Heading back to the city, Jayden made sure his bluetooth was connected and called his mate. "Hey, sexy." Jayden shivered as that voice went down his spine all the way to his cock.

  "Hey," he replied a little too breathlessly for his liking.

  "You all done?"

  "Yeah, just wanted to let you know I'm heading home for a bit. I have to do some washing and clean out my fridge. The contents are probably getting ready to start eating through it any day now."

  Noah chuckled. "Why don't I meet you there and help you pack up your stuff?"

  "Why the hell am I packing anything?" Jayden asked in total confusion.

  "Because I want you to move in with me." He hadn't expected Noah to say that, that was for sure.

  "Are you sure?" he asked, stunned at Noah's words.

  "Yes I'm sure. You need to live with me so I can hold you every night when we fall asleep and I can wake up every morning to your beautiful blue eyes."

  Jayden swallowed thickly. They hadn't yet

  exchanged those three little words but he knew it was only a matter of time.

  "Jay." Jayden really loved it when Noah called him

  'Jay'. He was the only one who shortened his name. "You know as well as I do that we're mates. Just name a date and time and I'll go through the Handfasting with you."

  "Okay," he said quickly. Who was he to argue with that?

  "I'll meet you at your place in fifteen minutes. See you soon," Noah said and disconnected before Jayden could reply.

  Before he knew it he was in the city and parking his car in his building. Noah was good to his word and arrived ten minutes later, using the spare set of keys Jayden had given him previously so he could come and get some clothes for him.

  Noah kissed Jayden like he hadn't seen the man in months not hours. When they broke apart Jayden made a dash for the bedroom, laughing the entire way as Noah chased him through the apartment. A half hour later they were lying on the bed trying to get their breaths back after one hell of a hello.

  Jayden whacked Noah in the belly and laughed at the grunt it elicited. "Come on, stud, we have packing to do before dinner with the family." Jayden jumped out of bed before Noah could retaliate and got dressed.

  "You know it really is a shame to cover all that gorgeous skin," Noah purred. Jayden's cock took interest, but he gave it a firm talking to about behaving itself. "I promise I'll uncover it all again for you tonight, now move it, buster."

  They snacked on biscuits from his cupboard

  because they didn't want to eat too much before the family dinner. He was right about the fridge unfortunately.

  Four hours later they had managed to pack most of Jayden's things and move them to the spare room in Noah's unit for storage until they could get the time to unpack them properly.

  After all the work, they decided on a shower before heading to his parents' place. Noah's hands wouldn't stop wandering in the shower, and eventually the man put him up against the wall and proceeded to fuck him senseless.

  Happily sated and relaxed they dressed and headed for his parents' house, even if they were now late. CHAPTER 9

  Noah pulled up just down the street from Jayden's parents' house. He was glad he had taken the time to make love to Jayden before they left as Jayden had been tense for most of the afternoon in regards to this dinner. Now the man sat squirming in his seat with a cheeky grin that screamed "I just got royally fucked". Noah was quite proud of himself.

  The Thompsons lived in the nice suburb of

  Bayview, right on the water's edge. They had a huge block at the end of Pope Court with a two-storey house. There were already four cars parked in the wide driveway with more lining the small cul-de-sac street. Noah was quite sure they would be the last to arrive but their delay was more than worth it if you asked him.

  Turning the car off Noah reached over and pulled Jayden to him and kissed him. "Come on, Jay, everything will be fine, you'll see. And if it's not we can always leave.

  Now your family awaits."

  Noah got out of the car and watched as a still slightly dazed Jayden tried to get out of the car while still wearing his seatbelt. He laughed and Jayden blushed as he unclicked the annoying belt and closed the door. "I love the effect I have on you," he murmured in Jayden's ear, and he sucked the lobe between his teeth. He felt Jayden shudder in his arms and smiled to himself. It wasn't one-sided either. Jayden had such an effect on him that Noah could forget his own name sometimes.

  Jayden slapped his chest and pushed him away.

