Chapter Eight #2
“It has also evolved since the creation of demonkind,” Mammon added.
“Of course it has,” Atlas said unhappily. “Nothing is simple with you guys.”
“Especially if you are talking about one of the older demon bloodlines,” Mammon said.
Atlas jerked his head toward Bel. “You can’t be—”
Bel paled. “No!”
Instantly he relaxed. Okay, that was a stupid question. The fates wouldn’t put them together if they were blood related. Hopefully. Atlas eyed Bel though.
“I have never fathered a child. Not with a human, demon, or any other paranormal,” Bel assured him.
“That you know of,” Atlas responded even though he hated to say the words. “You’ve been around a very long time.”
Bel shook his head. “I have always been attracted to male forms, not females.”
Even though Atlas was relieved, his mind whirled with the possibilities. He gasped, fisting Bel’s shirt. “Asmos!”
Bel’s eyes widened almost comically.
Mammon barked out a laugh. “You know, that is a distinct possibility.”
“No!” Atlas shook Bel. “No! He would make me call him Grandpa or something.”
Bel nodded slowly. “We really need to find out.”
“Can I be there when you tell Asmos?” Tristan requested.
Atlas snapped his head over to catch Jason elbowing his mate in the ribs.
“Ow! What?” Tristan rubbed his side. “It’s funny.”
“Maybe it’s Mamm’s?” Jason asked, sending a teasing grin toward the other demon.
Mamm snorted. “I exclusively bottom. For males. I have not fathered a child.”
Bel nodded. “Asmos is one of the demons that isn’t as…”
“He’ll sleep with anyone who he is attracted to,” Mamm said. “Male, female, non-binary, human, or paranormal.”
Atlas groaned and banged his head against Bel’s massive chest. “It can’t be!”
“Asmos would never abandon a child,” Bel offered.
“Not if he knew about the child,” Mammon said. “The human female might not have informed the father.”
“What am I going to do?” Atlas wailed. He couldn’t be related to Asmos. He couldn’t!
“We don’t even know if Asmos is involved. Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Bel told him.
Atlas nodded. The fates had gifted Atlas with an amazing mate and a whole new life.
No way would they force Atlas to be from the same family.
Okay, truthfully Atlas wouldn’t even mind being related.
He’d just prefer for it to be a couple generations off.
He’d sort of decided not to like the demon that was his grandfather and Atlas loved Asmos as a friend.
And it really would be weird to see Asmos as a parental figure.
Atlas was crazy and fun and just not very parental. “What should we do now?”
“Let’s get back to what Tristan and Jason came to tell us,” Bel advised.
Oh! “Sorry,” he offered. It really wasn’t Atlas’s fault that every time he sat down to have a conversation that something distracted him. There was so much freaking going on. Who could even keep up?
“All of this is amazing,” Tristan said with a wave of his hand. “I am so glad we stopped by this morning. And I finally beat Asmos and Adam to the good gossip.”
Jason elbowed his mate again. “You’ll let Atlas approach Asmos with this.”
“But, baby!” Tristan whined.
“Finish telling Atlas what we learned,” Jason demanded of his mate.
“The lynx pack was run off by a more aggressive hyena pack,” Tristan revealed. “They were gone before your family was killed. Warned if they didn’t leave, it would be them getting ripped apart. They left.”
“I don’t blame them. I ended up leaving town since they creeped me out and I hadn’t figured out what they were,” Atlas admitted.
“It’s probably a very good thing that you left when you did,” Jason said. “We managed to track their movements and they have no problem killing humans or shifters.”
“They’re still…” Atlas trailed off, not wanting to say the words.
“That’s why we came here to talk to Bel. My twin is part of a paranormal family that is connected to a lot of demons,” Jason explained.
“The pack. I’ve heard all about them.”
“They’ve been dealing with some strange things happening in their town and just outside their land. Leo, Bastian, and Aaron have a file on a rogue hyena pack. We think that they’ve found their way to my twin’s family,” Jason said.
“And they’ll meet their match,” Mammon declared. “Anyone who would go up against such strong paranormals are idiots. I have no doubt the pack will deal with them. Harshly if necessary.”
“We’re headed there next to share what we’ve learned,” Jason said. “Mammon wanted us to give you an update before he left.”
“Please tell your family to be careful,” Atlas requested. “There was something really wrong with them.”
“We’ll take care of them,” Tristan promised. “And send their souls where they belong. To you.”
Reality hit hard. Working as Bel’s assistant, Atlas would know when the shifters that killed his family were sent to hell.
“You’ll keep me updated?” Atlas asked.
Jason smiled kindly at him. “You have my word. And the family will want to meet you soon.”
Atlas waved at his eyes indicating the problem with the flickers. “As soon as we can figure out how I can be around them.”
