Page 17 of Sweetheart

“Good luck,” Gavin retorted. He patted Levi on the shoulder as he passed. “I’ll have my phone on me if you two run into any trouble.”

“Okay,” Levi agreed. He motioned toward the back door. “Ready?”

“Sure.” He handed Drake his empty plate. “Once again, vampire, best pie I’ve ever had. If you and your mate ever want a break from this boring human place, just let me know. I’d be happy to host you in the Hell realm.”

Lawson snorted. “You do remember my brother is mated to the Reaper, right? We can go to the Hell realm whenever we want.”

“No!” Tristan wailed. “I need someone to cook for me!”

Levi grabbed Tristan by the back of the neck before shoving him toward the back door. “Stop trying to entice my friends down to Hell.”

“But I’m a demon!” Tristan protested. “It’s what I do.”

He kept pushing until they reached the door and Levi led the way across the back deck. Tristan followed along like the friend he was. Except he kept talking.

“Seriously though,” Tristan said. “You are going to tell me what happened with your mate. Right? Right! Because two days ago you were hiding in the Hell realm with me, and you were super sad.”

“I wasn’t hiding,” Levi corrected. “I’m helping Mal train all of you stubborn demons.”

“But you were super sad while you were kicking our asses!” Tristan pointed out. “I can smell your emotions.”

“I…” Levi could only shake his head. He had been more than sad. Just days ago, he had been devastated. Knowing that Mason was so close but not his… Levi had been convinced he’d never have his mate. The one person who was meant for him.

The other matings had pretty much gone perfectly. Okay, maybe not perfectly. There had been a few bumps in the road but nothing compared to how Levi’s mating was going. He wanted to believe that now that Mason had admitted that he was still interested in Levi they could go forward but the unease in his gut still clenched.

“So what happened? Did you do it? You know…it?” Tristan asked nosily.

Levi was not answering that question.

“Was it good?” Tristan questioned.

“I didn’t sleep with him.” Damn it, he hadn’t meant to answer.

Tristan hummed. “But you wanted to.”

Of course, Levi wanted his mate. Mason was perfect. His soft trusting eyes. His strong muscular body. His sharp wit. Mason was his perfect match and damn it, Levi wanted him. He just didn’t know how he was going to keep Mason’s interest for long. As a human, Mason would feel a connection to him but it wouldn’t be as strong as Levi’s need to bond.

“You should have just fucked him and worried about everything else later,” Tristan advised.

Levi ignored the demon as he headed straight toward the area that they’d found last night and that still reeked of gunpowder and metal. Levi had promised Axel he would follow up on the events of the night before.

There had been hunters in the past that had trespassed onto their land but something about last night felt weird. He had no idea why someone would put one bullet in a single tree. It bothered Levi and he couldn’t explain why.

The problems around their territory had started after they’d begun to find their mates. Axel was right to be concerned. Their family had started an upheaval in the paranormal world as mates were once again being found and so many wanted that gift for themselves. They were determined to protect their mates while at the same time trying to figure out why mates had been so scarce for so long.

Levi didn’t care about the details. He’d always felt in his heart that he had a mate out in the world somewhere. Axel meeting Bryce had been a miracle. The night that Levi’s Alpha had brought Bryce home, Levi had sat up on his rooftop oasis and cried happy tears.

His mating was going a lot differently than the others in his chosen family and from what Levi had expected. Levi could admit that he was part of the problem.

Growing up, his parents had told him to forget about the dream of having a mate and be happy with the life he had. Levi couldn’t be satisfied with that. He wanted someone to love. Getting to know Mason had been terrifying but Levi had been the happiest he’d ever been. Until everything had fallen apart.

“Are you even listening to me?” Tristan demanded.

Levi shook himself from his thoughts. “Sorry.”

Tristan huffed at him. In his human glamour, the demon looked completely different than when they were in the Hell realm. Levi could admire Tristan’s human look, but he was nothing compared to Levi’s mate. Mason might not be conventionally attractive, but Levi found Mason to be sexy and sweet.

“This is the tree.” Levi pointed ahead of him.

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