Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Adam

Adam grinned as he finished giving Levi a tour of his new home. They'd only gotten lost twice and Adam was pretty proud of himself. Standing inside the room that would soon be his new playroom, he turned. "What do you think?"

Levi smiled. It wasn't his guarded smile but one that Adam rarely saw. Levi had always been quiet and somewhat of a mystery, but Adam considered them brothers. Levi's opinion mattered to him. "I think that you are finally right where you were meant to be."

Those words. They meant everything to him. "You do?"

Levi strode forward. "I can feel it so I know you can too. This was always your destiny. You are going to do so much good here."

Not that the statement wasn't a lot of pressure, but Adam agreed with Levi that he felt it. The need for him to be there. "I never really thought about my purpose or anything like that," he confessed. "I was content to live my best life and hopefully one day find my mate. Mal changed everything for me. He makes me feel like I matter."

"You do matter," Levi said firmly. "But I understand what youre saying. Our family is so powerful. So many amazing brothers. Sometimes it's hard to know where you fit in."

Adam nodded. Levi did get it.

"But just because you have this wonderful new life, don't think you get to forget about us. We love you too."

Adam yanked Levi into a hug. Although he didn't hold on for long. Levi would grow uncomfortable if he did. Adam hoped that Levi would find his own mate soon. And that Levi's mate realized that the poor gargoyle needed more touch in his life. "Thank you." He patted Levi's back. "And thanks for coming. I appreciate you wanting to be here."

"Of course I came," Levi said seriously. He was always serious. "You know Axel would love to be here as well."

"I know." Adam didn't doubt that he was loved. "He offered to return but I told him to finish his business there so we can celebrate once they all get home. Tonight is just about reconnecting with friends and family. We'll have a celebration and everyone will be invited."

"Good, you deserve a party fit for a prince," Levi joked.

"I do!" Adam clapped his hands. "And when the playroom is done, I'll have the boys down to play with me."

"They'll love it." Levi peered around the space. "Was it just sitting empty?"

"Oh no." Adam waved his hands. "I told my minions what I wanted to do and they got to work moving out the bedroom furniture."

Levi shook his head. "I can't believe all the demons you have running around doing your bidding."

"Minions!" Adam said. "They're the best."

"I'll take your word for it. I don't think I'll have minions of my own." Something sad passed over Levi's face.

"Hey! Whats going on?" Adam settled for capturing Levi's hand instead of hugging his friend.

"I thought…I thought I'd met my mate," Levi's voice was low.

Adam nearly choked on his tongue. "What?"

Levi nodded. "I…I might have spotted him a couple months ago and started to just…you know, follow him around."

"Were you stalking your mate?" Adam questioned amused. That was such a Levi thing to do.

"I…" Levi shrugged. "Maybe?"

"What happened?"

"He had this app on his phone. Lawson said it was a dating app. He helped me set up a profile."

"Wow." Adam was impressed. He hadn't known any of this was happening. "Did you talk to him?" Levi wasn't a big talker.

"We chatted through the app. I was learning more about him. He…when I watch him…he's so kind."

Adam swallowed hard. He didn't like where this was headed.

"But when I wasn't ready to meet him," Levi shared. "He started to get frustrated. It took longer for him to reach back out to me. Finally, he said we could either meet or stop messaging him. I stopped. I deleted the app."

Tears filled his eyes.

"Levi." Adam breathed his name.

"If he was truly my mate, he would have waited, wouldn't he? Until I was ready? Our mates are supposed to be perfect for us. I…I don't think I was meant to have a mate."

Adam had to choose his words carefully.

"Is your mate human?" Adam asked.

Levi nodded. "He's a park ranger. He moved into that old ranger station just five miles from the house. He likes to hike and he loves animals. I thought he was perfect."

"Just because we're given mates doesn't mean that we or they can't mess up," Adam said. He couldn't let Levi give up. Levi deserved to be loved like Mal loved him. They hadn't necessarily said the words to each other, but the feelings were there. "Your mate might have had a bad day and lashed out. You could try talking to him again."

"No." Levi shook his head. "He took a man back to his house a few nights later. The man stayed the night."

"Oh, Levi." Fuck it. He pulled Levi into his arms.

Levi sniffed. "I didn't watch them. I couldn't. It hurt so much. I also had to make sure that man didn't hurt my mate. I roosted in a tree on night."

When Levi roosted, he turned to stone on a building or any surface. He was able to recharge his gargoyle side, but he was also aware of his surroundings. He would have known what his mate was doing.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish you had told me," Adam said.

