Noah followed him, turning around when Reign lagged behind. His eyes zeroed in on Reign’s and in them he found something different. Among the ever-present spark of lust, there was a yearning Noah couldn’t place, a flicker of something raw, deep and hidden that sent shivers down his spine and urged his heart into a mad sprint.
Reign flared his nostrils, his gaze dipping to Noah’s lips for the briefest of moments before it cut to Barbatos. “Trevor, I… forgot I needed to drop by Kim’s office. Can you handle this? I’ll meet you two at the server room.”
“Sure thing.”
With Reign off to somewhere, there was nothing to distract Noah from his tour. The floor-to-ceiling windows continued here too, as did the light colors and open spaces. Potted plant arrangements surrounded relaxation corners with couches and beanbags, while modern kitchenettes popped up in every section. The atmosphere felt less stuffy and more welcoming, the people they passed by—friendly.
“Want to swing by the café before we head to IT?” Barbatos asked as they reached an area with tables and cushioned benches organized around a single food outlet. Some people were queueing in front of it, while othersoccupied the seating spaces, conversing or watching the massive TV screen hanging on the wall above the till.
“No, I…”Was Reign here on this floor? Or was he on another? Or maybe he’d made it to the computer room already?“I’m alright.”
“Mm, don’t make that face, kitten,” Barbatos leered, not exactly laughing at Noah, but notnotlaughing either. “Reign’s probably still with Kim or he’d have texted.”
Noah winced internally. Was it so obvious what he was thinking that Barbatos hadn’t even needed more than a glance Noah’s way to see it? And why was Noah worried anyway? Why was he so on edge just because he and Reign had… been on the precipice of something he couldn’t even name? In that shared moment where their gazes had clash.
Noah took a calming breath. He needed to come down off that cliff, to leave it behind, to wipe it out of his memory because it was a dangerous thing to have this flicker of hope in his chest.Because it made him wish for things that were impossible.The worn-down book of Hell he’d brought along with his paintings clearly stated it, providing a list of what demons could grant and what they couldn’t.
Noah didn’t comment and Barbatos let him off the hook, instead angling his head toward the queue. “Are you sure you don’t want anything, kitten? They have killer brownies.”
“Thanks, I’m good.”
With a ‘suit yourself’ shrug, Barbatos went to get a cup of coffee, then herded Noah toward the stairs at the back of the building.
“So, why were you summoned?” Noah asked when they left the chatter behind them, the echoes of theirfootsteps the only sound accompanying their descent to the sublevels.
“Curious, aren’t you?” Barbatos mused, smiling against the rim of his cup. “I had some souls due for delivery and also paid a visit to my mentor.”
“Your mentor?” Noah couldn’t hold the surprise in. The book had said nothing about such practices, so he had no idea that demons could have apprentices.
“Belial.”
One of the first to follow Lucifer if Noah didn’t have his facts wrong, and one of the most powerful Archdemons in all of Hell. “He’s one of the Kings, isn’t he?”
“He is indeed,” Barbatos replied with glee, his eyes glowing for a heartbeat.
Noah decided not to probe further.What about Reign though?“Does Reign have one? A mentor?”
It would make sense, wouldn’t it? Considering how Reign was different from the rest.
“Hmm, not quite. Our Reign’s circumstances are rather unique and so he answers directly to Lucifer, despite technically not being a King himself.” They came up to a checkpoint-controlled door at the second sublevel and Barbatos waved his card at it. “It’s an exceptional arrangement he has with our High King, you see.”
“Because he is the only human to become a demon?” Noah prompted, curious to know more.
“Oh, he told you then?”
“I… yeah… But he didn’t go into too much detail.”
“So he didn’t tell you how it happened?”
He hadn’t but Noah hadn’t raised that question either. “I didn’t ask. I wasn’t sure if I should…”
“Hmm…” Barbatos started as if he was going to say something, but left it at that and never finished his thought.
They passed three more floors and finally reached their destination, a dimly lit silver corridor with doors lined on both sides.
“This is it, kitten. Sixth door on the left. The one with the big IT sign.” Barbatos pointed for Noah to lead the way. “Reign is probably already there.”
The indicated door slid to one side when Noah reached it, revealing a room that looked like a data center. Server and network racks with various control interfaces stood tall next to each other, their fans and cooling units buzzing in unison like a colony of bees at work. Reign was inside as well, his back toward them as he typed something on an access terminal protruding from a metal shelf with older-looking processors.
