Page 4 of Kendrick

Going home was out of the question. She’d know that was where he was, and she’d just come fetch him and drag him back. Jonas was pretty sure Clay and Rowan would notice if he hid in a closet, though, so instead, he hovered by the wall, clutching his glass and glancing around.

Caroline had called this a party, but from what Jonas could see, it wasn’t exactly that. It was more like a family dinner. Clay and Rowan had invited the people they cared most about and the people those people cared about. That was why Jonas was here. He didn’t know Clay and Rowan well, so they hadn’t had a reason to invite him. He was here through Alexis, who was Boyd’s mate, and Boyd was a good friend of Clay. That was it. There was no other reason for Jonas to be here, which made him feel like no one would miss him if he just vanished.

The closet was starting to look better and better.

“There he is,” he heard Caroline say.

Dread filled him as he turned to find her. He sucked in a breath when he saw that she was with Clay and Rowan and that the three of them were coming toward him.

What the fuck had Caroline done?

Jonas plastered a smile on his face as the two clan leaders arrived. “Whatever Caroline told you, it was a lie,” he declared, hoping to get ahead of the mess Caroline had started.

Rowan arched a brow. “So she was lying when she said you were afraid we’d kick you out because you won’t fight?”

Jonas grimaced. “Okay, maybe she wasn’t lying.” He swallowed and looked down at his drink. “But I know I shouldbe doing more for the village. I’m a Krsnik, and my place is out there, fighting the Kudlaks and protecting our people.”

“Your place is wherever you want it to be, Jonas,” Rowan said as he grabbed Jonas’s shoulder.

For a moment, Jonas thought he was going to give him a good shake. Instead, he squeezed and didn’t let go. The position they were in meant that unless Jonas wanted to look like an idiot, he had to look at Rowan.

When he did, Rowan nodded, clearly satisfied. “I didn’t welcome you into the clan because I needed more fighters.”

“But you do need more fighters.”

“Yes, I do, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to force anyone into doing something they don’t want. You don’t want to fight? That’s fine with me. You can stay in the village and protect it while we’re out. You want to come on a raid after all? That’s fine, too, as long as you let me know beforehand.”

“I don’t want to go on any raids,” Jonas said quickly so Rowan wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

“Then you won’t,” Rowan said as he finally let go. “Think about Boyd. He wanted to retire, even though the main reason he came to live here was that he was a hunter. He doesn’t want to kill anymore, and I’m not going to ask him to do that. If he wants to stay at home and garden, that’s what he should do.”

“The same goes for you,” Clay interjected. “If you want to stay home and renovate the shit out of it, you’re welcome to do that, but you not being a fighter doesn’t mean you have to stay away from everyone else. They don’t care what you can or can’t do. They care about you and the kind of person you are, and from everything I’ve heard, you’re a good guy.”

Jonas didn’t need to be hyped up, especially not to the clan leaders of all people. He wanted to draw as little attention from them as he could, but he was right smack in the spotlight.

“Heisa good man,” Caroline confirmed.

Jonas turned to glare at her. He felt slightly betrayed, even though he knew she only wanted the best for him and had been trying to help. Jonas wasn’t helping himself, so Caroline had stepped in and taken that role.

It was hard to hate her.

“We won’t ask you to leave the clan or the village even if you never go on a raid,” Rowan said gently. “You’re an asset to us, just not on the battlefield. If you want to stay home and bake muffins, we’ll eat them when we return from a raid, and that’s that. I don’t expect or want anything else from you. We have more than enough fighters for now, and more people are coming in every week. The village and the clan will be fine, even if you don’t go out there to kick Kudlak ass.”

“We want the village and the clan to thrive,” Clay added. “I might not have any experience when it comes to being a clan leader, but Rowan grew up in a clan. He told me all about the people who never fought a day in their lives but were still crucial to the village and its community. That’s where you and others come in. The village can’t just be made up of fighters. That would be a disaster.”

Jonas shuffled his feet. He never would have expected to be welcomed with open arms like this, and he was overwhelmed. It was a good way to feel for once, though. “You really don’t care that I don’t want to fight Kudlaks? I’m a Krsnik. I should do that, and I’d be faster and stronger than any of the human hunters. You wouldn’t have to put them in harm’s way.”

“Oh, we don’t make that kind of decision,” Clay said with a grin. “They’re happy as they are, but then, most of them are seeking revenge for a death in their family. They’re still looking for something, and they hope to take it out on the Kudlaks. It’s easier now because we know that we’ll return to something good here at the village, and you’re part of that something good. Iknow you’re renovating your house, but once you’re ready, you should start thinking about what you can do.”

“I’ve never really had the opportunity to do that,” Jonas murmured. “I was very young when my clan was attacked. Since then, I’ve worked odd jobs in bars and other places. I don’t know how to do anything much, but it’s usually enough for me to contribute. It was easier when there were only three of us, though.”

“You’ll find your path,” Clay said as he patted Jonas’s shoulder. “You don’t have to do it now, anyway. Take your time. Considering everyone’s history, we all understand it might be a slow process. Every single one of us is dealing with trauma and doing so in a different way. Rowan and I just wanted you to know that whatever happens, whatever you decide to do or not do, we won’t be kicking you out. This is your home.”

Jonas’s eyes burned, so he took a deep breath to try and calm himself. He wanted to thank Clay and promise him he’d come up with something, but before he could, his heart started racing. A smell in the air slammed into his nose and brain, and it only took him a few seconds to realize what was happening.

His eyes widened. Clay looked alarmed and grabbed his arm, but Jonas wasn’t trying to go anywhere. If anything, he felt like he was frozen in place.

“Jonas?” Clay asked. “Everything all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

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