“You aren’t fully human,” Lucifer said surprised.
“What?” Atlas shouted.
“Are you sure?” Bel asked.
“Yes. Not fully human,” Lucifer replied sounding surprised. He drew back.
Atlas turned. “If I’m not human, what…”
Lucifer smiled at him. “You are part of my line. A quarter demon. I think that might be why you see through glamour. Or get the flickers. It’s your demon blood. Demons see through all glamours.”
“I’m a demon?” Atlas asked even as his legs went weak.
Bel slipped an arm around his waist before lifting Atlas off his feet. A moment later, they were sitting on a couch with Bel cradling Atlas to his chest. Bel’s office. The large fireplace warming them. How did they get back? Oh! Of course. Magic.
“It’s okay,” Bel soothed.
Atlas laughed. He fisted Bel’s shirt in his hand and lifted his eyes. “I’m a demon.”
Bel shrugged. “A quarter. That’s not so bad, is it?”
“Bad?” Did Bel think that this was bad news? “I don’t think this is bad. I think it’s great.”
“You do?” Bel asked him. “Atlas, you went pale. White. All the blood drained from your face. I thought you were going to faint.”
No wonder Bel had transported Atlas out of the dinner party. Atlas shook his head. He had to push the words out through his tight throat. “I’m not crazy.”
He wasn’t crazy.
For his entire life Atlas had known there was something wrong with him. The flickers weren’t normal. He shouldn’t see animal faces when he looked at people. No one else did.
“I’m not crazy,” he said again, steadier.
“Atlas—”
Tears pooled in his eyes. “I’m not crazy.”
“No, you’re not.” Bel kissed the middle of his forehead. The gesture was sweet. Warm.
“I don’t care if I’m a quarter demon, half, or full. I’m not crazy.”
Bel grasped the back of his head, tucking Atlas’s face against his chest. “You are perfect just the way you are.”
Atlas let the tears fall. He’d honestly thought that he was crazy. That it had been his fault that they’d been attacked. The night that he’d lost everyone that mattered to him.
He sobbed into Bel’s shirt. Atlas had been alone for so long. He was tired. Tired of running. Tired of chasing his need for revenge. Exhausted down to his bones. But the one thing that he wasn’t was crazy.
“I’ve got you. Let it out. Let it all out,” Bel whispered while rocking him.
Atlas cried until he didn’t have anything left in him.
When he quieted down, Bel lifted a glass to his lips. “Drink. Just sip.”
Lifting his head, Atlas followed the command. Ice-cold water. Oh! That was good. He took a few sips before laying his head back down.
“Feel better?” Bel asked gently.
Atlas tugged on where his hand was still fisted in Bel’s shirt. He was most likely wrinkling the garment but he couldn’t force himself to let go. He needed the connection. Atlas had a confession to make.
