Page 30 of Kendrick

Jonas gasped. “How dare you.”

For a moment, Ryan looked panicked, but he quickly realized that Jonas was teasing him. His body relaxed, making it clear that he trusted Jonas. It was touching. Kendrick wanted his mate and his brother to get along, and it looked like they would.

“I might live a bit longer than a shifter because of my Krsnik genes, but I won’t live that long,” Jonas explained as they stepped out of the elevator.

“And my brother will live as long as you?” Ryan asked. His gaze flickered to Kendrick, who hadn’t thought about the implications of that yet. He probably should have, but he’d barely had the time to get used to the idea that he and Jonas would be together forever.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jonas said gently. “You just got your brother back, and you want to be sure you won’t have to watch him die.”

Ryan shrugged. “I mean, we still have something like sixty years together even if you don’t bond with him. I guess it’s not that bad.”

“It’s not, but I won’t let that happen. He’s my mate. I won’t let anything happen to him, not even aging.”

“I don’t think you can avoid that even if you bond with him.”

Maybe not, but Jonas would try.

They’d reached their rooms, and Kendrick handed Ryan his keycard. Ryan took it as if it were fragile, but Kendrick suspected that rather than the key, his brother’s heart was.

Ryan was in pain. He’d lost his father and his mother, and while he’d expected it, it wasn’t an easy feeling to deal with. Kendrick had ten years ago, so he knew.

He remembered how it had felt. He’d thought that no one cared about him, that he was completely alone in the world. He’d thought he was worthless and that was why people didn’t want him. If his parents didn’t even want him, who would?

But he’d found people who did want him, including Jonas. They were his family now, and they could be Ryan’s, too.

Jonas slipped into the room after saying goodbye to Ryan, but Kendrick lingered in the hallway just a bit longer. “I’m glad you called me when you needed help,” he told his brother. “I know what you’re going through, and while I’m sure things are somewhat different, I’ve been where you are. I know it feels like you have nothing, but that’s not true. Even if you lose everything else, you’ll always have me.”

The corners of Ryan’s lips curled. “You and Jonas.”

Kendrick lightly punched him in the arm. “Why does it feel like you prefer Jonas to me?”

“That’s because I do.”

“I should kick your ass for that, but instead, I’ll let you go. You look like you could use some sleep.”

Ryan rubbed his face. “Yeah, I could. I worked as often as I could over the past few weeks because I was trying to make rent, but I failed. I guess it wasn’t worth skipping a few hours of sleep.”

“It wasn’t, but you don’t have to worry about that now. I’ll take care of you.” Kendrick should have done that ten years ago. He’d only been a kid then, so he didn’t blame himself for leaving without Ryan, but hewasn’ta kid now. He was an adult, and he’d be there for his brother, whatever Ryan needed.

Chapter Six

Staying in a hotel for one night hadn’t been a bad idea, and Jonas was glad they had time to rest, but it had also complicated things for Ryan. He’d wanted to stay with the hope that his mother would reach out and come with them, but they hadn’t heard from her. She hadn’t called Jonas, even though he’d written his phone number on her arm. She hadn’t called Ryan either, and since he was her son, Jonas believed it meant that she wasn’t coming.

He wasn’t surprised. He hadn’t expected her to come, not so soon, anyway. He didn’t know what was happening in that house and how Kendrick and Ryan’s father was abusing her, but he thought she was scared. It wasn’t something she could deal with over a few hours. Hopefully, she’d reach out to them in the next few weeks or months. If she did, they could come back to pick her up.

“He looks sad,” Kendrick whispered, leaning closer to Jonas.

They were having breakfast in the hotel dining room. The sun outside was rising and hurt Jonas’s eyes a bit, but he was glad for the warmth it provided. Ryan was staring out the window and poking at his breakfast. He’d only eaten half of what he’d put on his plate, although he’d finished two cups of coffee.

“That’s probably because heissad,” Jonas whispered back.

“I wish I could do more. You think we should go back to the house?”

“That’s not going to change anything. The only thing it will do is make your father angrier. I don’t think that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Kendrick grimaced. “Definitely not. I just don’t want him to be so sad.”

“You do know I can hear you, right?” Ryan asked without looking at them. “I’m sitting at the table with you.”

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