Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
ZADKIEL
I felt a pull deep within my body. Sounds around me dimmed, scenery blurred into the background, and all that existed for me was the path leading to my mate. My raven-haired demon of a mate.
Really, Fate?
At least we were both earthbound and wouldn't be separated by the different realms.
"My name is Asmodeus." My mate held out his hand, and I clasped it in mine. A zing of energy wrapped around our bound hands, binding us closer and strengthening our connection.
"Zadkiel." I squeezed his large hand and smiled. "My parents had fun naming me after the other guy."
"Mine, too." Asmodeus laughed. Apparently, our parents needed to be more original in naming us, so they recycled our names from non-earthbound brethren.
"Should we go up to the meeting rooms?" I gestured toward the elevators.
"Actually," my mate's friend said, "can I run and grab a coffee really quick?"
"That's a great idea." Jo backed away from the lift and gestured toward my mate and me. "Mal and I will grab some more coffee and snacks for our meeting. You two go to the room and get everything laid out to start the conversation between our two factions. We will be right up. Right, Mal?"
Mal looked between us and my brother. "Yeah, we'll be right up. Go get everything ready."
The silver doors of the elevator closed on our friends just as I noticed their cheeky grins.
They were trying to give us privacy before discussing the business between our two groups. I shifted my stance to look fully at Asmodeus. "Well, this is an unexpected development."
Chuckling, Asmodeus stepped closer and lifted my chin with a single finger. "A delicious one, I hope."
"Definitely looking to be." I leaned in and tasted my mate's lips for the first time.
Sweet strawberries met my senses, and I moaned at the taste. I could dine on this mouth forever. Luckily, angels and demons are immortal and have an eternity to do so.
Ding.
The elevator reached the second floor, where the meeting rooms were located, indicating that it was time for us to break our embrace.
"There will be more time later." Asmodeus groaned as he slowly pulled away. "Let's start this meeting so we can start our future."
Our meeting room was just to the left of the elevators and offered comfortable seating options and a casual atmosphere. I was glad we opted for this environment instead of a more businesslike table-and-chair setup.
"Let's sit on the couch near the window and discuss what we would like to see going forward when it comes to interactions between our two sides." I walked over to the brown suede love seat and set my bag down, taking a seat.
Asmodeus sat next to me, sending warm tingles down my body. I was starting to really enjoy the mate bond. I now understood what my friends meant when they said the feeling of being near your fated mate was addictive.
Bing.
Reaching for our phones, we both checked the messages sent simultaneously to us from our partners for this meeting.
"Did you just get a message about bailing out on us and needing to reschedule for tomorrow, too?" Asmodeus frowned at his cell.
"Yup," I growled, unable to understand how Mal and Jo could be so unprofessional. "If we are the ones who figured out we were fated mates and could still go forward with this meeting, why can't they? Oh, they are going to hear about this."
"Listen. Without them, we can figure out some plans for the alliance ourselves. Then, tomorrow, we can meet up again and finalize it all. After that, we can lock them in the room until they tell us what the hell their deal is. Does that sound like a solid plan?" Asmodeus held out his hand for mine, and I shook it.
"Deal." I kept a hold of his hand, not ready to lose the small contact to my mate “Now, let's figure out how to make the angels and demons more equal. I will not have a war ruin my happily ever after."