Epilogue
One Week Later
Eshim
"I 'll be back soon."
"Sure. I'll just finish this up. I'll text you if I decide to head home before you get back. Don't forget we have plans," Jerry reminded as he glanced up from the paperwork he'd been reading.
It seemed he was no longer afraid I'd die every time I got called away, which was good. I didn't want to cause him unnecessary worry.
"Okay. It should be a quick meeting, so I'll probably be back before then. And I haven't forgotten our plans, I promise." How could I, when I'd spent all week in anticipation?
Jerry smiled, and I gave him a finger wave before quickly traveling to Otherworld.
I walked through the hallways of the building they'd dubbed the 'Office Building'—clearly, they had wonderful naming skills—before stepping into the meeting room we'd met in last time.
Most of the demons were already here, including Lux and Fressia. Before I met Jerry, I hadn't been that close to either of them. I mean, we'd been friends like most demons were, but I couldn't deny our mates' friendship had brought us closer as well.
Once the last of the demons popped in, King Damien called the meeting to order, then called Maximus over.
"We've discovered a few things from questioning Stuart, the dark soul we captured with Fressia, Eshim, and Calux's help."
"I could've caught a dark soul," someone grumbled, and I chuckled, glancing over at Pythor. He stuck his tongue out at me, and I shook my head.
"Maybe if you stopped obsessing over your neighbor. You probably have a dark soul living right in your neighborhood, but you don't even notice them because you're so focused on that one neighbor," Star chimed in, making some of us laugh.
" He could be the dark soul," Pythor grumbled. "Bet you'd feel stupid then."
"Everyone," King Damien cut in, one brow raised, and I ducked my head.
Apologies rang out, and I was sure I heard Artemus mutter, "Like herding cats," but Maximus started speaking, and I turned my attention to him.
"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.
"There you are! This was a great idea, Eshim. We should make this a regular thing," Kat said as she pulled me into a hug, and Fressia groaned.
"Don't you get enough of them at work?"
"That's different, honey," Kat assured her, making Fressia huff.
"Hey, little guy." I walked around the table to Gunner's stroller, then tapped his nose, making him laugh.
Waving toward Kat and Fressia, he said, "Aans!"
I blinked, then whipped my head to stare at the two women. "Did he just call you aunts? Did he ?"
Kat grinned, and even Fressia looked a little proud.
"He's a smart mini-human," she said, and I sighed, then turned to Gunner.
"Well, I'm your uncle, Gungun. And so is he," I said, pointing to Eshim.
"Aans!"
I turned to Archer. "I'm borrowing him for the weekend. I'll give him back once he learns to call me uncle."
Archer laughed, as if I wasn't completely serious, and Eshim tugged me into a chair. Deciding to bring it up later, I focused on the drinks menu Eshim handed me.
Conversation, drinks, and then food flowed around the table as the evening passed, and I realized the triple-date was one of the best ideas Eshim had ever had.
While I was on the same floor with my friends every weekday for work, it was for work . We didn't really get much time to chat. Getting together every once in a while to catch up was a wonderful idea, and I was going to make sure we did this regularly.
"Hey, can we borrow your cabin sometime?" Kat asked, and I glanced over at Eshim, who shrugged.
"Sure. Just make sure to bleach it after."
"Ha ha. You're hilarious, Jerry. Absolutely hilarious."
"Can we borrow it too?" Lux asked, sitting forward in his chair as his eyes lit up.
"Not at the same time," Eshim chimed in. "Unless that's something you want to explore."
The look on Lux's face made me crack up, and Eshim joined in, leaning into my side as he laughed.
I realized this moment was pretty damned perfect. I was surrounded by the people I loved more than anything in this world, and it felt like nothing could ruin my day right then.
Of course I should know better than to jinx myself because that was the moment a familiar face approached our table, his eyes on me as he said, "Excuse me."
Everyone's eyes turned to Martin, and he visibly shrank back.
"What do you want, Martin?" Kat asked, her tone curt, but Martin straightened up, and didn't back down.
"I wanted to apologize to Mr. Cohen," he said, and I blinked, honestly surprised.
Turning to me, he gave me an earnest look, none of his usual arrogance anywhere to be found. "I'm sorry about everything, Mr. Cohen. I'd developed feelings for you, and instead of dealing with them like an adult, I took it out on you and Eshim. It was unfair to you, and I never should've done it. I'm so sorry."
I was lost for words, but Kat wasn't. She always had my back.
"If you think doing this will get you your job back..."
"No, not at all. I have a job, though it's nowhere near as challenging," he said, in a tone that implied challenging was a good thing. It was to him, and I knew that. He'd been one of my best employees, work-wise. It was why I'd struggled to let go of him when I knew I should've. "I just wanted to say I was sorry. I'll let you get back to your meal."
"Thanks," I said, then watched him walk over to a table on the other side of the room, shaking my head.
"That was...unexpected," I said, and Kat snorted.
"Tell me about it. I didn't think he'd realize his mistake. Or apologize."
"I suppose some people can learn from their mistakes after all," Lux said, and I hummed.
"I'm still not giving him his job back," Kat grumbled, making me laugh.
"Well, then, it's a good thing he didn't ask for it, right?"
Kat agreed, and then spent ten minutes talking about why she'd never hire someone like Martin back, even if he claimed to be better.
After catching the tenth side-eye from our server and realizing the restaurant was almost empty, we decided it was time to head home.
The others took the fast way, while Eshim decided he would drive us home. I handed over the keys without a question, then almost fell asleep on the drive home.
Eshim carried me to bed like he did whenever I was too tired—or lazy—to move, and then joined me once he'd magicked our clothes off.
He wrapped his arms around me as Tom wriggled his way between us, and I fell asleep with a smile on my face, excited to do this for the rest of my life.