Levi pulled back. His eyes were wet but he gave Adam a watery smile. "I didn't want my mate to become a chew toy or to find a tree growing through his living room. I know you and the others. You would have tried to avenge me or something crazy like that."

They totally would have done that.

"I just need time…" Levi took a deep breath. "But I do feel better telling someone. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you told me. And if you ever want to get away from home, you're more than welcome here. Anytime."

Levi looked surprised. "Your mate wouldn't mind?"

"No, he wouldn't. Plus, you saw the size of this house, right? We could give you all the privacy you need."

"I…" Levi nodded. "I'd like that. After Axel and the others get back. Maybe I could come stay then?"

"Yes! I'll make sure we have everything you need. You can come whenever you want."

"Thanks, Adam. And I am really glad you found your mate. You deserve to be happy."

So did Levi. Adam was going to have to do some scheming. Some sneaking. His friend was not going to suffer under his watch.

The doorbell rang. "More guests!" He danced around.

"Let's go greet them," Levi said.

Adam took off at a run with Levi on his heels. He was so excited to have dinner and now even more determined that everyone would enjoy themselves. Especially Levi.

He jumped down the last few steps.

"Careful, boy. I don't want you falling," Mal said as he exited his office.

"Sorry!" Adam waved his hand as he raced past. "Guests!"

Reaching the heavy front door, Adam pulled it open. "Hello."

Ari and Atom stood on the porch, holding hands. Looking past them, Adam frowned. "Damn."

Ari took a step back. "Uh, were we not—"

"Shit!" Adam jumped forward and yanked Ari into his arms. "I'm glad youre here. Sorry!" He patted the sweet demon's back.

"Are you sure?" Ari asked quietly.

Damn it, sometimes Adam wished he could get his brain to focus better. He drew back. "I'm very happy you are here." He drew Ari with him to the closest white paver. "I tried to set up an early alarm system. It didn't work. My magic is a little different here."

"Oh!" Ari's face lit up. "That's a great idea. I wonder what's wrong?"

"If I may," Atom said.

They turned toward him. "I have a connection to metals. Metal is so deeply ingrained in our soil—"

Adam groaned. "Of course! The metal is messing with my magic."

Atom knelt and placed his palm on the stone. "Actually, the metal in the soil is trying to connect with your magic, but it's vibrating. There is a loose… There." He pulled Adam's hand down with his until they both touched the soil. "Feel it."

Adam nodded. The metal was indeed trying to strengthen Adam's infused magic but there was a short in the connection. He sent a soothing push into the soil that was trying to work so hard. The connection strengthened and bonded together. "That should work."

The pavers lit up and Adam felt the pulse travel across his arms.

Perfect!

He tackle-hugged Atom, who grunted but didn't move. "Thank you!"

"My mate is very touchy-feely," Mal said behind him.

"He's hugging me." Atom sounded weird.

"You might want to get used to that," Levi said. "He does it a lot. With all of us. It's a thing."

"I love hugs," Ari said happily.

Just for that, Adam pulled Ari into the hug with him and Atom.

"How do I turn it off?" Atom whispered.

Mal laughed. "Come here, mate. We should let our guests inside."

Adam gave Atom and Ari one last squeeze. "Please come in! My minions have been cooking all day, so I hope youre hungry. They've prepared a feast."

"Not minions," Mal muttered.

Adam ignored him. He led the way into the house to the front seating area.

"It looked so great in here," Ari gushed.

"I knew I liked you," Adam told him. "Doesn't it look better?"

"Yes!"

"I thought it was fine," Atom mumbled to Mal.

Mal shrugged. "Apparently I needed more color in my life."

"It was very black in here," Atom said. "I liked it."

Ari snorted, a puff of smoke giving him away.

"What was that, mate?" Atom asked.

"You and Mal must have had the same decorator," Ari replied with a smile.

With a smirk, Atom stalked forward. "I didn't hear you complaining about my furniture when I had you bent over—"

"Shh!" Ari slapped his hand over Atom's mouth.

"No!" Adam threw himself into the closest chair dramatically. "I want to hear the details."

"Do you, mate?" Mal picked him up and settled in the chair with Adam on his lap.

Ari, Atom, and Levi settled around them as Adam thought about his answer. "Yes, definitely. I bet it was hot."

Mal laughed. He couldn't even pretend to be mad.

Adam felt the pulse warning in his arm again. "Guests!" He leapt up and his mate's and friends' laughter followed him all the way to the front door. The doorbell rang.

He pulled open the front door.

Behind Seb and Ash, the pavers shone.

"They work! I wasn't sure how my magic would work in this environment, but it seems to be stronger." Now that Adam knew what the issue had been, it would be easier. Especially with the way his magic pulsed.

