Page 5 of My Demon Assistant

My phone started buzzing, and I picked up, already impatient.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me."

"I will once you shut up," Lux said with a snort, and I hushed right up. "Okay, so Jerry's very kind, and sweet. He's also cheerful, but I think he's a little sad right now. He hides it well, but Archer can see it. He likes spending time with us and Kat, people he's close to. I don't know about hobbies, but he was talking about adopting a dog earlier today."

"Why is he sad?" I asked, because I hadn't really processed anything after that.

"Hmm? Oh, well, Kat and he had lived together for a long time before she moved out, and now both his friends are dating, and I think he's lonely? That's why I've been inviting him over as often as possible. Oh, and his longtime assistant is also quitting soon, so he's sad about that too."

Good Afterworld, my mate needed a break. And an assistant, by the sound of it. Hmm...

Jerry

I gazed at the little terror as he raced circles around my living room, completely at home after ten minutes of being here. He was a six-month-old, golden-and-white corgi named Tom—having grown up watching a certain cat-and-mouse show, it had seemed like Fate when I saw his name—and it'd been an hour since I adopted him.

Well, if I'd wanted something to liven this place up, I'd made the right call. My furniture might disagree.

"Hey, Tom. Come here, please," I said, and he stopped short to glance up at me, head tilted curiously. Then he made another lap around the room before racing over to me and smacking right into my legs.

Picking him up, I placed him on my lap, where he settled instantly. I hugged him close, and smiled as his soft fur tickled me. Damn, I already loved the little shit, didn't I?

I'd never thought I'd own a tiny dog like him, but here we were. Kat was going to die with laughter when she saw him. Whenever that happened.

"Tom, you're supposed to stop me from being a mopey dick," I whined, and he licked my lips. Just licked them right up. "Ew, gross, kid. We need to have a talk about boundaries."

Placing him onto the floor, I headed to the kitchen to wash my mouth, and he followed after me.

Once I was sure there was no trace of dog saliva on my lips, I set up food and water bowls for him in the corner of the kitchen, and he leaped into the food as if he'd been starving for years.

Shaking my head at his antics, I headed back to the living room.

It was Sunday, and I had nothing to do. How did I usually spend my days off?

With either Kat or Archer, my mind supplied, and I scowled. Did I really not have any other friends?

It wasn't like I didn't know any other people. I was friendly with everyone who worked at our company, but they were all my employees. Outside of work, I didn't really socialize much, which I was starting to see might be a problem.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table, and I picked it up as Tom raced back into the room.

"Hey, Archer," I answered, and Tom barked along in greeting.

"You got the dog then, huh? That was fast," Archer said, a smile in his voice. I could just see him with that smug look on his face, his brown eyes sparkling as he rubbed his trimmed beard, the same dark color as his short hair.

"Yep. Why wait, right?" I said as I settled onto the couch, and Tom scrambled, scratching the couch in his failed attempts to climb up. Leaning down, I picked him up and placed him on my chest, where he settled like a damned cat.

"True. What breed did you get?" he asked, and I winced when Gunner shrieked right into the phone. He was in his 'loud phase,' according to Lux.

"A corgi."

"How small is he?" Archer asked, grin in his voice, and I sighed.Here we go.

"Small," I said, not giving him an inch, and he snickered.

"Okay, well, I called to invite you—and your new dog—over for dinner. Lux is making a roast."

They thought they were sneaky, but I'd noticed they'd asked me over a lot more since Kat moved out. Even knowing that, I couldn't bring myself to refuse the invitation because a) Lux's cooking was out-of-this-world good and b) I liked spending time with those three, even if Gunner was adamant on giving me a bald spot one of these days.

"Sounds delicious. Count me in. What can I bring?"

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