  "You're going to make me walk into my parents' house sporting a woody" The scowl on Jayden's face was such a turn on. Noah laughed again and the scowl deepened.

  "It's not funny." Noah could see Jayden trying so hard not to let the smile escape. He was failing miserably though.

  "You're so fucking gorgeous." Jayden humpfed and headed down the road to his parents' place.

  Noah caught up to him easily and ran his hand down Jayden's back before squeezing his ass.

  "Will you quit?" Jayden laughed as he turned to look at him.

  "Not on your life. You're mine and I get to touch you when I want." He raised a brow, challenging Jayden to argue with him. Jayden just smiled that happy grin then spun around and opened the door to his parents' house without knocking.

  "Mum, Dad, we're here," he called out at he made his way inside. Noah followed along behind, closing the door behind them.

  "Oh, baby, it's about time you showed up. I've been worried," Jessica said as she made her way to them down a passageway.

  "Mum. Please. Enough with the 'baby'."

  "Sorry." Noah didn't think she looked sorry at all, but she hugged her son close then looked him over to make sure he was all right. "How are you feeling?"

  "I'm fine, Mum. It was a big job, and I just needed a few days' rest, that's all." Jessica seemed to study him for a minute before finally nodding and letting him go. She turned to Noah and much to his surprise gave him a brief hug.

  "Welcome, Noah."

  "Thank you, Jessica. It's lovely to see you again."

  "Come on everyone else is here already, they're out on the deck."

  They followed Jessica the rest of the way. The house was picturesque. The cream coloured walls were lined with pictures of all the kids at various stages of life.

  They passed a large living room with comfortable-looking couches and recliners, a large dining room with a table big enough for their larger-than-normal family, and a kitchen that was any chef's dream with black granite bench tops and stainless steel appliances.

  The entire back of the house consisted of large glass panels, which allowed for an unobstructed view of the marina beyond. Jessica opened the sliding glass door and led them outside to the back patio where the rest of the family was.

  Noah looked around and fell in love with the place.

  There was a large pool located directly before them. The front wall of which was made of glass, this allowed a person to see right through it. Lights reflected through the water from the bottom, and there was a thin veil of water cascading from the second floor, giving off a tinkling sound as it hit the pool below.

  Over to the right was an extensive paved

  undercover area with a large outdoor setting where the rest of Jayden's family waited. Down a level there was a gorgeous green lawn leading to a private mooring facility for a boat. Garden lights edged the flower beds along both fence lines.

  Jayden grabbed his hand and led him over to the table.

  "Jesus, Jay, did you have to bring the client with you? I thought this was a family dinner?" one of Jayden's brothers said. He had no idea which one it was as he'd only met them once at the cemetery and he'd had other things on his mind that night to pay too much attention to names.

  It was unfortunate for the young man that he was sitting next to his father as James leaned over and whacked him across the back of the head.

  "Don't be so rude, Jacob," he admonished his son before turning to greet Jayden and Noah. "Noah, it's a pleasure to see you again. I hope your endeavour was successful."

  Noah shook James's hand in greeting before

  replying. "Thank you, it's nice to see you again as well.

  And yes, I managed to send the book through to Gray's editor on Thursday."

  "Wonderful."

  Jayden took his hand again and they made their way around the table to a couple of empty seats.

  "Jesus, bro, what are you—dating the clients now?

  Did you not read the code of ethics on sleeping with them?"

  another one of Jayden's siblings said. Jayden just ignored them all. Once they were seated Jayden made the introductions. He pointed at each member of the family as he said their names.

  "That's Jackson, the eldest." Jayden pointed to his left at the one who had just made the rude comment, and then continued down and around the table. "Then we have one of the twins, Joel, then Jude. The other twin is Jacob, you know Dad. Next to him is Jessie, then Jonas, and you also know Mum."

  Jayden sat back in his chair arms folded across his chest with a smile on his face. "Guys," he said, "I'd like to introduce you to Noah Michaels… my mate."

