Chapter 21

Chapter 21

For some reason, Fernando believed that Noel had no clue he was being followed by even more bodyguards. Which was kind of adorable, but Noel had grown up in an environment where he had to keep one eye open at all times, so while the additional bodyguards weren't bad at tailing people, they weren't good enough to evade Noel's notice, either.

It was sweet of Fernando to be worried, and Noel completely appreciated the intention behind the extra protection. He was a mate, and he knew how rare those were. He also knew that Fernando had been single since his disastrous marriage over three hundred years ago, so it was understandable he was acting a bit possessive of Noel.

Now factor in the Vampire Society Bureau having been informed of his mate status just two days after the Prew incident. Apparently, the information relay hadn't gone down well as Fernando was forced to immediately follow up with various threats of what he'd do to them if they tried to introduce Noel to anyone else. He'd come back to work on edge and very growly. Noel had barely managed to convince him to let him go home for a few hours, just to talk to his brother and pack a bag, promising to meet back at Fernando's house after.

Very, very on edge.

So on edge, in fact, that Noel wasn't sure how to mention his uncle. Honestly, with this much tension riding Fernando, bringing up his uncle might just sign the man's death warrant. Fernando was already unhappy with Uncle Travis and having him followed, a fact Fernando had let slip recently.

Final verdict: It was better for Noel to not bring up his shitty uncle. At least for now.

While he understood Fernando's caution, it still left Noel feeling uncomfortable to be watched all hours of the day. He was the type that had to be alone from time to time.

With the excuse of needing to do some filing, he armed himself with several folders and went to the basement. All the paper files and such were held down there, most of them financial in nature. Considering how long the Lombardi family had been in business, there were a LOT of files. This wasn't even the main branch and the basement here was basically full.

Noel took his time, putting files away, pulling open random drawers and oh look, these files were out of order. Oops! He'd just take twenty minutes rearranging them.

Yes, he was stalling down here in the peace and quiet. Anyone would.

The elevator doors dinged open. Hmm? Was someone else down here?

"Hear my heart beating~"

A smile lit up Noel's face. Fernando's smooth tenor was clear and beautiful as it filled the space. It was incredibly cute of his lover to go along with Noel's teasing suggestion of using singing like an echolocation. It made his heart pitter-patter that Fernando would play with him like this.

Sucking in a breath, he sang the next line: "And you are my reason~"

"Ah, there he is."

Noel moved to meet him near the elevator, his hands full of files. "Did you need me—? Oh. Hi, Mr. Sebastian."

"Hi, Noel." Sebastian looked like he was fighting between smiling and confusion. "I'm inviting the both of you to a family gathering."

"Eh?" Noel looked between the brothers, unsure if he'd forgotten an appointment. Surely he wouldn't have?

Wait.

"As in, I'll meet your father and older brother?"

"Yes." Fernando took the files neatly out of his hands and set them aside on a nearby table. "Come on."

"Wait, now?" Noel protested as Fernando took him by the hand and pulled him back toward the elevator. "Don't I get more of a heads-up than this?"

"No. Because then you'll overthink it."

Sebastian handled the elevator buttons. "In all fairness, I didn't warn Fernando either. I just realized earlier that both Papa and Alessandro are home tonight, so I capitalized on it. It'll be fine, Noel. They'll like you."

Was Noel nervous in meeting the rest of the family? Of course not! They were only the most powerful mafia family in all of North America, known to solve problems with violence first and foremost. Oh, not to mention the founding generation of vampires. What was there to be worried about?

Wow, Noel needed to quit with the pep talks. He was scaring himself.

To compound his nervousness, Sebastian had chosen some kind of upscale Chinese restaurant. The kind of place you wore a suit to and still felt a little underdressed. Noel knew this for a fact because he was in a suit and felt underdressed. If not for Fernando's very firm grip on his hand, he would have found a way to get "lost" and miss this dinner.

They went up the stairs to a private dining room on the second level. Noel—hopefully—managed to keep raw panic off his face as they entered the room.

It was the usual setup. Private room hosting a red lacquered table with a lazy Susan in the middle, dishes already in place, and oh look. Enzo, patriarch of the family, and Alessandro, the eldest brother. Noel knew them strictly from their profiles on the company server. Enzo was in a nice looking suit, obviously tailored to his muscular frame. He did look of an age to have fathered his sons, with fine lines around his blue eyes, blond hair with thick streaks of grey at his temples. Still, a very handsome man, and how Fernando would have likely aged if not for becoming a vampire.