"That might have something to do with your mate," Ash told him. "In some circumstances a mating can strengthen a fae's magic."

"Oh! That's true. I'll call my mom and ask. Anyway, come in, come in." He waved his friends forward. Adam led the way to where the others waited.

"Levi!" Seb hurried to Levi and gave him a quick hug.

Adam was happy to see that Levi had the support of all of them. He still needed to decide what he could get away with regarding Levi's potential mate and who could help.

"I didn't know you'd be here," Seb said to Levi.

"I asked if I could attend as a representative of the family when Adam came to pick up some of his things. The others will come for the formal celebration, but I felt like someone from home should be here to show Mal that he's part of the family."

"That's fantastic." Seb beamed.

Adam appreciated it because he needed his mate to realize that he was so much more than his job.

"And I appreciate it," Mal commented. "Adam's chosen family is just as important as his biological. I gained quite a bit when I found my boy."

Adam rushed over to his mate. When Mal called him boy it was usually because he was getting emotional. "We've both gained so much." He twisted around to his friends. "Let me introduce you to my minions." He clapped his hands. "Minions!" He called his demons.

"Not minions," Mal muttered.

His mate had to realize that Adam called them minions just to get that reaction. Plus, he already loved his house demons. Minions just made them sound even cooler. Adam didn't really like the term lesser demons. They weren't lesser than anyone. They were awesome!

His minions entered the room with smiles.

"Guys, this is Siezman, Notel, and Gammer. They work for Mal and have agreed to complete my evil plan to take over the world."

Adam's minions laughed and shook their heads. They were totally on board with his plans; they just liked to pretend around Mal. Adam just knew it!

"Not taking over the world," Mal said quietly.

Adam patted his mate's arm. Maybe not the world. The Hell realm would do.

Levi laughed. It filled the room with warmth. "Good luck with that. Adam is a handful."

"I have big hands." Mal hugged Adam to his side.

Yeah, he did. But hey! Levi couldn't take Mal's side. He stomped his foot. "That's not nice! Don't make me sic my minions on you." Not that he'd ever do that.

"Dinner is ready to be served," Notel said.

"Shall we head into the dining room?" Mal extended his hand in the direction of the next room.

Adam linked his fingers with his mate's before he followed his friends into the large dining room. When it was just Adam and Mal, they ate at the kitchen table, which was a lot homier, and Adam had also begun to insist his minions ate with them. Siezmore, Notel, and Gammer were more than just staff. They were family.

Siezmore was proud to pull out the fancy plates, as he called them. He'd frowned at Mal when he'd talked about how long it had been since they'd entertained properly. Mal had simply shrugged but Adam promised he'd have plenty of family, from both the fae and human realm, and Siezmore would be able to entertain often. The smile on Siezmore's face had made Adam feel like a hero. His minions were so easy to make happy. He'd make sure to do it every day.

The middle of the table was already laden with huge platters of meat taking over most of the surface. The demons sure did love their meat.

Adam snickered. That was a joke he would share with his mate later. He did have manners, after all. He just didnt always use them. He was trying though. He wanted this to be the first of many meals shared with their most important people.

Mal walked Adam around the table to the seats. Adam sat to his mate's right with Mal at the head of the table. Ash set to Mal's left with Seb next to him and Levi beside Seb. His precious minions filled the rest of the seats.

Adam looked around at the full table. His heart was nearly bursting.

In the short amount of time that he'd found his mate, Adam's entire world had changed. There was so much purpose now. Adam hadn't known that he'd needed to be, well…needed.

He gazed at Mal with all the love in his heart before turning to his minions. "Thank you for cooking. I'm going to have to introduce you to Drake. You should have been chefs." He meant the words. Notel especially enjoyed asking Adam about his favorites and wanting to try dishes from the fae realm.

Mal smiled at Adam before he lifted his wine glass. "To family."

"To family," they toasted.

* * * * *

Mal

Laughter drew Mal to the living room after returning from taking Levi back to the human realm. He was going to have to talk to the Alpha Axel about making a more permanent way that the family could go back and forth. It would be essential to his mate to have the people he loved able to visit.

It had been so long since Mal thought about anything other than work. He hadn't had a dinner…well, in years. Maybe a decade. Siezmore wasn't wrong. He didn't do more than wake up, go to work, return home, work, and go to bed. This life had become so bleak.

He hovered at the entrance of the sitting room. Adam was sitting on the couch, with their three lesser demons cuddling around him and laptop open. All four were excited over something.

"What's happening in here?" Mal questioned.

