Page 63 of Demon Boss' Baby Load

“His scent is all overyoutoo,” Nat said.

Mallie sighed. “He would want you to be his mate, and Wanda will be his baby.”

“Let’s pretend for a moment that he actually wants that,” Nat said dryly. “What’s stopping him from adopting you, too?”

Mallie and Teddy looked at each other. “We’re older kids. No one wants older kids. Except Duke, I guess. But he’s just fostering us.”

Nat bit his lip, glancing at Hubrie. This wasn’t his discussion to have.

Hubrie sighed. “You didn’t hear it from me, but Hell Master has plans for you kids.”

Their eyes grew wide.

“Wicked witch plans?” Teddy asked. “Will he put us in a pot?”

Hubrie snorted. “You wish! I’ll leave it to him to break the news to you. He has a bunch of things going on right now, so he hasn’t discussed it with you yet.”

The siblings still looked anxious, so Nat gathered them close. He crouched on the ground and patted the grass next to him; they reluctantly sat down.

“Look,” Nat said. “I’m really new to all of this. Duke has been my boss for only two days. But from what I can see? Duke loves both of you, and he’s loved you for years. He’ll put you two first. Even before me and Wanda.” They still looked doubtful, so Nat added, “Ask him yourself. You trust him to be truthful, don’t you?”

Both children nodded slowly.

“Then trust him to prove that he loves you more than me,” Nat said.

Hubrie made a soft sound. When Nat looked over, the butler was staring at the ceiling, pretending to whistle.

Nat released a squirming Wanda onto the ground, turning back to Mallie and Teddy. “Duke doesn’t really have plans for me in his life. But you’re a sure thing. He hired me to help so he would get more time with you.”

The kids began to cheer up.

“He likes you too, though,” Mallie said.

“But that’s okay, we can share him with you,” Teddy added.

Nat’s heart warmed. “Aww, you guys! I appreciate that. That’s really kind of you.”

“I know! What if we trade?” Mallie chirped eagerly. “We let you have Duke for a while, and you’ll let us play with Wanda.”

Privately, Nat wondered if Duke everlethimself be ordered around.

“Only if you promise not to hurt her, and you’ll watch out for her,” he said seriously. “Wanda may be a little more hardy as a raccoon cub, but she’s still only ten months old. She needs to be protected.”

Mallie and Teddy nodded very seriously. “We’ll keep her safe.”

Nat relaxed. He shifted into a raccoon, waiting until Wanda copied him. The siblings cooed when she was once again a ball of grey fluffy fur. Then they wriggled out of their clothes and shifted into two bobcat kittens, crowding around Wanda and sniffing at her. In this shape, Mallie had black ears, and Teddy had white socked feet.

Wanda patted them with her little paws. They licked her face and cuddled with her, purring when she pulled them close. Nat could’ve melted into a puddle.

Grass rustled. When Nat looked up, he found Hubrie with his phone out, taking a video of them.

“Hell Master needs to see this,” the butler said with a gleeful smile. “He’ll be so upset that he missed out.”

Of course Duke would be upset—the kids were adorable in their little cub pile, and Nat wanted to join them.

But a tug on his insides pulled him away.

He followed his instincts to a cluster of bushes nearby, grabbing two handfuls of fallen pine needles and soft leaves. They smelled good. Woodsy, earthy. Like... a home?

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