Alessandro, according to Fernando, favored more their late mother's side with those wicked green eyes, dark black hair, and pointed chin. He was dressed in the wildest suit Noel had ever seen, the slacks and frock a maroon-colored velvet, paired with a white lace shirt and gold waistcoat. He could have been on a period set in that outfit.

"There's my hard-working brother." Alessandro, the shorter of the two brothers, swooped in and hugged Fernando like he hadn't seen him in years. "You never come to these gatherings so I'm surprised Seb got you here and ohhh, he's so cute! Where did you find him? Hello, I'm Alessandro, just call me Alex, you are the cutest thing, yes you are!"

Did the man breathe saying all that?

Fernando was apparently used to this erratic behavior as he just rolled with it. "Alex, this is Noel, my boyfriend."

"Ohhh." Alessandro lit up with delight. "Oh, I've been wanting to meet you! I have an inside source and he tells me stories about you. And then Crammer and Joe tell me more stories and I'm really glad you're here tonight."

Noel found a moment to actually respond as Alessandro took a breath. "It's nice to meet you. Fernando always smiles when he mentions you. I think you and Sebastian are two of his favorite people."

Alessandro slapped both palms over his heart and reeled like he'd been shot. "Oh. My. God. You are so adorable. How are you this adorable? You come right here, right with me. Papa! You have to approve of their relationship, I insist. He's too cute to refuse."

Um. Not what Noel had been trying to go for, there. Eeeeek.

Enzo shot his eldest son an exasperated look. "When have I ever told my children whom they can and cannot date? Noel, I'm glad we can meet like this, though. I wasn't sure if Fernando was ever going to share you."

Fernando shrugged and said, "I do share. And it hasn't even been two weeks."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and took a seat at the table. Having met everyone, Noel concluded that Sebastian was more of a mix between the two brothers, sharing Fernando's blond hair but with the same stunning green eyes as Alessandro. "I had to hunt you down and drag you here. You would have kept him in your tower, otherwise. Everyone, sit, eat."

Noel was too nervous to eat yet, but he was settling some. Alessandro, at least, seemed to like him already. Enzo seemed more on the fence, but he wasn't being antagonistic. Noel would take the win.

Fernando maneuvered Noel so he sat between Fernando and Sebastian, which was probably the most comfortable place for him to be. Noel put silent blessings upon his boyfriend's head.

They started dishing up food onto their plates, and it all looked and smelled delicious. Noel served some of the soup to Fernando and got a small, pleased smile for his efforts. Fernando really liked it when Noel fed him, so he tried to do it often. Yes, he knew the man didn't need to eat, but Noel loved that he smiled whenever Noel tried to take care of him.

"Noel," Enzo started, watching the two of them. He was definitely studying their interactions with interest, and whatever he saw seemed to surprise him a little. "I've some questions for you."

"Yes, sir?" Noel held his breath and hoped for easy questions.

"You're an orphan, is that right?"

Well, that was incredibly blunt.

Fernando hissed at his father, clearly appalled by the question on Noel's behalf.

"Oh hush. I just want to make sure we're protecting his whole family," Enzo said with asperity.

Ah. Well, in that case, Noel was willing to answer the question. "Um. Yes, sir. My parents died when I was three. My brother, who's five years older, basically raised me."

Enzo's brows twitched together as he frowned, absorbing this answer. "You have an uncle, though."

"He's, um…not really a reliable person." That was the kindest way Noel knew how to put it.

"Not reliable," Enzo repeated, nodding slowly. He was making some kind of judgment over there. "I see. That explains why my son went through the trouble of investigating the man."

Just how much did Enzo know…?

Fernando seemed to hear unspoken words as he stopped putting food on Noel's plate and gave his father a speaking look. "You don't complain when I go the extra mile to take care of you or my brothers. It's not strange on my part to be just as attentive to my mate."

"I'm not saying anything bad," Enzo retorted, almost grinning. "Don't get your feathers ruffled. I'm just not used to seeing you with a partner."

Sebastian cleared his throat before throwing out, "Fernando sings to him."

Enzo froze for a second, staring at Sebastian in disbelief. "You've seen this?"

"I have." Sebastian cocked a brow at his father as if to say…something. Noel wasn't catching the full implications and felt like he had to defend his lover or something, so he offered, "Fernando and I both love music. We often jam together."

He might as well have told Enzo they'd won the lottery or something. His delight couldn't have been more obvious. "He sings to you. With you."

Fernando muttered something that sounded like "overexaggerating" and didn't look up from his plate.

Just what was Noel missing here…?

"My middle son doesn't sing outside of the family," Enzo informed Noel, beaming from ear to ear. "He used to, but he grew strangely shy as an adult. Typically, if someone outside of the family can potentially hear him, he won't sing. Him singing to you tells me volumes."

