Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Grace Black sat inside Dr. River Vale’s examination room and plucked at her skirts.
After a lot of delays, today was the day he would magically repair her eyes, which should allow her to see for the first time in her life.
Oh, Dr. Vale had made it clear that she might only see vague shapes in dim lighting, and that she’d have to wear darkened glasses in sunny weather or risk damaging her eyes. And maybe to those with sight, they’d still pity her.
However, Grace had been born blind, had never really understood seeing something or creating a picture, or even what a color was supposed to be. To be able to notice something without a sound or scent or temperature would be brilliant to her.
Not to mention it would give her yet another way to be on alert for danger.
Her older brother, Everett, was the shifter Dark Lord of London. And he’d finally relented and told her about the French vampires and how they might go after him, especially through her, to get revenge for the past.
While her brother hadn’t fought in the Napoleonic Wars—he hadn’t even been born yet—a lot of British shifters had.
And since they’d helped the British vampires kill most of the French female vampires, as part of a war tactic, it had left many male French vampires unable to find their fated ones.
And the longer a vampire’s heart didn’t beat, the greater the risk of insanity.
Which made them extremely dangerous, but especially for someone like her.
While Everett had never called her a liability, Grace knew she was one.
In recent years, it had become fashionable for rich and powerful humans to “own” a shifter and dose them with opium to make them compliant.
Those like Grace, who couldn’t see, or those who couldn’t hear, were the easiest targets.
Her brother had kept her safe in the Scottish Highlands for years. But now, with the French vampires on English soil and looking for revenge? They’d forced Everett to bring her to London to keep a closer eye on her.
And the city was too much for her, in so many ways.
It was too loud, had too many smells, and she couldn’t even judge the time of day by the warmth of the sun. Everett had explained that since many households still used coal to cook and heat their homes, the smoke blocked out the sun sometimes.
Longing crashed over her, and Grace missed her home in the wilds of Scotland.
And yet, as much as she yearned for cleaner air and less noise, she would never find her fated one back home.
None of the males in the nearby villages had stirred her inner wolf, and whilst her metabolism had slowed down to give her time to find her fated one, she would eventually get old.
And both female and beast wanted more out of life. To maybe even be a mother, or at least a wife, and run her own household. Because as much as she loved her older brother, he could be a wee bit overprotective at times.
Before she could castigate herself over thinking unkind thoughts about Everett, there was a knock on the door before the knob turned, and someone stepped inside.
Dr. River Vale’s voice filled her ears. “Hello, Grace. Ready for the big day?”
He shut the door and walked closer as she said, “Aye, Dr. Vale. I’m a wee bit nervous, but more than ready.”
“And you understand that you’ll have to spend the night in our patient guest room, right? Nothing should go wrong, but if I need to adjust my treatment, or you just need time to get used to the changes, I want to be available to help.”
“Aye, I know. I had to convince my brother, and that was no easy feat, but he eventually agreed.”
“I can only imagine,” he drawled. “But Black only wants what’s best for you. I’m an older brother, too, and my younger sister arrived here yesterday, so I get it better than most.”
Grace frowned. “Your other sister is here in this time too?”
She knew River was from the future, and that his older sister, Yesenia, was a time-wielder. But their younger sister had still been in the future, the last she’d heard.
“Meadow is her name, and yes. But my wife is with her, and I didn’t want to delay your treatment yet again, Grace.”
“If she needs you, then I would understand.”
“No, it’s unfair to you. And I would trust Nora with my life. Now, let me quickly check your vital signs, and if everything looks good, we’ll get started. Sound okay?”
She nodded, and River said, “I’m going to place my hands on your forehead and the side of your neck, first.”
She felt his warm hands, and within seconds, the greater warmth of his magic rushed through her.
Soon after, he removed his hands and said, “Everything looks great. First, I’m going to put a set of dark glasses on you.
These will be completely blacked out, so I can better control the lighting and test your sight.
