I feel irritation, even anger, that he disturbed me, but unfortunately at this moment I probably have to pause my plan.
I reach the stairs and sit on the last step, resting my forehead against the railing.
"What are you doing here, Jared, can you explain that to me?"
Jared stares at me for a moment, then looks around slowly and notices the kitchenette, walks over to the fridge, opens it, studies its contents for a moment, then pulls out a carton of almond milk I use for coffee.
I stare at him, not quite understanding what he’s doing.
He comes up to me and hands me the open carton.
"First have something to drink, your lips are so chapped it has to hurt to even talk."
"That’s what happens when someone tries to die," I growl, but my eyes snag on the carton, on the cool, reviving liquidinside, and for a moment all I can think about is how incredible it would feel to let it slide down my throat.
I finally grab the carton with a nervous jerk and press the opening to my mouth, and the first swallows are almost divine. The coffee milk is a little sweet, or maybe it only feels that way, but it tastes unbelievably good.
I take a few gulps, but at the last second I stop myself from draining the whole thing, because I know I probably shouldn’t do that after three days without any food. My hands tremble.
"Alex, be careful…"
"So tell me what you’re doing here," I mutter, wiping the milk from my lips with the back of my other hand.
Jared leans against the banister and bites his lip in that tense, nervous way of his.
"A few days ago I ran away from home. I’d had enough of Granddad, enough of the insults, enough of the beatings…"
I stay quiet. I remember Dad telling me he had seen bruises on Jared a couple of times, that he suspected Granddad was hurting him but couldn’t be sure.
I even remember asking him once if it wouldn’t be better if we took Jared in, but Dad said Granddad had parental rights and that on his salary supporting two kids would be much harder.
I suspect that was an excuse. Dad was a prosecutor and made decent money, but the truth was he didn’t spend much time at home and didn’t want to dump the responsibility for another kid on Dimitri.
Dimitri was older and sickly, already putting enormous effort into taking care of me. Cleaning, cooking, moving slowly after a stroke, everything cost him so much, and he was the one who basically raised me when Dad was gone all day. I’m sure that was the real reason Dad didn’t want to take Jared.
"I just couldn’t stay there anymore," Jared says. "Being called a useless piece of trash every day, being called a bastard, it was just too much…"
I study his face. Jared grew into a stunningly beautiful omega, though he definitely didn’t get his height from our side of the family, since we’re all very short.
He goes on.
"At first I went to my father’s house…"
Stop, rewind.
"Wait, you know who your father is?" I ask while taking a few more tiny sips from the carton, because only now the hunger begins twisting inside me, my stomach waking up from the first taste of food and begging for more.
"Of course I know." Jared pouts. "Even if he doesn’t believe it. The resemblance is obvious."
I lift a brow. "Wow. I didn’t know. I thought, you know, maybe your dad had some kind of fling…" I stop myself. I nearly said a drug-deal hookup, and I realize perhaps I shouldn’t say something like that to Jared.
He grimaces a little.
"My father is Cole Daniels. He’s a men’s fashion model. I knocked on his door, desperate, begging for help. A kid opened it, and I figured he had to be my half brother, Star. And then his dad came to the door. I was desperate and stupid enough to tell him the truth, that I’m his husband’s son, and you can imagine how that went. My father finally showed up too and told me to get lost. I probably caused some marriage problems," Jared says with a wince, "but I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I was running out of options. So I finally decided to go to your dad’s house."
I swallow hard. I haven’t really talked to my dad since spring, since I moved out. We traded a few texts here and there. He showed up briefly at my graduation, but I didn’t feel any needto see him, and even now, in a moment like this, the thought of going to him and telling him what happened to Bay and to me never crossed my mind. Besides, I had a feeling I knew exactly what he’d say. He warned me once about what could happen when our glands matured…
Jared continues.
