Grayson nodded slowly. “That might work, especially if Dawson’s as busted up as you said. Okay. I’ll send some money for now and I’ll try and find a way to get both of you over here.”
“Thanks, Gray. And, uh… We missed you, man.”
Heat prickled Grayson’s eyes. He’d hardly given his brothers a second thought when he left. He figured they’d grow up just like his parents; that they were exactly where they were meant to be. He thought they’d hate him, be disgusted by what he was. He’d convinced himself that all those things would keep them safe from their parents’ vitriol.
“I miss you guys too,” he said softly. “I’ll talk to you as soon as I have an update.”
“Sounds like a plan. Bye, Gray.”
“Bye, James.”
Grayson lowered his phone with a shaking hand and stood. Guilt chewed at his insides as he imagined his youngest brother under their father’s fists.
I’m a selfish piece of shit.
“Whoa, Gray, you good?” Jenna stopped dead at the look on his face. “What happened?”
“A lot. Do you know any way for standard humans to come to Paeil?”
∞∞∞
“Shit, Grayson.” Aureli shook his head and took a swig of his beer. “No offense but your family sucks.”
“None taken.” Grayson gave a weak chuckle. “But apparently my brothers don’t suck as much as I thought they did.”
“Two standard humans…” Tara mused. “And one’s a minor… That’s tricky.”
Behind the bar, a man Grayson had never seen poured a shot of gin into a crystal tumbler. Shockingly, Vitor was still on paternity leave after his twins were born last month. To no one’s surprise, his water had, in fact, broken behind the counter.
Jenna accepted the tumbler with a smile. “There must be places that hire non-Omegas.”
“I just texted Malukti,” Aureli said, scanning a message on his phone. “But she says her workplace is all Mer.”
Tara tapped her phone, resting on the bar beside her. “Oh!” She scooped it up, eyes darting back and forth. “Zasia says the desalination plant has a lot of non-Omega humans working there. Apparently Loriun Kolhn, the CEO, loves a good diversity hire.”
“Perfect!” Jenna punched Grayson’s shoulder. “Isn’t Keld close with Loriun? You have an in.”
Grayson’s heart sank. “Oh. Yeah, I’ll have to ask him.”
“Eksal said the same thing,” Jaeyong murmured. “He says his team is hiring and he’s already got two non-Omegas on the payroll. He says they sometimes take people without experience if they’re willing to put in the work.”
Grayson knew he should be relieved. By some insane stroke of luck, he had the connections his brothers needed, and yet…
“Gray?” Jenna narrowed her eyes at him. “Is something going on with Keld?”
He jolted. “What? No! How did you—”
“You have the world’s most readable face,” she said, setting her glass down. “Talk.”
Grayson dropped his gaze to the rum and coke in his hands. “I don’t really know. He’s been distant lately. He’s sticking around, but he doesn’t want to touch me and looks miserable.”
“Does it have something to do with the mystery cut on your face?” Jenna said shrewdly. “Because ‘I tripped’ is probably the most half-assed lie I’ve ever heard. Quarter-assed, some might say.”
Grayson touched the bandage on his cheek. “Seems like it.” He’d asked Tara not to talk about the incident, but he was impressed she’d managed to keep it from Jenna.
“So you gonna tell us what really happened?” Aureli’s mouth twisted in a frown. “Did Keld hurt you?”
Grayson shook his head emphatically. “No, nothing like that. It’s just… It’s sort of hard to explain without sharing some personal information about Keld.”