I know you’re eager to see something, but bright light will pain your eyes, Grace.
For the first time in your life, you’re going to have to worry about stuff like that. ”
“I know, but I’m ready for it, I promise.”
“Then let me put these on.”
She felt something perch on her nose and rest on her ears. The glasses also lightly pressed against her face, surrounding her eyes.
Dr. Vale moved something as it scratched against the floor, and she felt a burst of air as he probably sat down.
He spoke again. “If at any time you feel pain or want me to stop, speak up or raise your hand. Understand?”
“Aye,” she stated as firmly as she could. Her heart thudded, and no doubt Dr. Vale could tell, but she didn’t want to leave any room for doubt.
“Alright, Grace, then I’m going to place my hands on your face and begin.”
His warm fingers pressed against either side of her temples, and she took long, deep breaths. Soon his magic flowed through her, warm and not unpleasant, although soon she felt slight pinches behind her eyes.
“I’m going to repair what I can, and it might hurt a little, but speak up if it becomes too much. I’ll do my best to dull it, but every person’s pain tolerance is different. Promise you’ll signal if I need to add a little magic to ease it.”
“I will.”
“Okay, then it’s time to get to work.”
The pressure in her eyes grew, bit by bit, but she merely clutched her skirt and willed herself to keep still. The fact Dr. Vale could do any of this, relying on his knowledge from the future, was extraordinary, and Grace wouldn’t take this chance for granted, no matter how intense the pain.
Eventually, it receded slowly, leaving a dull throbbing behind her eyes.
She had no idea how long it was before Dr. Vale removed his hands and spoke up again. “I think that’s done. Now, let me turn off the electric light. For the initial test, we’re going to use only a single candle.”
Even though she heard him moving about, Grace barely noticed it. Exhaustion settled over her, and she struggled to sit upright.
However, she drew on her inner wolf and allowed her strength to keep her awake and somewhat focused.
Eventually, Dr. Vale’s voice was in front of her again. “Close your eyes, Grace. I’m going to remove the glasses, but I want to observe your eyes and the reaction to light from the get-go.”
“They’re closed, Doctor.”
The weight on her face disappeared. “Okay, I’m going to stand to the side to observe your eyes. Make sure to tell me if anything has changed. Go ahead and open them.”
After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyelids and squeaked, shutting them again.
Because instead of the usual blankness, or darkness as sighted people tended to say, there had been changes throughout.
“Did it hurt, Grace?”
“No, it surprised me. The usual solid nothingness changed.”
“Do you think you can open your eyes and study straight in front of you? Maybe try to tell me what you see? I set something up on purpose, to judge how much detail is visible to you now.”
Since her heart raced, some of her tiredness had temporarily faded. She could do this.
Slowly, she lifted her eyelids and blinked, focusing on the changes.
There was something that was almost the same size as her breast—at least from what she’d felt over the years. No, several somethings. They weren’t on the floor, either, but on what must be a table. And everything was a bit fuzzy and slightly more solid than what had to be a wall behind it.
But how could she explain that to Dr. Vale? She didn’t know what words to use. There was no way Grace would talk about her breast with him, no matter if he was a doctor.
Dr. Vale’s voice broke the silence. “You can use your hands to help show me what’s different. Over time, you’ll learn visual descriptive words. But for now, just try to explain or show to the best of your ability what you see.”
Using her hand, she made the round shape. “Many things like this, sitting on something that must be a table.”
“Good. Those are oranges in a bowl.”
“Oranges,” she murmured.
The citrusy smell filled her mind, and she tried to pair the scent with the image.
It should be simple, and yet trying to rethink the meaning of words made her even more tired.
Dr. Vale spoke. “You’re exhausted, I can see that. Two more questions and we’ll get you to your room, okay? First, are you in pain?”
“Not really. There’s some throbbing in my head, of course. And I’m tired. But it doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as when I broke my arm as a child.”
“Good. The throbbing will last a day or two and then should start fading. If not, you need to tell me. As for the last thing, I want you to look at my voice and tell me what you see.”