Adam lifted his head and smiled. He was such a beautiful young man. Inside and out. His soul shone bright white like only a true innocent did. He had a naughty streak inside him, but Adam would never harm another soul. He wanted to take care of everyone around him. There was a nurturing quality that Mal had seen grow over the last couple of days.

"Swimming pool!" Adam answered.

"A swimming pool?"

Gammer nodded. "Master Adam would like a swimming pool added into the back area. He is showing us examples of which ones he liked so we can fulfill his request."

A swimming pool didn't sound half bad. Mal enjoyed the water. Why hadn't he thought of something like that? But that didn't tell him why they'd been laughing. "And that's funny because…?"

"Oh!" Adam's shoulders sank. "The pool search turned into a hot tub and a deck and we sort of got carried away. I have money but I don't think I could afford to all of it at once."

"Baby." Mal strode into the room. The demons went to move but Mal stopped them with a hand up. He lifted Adam and the laptop up and sat down between the demons. "The lesser demons don't need money. They use their powers, negotiations, and trade."

Adam's eyes widened. "That's not fair! They shouldn't have to use their favors for me."

"It doesn't work that way," Siezman said. "We can trade or negotiate to swap powers with another lesser demon to make what we want. This is how it works here."

Adam frowned.

"What is it, mate?"

"I don't like the term lesser demons. It seems…mean. They're not lesser than anyone else."

They were lesser in strength and power. Mal didn't say that though. Adam didn't understand Hell politics yet. Although some of the lesser demons were also the most talented, smart, and needed. Mal had never thought about the term used until Adam brought it up.

"It's okay, Master Adam," Notel said. He even patted Adam's knee. "These are the way things work."

Adam rolled his eyes. "Just Adam. No more of this Master stuff. I already told you that."

Mal knew that the house demons would have a hard time not addressing Adam with his title. It was the way they were trained.

"What does lesser demon mean, anyway?" Adam demanded.

Mal cleared his throat. "Either a young demon who hasn't come into their powers yet or…"

"Or?" Adam pushed.

"A demon that won't have strong power," Gammer said. "Like us."

"No!" Adam hugged Gammer against his chest. "You are not lesser! Do you hear me? You are amazing. You're my minions!"

Mal was never going to get Adam to stop calling the house demons minions. Adam did have a point. Just because a demon wasn't a warrior or someone from a strong line didn't make them lesser. Hell couldn't run without the demons that did the day-to-day work. The house demons, cooks, secretaries.

Adam turned his head as he still hugged Gammer, who was now laying his head in Adam's lap. "Do you disagree?"

"Actually, I don't," Mal admitted. "You are absolutely correct that they are in no way lesser. Their power and strength might be different but that does not make them any less valuable."

"Really?" Siezman perked up.

Fuck! "I have never thought about it. I have just used the same word that I have heard my entire life. I never took into consideration how that might make you feel. My apologies, old friend."

Siezman looked like he wanted to hug Mal. He didn't. Mal wasn't a fan of physical contact except when it was with his mate.

"Then we change it," Adam said.

"We can try," Mal hedged. Demons had long memories and weren't huge fans of change. They wouldn't care how the word lesser affected someone they considered a lower breed.

"Oh, we will change it," Adam said firmly. "No one will look down on any member of my family, and that includes you three." He tapped Notel's knee. "It won't be overnight, but we will come up with better words."

"This is very kind of you," Notel said. He patted Gammer's back. "Some more powerful demons use that term to…show us our place."

Were his demons being treated poorly?

Mal would not stand for it.

"If you have any problems, you will alert me right away," Mal ordered. "Adam is right. You're family. But even if you weren't, you are valued and an asset to my house. I should have realized this earlier but luckily the fates knew what kind of mate I needed. One that will fight for us all."

"Damn right I will." Adam closed the laptop. "And that was very sweet and sappy. Mushy-mushy. You deserve a kiss for that."

As Adam kissed him, the three demons giggled before rising from the couch. Probably realizing that once they started, they wouldnt just stop at one kiss. Mal thrust his tongue deep as he cupped Adam's ass and pulled him tighter against Mal's chest. His little mate hummed before he threw his leg over Mal's waist and straddled him.

"Hi, Daddy," Adam said after he drew back from the kiss.

"Hello, my boy."

"Thank you for tonight," Adam said. "I had a great time with our friends."

"As did I. But I don't want to talk about our friends or our demons right now." He gripped Adam's ass hard. Forcing the boy to rock against Mal's trapped erection.

"No?" Adam batted his eyes. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I have talked more in the last few days than I have in a decade. No more talking. Let me show you what else I can do with my mouth."

Adam moaned. "Yes, please, Daddy."