Oh. Really? Fernando had never been shy about singing with him, though.

"I'm not shy," Fernando sighed, acting put upon. "It's just never appropriate to sing around the guys or my children. Also, of course I sing to my lover. What do you take me for?"

Awww. Look at him being so cute. Noel really wanted to kiss Fernando's cheek just then. It was hard to restrain himself. He decided on defending him instead. "He sang karaoke with me, though."

Enzo slapped his leg in delight. "Ha! You really are good for my son. Keep pulling him out of his shell."

Fernando just gave another weary, resigned sigh.

As their byplay ended, a man suddenly opened the door to their private room and stalked inside. Noel turned automatically to see who it was and blinked. Oh. It was Mattia, Enzo's younger brother. If memory served, he'd been turned by Enzo shortly after they figured out how, making him the only one in the immediate family who wasn't generation zero. He looked like Enzo—aside from the hair color—as they had the same build and facial features; his thick brunet hair displaying his suave Italian heritage. Or would have, except he currently looked fit to be tied. In fact, his eyes zeroed in on Noel and his frown deepened.

"This him?" Mattia didn't wait on a response as he dropped into a chair. "The na?ve PA who ruined a deal I'd worked on for six months?"

Uhhh…what deal? Noel really had no clue, as there were several contenders for deals Fernando had refused since they'd started working together.

Fernando's tone went flat and hard. "That was not Noel's doing but was through fault of their own. I realize you're sore about losing that deal, Uncle, as you were the one to initially approach them. But I won't sign with people who bring two versions of a contract and try to rook me into signing the shittier one."

"I heard the story," Mattia maintained, still glaring at Noel. "He overheard something they said and then told you. You made the judgment after that. How do you know he even heard them right? It's not like he speaks Japanese."

Okay, Noel couldn't let that insult stand. Mattia might be a sore loser—he was certainly acting the part—but Noel wouldn't let anyone belittle him. He cocked a brow at the man and said in Japanese, " I understood them just fine. Thanks for asking ."

Everyone but Fernando startled for a moment. Then Alessandro hooted in glee, clapping his hands together. "He's as smart as he is cute!"

Noel dared a glance at Fernando and found his boyfriend glaring at Mattia.

"Uncle." Fernando put his fork down slowly, eyes not leaving Mattia's. "Noel's talent with languages has not only safeguarded me on multiple occasions, but this whole family as well. Do not question him again."

Mattia clenched his jaw and sat back, clearly sulking.

Enzo ignored his brother, regarding Noel with interest. "You only put English on your resume."

Why did everyone in this family insist on reading his resume…? "I'm not fluent in Japanese, only conversational in it. I probably should have put Italian down, though."

"He's only conversational in Chinese and Korean, too," Fernando drawled. "You'll discover with him that unless Noel has mastered something, he won't claim it as a skill. He's stubborn that way."

"Hmm." Enzo gave him an approving nod. "Then keep studying. I like having intelligent members in this family."

Oh. Did that mean he finally had the father's approval? Delight spread through him.

To Mattia, Enzo said, "Stop pouting. I know you liked the look of that deal, but if two of my sons and Noel all said that it wasn't wise, then it wasn't wise. They're all intelligent people, and Fernando is the head of our business. I'm won't question his judgment."

"But you'll question mine?"

"You weren't the one reviewing the contract. They were. Now, settle down. Eat something. Tonight's dinner is just to meet Noel and assure him that we like him."

Well. That was a frank enough answer. Noel felt his tension drop as Enzo shot him a wink. He had no idea why Fernando's father had approved of him, but he'd take the win.

Alessandro was so delighted he almost vibrated in his chair. "Then I can take him with me later!"

"That response doesn't follow," Fernando said in an exasperated voice.

"Excuse you, everyone here knows Noel except me. I only have stories!" Alessandro shook a finger at Fernando. "You have to share. Papa said so. Noel, let's go see a movie after this. I watched this mystery recently and have now seen it three times. It's reeeeaaally good. I just can't quite figure out how they know it's the bad guy. Watch it with me, maybe you can help me figure it out."

Noel hadn't expected this invitation, but you know what? Making friends with his boyfriend's brother was just fine by him. "Sure, sounds fun."

Fernando looked at the ceiling, clearly praying for patience. "I'm coming too."

"I didn't invite you." Alessandro sniffed as if irritated, but his sparkling green eyes gave the game away.

"Tough, I'm coming too. I'll buy you a movie poster."

"Oh, fine."

Bribe accepted, huh? Well, Noel could say this about the evening to come: It certainly wouldn't be boring.