“What the fuck is—” A massive, shaggy black beast with three heads, each with a mouth full of gleaming fangs and a lolling tongue comes bounding towards us.
“That’s Grim, Auri’s hellhound. He doesn’t listen to anyone but Auri,” Atlas warns.
The demon dog barrels at me, yipping and panting simultaneously, its tail wagging hard enough that it thumps against one wall, then the other over and over again.
“No,” I say firmly, putting a hand up. It skids to a halt, two out of three heads tilting curiously. “Sit,” I command. It whines from one mouth and then plops its furry butt down on the floor.
“Holy shit,” Atlas mutters.
“It’s all about tone.” I reach out to pat the closest head. “Good dog. Now, go.” I point in the direction it just came from. It gives another little whine and a yip from a different mouth, then lopes away.
Atlas shakes his head in disbelief as he approaches the door that must lead to Auri’s office to knock.
“Come in,” Auri calls.
If I had to imagine a demon’s office, this would be it. Gaudy and a bit self-important, with a large desk right in the center and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves behind him, all filled with variousspell books, Grimoires, and magical histories. I don’t wait for him to wave us to the chairs in front of his desk before I sit. Keeping the upper hand is key here. And with that goal in mind, I swing my legs up to prop my feet on the shiny wood surface of his desk, and smirk at him.
Instead of looking annoyed or pissed off, he grins at me like he’s amused.
“You must be Rune.”
“In the flesh.” I smirk.
“Your reputation precedes you.”
“Does it?” I feign ignorance, and Auri chuckles before turning his attention to Atlas.
“You lied to me, Pet,” he says sternly.
“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. Rune was in danger and I didn’t want to risk you telling me to leave it alone. Icouldn’trisk it.” I feel the little tug at my magic as Atlas pulls some into himself to illuminate the tattoos again. “We’re fated mates. I literally didn’t have a choice.”
Auri sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “If I ever meet the Fates, I’m going to strangle them with their own threads. This is extremely inconvenient and it sets a bad precedent. I need to at least punish you.”
Atlas nods. “That’s fair.”
I sit forward and hold up a hand to quiet Atlas before he can agree to anything else.
“No,” I say. “Magical law is very clear that when it comes to fated mates, special exceptions must be granted. There’s not only legal precedent to break contracts when necessary, when compelled by the pull of a fated mate, but it’s been upheld time and again that actions related to fated mates supersede any and all other laws.”
I feel Atlas’s pride and awe pulse through our bond.
“Uh, yeah, what Rune said.”
“You’re sharp,” Auri says. “I could use an asset like you.”
I scoff. “Keep dreaming. I don’t sign contracts and my magic isn’t for sale.” A thought occurs to me though. I glance over at Atlas, then back at Auri. “I might be open to the occasional freelance gig, however, under a few conditions.”
Auri’s lips twitch. He wants to keep his expression neutral, but the thrill of a chance to have access to my magic, even on occasion, is too much for him to bluff his way through it entirely.
“Such as?” he asks coolly.
“Pay will be negotiated up front, and you can expect me to ask a hell of a lot of questions about the purpose of any job before I agree to it.”
Auri hesitates, then nods. “That’s… fair.”
I glance at Atlas one more time. “And Atlas is free to live with me, off compound, if he chooses to. You can summon him as needed for assignments.”
I feel Atlas vibrate with a little bit of tension, and Auri shifts in his chair slightly and frowns.