  Smug satisfaction looked good on his mate, while surprised silence descended on the table. Every one of Jayden's brothers was doing a great impersonation of a fish.

  Noah chuckled before leaning over and kissing Jayden on the cheek. "I guess you were right when you said your parents wouldn't tell your siblings."

  "What gave it away?" he said cheekily.

  "No need to be a brat," Noah replied with affection.

  "Sure there is, you heard them before. That's nothing new. They usually find something to have a go at me about. Let me enjoy this for a minute." Jayden placed a quick peck on his lips before sitting back and admiring his work.

  Jessica laughed before heading back inside and even James had a chuckle.

  Then everyone seemed to unfreeze at once. "Mate?"

  "Your what now?"

  "Impossible."

  "Congratulations, bro."

  Jayden turned to face the only brother that had offered his congratulations. Noah thought it might have been Jonas, if he remembered correctly.

  "Thank you, Jonas." Jayden ignored every other comment while Noah settled back in his seat to enjoy the evening breeze and the dual scents of chlorine from the pool and the salty tang from the ocean.

  After a couple of minutes Jayden's brothers still hadn't let up. He watched as Jayden stood and looked around the table at his brothers. Noah could see the hurt and anger in Jayden's eyes. He couldn't blame his mate; if his own family reacted the same way as Jayden's he wasn't sure he would have been able to keep it together.

  "I don't need to listen to this shit. If you aren't happy for me then fine, but keep your damn comments to yourself. Noah is mine and there isn't a damn thing you can say to change that." Jayden then looked at his father. "I'm going inside to see if Mum needs any help." James nodded at his youngest son. Jayden bent down and laid one hell of a kiss on him before heading inside. Noah didn't take his eyes of that sexy ass until the man had disappeared through the door.

  "Dude, that's my brother you're drooling all over."

  Noah turned to face Jessie and just raised a brow. "I know exactly who it is I'm looking at, thank you very much. He's my mate, and I will protect him from everything and everyone, including his family, if needed."

  Noah sat back and listened as Jayden's siblings exploded around him. He watched James at the opposite side of the table sit quietly for a minute before the man let out an almighty whistle. Once he had everyone's attention he said his piece.

  "Noah had every right to say what he just said."

  James held his hand up to hold off the arguments he could see the boys wanting to make. "Noah has met you twice now and both times you have been nothing but rude and snide towards your youngest brother. This is not the way your mother and I raised you and I'm ashamed at the moment to call you my own. You're lucky your mother's not out here to hear this otherwise there would be hell to pay.

  "Now I expect you to suck it up and be nice to both your brother and his mate or I'll sic your mother on each and every one of your asses. I understand that Jayden is the youngest and some of you might feel resentment that he's already found his mate while you're still looking. But he has and I expect you to deal with that like adults and be happy for your brother."

  The atmosphere around the table was quiet and subdued as the last of the sun sunk beyond the horizon, and the sky darkened. Patio lights came on and bathed them in yellow florescent light to try to keep as many bugs away as possible.

  "I think I speak for all of us, Noah, when I say we do love our brother." Noah was a little startled when Jonas started talking.

  "From what I've seen so far that doesn't seem to be the case." Noah realised he may have sounded a little rude but this was his mate they were talking about.

  "We do. Jayden is right in that we all don't know him as well as we should. I believe that's entirely our fault and something we all need to work on as a family." Noah could tell Jonas believed what he was saying, but looking around the table at Jayden's other brothers he decided he would wait and see.

  Noah sat quietly and waited. It wasn't long before Jacob started talking, first to his father and then to him.

  "Dad, I'm sorry for my reaction towards Jayden's news. Jonas is right, I do love my brother." James nodded before Jacob continued. "Please understand, Noah, most families aren't as large as ours, and there is a large age difference between Jackson and Jayden."

  Noah did understand that. He and Jayden had discussed his family over the last month, his brothers in particular.