Turning her head, she sucked in a breath. Even if it was only lighter and darker tints of her usual blankness, she made out what had to be a pair of eyes, nose, and mouth of another person.
She saw a face.
Her eyes heated with tears, and one slipped down her cheek, all while she smiled.
“See me, do you?”
His lips had moved as he talked.
She saw a person. Maybe not in a variety of colors—as her brother had tried to describe them to her over the years and it didn’t match Dr. Vale’s face—but she saw someone.
Tears trickled down her face as she let out a sob. Dr. Vale hugged her gently as she cried, feeling silly and yet unable to stop.
Grace had no idea how much time passed, but once she quieted, exhaustion weighed her down.
Dr. Vale finally spoke. “I think you see better up close than far away. However, we’ll test that tomorrow.
For now, we need to get you to your room.
And I’m sorry, Grace, but you’ll need to wear the glasses until tomorrow, too.
I’ll give you another pair that’s merely tinted to use alongside these blackout ones, plus some instructions. But let’s get you upstairs first.”
After lifting her head, Grace took in the doctor’s face one last time and murmured, “Can I try this with Everett tomorrow? And maybe to look in a mirror?”
“Of course. I’ll be present to observe and make sure everything is still okay. We should probably establish your light tolerance as well. But for now, let’s get you upstairs, Grace. You can sleep as long as you like, and ring the bellpull next to the bed if you need anything. Can you stand?”
“Aye, I think so.”
And after he placed the special blackout glasses on her face, Grace struggled to her feet, swaying a bit.
Dr. Vale said, “Let me help you.”
He gently placed a hand under her elbow and at her arm. It helped, although it was going to take all of her remaining strength to walk down the hall.
You can do it, Grace. If you stumble too much or faint, Everett will hear of it and be rather growly and overprotective for the next week.
And she didn’t want that. Not when all she wanted was to see as much of the world as she could now.
So she embraced her inner wolf and did her best to walk with Dr. Vale’s help out of the door and into the hallway. One step in front of another, making her think she could reach her room.
But then she stumbled, and someone else caught her.
William Khan, the fae witch Dark Lord of London, was being guided to the upstairs parlor when a door opened on the ground floor and Dr. River Vale escorted a female wearing strange glasses out of the room.
She was pale with dark brown hair, and even with the black glasses, he remembered her eyes were blue.
Eyes he’d never forgotten.
He’d met her before, after all. Grace Black was the younger sister of his fellow Dark Lord, Everett.
He watched as River struggled to lead her down the hall, but the female stumbled and teetered to one side. Without thinking, he rushed to her side and steadied the female with a hand under her arm.
She stilled and turned her head toward him.
Even though he couldn’t see her eyes, he guessed they were probably widening. The blind often relied on scent to identify people, and he wondered if she remembered his.
From the one time he’d met her, when he’d been rude and brusque to her.
But William had no choice—he was that way with everyone. It was to protect them and save them from his powers. Because he’d lapsed once years ago, and it’d hurt someone he cared about.
And he would never allow that to happen again. Especially when so many people relied on him now.
Quickly releasing her, William backed several steps away as River Vale helped steady the shifter female. He cleared his throat and forced his voice to be his usual detached-yet-firm tone. “I beg your pardon, Miss Black. I hope you are steady now.” He glanced at Vale. “I’ll wait upstairs.”
Without another word, he turned and strode purposefully away from the female.
From the soft, warm female he wanted to help and protect, and to do so much more to. Ever since the first time he’d met her, he’d wanted to seek her out again.
But Grace Black wasn’t for him.
No female was.
Before memories could rush forth, he focused on everything he needed to do today. Between the kidnapped fae witches and the possible enemies lurking in his territory—at least according to his latest report on the French vampires—he couldn’t afford to be distracted.
By the time he reached the parlor, he was firmly in control and waited on the far side of the room, like he always did.
Like he always would.