Chapter Six
Bel
The good news was Atlas was still asleep as two demons popped into his office. The bad news was which demons showed up. Bel sighed, pushing the stack of papers away from him, knowing that he wouldn’t be getting any more work done while they were there.
“I can’t believe you didn’t call me the moment you found him!” Asmos said as he threw himself dramatically across Bel’s desk, crumpling the papers that Bel had just been working on.
Bel rolled his eyes. Asmos was always a dramatic little thing. “I was a little busy.”
“But Luci, Cary, and Gage got to meet him,” Asmos argued. “They got to meet him before me! I’m your bestest friend ever!”
“Sorry, buddy. Next time I find my mate has stalked me to my office, I’ll make sure that I stop him and we call you.”
“You don’t have to be a smartass.” Asmos grinned up at him. He was still sprawled across Bel’s desk. “You found your mate.”
Mammon snorted as he materialized a chair and sat in it. A glass appeared in his hand and he sipped slowly. “It’s a damn epidemic.”
That had Asmos straightening to glare at their friend. “Bite your tongue! This is amazing.”
Swirling the dark liquid in his glass, Mammon shook his head. “We’re too damn old to be chasing after fairytale endings.”
Bel folded his hands together in front of him. Bel hadn’t been actively searching for his mate, but he wasn’t disappointed. In fact, Atlas was a wonderful surprise. Even if the human—or maybe Bel should say quarter-demon—bewildered Bel with his easygoing nature.
“Almost every demon has been actively searching for their mate,” Asmos said seriously.
“Not me,” Mammon said. “And I didn’t think you were either.”
“True. I wasn’t looking…he just sort of crashed into my life. Unexpected but not unwanted.” That needed to be clear from the start. Bel would embrace this gift.
Mammon hummed. “Everyone is already talking. Planning. We’re going to have a shortage of demons in hell if this continues.”
“Just think how many mates will be brought back though!” Asmos clapped his hands. “More friends!”
“You’re starting to sound like Adam and his minions,” Bel pointed out.
Asmos grinned, his sharp teeth flashing in the light of the office. “I’m going to have all the friends.”
“I’m sure you will,” Bel agreed. He exchanged an amused glance with Mammon.
Bel and Mammon had both begun to worry about Asmos in the last decade. Slowly, their friend had been losing some of the fire that made Asmos…well, Asmos. Gage and Cary joining Lucifer in their realm had been a treat for them all, especially Asmos.
Bel hadn’t felt jealous of Lucifer finding his mates.
He’d wondered if there was a chance for him.
Of course he had wondered. Like Mammon had said, they were too old to hang their happiness on a mate.
Bel been happy enough spoiling Lucifer’s mates.
If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Luci.
Luci deserved the two amazing mates that had appeared to him.
What had Bel ever done to receive such a blessing? Asmos wasn’t wrong. Demons openly discussed finding their perfect match. Bel hadn’t been one of those.
“Tell me everything!” Asmos demanded. “I’m trying to decide if I need to spend more time in the human realm.”
Mammon visibly shuddered. “Who would want that?”
“Me!” Asmos said as he stomped his foot. “Mate, remember?”
Bel shook his head. “Next time get your own damn popcorn.”
Asmos tilted his head before flopping back. A chair appeared just before the little demon landed.
Show off. Nothing new with that though. Maybe Asmos would be willing to help Atlas learn more about magic? Bel would ask if Dean couldn’t make time.
“Tell me!” Asmos whined.
Bel told the very short yet intriguing story of how popcorn and cherry Slurpees had netted him his mate.
Asmos squealed and kicked his feet as his tail whipped out, knocking over a stack of papers.
Bel caught most of the falling papers, then waved his hand to rescue the rest. “Careful,” he growled. Even though he had technically hired Atlas as his assistant, he was trying to get through most of the paperwork before his boy realized how far behind Bel really was.
“You owe me so big!” Asmos claimed, pointing a finger at Bel. “You found your mate because of me.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Bel dismissed. He actually was grateful for that little errand that had sent him into the path of being stalked by his mate.
“You owe me!” Asmos drawled. “What should I demand? It had to be something good. Something…mate-worthy.”
Ignoring that for now, Bel would find a way to thank Asmos and Cary later. After he figured out how to help his mate. They had so much to work through. Cary’s flickers, his demon bloodline, and the attack on his family.
“So can I meet him?” Asmos asked.
“He’s asleep,” Bel replied sternly. “And he needs his rest. Be quiet.”
“But Cary said he needs friends!” Asmos argued.
“You can make friends after he wakes up. And has his coffee and breakfast,” Bel responded in warning. Asmos was a lot to take in first thing in the morning.