  Jacob continued, "Every one of us has been waiting and hoping for their mate. I don't think any of us, including Jayden, expected he would be the first to find his.

  However, that doesn't excuse my reaction to Jayden's news nor does it mean I'm not happy for him and the gift he has found in his relationship with you."

  Noah heard murmurs of assent from around the table. "I really think you all need to sit down with your brother and talk about everything."

  "We will," Jackson piped up.

  Noah really hoped they followed through. He wanted his mate to be happy and knew he would never be completely content until things with his family got sorted.

  They lapsed into a comfortable silence until Jessica came out a little while later carrying stacks of plates and cutlery.

  "Is there anything I can do to help?" Noah asked as he pushed his chair back, getting ready to rise.

  Jessica waved him off. "Don't be silly, you're a guest. Everything's under control."

  "If you're sure. Is Jayden still inside?" Noah really wanted to make sure Jayden was okay.

  "No. He went for a walk a while ago." Jessica checked her watch. "I thought he would have been back by now though."

  Just then Noah's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and was relieved to see it was Jayden. "Hey, Jay, where are you?" he asked when he answered the call.

  "Don't… know…" Noah sat up straight. It sounded like Jayden was running, he was breathing heavily.

  "Noah… I… need… help." Noah jumped out of his chair and reached for his keys.

  "Jay, tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

  A loud shot reverberated down the phone line. "Jayden!"

  Noah screamed his name, terrified something had happened to his mate.

  Noah looked around, every member of Jayden's family was on their feet looking at him. He could still hear Jayden breathing on the other end of the phone so he knew his mate was still alive. "Jay, talk to me please—"

  "Dead bodies… running… shots fired… Gunbar Street… I think." Jayden was panting hard between every word. CHAPTER 10

  Jayden had left his parents' house and made his way to the end of the cul-de-sac. Turning left he followed the road for quite some time. He needed time to himself. He shouldn't really have been all that surprised by his brothers'

  reaction to the news he'd found his mate. He was both hurt and angry by their reactions. Finding your mate was supposed to be cause for celebration. Jayden snorted at the thought his brothers could actually be happy for him.

  Only Jonas seemed to be happy for him. Jayden had always gotten along well with Jonas, probably because he was the closest in age to Jayden. He was twenty-three to Jayden's twenty.

  He had gone inside because he knew if he had stayed at the table he would have ended up saying something to his brothers that he was guaranteed to regret later. Instead, he had hugged his mother and she suggested he go for a walk. As much as he didn't want to leave his mate behind he really needed some time to collect his thoughts.

  So now he found himself walking along Stoddart Drive, and in the final minutes before the sun set for the evening, he turned left down into Bradhurst Court. Jayden really did enjoy just walking and looking at all the magnificent houses in the suburb. The street lights highlighted some houses and gave others an eerie glow.

  Some people had far more money than they knew what to do with in his opinion.

  He'd just gotten to the end of another cul-de-sac and started up the other side when he tripped and fell. God, he was a complete klutz sometimes. A tree root had grown underneath the path and subsequently had pushed up a section of the path.

  Jayden hissed as his left palm began to sting.

  Looking down he noticed two large gashes in his hand from where he had tried to brace himself. He was glad he was wearing jeans otherwise he was sure there would be a hell of a lot more of his skin now attached to the concrete.

  Blood welled in his hand and ran down his fingers.

  Jayden took his shirt off and quickly applied pressure to the wound. The crimson liquid dripped from the tips of his fingers and hit the earth.

  Jayden gasped as the magic within him gathered and unleashed itself into the ground. He could feel the fringes of his magic searching through the earth for that which it knew was there.

  "Oh shit, this can't be good," Jayden said as his magic connected with bodies it sensed in the house before him. The house itself was large with two storeys and looked to be only a couple of years old. Like most houses in Bayview, it had probably been designed by an architect with clean lines and open spaces. At the moment all the windows were covered by thick drapes, but he could see the faint outline of light around the edges.