Chapter 358 Chapter 358
Konner moved over quickly and pulled her to the edge of the tub, so he could wrap his arms around her. “I know this is a lot to take in.” She was trembling. “It’s going to take some time for you to adjust, to having freedom and settle into life here.” She rested her face against his chest, her hands gripping his jacket.
Moving back, she looked up at him. “I never thought I’d be free,” she whispered.
Konner brushed the silky hair back from her face in an absent movement as he looked into the depths of her ocean blue eyes, he saw so much pain there it made his chest hurt.
“Whoa, guess that answers that question.”
They jolted apart to see Lucus and Paxton standing in the bathroom doorway, big grins on their face. Their timing, as always, was bad. The clan called them day and night, for good reason. Lucas had pale blond hair and Paxton’s was jet black. “What question was that?” He stepped back from Terah, taking her hand so she could get out of the tub.
“If she was old or,” Paxton grinned and looked at her, “not.”
“Sorry, Uncle Konner.” Lucus blushed, “Malachi told us to stay out of sight for a bit so she could settle—”
Paxton nodded, “but no one said how long a bit was.”
“Oh,” Lucus lurched forward and held out the handful of flowers to Terah, “all girls like flowers, right?”
Konner looked at the fresh flowers and knew immediately the boys had been where they were not supposed to go.
Terah took them, a stunned look on her face. “T-thank you.” She said softly and raised them to her face to smell them.
Lucus shrugged and jammed his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. “Yeah.”
“Terah, this is Lucus,” he motioned to the fourteen-year-old and was entertained to see his cheeks go a dark red, “and Paxton.” Paxton didn’t blush, he just grinned at Terah with that look in his eyes that sixteen years old got when looking at any woman they deemed hot.
Terah smiled a shy smile at both. Clasping the flowers in one hand, she went over to Lucus and touched his cheek. He was a few inches taller than her, but Konner knew he’d grow to be much taller in the next year or so. “You are a boy, but so close to a man soon, I think.” She told him quietly.
Turning she looked up at Paxton and made no move to go near him. “Uncle Konner?” She looked back at him.
Konner shrugged, “not by blood, but I’ve been looking after them since they were babies.” He knew by the look in her eyes, that he didn’t need to explain that their parents had gone missing. He looked the boys over, “so, what’s this about painting Nolyn’s door pink?”
Lucus dropped his head forward and looked at the floor.
“It was meant to be a joke,” Paxton sighed, “you know, pink is the new black.” He shook his head, “she didn’t see it that way.”
As hard as he tried not to, Konner smirked. “Has she forgiven you yet?”
“Not hardly.” Paxton looked at Lucus, “we have two essays due now that we didn’t have a week ago.”
“You can read?”
He turned to see Terah looking at Paxton. She was chewing something. With shock he couldn’t hide, he watched her pull a petal off one of the flowers and pop it into her mouth.
Paxton, with his eyebrows almost in his hairline now nodded. “Yeah.” He glanced to Lucus, whose expression was similar.
“You can teach me,” she said and put another petal in her mouth.
“You’re not like one of those vegans, are you?” Paxton asked her.
“I don’t know what a vegan is.” She chewed the petal and swallowed it.
“They don’t eat the meat of animals or products.” Lucus supplied for her.
Terah smiled, “I am not a vegan then.”
Konner cleared his throat and leaned down to talk to Terah, “the flowers were to be put in a vase and looked at.”
She frowned and held the flowers out from her. “But when I smelled them, I knew I could eat them.” She flicked her eyes from them to look up at him, “what good is just looking at them?”
Konner opened his mouth to explain, then decided she made sense. Straightening, he looked at the boys, “you were in the greenhouse.”
Lucus’ eyes went wide, and he turned to look at Paxton.
Paxton shrugged, “wildflowers are dead now, and,” he shrugged, “we thought it would be okay because it was a gift to welcome a new member.” He grinned wide, “it’s a bonus she’s hot and not old.”
“I don’t feel hot.”
Konner squeezed the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes for a second. When he opened them, he noted the boys were both looking at Terah, confusion plain on their faces. “Terah doesn’t understand a lot of things we do and say,” he watched both of them turn to look back at him, “so we’re going to have to help her and explain things when she has trouble understanding them.”
“You really can’t read?” Lucus asked after a long moment of silence.
“No, I can’t.” She shrugged and pulled another petal off, “my only purpose was to swim in a tank and look vicious when I was told to.” She put the petal in her mouth.
Konner watched the look of horror, that he felt, reflected in the boy’s expression. They were born free and despite wanting to strangle them more than not, Konner had insured they always have their freedom.
“We’ll, uh, teach you how to read.” Paxton glanced to Lucus, who nodded.
“Yeah. We can help you, for sure.” Lucus looked up at Konner, his eyes were glossed with emotion.
“You two go get your chores done,” he didn’t need to ask if they were, because they never were until the third or fourth reminder, “I have to take Terah to meet Auntie Al.”