“I can’t actually read this,” Atlas confessed. “What language is it exactly.”
“An old demonic language,” Bel replied. He placed his hand on the back of the menu, sharing his magic with his mate. “Tell the magic you want it in American English.”
“Oh!” Atlas responded. “American English please.”
Bel snorted. The boy still spoke to the magic out loud every time. It was cute. On the private plane, Atlas could use magic like it was second nature. Being in hell proper was different.
“They have an appetizer called around the realms that will offer you tastes from here, the human realm, fae, and some others if you would like to start with that,” he offered.
“Absolutely,” Atlas answered. “Even with the language change I don’t know some of these words.”
Bel took the menu from him. “I’ll take care of everything.”
Glancing up, Atlas met his gaze. “I trust you.”
“Thank you.” Bel would do everything in his power to make sure he never lost his mate’s trust.
Chapter Eight
Atlas
One week. It had only been one week and Atlas was going to lose his mind. Dating, or courting as Bel referred to it, was nice and all. Made Atlas feel cherished and important. But Atlas was ready to move to the next step. Couldn’t he at least get a damn kiss?
Rolling out of bed, Atlas’s feet hit the stone floor and it warmed under his bare feet.
Every night after Bel and Atlas worked in the office, Bel took Atlas to some new part of hell, a different restaurant, or someplace that Bel remembered from when he was younger. Bel was showing Atlas his amazing world. Telling Atlas stories that he claimed he hadn’t thought about in ages. And there was always a new token or a special gift for Atlas waiting for him in the mornings.
They spent all their time together. And yet Bel still hadn’t made a move on him.
It was time that Atlas took matters into his own hands.
Bel was always commenting about how easygoing Atlas was. That Atlas’s acceptance of him, hell, and everything paranormal bewildered him. Well, Bel was about to see what happened when Atlas went after something he wanted.
And he wanted Bel.
He wanted his mate.
The mate bond that everyone talked about? That was totally a real thing.
Atlas needed to be close to Bel. Even working in the same room wasn’t enough. Using the magic that flowed so freely in the private plane, Atlas had taken Bel’s suggestion to start making changes to the house. The first change was making a desk big enough that they could share.
Striding toward the bathroom, Atlas mentally prepared for the day ahead. He’d already worked hard getting Bel’s paperwork in order. Apparently Bel’s work was vital to the running of the realm. Bel’s team had to approve souls that could be moved to another punishment level. His team gathered the details of crimes and punishment completed but only Bel could sign off the soul moving levels.
His mate refused to allow Atlas to read the crimes committed by the souls.
Atlas had pushed his mate, wanting to do everything that the old assistant had handled, but Bel was adamant that Atlas not see how much evil was really out in the world.
Like Atlas didn’t know that from personal experience.
Still it was sweet that Bel wanted to protect him. So instead, Atlas stamped the papers for the souls that Bel agreed could be moved, and rejected the ones that Bel told him. And sent emails to the team.
Bel’s team of demons was massive. He’d only met a handful that had come into the office during the last week and one thing was clear. These demons took their jobs very seriously.
They were also very happy to meet Atlas and for Bel to have found his mate. A mate that Bel was dragging his feet at claiming.
If Bel wasn’t going to claim him, then Atlas would do it.
He just wasn’t actually sure if that was something that he could do. No one had told him what the claiming consisted of. Sex yes. Adam had been only too happy to tell him about all the sex he and his mate had. What else? And who should be ask?
