Chapter One

Mason

Mason Benard checked his backpack, ensuring he had the essentials for a long hike before hefting the weight over one shoulder. The small rundown cabin he was fixing up didn't show a lot of progress, but Mason was happy with what he'd accomplished so far. He should really be spending his day off working on the floors or sanding the kitchen cabinets, but he was too unsettled to stay indoors.

Spring had finally arrived. After a long and stressful winter, Mason was ready to be outside and back into a routine.

Stepping into the early morning sun, Mason lifted his face while breathing deeply. He loved the little piece of heaven that he'd found for himself. No more city traffic, horns honking, or people yelling. No more family coming into his apartment whenever they wanted, no matter how often Mason asked them not to. No more having to be at his father's beck and call when his father decided another monster needed to be tracked. Mason had finally put his foot down, joining his cousin and twin brother and leaving the family business behind him.

Getting a job with the State Park Service had been easy enough. His twin was an expert at forging documents and Mason instantly had the requirements to become a park ranger. When he was told that there was an abandoned ranger station on the edge of park land close to where the forest butted up against private land, Mason had been thrilled.

A cabin out in the middle of nowhere. Perfect.

In the few short months that he'd been living at the cabin, Mason had started to make it his own. A home that he wouldn't be yanked away from at his father's wishes. He was a thirty-two-year-old man, and it was time for Mason to live the kind of life he wanted.

Not that Mason knew what to do with himself yet.

Making the rounds of the state park, where he answered questions and gave directions to tourists, wasn't exactly the challenge Mason was looking for. He had his cabin remodel to keep him busy outside of work and there was a decent club where he could pick up men. Mason was pleased that his choice in male bed partners was not limited for settling down in such a small town. He had a lot of time to make up. His father hadn't given him or his brother freedom to experiment while growing up or in their late teens or twenties. Mason spent the first month in town fucking as many men or being fucked by them as he could.

Mason always brought the men to his cabin and seeing their faces when they were presented with the rundown cabin was almost comical. Not all men made it inside but the ones who did deserved a piece of Mason's ass.

No one had stuck around afterwards.

Not that Mason minded. He enjoyed getting dicked. Just because he was missing a connection with any of his choices didn't mean he was making a mistake.

Mason knew better than anyone that finding a real connection with someone only led to heartache. If his father hadn't chased away Mason's boyfriends, then his old job would have. Not like he could explain to a lover that he had to skip out on a date or leave the bed in the middle of the night because his father ‘found' another monster.

Yeah, he was better off finding men at clubs and getting his.

Except the loneliness wouldn't go away. He'd tried to at least get to know a few of the men and date. He'd even set up a profile on a gay dating app at the insistence of his twin. Mason had only found one man that he even bothered to chat with.

Stone had been sweet, funny, and a welcome distraction from the major life changes Mason had been making.

The only problem had been that while Stone was always up for chatting through the app, he'd refused to meet Mason in person.

At first Mason had been amused. Stone was obviously shy. Sort of na?ve. The pictures though. Fuck! Mason had stared at the pictures that Stone sent to him. Never of his face. But that chest…those thighs. Sadly, Mason hadn't gotten any dick pictures although he'd been hoping, and now he'd not get anything ever again.

After too much whiskey, a voicemail from his father, and feeling sorry for himself, Mason had sent a message that he'd regretted the next morning. It had been too late. Stone was gone. He must have deleted the app, because Mason had even made a fake profile, trying to find the guy again. No luck.

Shaking his head, Mason pushed all thoughts of Stone.

Nothing he could do about it. He'd fucked up and the sweetest, most attractive—as far as he could tell—man that Mason had ever talked to was gone. Poof.

Stepping off the front deck, Mason set out for his hike. He wanted to get to know the area around his cabin better. There were no designated hiking trails but Mason was an experienced outdoorsman so he knew he would be fine. He also wanted to check out the private land that butted up against his.

Mason's boss had specifically ordered him to stay away from the private land.

Like that would even be possible. It just showed that his boss knew nothing about Mason.

The trees seemed to welcome him, the canopy of leaves above his head keeping the early morning sun hidden. It was a little chilly, but Mason had dressed in layers for that reason.

The sounds of animals waking up caught his attention.

He passed a tree with a small family of squirrels squeaking at one another.

"Good morning," he greeted his little furry friends.

A rabbit darted out in front of him before hopping up onto a downed trunk.

"Well, aren't you cute," Mason told the rabbit.

Yes, he was talking to the forest animals. No, he wasn't embarrassed. It wasn't like there was another human around to hear him being silly. Mason had always loved animals even though his father had thought that made him soft.

Animals didn't judge. Animals lived simple lives and Mason envied them for that.

