“Sorry,” Atlas told him. He was a little embarrassed that he’d been carted off like some precious little thing. And Lucifer and his mates had made him feel so welcome. “I wasn’t freaking out or anything. It was more of a relief.”
“I’m very happy to hear that.” He placed his hand on Atlas’s shoulder. “How are you feeling now?”
“Better. So much better.” Atlas grinned. “And kind of hungry. Sorry I messed up the dinner party.”
Lucifer smiled. “You didn’t mess up anything. And…we are more than willing to bring the party to you.”
“Really?” Atlas perked up. He really was starving. Apparently confessing your deepest and darkest secrets made a man want to eat.
Lucifer waved his hand, magically transforming one corner of the office into a much smaller and intimate dining space. A round table with five plates and food placed in the middle.
Cary and Gage appeared, both looking a tad uneasy as if they weren’t sure of their welcome.
Atlas made sure to smile at them, to show that he was happy to see his new friends. “Hey, guys.”
“Hi, Atlas!” Cary waved with the hand not clasped with Gage’s. “Are you okay?”
“I am,” Atlas told him. He climbed off Bel’s lap to face his new friend. It wouldn’t have been his first choice to lose contact with Bel. “Sorry about the drama.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “It’s not a proper dinner party without drama. Am I still good like this?”
Huh, no flickers. “Yes.” He glanced at Lucifer.
“At least for another few hours,” Lucifer said. “Let us know when the magic starts to wear off.”
“Thanks.” Atlas was fine with a few hours without his flickers.
“We postponed with everyone,” Lucifer said.
“I’m so sorry—” Atlas started.
Lucifer held up his hand. “This gives my boys a chance to prepare another dinner party.”
“Party!” Cary announced.
“Everyone understood. They can’t wait to meet you. Seb and Ari are already anxious to get to work over what I was able to tell them,” Lucifer said. “I’m pretty sure they will be putting Ash and Atom to work tonight.”
“I didn’t mean for anyone to stop what they’re doing,” Atlas said. Why would they even be willing to do that when they hadn’t met Atlas yet?
“They live for this,” Gage told him. “I spent one afternoon with them in the archives, and it was so boring. It was just talk and talk and talk. About everything. And the books! There were so many books.”
“Don’t let them hear you say that. Seb will pull out the spreadsheets again,” Cary whined.
“And Adam said for us to give you his number,” Gage said. “He’ll call you tomorrow. Plus, he offered to show you around the core. That’s where he and Mal live. It’s hot there.”
“I can’t thank you all enough for all this,” Atlas said sincerely.
Bel rubbed his back. “That’s what friends, family, does.”
“It is,” Cary agreed with a wide smile.
“Welcome to the chaos,” Gage offered.
“Who’s ready to eat?” Lucifer asked. “We can visit as we share a meal.”
That sounded like a wonderful idea to Atlas. He didn’t know how long he’d be able to sit at the table with the shifter so he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.
Bel pulled out a chair, ushering Atlas to sit.
