Belial - a fateful night (Vol.1) ✅

Chapter 25

Belial quietly opened the door to the guest room, trying not to wake Aleks who had already fallen asleep. He hesitated, pondering whether he should sleep in another room but he couldn't bring himself to leave his mate.

"Forgive me, Tsuka, for being so selfish and weak. But I can no longer stay away from you," he whispered.

"Just lie down and sleep," Aleks replied.

The demon went to the left side of the bed and got rid of his clothes except for his underwear before he laid down in the bed with his mate. He however stayed on the edge of the bed to give Aleks the space he had asked for. He wanted to reach out to Aleks; to touch him, to feel him, but he pulled his hand back before he could do it. It hurt him to have caused his heart so much distress. With a sense of remorse, he fell asleep.

The next morning, he was awakened by a strand of blond hair that tickled his nose. The smell of roses and rain at sunrise enveloped him and his heart's warm, even breath grazed his chest. While he had slept, Aleks must have gravitated towards him and chosen him as his pillow. The warmth emanating from his lover's body calmed him. He lovingly stroked Aleks' cheek to wake him up.

"Keep your fingers off me, demon," came the reply, while Aleks continued to cuddle into his chest. "Don't think anything of this. I was cold and you're a living heater."

Belial had to smile at his mate's snippy tone. Such a stubborn human. "Have you slept well?" he asked his mate.

"So so."

He wanted to lie here for eternity but he had to discuss the next steps with Aleks. "Tsuka, we have to talk."

"I don't want to break the seal. But I also want to know what I am or where I come from. Maybe I'll even find my parents with it." He straightened up and looked at Belial with a serious expression. "How can this seal be loosened?"

Obviously, Belial's senses hadn't played a prank on him last night. Aleks had listened to his conversation with Lyric.

"I know a demon who specializes in seals. She lives in San Francisco. If she's not on one of her expeditions, she'd be at home."

Aleks nodded in agreement and replied, "Well, let's go."

He tried to stand up, but his demon prevented it. He pulled Aleks back to his chest. "Tsuka. I will do everything for you. But I need to know if everything is alright between us."

Aleks chewed on his lip. If he was honest with himself, he hasn't been angry with Belial since his demon told Lyric about their encounter. He had certainly kept it secret for good reason, not to hurt him. "Bel. I forgive you, but I hate secrets. I don't want anything to stand between us."

The tension in Belial's body abruptly dropped and he exhaled with relief. "I promise, Tsuka. My heart." Then he kissed Aleks passionately.

"Well, let's go," Aleks repeated, still giddy from their kiss.

They said goodbye to Lyric, who pressed a note into Belial's hand while saying goodbye.

"The bill," he said briefly. "But read it when you arrive at Ariana. Otherwise, you might get a heart attack."

With a nod, Belial put it in his pocket before catching the key that Lyric threw to him.

"Take my car, then you can move around undetected. Who knows who is reaching out to you with magical sensors."

Belial gratefully accepted the gift and replied, "Thank you, my friend."

"No need to. You bring the car back to me safely. After all, it's one of my favorite vehicles," the demon said with a grin.

That can't mean anything good. Belial's gut feeling had never let him down before, and his unwelcomed foreboding was confirmed once again when he stood in front of a squeaky blue Alpha Romeo Giulietta with red poppies on it. So much for inconspicuous moving...

"The car is awesome!" Aleks beamed. Right. My mate and Lyric suffered from the same lack of taste.

It was no use trying to protest. He reluctantly got into the car and turned on the engine. He entered Ariana's address into the sat nav and drove out of the garage.

"What's written on the note Lyric gave you?" Aleks asked curiously.

Belial fetched the note from out of his pocket and held it up for his mate. Aleks read the words that were written on it aloud.

Cost of treatment: a bottle of Macallan 1926

The demon laughed briefly. It was all Greek to Aleks. Unfortunately, his demon didn't have the intention to explain to him – a secret between men. Bah!

Together they made their way to San Francisco.

Lyric watched the car from his balcony until it disappeared behind the high houses. Then he turned around to get to work. He hadn't told Belial about it, but he planned to find out more about his mate in his own way.

Carefully, he took the carafe with Aleks' blood from the closet. He had wrung out the rags with which he had wiped Aleks' injured body in order to obtain the blood. This wasn't as effective as the original source, but it was better than nothing. He gently turned the carafe and inspected the blood.

"Who are you, Aleksander Esai?"

Soon he would know.

Relieved to see Aleks unscathed and laughing in the car, the tension of the last days seemed to evaporate from his body. Going near the runic demon's home would have made his camouflage disappear. His security system was known for being one of the best to exist. So instead, he waited patiently for them to leave.

As he had suspected, the two stayed only temporarily with the demon before setting off. Without them noticing, he followed the blue car with a red poppies pattern.

A black raven knocked his beak against the window of the house and looked curiously inside. A woman with long curly dark brown hair and brown eyes opened the window and let the messenger in. "Long time no see, Kuki," she said to the raven and tickled it under its chin. On the claw of the raven a small note was attached, a message for her.

Despite the modern technology in this world, most demons still sent their messages through a messenger – quite old school. She, too, used this form of communication, as she never knew who might hack her messages and uncover them. These days, you could never be sure who was lurking around the corner.

She unfolded the message with her slender fingers and read it. "I understand," she smirked, then turned around and called for her employee. After a brief knock, a cat demon stepped in.

"You called me, Milady?"

"We are expecting guests, they will arrive at noon today. Prepare a room for the two of them," she instructed her servant.

"As you wish Milady," she replied, leaving the room.

"I can't wait to meet him," she said with a smile on her lips, letting the message go up in flames.

_______________________________

And the journey continues. What do you think Ariana expects?

How do you imagine Ariana?

Ideas, off to the comments!

The idea of a reading night was raised. Would there be any interest in one?

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