Page 26 of Kendrick

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There were almost no signs of the boy Kendrick remembered in his brother. He recognized the freckles on Ryan’s nose and the soft brown hair, but that was pretty much it.

Ryan’s smile was the same, though.

Even though they were ten years apart, the two of them had been close for Ryan’s entire childhood. Kendrick had been over the moon when he’d been told he’d have a baby brother, and he’d taken his role as a big brother seriously. He’d always tried to help his stepmother with Ryan, and she’d indulged him. He probably had a better relationship with her than he did withhis father, although he was concerned because Ryan hadn’t mentioned her once.

Kendrick got out of the car in time for Ryan to slam against him. He was surprised to realize that his brother was a few inches taller, but Ryan was thin, whereas Kendrick was broad and muscled. Kendrick had been training for the past ten years and fighting almost as long while Ryan was still growing.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Ryan said.

“You better believe it because I’m not leaving without you.”

Ryan leaned back and gave Kendrick a blinding smile. “That’s good, because I don’t want you to leave without me, either.”

“I won’t.” Kendrick squeezed his brother one last time before letting go. He kept a hand on his brother’s arm as he turned toward Jonas, who’d left the car and was watching them with a soft smile. “This is Jonas, my mate.”

Kendrick knew he sounded smug and proud when he said those words, but he couldn’t help it. Hewassmug and proud that Jonas was his mate. It was hard to believe that someone as normal as he was had a mate like Jonas, who was all sunshine and happiness.

Ryan tripped on his way to Jonas, but Jonas managed to catch him. Ryan blinked at him as if he didn’t understand how he could hold his weight, so Kendrick explained, “I don’t know if I told you about Jonas, but he’s a Krsnik.”

“What’s that?” Ryan asked, sounding interested.

“We’re a complicated species,” Jonas said. “We’re not shifters, and we’re not vampires. We’re a mix of the two, which means that I have these.” Jonas opened his mouth to show his fangs before snapping it shut again. “And that I can turn into a wolf.”

Ryan’s eyes went wide. Kendrick was relieved to see he didn’t look afraid, just in awe. He could easily understand that, since he was in awe of Jonas, too.

“That sounds so cool,” Ryan said. He appeared mesmerized. “So you drink blood?”

“And I eat food. Like I said, I’m a mix.”

“Are you sure you’re Kendrick’s mate? Because Kendrick is pretty boring.”

Kendrick squawked. “I’m not boring.”

“I disagree. You’reveryboring, so it’s a good thing you managed to bag a mate like Jonas.”

“I’m not gonna deny that. Iwasvery lucky, and I’m aware of it. You just don’t have to insult me as you compliment him,” Kendrick teased.

Ryan’s eyes sparkled. Kendrick was relieved to see that even though they’d been apart for ten years, their relationship was similar to what it had been when they were younger. Ryan was an adult now, so it would be different, but not that different. Kendrick recognized his brother, which was all he cared about.

He looked at the house. He’d lived here for about ten years, but he didn’t have a lot of good memories of that time. Only his time with Ryan had been good, and he doubted he would have stayed until he’d turned eighteen if it hadn’t been for his brother. Ryan had been everything to Kendrick when he was eighteen, and Kendrick had never stopped thinking about him.

He’d never reached out as Ryan grew up because he’d known his father wouldn’t allow it. He suspected their father would have been pissed if he’d found out, and the thought was enough to make him smile.

“Are they here?” he asked.

Ryan’s smile vanished. “Yeah, but you don’t have to go inside. It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters. What they’re doing to you isn’t right.”

“Probably not, but I’m fine with it.”

“You shouldn’t be, but I get it. You don’t want trouble, and the sooner you’re away from them, the better you’ll feel.”

“Exactly.”

“It doesn’t mean you should leave without saying anything.” Kendrick looked his brother in the eyes. “I’m not surprised our father did this, but what about your mother? She wasn’t a bad person when I left.”

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