Working on the computer in the Infirmary, it took me no time to locate the optical aid model Janelle’s mother had used to create this one. As we wouldn’t perform extensive surgery on my mate, and only wanted to offer her a temporary solution, I didn’t mess with the template. However, the connectors had to be adapted to the Kryptid ports that had been used on Janelle’s temples. The 3D printer made quick work of reproducing the two small devices: one for each temple.
Madeline fixed and upgraded the faulty lines of code in the original optical aid, some of which had glitched and become corrupted over numerous years and made some minimal upgrades to improve performance. When Jessica came to check in on my mate, she also reviewed the work Madeline and I had been doing and gave it a thumbs up.
“Should I be worried that Janelle hasn’t stirred at all over the past few hours?” I asked.
Jessica shook her head and smiled reassuringly. “I’ve added some antiemetics in her IV to prevent her from vomiting or getting nauseated. It also makes her drowsy. Hopefully, she will sleep through the night. Her body has a lot of recovering to do, and the nanites are using up every bit of what she consumes. Don’t be surprised if she wakes up starving. Make yourself comfy: it’s going to be a long night.”
Winking at me, Jessica turned around and left the room.
7
Janelle
I woke up to the almost ticklish sensation of soft skin rubbing against my cheek. My eyelids fluttered open. For a moment, I thought myself to be a young girl again in my small cot with Mom waking me. But my mattress had never been so soft and comfortable. The air had never smelled so fresh. Before panic could set in, memories of the past day rushed through my confused mind, leaving me reeling.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Reaper’s rumbling voice said, making me immediately feel safe.
I raised my hand towards the blurry silhouette of his face hovering above me and cupped his cheek. He pressed his hand on the back of mine and leaned into my touch.
“Reaper…” I whispered, my heart filling with happiness. “Good morning.”
“Jessica will probably skin me alive for waking you since you need your rest,” Reaper said apologetically, “but my teammates have almost finished opening the entrance. Within the next hour, we should be able to get your friends out. I thought you would want to be there.”
“Yes! Yes, please! Oh, thank you!” I said, throwing my arms around his neck and giving him as strong a hug as my still weak arms allowed.
His muscular arms closed around me as he returned the embrace. My nape tingled when his consciousness wrapped around mine. A shiver coursed through me as a powerful emotion seeped through our mental bond. Whatever insecurities had started popping in my mind as to the future that awaited me now that I was free vanished in an instant. Although we’d only just met, Reaper felt deeply protective towards me and held a sincere—if not possessive—affection where I was concerned.
As the enzyme had not given my parents the psychic abilities it had given me, I had never mentally connected with another person before, only with the Creckels. But one thing I had learned was that emotions conveyed through a telepathic link couldn’t lie. I melted against Reaper, and his arms tightened around me. I couldn’t say how long we remained like this, but it saddened me when he pulled away, physically and psychically.
I could feel him examining my features. Not for the first time, I hated my blindness that kept me from knowing what he was thinking. But when he leaned forward again and pressed his lips against my forehead with a world of tenderness, a strange fire lit in the pit of my stomach and left me hungry for something I couldn’t put into words.
“Let’s feed you and get you dressed. Then, I’ll have a surprise for you,” Reaper said in a voice full of promise that had me dying with curiosity.
To my surprise, not only was the hover tray of food already there, but I was also no longer hooked to the IV.
“Jessica removed it earlier. You are doing amazingly well,” Reaper said, answering my unspoken question.
This time, he didn’t try to slow me down as I all but gulped down the salty broth. I suspected everyone else would consider the salt and spice level to be normal, but as I hadn’t had any spices in two decades, my taste buds felt a little overwhelmed. I then pounced on the fruits, relieved that my stomach didn’t rebel. By the time I emptied the generous portion, while my immediate hunger had been sated, I felt beyond ready for something more consistent to chew on.
The door opening just as I finished my meal startled me. Jessica entered, carrying a black piece of folded fabric in her arms. She put it at the foot of the bed and turned towards me. I realized then that Reaper must have called her.
“How are you feeling?” Jessica asked in a friendly tone.
“I’m feeling wonderful,” I answered sincerely, although a little upset that my private time with Reaper had been interrupted. It was completely irrational, but the world itself had stopped making sense since I’d been rescued. “Looking forward to a steak.”
They both burst out laughing. Where her laughter was light and musical, his was booming, throaty, and wonderfully manly.
“At the rate you’re recovering, that will happen sooner than later,” Jessica replied sympathetically. “We ready?” she then asked Reaper, turning towards him.
“Ready?” I asked.
“I promised you something last night,” Reaper said in that deep voice I loved so much. “Now, it’s time to deliver. But first, I need you to sit up.”
He helped me to sit at the edge of the bed, and I was relieved not to feel dizzy or lightheaded. My breath caught in my throat as he lifted his hand before my face. Cradled in the middle of his palm facing up, two small luminous devices slowly pulsed. To my utter shock, I realized then that whatever healing Jessica had done to my eyes, she’d restored part of my ability to see colors as I clearly recognized a pale blue hue to the pulsing lights.
“N-new optical aids?” I asked in a whisper.
“Yes, my darling,” Reaper said softly. “I asked Jessica to come to make sure there are no complications. May I put them on you?”
I nodded my head, my lips quivering and my throat so tightly constricted it hurt.
“Close your eyes until you hear the small beep confirming they are active,” Reaper said. “Then open them when you feel ready.”
I nodded again, unable to speak a word. I closed my eyes, and the sound of my own tensed breathing seemed to multiply in the temporary darkness. With infinite care, my Reaper—my Sun—placed the devices on the healed ports on my temples. When the usual pain failed to manifest itself, my shoulders and my entire body—which I hadn’t noticed had tensed—relaxed.
Heart pounding, I extended my hands towards him. He took them without hesitation. Hanging on tightly as if my life depended on it, I slowly opened my eyes before closing them again, the brightness of the room blinding me. It took a few seconds of me batting my eyelashes quickly to adjust to the light. I had known my eyesight wouldn’t be fully restored, but I had not expected this miracle.
Gone were the faceless, ghostly, monochromatic silhouettes that had become the standard for me. He was still blurry, but I could now see some of the details on a face that had previously been a blank mask. It was like staring at someone a short distance away from us underwater.