Atlas had already suspected that. “I ran and there was red mist in the air. I just grabbed at it.” He ended with a shrug. “It was weird at first. My body felt like it was being torn apart. Then I was sort of flying. Falling maybe? And bam, here I was!”
“It shouldn’t be possible,” Belphegor whispered. “How is it possible?”
Sitting back, Atlas grinned. It was nice that he wasn’t the only one that appeared out of their element. And if this wasn’t a common occurrence, that made Atlas feel better that random humans weren’t just dropping into Belphegor’s life.
For some reason Atlas didn’t like the thought of Belphegor being surrounded by other humans. Of course, in his mind it was okay that he’d dropped in on the demon, but he was a special case. At least he thought so. There must be a reason why he’d been able to follow Belphegor.
Lifting his head, Belphegor gave him a small smile. “I assure you that I will find answers to this. It shouldn’t happen again.”
“But you don’t know why it happened?” he pushed.
“I’ve never heard of it. And this isn’t something that would be easily kept a secret. Demons do love their gossip,” Bel explained. “And I’ve never heard of this flicker thing.”
Huh, Atlas was disappointed. He’d love to know why he could get flashes when he’d never met anyone else who did. Ever.
“There are a few researchers that I can contact. They’ll probably find this very interesting,” Belphegor said.
“In the meantime, can I ask some questions?” Atlas was not going to let this opportunity pass him by. Plus, if there was a way to protect him better than running every few months, then Atlas wanted to know. He hated not having a real home. Missed sleeping in his own bed instead of a motel he could rent by the week. And working a minimum wage job truly sucked.
Belphegor looked thoughtful before he slowly nodded.
“Cool.” Atlas wiggled in the chair. He just wasn’t sure where to start.
“Would you like something to drink? Eat?” Belphegor offered suddenly.
“Uh, whatcha got?” Atlas wasn’t sure about trying a hell dish or whatever demons ate.
“All you have to do is tell me what you want,” Belphegor informed him.
That didn’t make sense. “Like a cold glass of Coca-Cola with extra ice?”
Belphegor waved his hand. A small table appeared beside Atlas’s chair before a glass popped up.
Reaching over, Atlas picked up the drink and sipped. Ice-cold and crisp. Nice. What else could he… “Burger and fries?” he tested.
Belphegor snapped his fingers and a plate of food appeared.
Oh! Hell yeah! Atlas cackled. That was amazing. “So, you can basically magic up whatever I want?”
“Yes.” Belphegor nodded. “Technically you could do it yourself. This is a magical private plane in the realm. Even without magic of your own there is enough that you could borrow. Although I must wonder if you don’t have a touch of magic because of your flickers.”
“I don’t think I do.” He couldn’t resist the plate on the table and set it in his lap. The fries were hot and fresh. Salty. And taking a big bite of the burger had him moaning. So good.
Belphegor’s warm chuckles filled the space.
Atlas glanced up. “Sorry,” he said after swallowing. “I skipped breakfast.”
“It’s fine. Enjoy,” Belphegor told him.
He would. There was just one thing missing. “Ketchup.”
Amusement filled those dark eyes before a big glob of ketchup appeared next to his fries.
“So fucking cool!” Atlas gave a little butt shimmy. Magic. How awesome would it be to just magic up whatever he needed?
“Humans are easily amused,” Belphegor commented.
“Humans, huh?” Atlas dipped a fry into the ketchup before shoving the whole thing in his mouth.