Two hours into his hike and Mason was in love with his new home. The hope for the future was bright as he spotted a couple of birds watching him. The forest of this state park was filled with life. The animals appeared curious as to what the sweaty human was doing stumbling around in their territory.

Deciding it was time for a break, Mason found a soft spot on the moss-covered ground and sat with his back to a large oak tree.

Mason pulled out a bottle of water and protein bar as he peered around his surroundings. He was only a few feet from where the state park property ended, and the private land started.

There was a buzz in the air that prickled at the back of his neck. He'd trained too long to ignore such a strong pulse.

Magic.

At this point in his life, Mason could practically taste magic.

He quickly scarfed down his snack before gulping the water. Mason kept still, trying to see if he could tell what magical being had been around. Was this why he'd felt himself being watched lately? Just last week while he'd been chopping wood for his fireplace, Mason swore he hadn't been alone.

Mason had called himself crazy. Knew he was paranoid but couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Even talking to his twin hadn't calmed him down.

Stuffing his trash and the empty water bottle back into his bag, Mason began to rise when he spotted something silver glint from under a pile of leaves. He dropped his pack before carefully crawling over.

What he saw made his stomach turn.

A fucking bear trap!

There was no hunting in the state park, and he knew that the private land was protected as well. This trap had been set by someone who shouldn't be in the area. He grabbed his bag to pull out a small tool set and went about dismantling the trap. He needed to show his boss but… He glanced through the trees.

What about the private landowner?

Mason could see a huge house with several other well-constructed buildings scattered around the property. A thought struck before Mason could talk himself out of it. He'd wanted to meet the neighbors. Now he had a reason.

He carefully set the trap inside his bag before he rose.

The minute he stepped over the invisible barrier, his core burned.

There was definite magic being used around here.

Now Mason was even more curious.

The backyard was filled with toys scattered around and a very nice deck with a large table and several chairs. It appeared his neighbors had a big family. A tall playset, pool, and sandbox were also visible. And they had kids that needed to be warned about the traps.

The back door was right there but Mason took the time to walk around to the front. He knocked on the massive door of the big house.

"Levi! Can you get that?"

"I just got back from a run!"

"The boys are finger painting! Do you want to come help in here instead?"

"I'll get the door."

Mason held in his laugh at the disgruntled statement before the front door opened. He stared at the most attractive man he'd ever seen. The man wore only a pair of gray cotton shorts that hung from his hips as sweat dripped down the center of his chest.

Fuck! Mason licked his lips. He wanted to chase after that sweat as it went lower and lower reaching… Damn! He forced his eyes up to the face of a man with wide gray eyes that stared at him.

Neither of them said anything. The tension strung tight between them.

Those eyes. That mouth. The chest!

The door slammed in his face.

Fuck!

"Axel!" The previously disgruntled voice now sounded panicked.

Mason heard feet running quickly away from him. There was no way that man could know who Mason was. Or more correctly who he had been.

He knocked again.

The door swung open but this time a tall dark-haired man stepped out of the house, forcing Mason to retreat.

"Help you?" the man asked firmly.

Shit! This man was not human. Mason could feel his instincts wanting him to either fight or take flight. To get the fuck away from him.

He cleared his throat. He was normal now. A normal human who didn't know that monsters existed. "I'm Mason Benard. From the ranger station about five miles that way." He tilted his head in the direction of his cabin. "I was out on a hike and came across something worrisome."

The man looked over his shoulder then back at Mason. "Park ranger?"

"Yes, sir." Stay calm, Mason, he chided. He doesn't know anything.

"Okay." The man reached out and closed the front door tightly. "What is this about?"

Mason lifted his pack. "Like I said, I was out hiking and had taken a break. I found this." He set his pack on the ground and pulled out the bear trap.

The guy growled. He fucking growled. "Can you show me where you found that?"

Mason was surprised into answering. "Sure." He hadn't expected the forceful demand.

The guy raised his fingers to his mouth before letting out a sharp whistle. Two men seemed to step out of the shadows. Both just as dark and deadly as the man in front of him.

Holy shit! What had Mason gotten himself into now? And more importantly, where was the bare-chested hottie that had run away from him? Because there was no doubt in Mason's mind that the stranger with the gray eyes had run from him.

Something about the man tickled at the back of his mind but when the stranger in front of him held out a hand, Mason was forced to focus on him instead.

"My name's Axel. This is Gavin and Trevor," he introduced.

Mason really wanted the name of the guy who"d answered the door! "Nice to meet you all." He shook each of their hands.

"If you wouldn't mind showing us where you found that trap, we'd appreciate it. We've been fighting hunters and poachers for a while now."

"Happy to!" Glancing over his shoulder one last time, Mason hoped to catch a glimpse of the attractive stranger, but the door remained closed.

