Page 36 of Kendrick

Kendrick tilted his head to the side. Jonas stared at him for a moment, and Kendrick gave him time.

Then, Jonas did as Kendrick had ordered him and bit him.

Chapter Seven

Jonas woke up slowly. For a moment, he didn’t recognize the bedroom he was in, but he only had to turn to the side and see Kendrick under the covers with him to remember.

His entire body hurt. He felt like he’d been in a fight—and he had. That Kudlak had kicked his ass, but he’d come out victorious, mostly because he was alive. He might not have killed the Kudlak, but he’d never cared about that. He’d just wanted to protect Kendrick and Ryan, and he had.

His gaze lingered on the bite mark on Kendrick’s neck. Jonas was the one who placed it there yesterday. He’d been bleeding all over the place, but he was pretty sure he would have survived even if Kendrick hadn’t offered him his blood. He’d tried to refuse because it would start their bond, but Kendrick hadn’t taken no for an answer, and here they were. The bond was only half sealed, so it felt like something was missing right at the center of Jonas’s chest, but at the same time, Jonas would be fine waiting until Kendrick was ready for more. It had been an eventful few days, and Kendrick had other things to focus on than Jonas and their bond.

Ryan was asleep in one of the guest rooms down the hall. Jonas had suggested he should go home to the house he shared with Caroline when they’d returned to the village after Clay and Rowan had picked them up, but Kendrick had refused. He hadn’t wanted to let Jonas out of his sight, and Jonas was glad, because he’d felt the same. He just hadn’t known how to ask for that without feeling like he was asking for too much. It was already a lot that Kendrick had allowed him to bite him.

But it looked like Kendrick wanted to spend as much time with him as Jonas wanted to spend with Kendrick. They’d both been exhausted by the time they’d arrived home yesterday, even though it was still fairly early in the morning. They’d showered,eaten, and fallen into bed. They’d woken up last night only to eat again and go back to sleep.

And now, here they were.

It was still dark outside, which meant it was early, but Jonas was as awake as if it were the middle of the day. His body was buzzing, which meant he needed to get out of bed and do something before he woke up Kendrick.

He tried to slide sideways to get out from under Kendrick’s arm and leg, which were slung over him as if to trap him there. The arm Kendrick had around his waist tightened, and Jonas sucked in a breath, waiting to see if his mate woke up.

“Where are you going?” Kendrick asked in a rough voice.

“The bathroom.”

Kendrick opened an eye. “You’ll come back right away?”

“Of course. Where do you think I’d go?”

“I don’t know, but you were ready to leave yesterday. I just wanted to make sure.”

He was pouting, which went straight to Jonas’s heart. No one should look that adorable, especially not a grown man.

Jonas leaned forward and kissed Kendrick, then left the bed. He hadn’t done anything but sleep this past day, but he still felt a bit sweaty, so after using the bathroom, he quickly showered.

He’d worn a pair of shorts and a t-shirt Kendrick had given him to sleep, but he didn’t have any of his clean clothes here. What was he supposed to do now?

He looked down at himself. He was only wearing a towel, and he couldn’t go home like this. He’d have to call Caroline and ask her to bring him something. The problem was that his phone was in the bedroom.

Or was it a problem? Did he care if Kendrick saw him like this? Not at all. In fact, he hoped Kendrick would see a lot more of him soon. They’d only recently met, but they were mates, and aftereverything they’d gone through, Jonas felt closer to Kendrick than almost anyone else. He already knew this was forever.

He left the bathroom, smiling when he saw that Kendrick was still in bed. Now that he was here, he had a choice to make. He bit his lower lip and glanced at the dresser. Would Kendrick be offended if he borrowed more clothes?

“Just get back into bed,” Kendrick grumbled as he sat up. “And ditch the towel. I’ll be right back.”

He hauled himself out of bed as if it was the hardest thing he’d ever done and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Jonas standing there. Had his mate really just told him that he better be naked in bed by the time he returned?

Jonas grinned. That was perfectly fine with him.

As ordered, he ditched the towel and slid back under the blankets. They smelled of him and Kendrick, and it was a heady mix of scents that went straight to his head. He couldn’t believe everything that had happened since he’d arrived at the village. He’d known that coming here was the right thing to do, but he hadn’t expected this.

Maybe he should have. Maybe he should have known that Kendrick would be here, waiting for him because he’d needed him. He’d needed his mate. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have spent so much time hiding in his house.

“You know, I thought you’d be more relaxed after I told you I wanted you naked,” Kendrick said as he left the bathroom and slid back into bed. “If you’re not ready for this, we can wait. I don’t expect anything from you, even though you bit me. We don’t have to have sex or finish our bond. We can just cuddle or go back to sleep.”

Kendrick thought Jonas didn’t want whatever was about to happen? Jonas couldn’t have that.

He rolled so he could pin Kendrick into the mattress. Kendrick smiled up at him, looking relaxed and feeling warm and solid under Jonas.

---