Page 72 of My Demon Assistant

"According to Stuart, Eshim's theory was right. The four souls who escaped do not know each other. They saw an opening, and they made their escape without a plan in mind."

"And Mammon?" Kor, who'd placed his chair just a bit away from the rest of us, asked, and I was honestly surprised he'd spoken. He generally just observed quietly and only spoke when he had something to report.Or when the conversation was about Mammon. Huh.

Maximus sighed. "It seems Mammon left of his own free will. We assumed he'd been summoned by one of them, but they aren't strong enough to do that. According to Stuart, he has a goal of his own, but he hasn't shared it with the others. The good news is he wasn't involved in any of the killings. He just helped them escape."

"He held Eshim hostage while the dark soul tried eviscerating him. He's not innocent in this," Fressia chimed in, her voice practically a growl, and I glanced over, surprised. I had just admitted I felt closer to Fres and Lux than the rest of the demons, but I hadn't expected that to be reciprocated.

Fressia huffed at whatever look was on my face, then started ignoring me, which made me grin.

"That's true. And I'm not saying he's innocent, not at all. I'm just saying he might not be as big of a problem as we thought, especially if we can figure out what his goal is."

"What about the other three dark souls? What do they want?" Xin asked. It'd been a while since we had a chat, so I made a mental note to do it later, especially since they'd moved from New York to take my spot when I moved closer to Jerry and the others.

"Well, one of them wants to find a way to break into the Chasm, to release the other dark souls," Maximus said, and I snorted. I wasn't the only one.

After the last breakout that almost destroyed the human realm—it certainly would've if the Otherworlders hadn't stopped the souls before they escaped Otherworld—the Chasm had been fortified beyond belief. No one could break into it, not even the King of Otherworld.

"Yes, she won't be able to do that," Maximus said, then shared a glance with King Damien. "But she, Cynthia, was responsible for harming Zane's mate, so she's on the top of our list to capture next. The other two are currently focused on finding bodies. Their aim seems to be to just 'live' a normal life. They're one of the oldest residents of the Chasm, and I don't think they're thinking straight."

That was a lot. I knew Zane; they were a good person. I'd also met their mate, Wren, who was one of the sweetest men I'd ever met. If Cynthia had hurt him, she was now on the shitlist of every demon in this room.

"We don't know which one of the three will be the most problematic going forward, so we need to be alert. If you sense anything, contact me immediately. Don't try to be a hero. Your objective is to protect the humans and alert us when the dark souls get close. That's it."

I nodded, very firmly in agreement with him. I was done taking risks because one wrong move would separate me from Jerry, and I couldn't allow that to happen.

The meeting wound down after that, but I lingered for a while, catching up with some of the demons I hadn't talked to in a while.

Pythor was still complaining about his neighbor—he seriously needed some hobbies—when I took my leave and went home.

The meeting had run longer than I'd expected, so I went straight home, and found Jerry and Tom curled up on the couch, a movie playing on the flatscreen as Jerry snoozed away, his mouth hanging open. Tom's head rested on his cheek, and if his fur was longer, it'd be in Jerry's mouth.

I made sure to take a picture before leaning down and pressing a kiss on his forehead. "Wake up, boss-man. We have plans, remember?"

"Don't call me that," Jerry grumbled, then gave me a sleepy smile. "Will you get me ready? Pretty please?" he asked as he sat up, and I chuckled.

Since we started officially living together, he'd realized I could make our lives easier with my magic—like instant laundry and dishes, making wrinkled clothes fresh again, a never-ending supply of toilet paper—and when I'd assured him he could ask for stuff, he'd taken it to heart.

Of course, I did it all happily because I loved making him smile.

Jerry

I grinned as I glanced down at myself. The pajamas I'd put on when I got home had been replaced by a pale green button-down, dark brown dress pants, and a stylish jacket I'd bought at some point last year and promptly forgotten about.

"Thanks! What about you?"

Eshim grinned, then snapped his fingers, and his office outfit of a white button-down and navy blue vest and pants changed into a blue turtleneck that matched his eyes, and dark jeans.

"Sexy," I said as I stepped closer to him, and he leaned in, pressing his lips to mine. "I'm glad you're okay."

"How about we drive there, and I'll tell you what we learned on the way?"

After making sure Tom was settled for the evening, we made our way to the restaurant as Eshim told me what Maximus had learned from the dark soul.

"Does that mean there's a chance Mammon isn't completely evil?" I asked, knowing he'd once been a friend to Eshim and the other demons.

"I hope so—I really really do—but I'm not sure if that'll help any."

By the time we reached the restaurant, the conversation had moved to lighter topics. The others were already there when we stepped into the warm, well-lit place, and I assumed they'd teleported instead.

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