“I can’t wait to meet them,” Atlas told him.
Bel groaned. His little mate bewildered him. The human should be running away, or in a corner hiding. Instead, Atlas strolled through the opening in the wall and exclaimed, “What is this floor?”
Atlas was just full of questions.
Chapter Three
Atlas
Rolling over in the giant soft, comfortable bed, Atlas knew exactly where he was and could appreciate the room he’d been led to the night before. Everything that had happened the previous day played in his mind as Atlas stared up at the black stone ceiling.
The stone, as Bel had explained, was part of the core of the hell realm. Hell was apparently made up of different levels and the one that they were on was a private plane where most of the princes and older demons lived.
Which meant that while Atlas might have ended up in hell, at least he was with one of the most powerful beings around.
Atlas had so many more questions. Plus, Bel had promised to help Atlas find answers that hadn’t been available to him in his entire life.
He hadn’t shared everything with Bel. Guilt made his stomach turn. While Bel had been kind enough to offer his help, he had done so without having all the information.
Stretching his arms over his head, Atlas gave a massive groan. This was much better than the cheap motels that had become his home over the last few years. Bel had even waved his hand and had clothes that would fit Atlas stacked on the bed.
Magic really was amazing.
Even though Bel thought it was a possibility that Atlas had magic of his own, Atlas doubted it. There was no way. Since healso didn’t know how to explain the flickers, Atlas could admit that he might be totally wrong.
Picking up his phone that he’d placed on the bedside table, Atlas checked the time. It was amazing that his phone actually worked in another realm. Of course Bel had to do something to it for the signal to come through. Magic, Bel had told him, without being able to explain how that worked.
Bel promised that he’d have people who would be able to answer Atlas’s questions.
It seemed crazy to him that Bel didn’t know all these things. Maybe it was because Bel had been born with magic that he never thought about it, but Atlas was dying to know. And it was only a little because of his need for revenge. And that brought back the guilt.
Atlas didn’t have any family living. No friends to speak of. He was alone in this battle against the shifters. Now he knew to call them shifters. In Atlas’s mind they were still monsters. Not Bel. Atlas couldn’t think of him as a monster any longer. But the shifters. Yeah, there was no other word to describe them.
Excited about the possibilities before him, Atlas climbed off the bed. His feet hit the floor. The same black stone as the rest of the room warmed as soon as Atlas’s skin made contact. Huh, that was cool. Magic.
Testing this theory, Atlas turned toward the bed. He waved his hand. “Make the bed,” he said out loud.
Nothing happened.
Okay, the floor had warmed under his feet so he could do this.
Staring hard at the rumpled sheets, Atlas said louder, “Make the bed.”
Nothing.
Fine. Atlas was disappointed. It didn’t mean he couldn’t use magic. Maybe it took practice? He turned to head toward the door that Bel had made before leaving Atlas alone.
The demon prince thought of everything.
Just in case there were issues with Atlas being able to get what he needed, Bel had altered the wall to put in a door. A door that led to a massive bathroom. Atlas had ignored the large standing shower before bed but now he felt the need to get clean. Motel showers sucked. He had a feeling that the water pressure in hell would be amazing.
He started the shower before going over to the toilet and taking care of that pressing need. Once he was done, Atlas moved over to the bathroom sink. He washed his hands and spotted a new toothbrush and toothpaste beside the sink. Was that Bel or the magic? He didn’t care. As long as he was able to brush his teeth, he was a happy man.
With minty fresh breath, Atlas turned toward the shower. The steam had begun to fill the bathroom. He dropped his clothes onto the floor then pulled open the glass door.
Heat and steam engulfed him as Atlas entered the stall. He couldn’t even call it a stall. The space was enormous. There were four shower heads raining hot water down on his head and shoulders.
His long moan filled the room.