* * * * *

Levi

‘If you don't want to meet, stop messaging me. I'm done with you.'

Stop messaging me. Stop messaging me.

The words Levi would never forget echoed in his head. He raced from the backdoor of the house and past the tree line where the portal to Hell had been set up for him to use.

It was easy enough to activate the portal and before long, Levi was stepping into the room that he'd been given in Adam and Mal's house. Tears that he'd been holding back fell and Levi was powerless to stop them. It hurt so much to know that the handsome park ranger was his mate. Levi had never come face-to-face with his mate before. Been close enough to smell him.

Mason Benard. That was his mate's name. He shouldn't know that, but Levi had done some sneaking around the old cabin that his mate lived in and had found bills made out in the man's name. He hadn't told his friends about that. Or how he'd lain in Mason's bed that one time.

Levi hadn't done anything bad. He'd just wanted to be surrounded by his mate's scent. Instead of it making Levi feel better, Levi had been devastated. That was when he'd decided to visit his friends in the Hell realm.

He'd only returned home when he'd thought he could make better choices. Like not watching his mate take a different man to bed every week. Not that Levi watched the actual act, but he knew what it meant when two men couldn't keep their hands off each other and stumbled into a room tugging at clothes while kissing. He did live in a house full of mated couples.

It was very different when one of those men was meant to be with Levi.

Levi had ruined things with his mate before they'd even spoken one word out loud to each other. He'd been so scared that he'd thought it would be a good idea to try chatting with his mate through an app he'd spotted on Mason's phone.

Lawson had helped Levi set up an account, posted a picture of Levi's chest without his shirt, and even matched him with his mate.

The chatting seemed to have been going well. His mate had asked for more pictures even! They chatted on the app for hours at a time. He knew so many things about his mate that Levi had already fallen in love.

Sitting on his favorite perch on the roof, Levi could watch his mate while they exchanged messages. Levi had felt like they'd started to build something. Then out of nowhere Mason had told Levi to stop messaging him.

Levi had sat and stared at those words for an hour while his heart broke before he did the responsible thing. He'd deleted his profile and the app from his phone.

He'd broken the only real connection that he had with his mate.

It had been harder to stop watching his mate.

Levi wasn't a stalker. No matter what Lawson and Adam said. He hadn't been stalking his mate! He'd been looking out for him. But as more men filled Mason's life, Levi had been going slowly insane and made the decision that it would be better for both of them if he went away.

Being in the Hell realm allowed Levi to forget that his mate was probably out with another man. He could pretend that he was fine. He could fight and train with the demon warriors until he was exhausted and fall asleep without dreaming about being with his mate.

Maybe he should just stay in the Hell realm?

He jumped at the knock on his bedroom door.

"Levi? Are you here?" Mal called out.

"I'm here," Levi said quietly. He didn't need to raise his voice. Mal would hear him.

"Axel called. May I come in?" Mal asked.

Levi wiped at the tears on his cheeks. "Yeah."

The door opened and Mal peeked around. The tall demon's blood-red eyes melted when they saw him. "Levi."

"I'm fine." His voice broke.

Mal wrapped his strong arms around him, and Levi was pulled into that massive chest. There were few men taller and wider than Levi, but the Master of Hell was a giant of a demon. Levi allowed himself a few moments of just leaning on the bigger man.

"I got you," Mal murmured. He held Levi tight.

"I'm fine," Levi repeated even as more tears fell. He caught a sob in the back of his throat.

"You don't have to be," Mal said gently. "It's okay to be hurt."

Those words had the dam breaking. Levi had been bottling everything up so his friends wouldn't see him as a burden. He wanted to be a strong, valuable member of the family, but he was so tired. Too tired to care anymore.

He allowed himself to cry for the loss of a mate that Levi had spent his entire life dreaming about. Levi had left his clutch—his birth family—to chase the chance of maybe one day meeting his special person. Everything that he sacrificed was for nothing. His parents had marked him a traitor for leaving his clutch, but Levi had still believed that when he found his mate everything he went through would be worth it.

Levi wailed into Mal's neck as the realization of his failures overwhelmed him. He would be utterly alone for the rest of his existence. Being immortal no longer held any appeal for him. Not if he would spend all those years without the love that had been promised to him.

His legs became weak, but Mal was there to lift Levi and carry him to bed. Levi clung harder to the demon even as he felt a part of his soul died within. Mal sat with Levi cuddled up against him. A second later another set of arms embraced him from behind. Levi sighed as Adam's weight was added against him.

"It's going to be okay," Adam whispered. "I swear we'll figure all this out. You're not alone."

He wasn't alone. Levi had people that loved him. That he loved in return. But was life worth living if the one person meant for him was no longer an option?