Page 32 of Kendrick

“You will be.” It was a promise Jonas wasn’t making lightly.

Ryan wasn’t his brother, but he was Kendrick’s brother, and to Jonas, that meant he was family. Jonas would do what he could to help Ryan. He hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with Ryan’s father again, but if Ryan wanted Jonas to go and yell at the guy after giving him a good shake, that was what he’d do. Both Ryan and Kendrick deserved to be taken care of for a bit. Theydeserved not to have to worry about getting kicked out or being told they weren’t good enough.

God, Jonas hated Kendrick and Ryan’s father.

He and Ryan didn’t have a lot of time, so Jonas quickly finished his coffee and got to his feet. Ryan still didn’t look hungry, so they left.

As promised, Kendrick was waiting for them in the car. He gave Jonas a soft smile when Jonas climbed into the passenger seat, then checked in on Ryan in the back seat. “Ready to go?”

Jonas turned to look at Ryan. This was huge for him. This was the town where he’d been born and where he’d grown up. It was the only place he’d known his entire life. He might not be willing to let it go.

But Ryan nodded and grinned. “Ready.”

* * * *

Kendrick drove the first half-hour without saying anything. He didn’t need to because Jonas and Ryan were carrying on the conversation as if he wasn’t even in the car. He was their driver, but that was it.

He loved it. He’d have all the time in the world to get to know Ryan as an adult, and he couldn’t wait, but it was important to him that Jonas and Ryan got along. They were the most important people in his life, and he needed them to live well together.

It looked like they did. Jonas kept telling Ryan stories about his life and what he’d done after he’d fled what remained of his clan. He never went into details about what the Kudlaks had done or anything like that, but since he wasn’t a hunter, he had funny stories about his jobs at bars and cafés.

Ryan was soaking everything up. It was clear he’d been alone before Kendrick and Jonas appeared to take him away. It broke Kendrick’s heart to know that because he remembered Ryan asa sweet, gentle, and friendly boy. He hadn’t had a ton of friends, but he’d had a few close ones, and he’d seemed satisfied with that. He didn’t even have those now, and if Kendrick could get his hands on his father, he’d give him a good shake and would strangle him—in that order.

It hadn’t been enough for Kendrick’s father to ruin him. He’d had to ruin Ryan, too. Kendrick was glad it was over and that Ryan would be allowed to have whatever life he wanted and enjoy it. It wouldn’t take him too long to get used to living with the clan, and once he did, Kendrick was ready to bet he’d blossom.

“Jonas was saying that he thinks I have a mate out there,” Ryan said, sounding worried about it.

“You don’t want that?”

“Oh, I want it. I’m just scared I’ll never find them. It seems too big, you know? I’m just one guy. How am I supposed to know which one of the millions of people in the world is my mate? Or maybe I don’t have one at all. Wouldn’t that make sense, too?”

“You have to remember that you’re about to move into a village that’s full of supernatural creatures,” Jonas pointed out. “That increases the chances of you finding your mate. Look at Kendrick and me. Kendrick was a hunter, and I’ve lived all over the place. We weren’t supposed to meet, but instead, we both ended up at the village, and the rest is history. I’m sure the same will happen to you. There just needs to be an event that will change the trajectory of your life and bring you into collision with your mate.”

“Moving to the village could be that for you,” Kendrick offered. “There are plenty of people there who aren’t in relationships, and more people are moving in. A lot of supernatural beings believe that mates meet when they most need it, and maybe there’s something in that theory, because I feel like I met Jonas when I most needed him. If he hadn’t beenin my life, I probably wouldn’t have reached out to you and sent you my number. I would never have known that you were unhappy and that our father had kicked you out.”

“I can’t imagine what that would have been like,” Ryan murmured.

“I don’twantto imagine it. We don’t have to, because it didn’t happen. Don’t go borrowing trouble when there’s no need for you to, Ryan. Focus on the opportunities your new life is going to give you, including when it comes to mates.”

Ryan seemed slightly more relaxed when Kendrick peeked at him through the rearview mirror. He’d settled back in his seat and was looking out the window, and Kendrick decided to give him space. Whatever was going on in his mind, Ryan probably needed time to deal with it and accept that while everything was changing, it didn’t mean it was changing in a bad way.

“What’s the village like?” Ryan asked.

Kendrick smiled. Ryan was interested in his new home. He was asking questions, and if Kendrick had to guess, he’d say Ryan was excited to move. Perhaps a bit wary, too, but that was where Kendrick and Jonas came in.

“So far, it’s a bunch of hunters, vampires, humans, and Vila,” he explained. “When Rowan decided to have his own clan, a few of my friends and I decided to go with him. We didn’t know what to expect, but we’ve been settling in, and word has gotten out that the Harper clan was reborn from the ashes.”

“What does that mean?”

“Rowan is our leader,” Jonas explained. “He was part of a clan once, but like a lot of us, he lost everyone and everything he held dear. This ongoing war against Kudlaks is harsh, and it took many people way too soon. The Harper clan was destroyed, leaving only Rowan behind. He was on his own for a bit, but then he met his mate, who happened to be a Kudlak hunter. Clay is human, but he’s damn good at what he does, and he pulledRowan back in. Neither of them was satisfied with the guy who led the hunters, so they decided to put together their own clan, and here we are.”

“You make it sound like you didn’t just describe something that sounds like it could come from a movie,” Ryan pointed out.

“It would be a damn good movie, since I’d be in it.” Jonas’s expression turned serious again. “Rowan’s story is one that most of us have lived. I lost my clan, too, and so did my best friends, Alexis and Caroline. We’ve been muddling through life since then because Krsnik aren’t meant to live alone. We stuck together for a long time, but it wasn’t the same, so we were happy when we found the village and the clan. I’ve always wanted to be part of another clan and feel protected and safe, but I didn’t think I could ever have that.”

“And now you do.”

“Now I do,” Jonas confirmed. “It takes some time to get used to, especially if you’ve been alone most of your life, but I like the village. I like being part of the clan even more. Rowan and Clay are good people, and what they’re building here is important. I want to be part of that. I might not be a fighter or a hunter, but I can’t wait to start rebuilding our world after the Kudlaks are gone.”

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