Her cheeky smirk returned, and I chuckled, shaking my head.
“All I will say is that, unlike her father, Keira saw him as more than a ‘thing’ to own. Khayden was a person worthy of her respect. The same way she saw all of us, and that is why most of us loved her as our princess even when she was the daughter of that monster.”
“Thank you,” I offered, a sincere smile working its way through my soul. I always knew my mother was an angel, but seeing others recognize that in her even when they knew who her father was felt special. I was proud to be her son.
“I guess the word did ‘spread’.” Imogen’s gaze settled over my shoulder, and I turned to find the small space filled with people.
There were at least fifty men and women there, and around nine kids, which was a harsh contrast to the ten people we had in the past. When we approached, they all hurried to sit down on the grass, some placing their kids on their laps as they urged them to pay attention.
Nerves rushed through me after seeing so many people there. Yes, I didn’t actually have experience doing this, but Mom had been a first-grade teacher before Dad died and I remembered my classes with her. Also, I had to be an idiot not to be able to teach the alphabet and numbers to someone and show them how to put words together, right? Right.
“Hi, everyone!” I greeted, seeing those in the back wave to Imogen and me when we stood at the front. “To those of you who were already with me in the past lessons, thank you for not running away.” I made a face while they chuckled. “And to those of you who decided to give me a chance to teach you something new, thank you. This will not be pretty, but I’ll try my best to make it useful.”
Harrison, Islay, and Harper took their place on the grass, sprinkled among the others. Harrison grinned at me, unrolling a piece of parchment he used during our lessons, and so did Arlo and Fletcher. Asher remained at the front with us since he’d been taught by Evie a long time ago. Willow and Evanna had learned together when they were kids.
I silently hoped that Willow would be done with her royal things soon so Kingston could join us and continue learning. He was the reason I was doing this in the first place. In the past, he’d denied himself learning how to read and write because he believed it was not his “purpose”. As far as he was concerned, he was born to be a warrior and that was all he should be. Kingston was here to protect Evie, so he accepted that as his only value.
The thing was my instinct wasneverwrong. Reading people had always been my strength, and everything in me said he was still punishing himself for the role he once played in Raithian’s cruelty. That needed to end, and I was going to do what I could to help him see he was meant to live and be happy.
He was worthy of so much more.
Of course, getting him here was always a struggle, but he was learning too… begrudgingly.
“We are going to have to divide the class in two,” Asher pointed out, bringing me out of my thoughts. “The ones who’d been attending already know the letters, but the ones at the back will start today.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to,” I agreed.
“I can take the new students if you want. Start teaching them the alphabet,” Imogen offered.
“That would be perfect. We’ll need to get them more paper and something to write with.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” With a nod, Asher left the area.
“Okay, everyone. For those of you who are new, Imogen will take some time with you for the next few classes to teach you what the others have already learned. That way you can all get up to date and be on the same page soon. Don’t worry, you haven’t missed much. We’ll begin by learning the letters, what each of them is called, and how to recognize them. Letters are symbols in a way, so they are easy to learn, I promise. We are also going to give you all paper and pencil so you can start recreating each letter on your own.”
Movement to my left called my attention, and I noticed Nikau Battlesky, Lachlan’s cousin, stopping to talk to Asher. My muscles tensed when Asher nodded in my direction, sending him my way, and apprehension spread through me like wildfire.
To be honest, I hated feeling that way. My instincts didn’t sense any bad vibes from the man, and he’d helped us rescue more slaves from the Crimson Fortress—risking his life in the process—but I was so used to Lachlan’s assholeness that I wasn’t sure what to expect from his cousin.
The apprehension I felt was mirrored on Nikau’s features while he approached, deepening the lines at the corners of his eyes that said he was much older, and hopefully wiser than Lachlan. The prominent gray streaks running through his brown hair, and the cracks along his rough skin spoke of a man toughened by years of unimaginable hardship.
He seemed older than Kingston, which meant he had also been there during the Uprising. Although I wasn’t certain if he stayed to protect the slaves or because he still believed in Raithian’s “cause,” he helped those oppressed by tyranny in the end, so he at least deserved the benefit of the doubt.
“I hope you don’t mind that I came tonight,” he began, seeming uncomfortable. “I heard you are teaching anyone who wants to learn how to read and write.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I would like to learn too, if you’ll accept me.”
Yep. I was an ass. The man was here because he wanted to better himself, and here I was, thinking Lachlan had sent him to spy on me or something. Paranoid much?
“Of course, anyone is welcome,” I offered with a small smile, gesturing to the grassy area where the others had settled. “Take any place you like; Imogen will help you get caught up with what the others have learned so far.”
Relief briefly cut through his hardened expression, and he nodded. “Thank you.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he signaled to a group of men I hadn’t seen waiting on the corner—Lachlan’s usual crowd. I tensed again, watching them all sit together towards the back.
Sighing, I faced the class again. Only time would tell what they really wanted from me.
