Page 20 of Kendrick

“In a way. I hunt Kudlaks. They’re paranormal beings who usually aren’t nice people. I fell into it a few years after I left home, and some of the hunters have become my family. I realize this is scary, but you won’t have to be part of any of that. You can move here and find a job and settle down.”

“I think I’d like that. I want to spend time with you.”

Kendrick’s smile was blinding. If this was what getting his brother back did to him, then maybe Jonas should have helped sooner. Kendrick deserved to be happy, and clearly, having Ryan back would help with that.

“Can you come pick me up? I have a car, but it’s Dad’s. I can’t take it.”

Kendrick growled a little, which was impressive since he was human. “He’s making you pay for that, too?”

“He’s making me pay for everything. I’m surprised I haven’t been told to pay for the oxygen I breathe when I’m home.”

Jonas snorted. Something told him he was going to like Ryan.

“Jonas and I will pick you up,” Kendrick promised. “I’m going to have to talk to the clan leaders first, but it shouldn’t take me long. I just need to warn them that you’re coming. Then we can get you. Are you going to tell him that I’m coming?”

“I don’t know. He hasn’t talked about you for years. I asked him what happened to you a few times in the beginning, but he said you’d left and not to bother him. Now that I’m eighteen, I think I can imagine what happened.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t easy, but I really thought that it’d be different with you.”

Ryan scoffed. “The only person he’s ever truly cared about is himself. Who my mother is doesn’t matter. He dislikes both you and me the same way, and now that I’m eighteen, he doesn’t see a problem with what he’s doing. He probably doesn’t think I have an alternative.”

“But you do,” Jonas said.

“I do, thanks to the two of you. He’s going to be pissed when he finds out.”

“Do we care what he thinks?”

Jonas and Kendrick exchanged a glance. Something told Jonas that, no, they didn’t care what that asshole thought.

* * * *

When Kendrick got his hands on his father, he was going to strangle him. He’d thought things would be different with Ryan because he wasn’t associated with Kendrick’s mother, but it looked like he’d been wrong.

Ryan had said that his mother didn’t matter. Maybe when he’d been a child, it had made life better for him, but not anymore.

Kendrick had never really hated his father. He despised him, and he didn’t like him, but hate would be too strong a word. He hadn’t really cared about the way his father treated him, but he did care about how he treated Ryan.

Ryan was just a kid. Kendrick had been a kid ten years ago, too, but he’d already known what would happen when he turned eighteen. He’d expected his father to kick him out, which was why he’d decided to leave before it could happen. He’d packed his things, had put away as much money as he could, and had left the minute the candle he’d stuck into a cupcake had been blown.

The first few years hadn’t been easy. The few years after that hadn’t been, either. He’d become a hunter by then, but he was still homeless, moving from abandoned warehouse to abandoned house, following the orders of a man he despised as much as his father. It was only recently that things had gotten better, but it had taken years.

Kendrick didn’t want his brother to go through that, especially not when there was a different option. He could give Ryan everything their father hadn’t given him. He’d never be Ryan’s father, but he didn’t need to be to care about him. Ryan was his baby brother, after all.

“We don’t care what he thinks,” Ryan confirmed. “I’ll be waiting, then.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Kendrick promised.

It was hard to say goodbye, and it took Kendrick way longer than it normally would to end the call. As soon as Ryan’s voice vanished, though, Kendrick was on his feet, digging into his pocket for money. He was already making a mental list of things he needed to do to get Ryan here. He could stay with him, ofcourse, maybe help him with renovating the house. Kendrick would have to talk to Clay and Rowan first. They would have the last word when it came to this.

If they didn’t want Ryan in the clan, Kendrick would have to leave. After what their father had done to Ryan, Kendrick didn’t want to be another person who abandoned him. He’d go wherever Ryan was going, although he hoped he wouldn’t have to. He didn’t want to choose between his brother and his newfound family, and he didn’t want to give up his mate.

He looked at Jonas as Jonas reached for him.

Jonas wrapped his fingers around Kendrick’s wrist, gently squeezing. There was affection in his gaze, something that Kendrick wasn’t sure he’d earned.

“I’ll take care of it,” Jonas said.

“Do you think Clay and Rowan will agree to have Ryan stay here? Because if they don’t, I’ll have to leave with Ryan, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to leave you and the home we’re building.”

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