Atlas winced.
Damn. “You did tell?”
“I guess I did.” Atlas shrugged. “Not that anyone believed me.”
“They could have. Shifters have been hunted for centuries. Some species to extinction.”
Something, a strange look, flashed across Atlas’s face.
“It’s not your fault when you didn’t know yourself.”
Atlas quickly shook his head. “I guess. It’s just…never mind.”
Bel wanted to push. He could feel that his mate was starting to pull away from him. The excitement and curiosity being strangled by another emotion. He just didn’t know which one. Humans weren’t a species that Bel spent much time around. He’d barely had any interactions with anyone other than demons. He had a lot to learn about his human mate.
“What do you see exactly?” he questioned. Bel knew the answer had to be there. They just needed to figure it out. It pained Bel that Atlas had suffered all his life. Being lost and alone with this special ability. In just their short interaction, it was obvious that Atlas had suffered greatly.
The question seemed to relax Atlas. Like he could handle this direction of the conversation. Bel made a mental note of that.
“Like with you,” Atlas said. “You seem human and then would flicker and I could see that you weren’t. The horns, bumps along your cheeks, sharp teeth, wings. All of it. I mean you have a freaking tail!”
Bel tried not to show his amusement.
“I mean I saw it all when you only wore the towel so…”
Yes, being half naked had not been putting his best foot forward. “Does it bother you? My true form?” That would make his mating difficult. He wouldn’t even be able to use his glamour to help Atlas become more comfortable in his presence if Atlas could see through the magic. Was that it? Maybe Atlas was magical? Or anti-magical? Was that a possibility?
“Nah.” Atlas waved his hand. “It’s better to be able to see all of you. Like this. The flickers give me a headache and eventually my eyes start to ache. It’s hard to look at someone when they’re flickering.”
Which might explain why Atlas had refused to look at him back in the human realm. “And you said no one else in your family had this…ability?” Bel wasn’t sure what else to call the flickers.
“No one that admitted it,” Atlas told him. “It’s not like I have a big family. It was just my grandma, Mom, and Dad. Mom and Dad had me tested for all types of problems. They did not understand my description of animals. They thought I had a mental disorder. My grandma just told me to stop talking about the flickers. Especially in front of my parents.”
Hmm, not helpful. Still Bel wouldn’t mind speaking to Atlas’s family. Maybe he could call Dean, a powerful mage from the pack that Lucifer was connected to, to test Atlas’s magical abilities or answer some of the questions they had. At least Bel had resources to help figure this out.
“No one in your family said anything about magic? Or claimed to be able to use any?” Bel asked next.
Atlas’s lips twitched as he shook his head. “My mom and dad wouldn’t believe in magic if they saw it performed before their eyes. Like that trick you did with the fire and chairs. Or the food. They were both academics and thought everything had a scientific answer. No way were they magical.”
Bel didn’t miss the way that Atlas spoke about his parents in the past tense. Were they no longer living? That must be hard on his mate. “And your grandmother?” Bel inquired.
Atlas seemed to think about that for a moment. “I don’t believe so. She was really concerned when I talked about the flickers. She would shush me when we were around other people, but she did ask me when we were alone about what I saw. Now I wonder if she did or knew more. I just can’t figure out why she would keep it to herself.”
Again, Atlas used past tense. Did this boy not have anyone? Well, he had Bel now. Bel would take care of his mate. “Shemight have been magical though. Or one of your parents might not have known or were afraid of using it. We can find out.”
“You’ll help me?” Atlas asked incredulously.
“Of course. You really shouldn’t have been able to follow me into another realm. That is concerning. The only explanation I can come up with is that you must have some magic in you. That doesn’t explain the flickers.” Bel leaned back in his chair and stretched his neck. “It’s late but I can reach out to a few people in the morning.”
“Oh. Yeah. That would be great.” Atlas peered around the room. “Do you just take me back or what?”
“That is completely up to you,” Bel said sincerely. He would return Atlas to the human realm if that was what his mate wanted. Even if it was the very last thing that Bel wanted to do. Not that he would leave Atlas alone. It had been years since Bel had attempted to hide in the human realm, but he could do it. Probably.
“What do you mean?” Atlas asked.
“I can return you to your home. In the morning, I’ll ask around and can come find you.” That was only half truth. Bel wouldn’t leave his human alone and without protection. “Or you can stay here. I have a room that you are more than welcome to sleep in.” It wasn’t his room, but Bel would take his mate being close and in his home realm over having to hide and stalk Atlas.
Atlas shrugged. “It’s just a motel room that I rent by the week. It’s not really home.” He looked around the room once again. “And I’m already here.”
