“You are human,” Belphegor said rather formally.
Atlas shrugged. “True. You said human realm earlier too. Why did you come to get popcorn and Slurpees if you can just wave your hand?”
Belphegor rolled his eyes. Seriously, the massive demon rolled his eyes like a teenager. It was totally the cutest thing that Atlas had ever seen. “I was sent on a mission because I’m a sucker.”
This sounded like a wonderful story. “Go on.”
“One of the human mates of…a friend and another demon declared that using magic wasn’t the same and only real popcorn with butter from the human realm would do for their movie night.”
So many questions. Another human. Mate. And movie night. If Atlas wasn’t literally sitting in hell eating a burger and fries, this conversation could be happening anywhere back home. “Um, okay.”
“It’s…” Belphegor sighed and a clear glass filled halfway with a brown liquid appeared in his hand. “I can’t even explain it. They ask and we all jump to do their bidding.”
Maybe Belphegor really was a sucker like he’d claimed. “If I had magic, I would use it all the time.” His life would be so much simpler. Maybe he’d even been able to save the people he loved.
Belphegor sipped from his glass before looking at him intently. “I would have suspected a human to show more fear. Other than the yelling, you’ve been taking this very well.”
The yelling. That seemed to have upset the demon. How to explain? Atlas didn’t quite trust Bel, but the demon hadn’t tried to harm him. Along with the flickers, Atlas also had a very accurate gut instinct. It had kept him alive and helped him stay ahead of trouble. “It’s been a rough two years.”
Setting the glass on his knee, Bel leaned forward. “What happened?”
Atlas finished off the burger as he considered his options. He was sitting in hell eating the best meal that he’d had in ages. There was a huge demon sitting casually across from him. How was this his life?
His stomach full, Atlas set the plate aside. There was one burning question that he needed to ask. Bel’s answer would be everything.
“Can I trust you, Belphegor?”
Instead of rushing to answer or becoming offended, Bel watched him closely. Atlas didn’t break the contact of their gazes. No, he wasn’t afraid. Atlas might be smaller, even smaller than most other humans, but life was already hard enough. Living on the run sucked. His fear button broke a long time ago.
“Please call me Bel,” he answered. The glass disappeared from his hand. “And yes, you can trust me. I vow to never allowharm to come to you ever again. I sense a sad story inside you. I would be honored to hear it.”
That was what Atlas had needed to hear. He was taking a big chance here but what else could he do? None of the other non-monsters had given Atlas the opportunity to ask questions. Atlas wasn’t stupid. This was his chance. “Then I’ll tell you my story.”
* * * * *
Bel
Instinct told Bel that he would not like what his mate would have to say. It took everything in him to remain sitting calmly as he waited. Mostly calm. His tail twitched, so Bel wrapped the appendage around his ankle to not show his mate a reaction that might turn him off.
“I have always seen flickers,” Atlas started. “When I was younger, I didn’t understand and couldn’t explain it properly. As I got older, it didn’t take long with everyone always looking at me like I was crazy to realize that I shouldn’t tell my friends or family about the animal people.”
“You’ve said that before. Animals.” He had to mean shifters.
“When they flicker, their human faces flash into animals. Real animals. Like Lions and such.”
“You saw a shifter’s true self. Their other half,” Bel said.
“I always wondered. I mean I’ve watched television and movies, so it wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities.” Atlas shrugged. “There was just no one that I could ask.”
“What about the shifters? You never asked them?” That was what Bel would do.
“I tried,” Atlas confirmed. “Especially when I was younger. It does not go well when you accuse people of looking like animals. If I asked one of the kids I went to school with, it wasn’t long until they stopped coming to school.”
Bel nodded. “Rule number one in most packs is hiding what they are. If you asked the wrong questions, the parents would most likely remove their children from being around you to keep them safe.”
“But why? I was asking questions because I didn’t know what they were. How was I a threat?” Atlas asked.
“What if you told someone else? An adult that could harm them?” Bel asked gently.