Asmos huffed. “You’re no fun. You’re going to be just as protective as Lucifer, aren’t you? That’s not fair! I should be able to see my friend whenever I want.”
Lucifer putting boundaries in place for his boys was beginning to make more sense now. Bel did not want anyone just popping in, even if it was Asmos. “He doesn’t know we’re mates yet,” Bel reminded his friend. “So keep that to yourself.”
“You haven’t told him?” Mammon questioned sharply. “Is that wise?”
“How much have you been told?” he asked. “About my mate?”
“Nothing!” Asmos declared. He pushed out his bottom lip. “Cary texted me an invitation to dinner but you were already gone by the time I got there. Luci said dinner was postponed and I wasn’t allowed to come visit until the morning. I grabbed Mamm and we hit the bar.”
“I had to listen to him drunk-whine all night thanks to you,” Mammon accused.
Bel shrugged. Mammon needed to get out of his cave more anyway. Like, the literal cave that Mammon lived in.
“We came up with an epic plan to capture a certain annoying angel and drop him in the lava river,” Asmos stated proudly.
“You came up with that plan,” Mammon replied quickly. “And leave me out of your weird obsession with Michael.”
Asmos gasped, choked, and kicked at Mammon all at the same time. “I am not obsessed.”
He kind of was. Not that Bel would ever say that. Again. Mammon had obviously not learned never to point out how much Asmos and Michael loved to push each other’s buttons. And Bel really needed to get control of this conversation or Asmos would pop out on a huff.
“I haven’t told Atlas about mates because we have some bigger issues that need to be worked out first,” Bel told them.
“What could be more important than claiming your mate?” Asmos looked at Bel like he was the crazy one. Bel wasn’t. Everyone knew that was Asmos.
“My mate suffers from what he calls flickers,” Bel answered. “He can see through glamour. Mostly. Basically he gets flashes of a true nature and glamour.”
“Huh.” Asmos sat up. “Flickers. That’s a cool name for that.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone being able to see through glamour,” Mammon commented. “Magical?”
Bel shook his head. “Lucifer said quarter demon.”
Asmos laughed. “Yeah right.”
Pressing his lips together, Bel stared at Asmos.
“Demons don’t have children with humans that aren’t their mates. If there was a child, we would know about it,” Asmos said.
Bel didn’t even blink.
“It can’t be!” Asmos insisted.
“You’re saying Lucifer is wrong?” Mammon asked.
“No.” Asmos flapped his hands. “Yes? I mean no! I would know if a child was born!”
“Not if the demon hides it,” Mammon pointed out.
“Or didn’t know about it,” Bel added.
“But—” Asmos pushed his bottom lip out. “How?”
“I don’t know,” Bel admitted. “And that’s not all. His family was killed by a pack of shifters.”
“When?” Mammon demanded.
“Within the last few years. He doesn’t like to talk about it. Wanted to find a way to take them out on his own. I’m glad he didn’t try.” Bel could have lost his precious mate before he’d even found Atlas.
“I would be happy to assist your mate with this task.” Mammon growled low.
“Probably not a good idea, buddy.” Asmos patted Mammon’s shoulder. “Just because you hate shifters doesn’t mean Atlas should. He is going to have so many shifter friends!”
Mammon rolled his eyes. “I don’t hate shifters.”
No, Mammon hated everyone. Shifters were just the number-one species on his list of things that annoyed him.
“Anyway.” Asmos rolled his hand. “Does he know which pack?”
“No, I’ll need someone to investigate.” Bel looked to Mammon, already having an idea of who to send.
“Tristan and Jason?” Mammon guessed.
“Do you think they’d mind?” Bel inquired. Since Tristan worked directly under Mammon, it would be up to his friend if Bel could borrow the other demon.
“Track down a murdering pack?” Mammon’s laugh was wicked. Sent a chill up Bel’s spine. “They’ll be happy to go.”
“Thanks.” That was one worry off Bel’s plate.
“Seb and Ari could probably help with finding your mate’s family,” Asmos pointed out.
“I’m taking him over there this afternoon.”
Asmos perked up.
“You want to come with us,” Bel said, knowing that Asmos would insist on it.
“Who better to welcome your mate to our amazing world?” Asmos pressed his palms together, pleading.
“You just want to watch Atom’s warriors train,” Bel accused. Atom had moved the training center for the demon warriors next to Ari’s building to keep close to his mate. Not that Bel could blame Atom. Bel had literally hired his mate as an assistant to keep him close.
Asmos cackled.
“After lunch,” Bel stressed. He wanted to make sure he could properly warn Atlas about Asmos and some of the other demons that he would come into contact with.
Not that Atlas was in any danger. More that Bel didn’t want Atlas running away screaming, surrounded by the chaos that those certain demons could and would cause.