“Yeah, a family full of shifters would be hard,” Jason agreed.
“You have no idea.”
* * * * *
Bel
His mate didn’t want food. Or more coffee. Atlas didn’t even want Bel to call anyone for him. Still sitting on the couch, Bel held Atlas against his chest as Atlas remained quiet and thinking. At least Bel figured that was what Atlas was doing. Truthfully, Bel had no idea what to do.
After what seemed like forever, Atlas tilted his head back to peer up at him. His blue eyes were wide and bright.
“What can I do for you?” Bel requested. He would do anything for his mate.
“Kiss me,” Atlas ordered.
“I…what?”
Atlas smiled. “I promised myself this morning that I was going to get a kiss from you today.”
“You want a kiss?” Bel asked. This was a direction that Bel didn’t think the moment would take. Wasn’t Atlas upset? Humans were hard to figure out sometimes.
“I do.” Atlas grabbed the back of Bel’s neck. “I’m done waiting for you to make the first move. I’m making the first move.”
Bel pushed down his shock. Done waiting on Bel? It killed him not to be able to touch his mate. And Atlas loved to be in Bel’s space, brushing a hand along his shoulder, or leaning into him. Bel often found himself wrapping his tail around Atlas just to keep his mate near.
Okay, maybe Bel had missed a few signals that Atlas had been sending him.
He smirked. “If you’re making the first move, does that mean—”
Bel didn’t get the rest of the words out before Atlas yanked him forward, slamming their lips together. He started to laugh but then Atlas licked Bel’s bottom lip.
Heat curled inside him. Bel slid his hands down, tugging Atlas closer as their tongues touched for the first time.
Bel tasted the coffee Atlas had drunk earlier. Bel rubbed his tongue against Atlas’s before sucking on it. His mate moaned and Bel ate up that sound. Just…yes, this was what Bel had been craving. The feel of his mate pressed close and his. All Bel’s.
Atlas moaned again before ripping his mouth away. He panted into Bel’s face. “Tell me you’re on board with this?”
Surely his mate could feel Bel’s erection pressing against his legs. Bel nodded, unable to form words with the way his mouth watered for more.
“Yeah?” Atlas lifted a brow.
“Yes,” Bel hissed when Atlas squirmed until he was straddling Bel’s lap properly.
Their erections were pressed tight together.
Bel cupped Atlas’s ass, dragging him closer. “My turn.” Lowering his mouth, Bel took his time drawing Atlas into another kiss. This time Bel coaxed Atlas into responding. Small nips of the boy’s lower lip before thrusting his tongue inside Atlas’s mouth.
Atlas’s fingers tightened on Bel’s shoulder as he carefully, gently, flexed his hips. He encouraged his mate’s actions by kissing him deeper and gripping Atlas’s ass cheeks harder. Atlas rocked harder.
Under the weight of his mate’s body, Bel’s own cock was hard and pushing at the seam of his suit pants. He tried so hard to be good. Bel knew that Atlas needed time to adjust to all the changes that had happened in such a short time.
The bond between them was pushing them to complete the mating. Atlas probably didn’t understand what was most likely pushing Atlas. Bel knew he should draw back. Stop. Talk to his mate.
He gentled the kiss until Atlas blinked.
“Why’d you stop?” Atlas asked as he tried to catch his breath.
The words that Atlas had asked minutes ago came back to him. “Do you want this?”
Atlas rolled his hips, dragging his cock against Bel’s. “You can’t tell?”
Bel’s fingers flexed on Atlas’s ass again without any thought from him. Just moved like they had a mind of their own. “I want to make sure that it’s what you want and not the bond—”
“The bond,” Atlas repeated, “is not driving me. I want you. I’m not some shy virgin that doesn’t know the score. I’m tired of jerking off at night all alone.”
The blood rushed from his head to his dick so fast that Bel’s vision nearly whitened. “You…” Bel had to clear his throat. Saliva almost escaping the corners of his mouth. “You’ve been jerking off?”
Arching his back, Atlas smirked at Bel. From his place on Bel’s lap they were eye to eye. He reached back, grabbing the back of his shirt, then yanked it over his head.
A whimper escaped Bel’s mouth.
Atlas was perfect.
Flawless peach skin gleaming in the low light of the office, small and pert nipples begging for attention, and stomach muscles that clenched as he tossed the shirt behind him.
Bel bit his lip until he could taste blood.
“Your eyes are red,” Atlas told him. He ran his palms down his own belly. “I notice that you do that when your emotions are high.”
“Are you really teasing a demon?” Bel asked roughly.
Atlas moved his hands back up, circled his thumbs over his nipples, and his smile grew. “I’m not teasing.”
This boy. His mate. Atlas was absolutely perfect.
“Do you have any idea what I’m going to do to you?” Bel asked in warning.