Chapter Seven
Ridge was in the kitchen getting more beer when he heard a knock at the front door.
He had to navigate around a stack of boxes to reach it, and he did so with three bottles in one hand.
People were waiting for him out in the backyard, and he had every intention of getting back to them as soon as he found out who was at the door.
He blinked when he opened it. “Gregory. I thought you said you couldn’t make it.”
Gregory shrugged. “I wasn’t supposed to come, but I couldn’t miss my favorite demon’s housewarming party.”
“Oh, I see. You’re not here for me.”
“We both know Kael is my favorite.”
They did. Kael had continued working with Gregory and the council after that first trip, and he was getting good results.
Poppy was planning on visiting as soon as they were settled into their new home, and Kael had been talking to dozens of other demons, too.
Most of them were curious about the world outside their towns and wanted to be part of it.
Kael had once said that was what he was most excited about—he wanted demons to have opportunities he would never have thought possible growing up, and now, maybe they would.
Ridge knew that he was included in those opportunities.
They wouldn’t be together right now if Kael hadn’t left Starhaven.
If Kael had decided he was better off there, if he hadn’t had the courage to follow his best friend, they probably never would’ve spoken again.
Instead, there they were, still unpacking their things in their new home, hosting their friends in the backyard.
It wasn’t something Ridge had thought possible when they first met, and he understood now why Kael had wanted other demons to have the same opportunity.
Ridge wanted shifters to have it, too. If their mates were demons, they would now actually have a chance to meet them.
It would still take work. Fortunately, neither of them was afraid of that.
Ridge hadn’t been sent on a mission yet, but he and Kael would be leaving in a few months, visiting more towns and hopefully convincing more demons that opening up to humans and shifters wasn’t a bad thing.
In the meantime, they had plenty to do here.
Unpacking, for one. They’d had help with the move, but unpacking was entirely on them, and it was a little complicated when Kael kept getting distracted by the backyard.
The house was already filling up with potted plants too, and it was everything Ridge could ever have dreamed of. He wouldn’t change it for the world.
He wouldn’t change Kael for the world.
They weren’t bonded yet, but something told Ridge it wouldn’t be long.
It didn’t matter, anyway. They were happy together and building a life, and whether or not Kael had a mark on his neck didn’t change that.
Of course, their bond wouldn’t feel fully complete until they did bond, but it was perfect just the way it was.
Ridge could only imagine what it would feel like when that finally happened, and part of him was a little overwhelmed just thinking about it.
“Everyone is out in the backyard,” he told Gregory, stepping aside and gesturing toward the kitchen with the beer bottles. “I’ll take you through.”
Gregory put his hands in his pockets. He was wearing jeans today, which was a strange look on him. Ridge only ever saw him in a suit at work, but like this, he looked relaxed, like he was one of them.
He wasn’t, not quite. The people here today were people Ridge had trained with.
They weren’t here to talk about work, but they were the people he’d had the most contact with over the past few years, and in the end, they’d become something close to family.
Not everyone had been able to come, but the people who mattered most to Ridge and Kael were here, and that was all he cared about.
When Ridge stepped into the backyard, the first thing he heard was Kael’s laugh. He was leaning against Nymon, holding his stomach and giggling, while Nymon looked like he was about to tip over. Tex was basically holding both of them up, and the sight made Ridge smile.
Ridge’s gaze crossed with Tex’s, and they both smiled.
“I see why the facility is mostly empty today,” Gregory said, looking around. “Everyone’s here.”
“Burgers and beers are better when they’re happening out here,” Ridge said. “No offense, but no one wants to spend their Saturday afternoon at the facility.”
Gregory chuckled. “None taken. I don’t like spending my Saturday afternoons there either, but unfortunately, I don’t often have a choice.”
Ridge held out one of the beers to Gregory, who took it with a nod. He looked around for Jethro, for whom the second beer was meant. When he spotted him, he made his way over, Gregory close behind.
“Glad you made it,” he told Gregory as they walked. “We didn’t actually expect you to.”
“I didn’t expect to make it either, but I thought, why not? My life can’t only be my office.”
“There’s a lot to life, and most of it has nothing to do with work.” He stopped in front of Jethro and handed him his beer, then turned to Gregory. “I don’t know if you two know each other. Gregory, Jethro. Jethro, Gregory.”
“I’ll assume you two know each other from the facility,” Gregory said with an easy smile. “But no, I don’t know Jethro. I believe he has a different handler.”
Jethro nodded once. “I do.” He extended his hand toward Gregory, and the wind picked up, ruffling everyone’s hair.
Ridge probably wouldn’t have noticed that something was happening if he hadn’t been trained the way he had.
His job was literally about noticing tiny shifts in expression and changes in the tension of people’s bodies.
There was no way for him to miss the way Jethro’s back went ramrod straight, or the way Gregory stiffened, too.
They stared at each other for a beat, both of their hands still hovering in the space between them.
Gregory was the first to move. He took Jethro’s hand and shook it, then let go quickly, as if it had burned.
Jethro took a step back as soon as they were free, and the two of them stared at each other.
Ridge was about to say something when he was rescued by his mate.
“Gregory!” Kael said, sounding delighted. “I’m so glad you could make it. Ridge said you wouldn’t be able to come.”
Gregory was still a little stiff as he turned toward Kael, but he relaxed quickly. It seemed that as long as he wasn’t looking at Jethro, everything was fine.
“I wasn’t supposed to come, but I didn’t want to let you down,” Gregory said, reaching for Kael.
Kael hugged him easily. Ridge noticed Gregory murmur something in Kael’s ear, and he was pretty sure the low growling sound that followed came from Jethro, though he didn’t say anything about it.
It wasn’t his business. He definitely wasn’t worried about Gregory and Kael.
Those two had become fast friends after Kael started working regularly with Gregory, and Ridge liked that.
He wanted Kael to feel like he belonged, and that would only happen if he built himself a community. Apparently, Kael had decided Gregory was part of that community, and that was perfectly fine with Ridge. In fact, Kael could’ve chosen much worse people.
Gregory took a step back, still not looking at Jethro. “I brought you a gift, but it’s still in the car,” he told Kael.
Ridge groaned. “You got him more plants, didn’t you?
” It had started with a tiny cactus, but it seemed like every time Kael came back from a meeting with Gregory, he had a new plant with him.
Kael was always delighted about it, but even though they’d recently moved to a house with a yard, if things continued like that, they would run out of space eventually.
“I also got beer for you, so don’t complain,” Gregory warned him.
“As long as I don’t find a plant in bed with me, I’ll be fine,” Ridge conceded. “Although I don’t know how big this one is. I feel like I should be worried.”
The smile Kael gave him was enough for all his worry to disappear entirely. He extended an arm, and Kael tucked himself under it like he belonged there.
He did. It didn’t matter that they weren’t bonded yet. Even after a few months, Ridge wasn’t in a rush. He had what he wanted. Kael was in his arms, and from now on, they would be spending every night together, sharing a bed and a home, laughter and tears, happiness and the harder days, too.
He hadn’t known he wanted all of that before meeting Kael, but now that he had it, he couldn’t remember how he’d lived without it.
How he’d lived without his mate.