Jerry, then nodded to himself. Walking over to my mate, he took Gunner from him, and then Kat waved them deeper into the house until it was just Jerry and me in the living room.

Based on what I remembered and the fact that I was still bloody, I had to assume Jerry had seen things he couldn't make sense of.

"Is Fressia okay?"

Jerry blinked, then nodded, still keeping his distance. "She went with the guy who...healed you. Reece."

Oh. Right. Of course Consort Reece was here. He was the only one who could heal souls, but he must've needed Kym's fire, since I'd been hurt by a dark soul.

"Areyouokay?" I asked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"

I sighed. This wasn't how I'd wanted to do this. At all. I'd wanted to get to know Jerry better, wanted him to know me better so that when I revealed the truth, he wouldn't be afraid.

I had one thing going for me, though. Both his best friends were here, and they knew the truth. They'd be able to help if he didn't believe me.

"I'm sure you have questions," I said as I stood up, and he nodded slowly.

"A shit-ton of them, starting with why my best friends have been keeping secrets from me and how they seem to know my PA better than I do."

Shit. Behind Jerry's flippant words, I could sense his hurt feelings. I knew Archer and Kat had hated hiding things from him, but I imagined it didn't feel any good from his side either.

"They didn't have a choice, and I hope you won't blame them for it. I'll tell you everything, okay?" I said as I reached him, and he gazed at me, eyes troubled.

On impulse, I reached out and took his hand in mine, and he jumped before glancing down at our joined hands.

"Eshim..."

"Just come sit with me. Hear me out."

Jerry was silent for a moment, but then he sighed and gave a reluctant nod. We walked back to the couch and sat down with an ocean of space between us, though I didn't let go of Jerry's hand.

I took a deep breath and decided to jump right into the center of things. "Fressia, Lux, and I are demons."

Jerry blinked, then blinked some more. Then he jerked his hand away. "If you're going to make jokes..."

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