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“Really? Was it a dog?”
“No. She was a guinea pig. She hadn’t been well cared for and I got her from the rescue. It took a year of bandaged fingers, but eventually, I gained her trust.”
He touched her arm. It was so strange to watch his finger run along her arm. The only downfall to seeing through Rhadan’s eyes was she couldn’t see him.
“I cannot believe the gift I have been given. To get to know you and show you the world for the first time. At least since you were a child, is an enormous gift. You make me see things I would never have noticed. You wonder at the smallest of miracles.”
“I guess everything is a miracle when you haven’t seen it before. I remember colors and bits and pieces of my life before the accident, but they have dulled over time. Everything is bright now. Maybe dragons see the world differently than humans. Your world is so vivid.”
“It wasn’t before I met you. Look at my memories and you will see the world as it was before I laid eyes on you. It is a dark, lonely place for a dragon without a mate, and my torture was worse than most.”
“I understand dark times, Rhadan. After the accident, I was... struggling to adjust. I wouldn’t leave my room and my mom ended up getting Daisy to pull me from the depression. She saved me. Daisy is registered as a service dog, but I haven’t used her harness in years. We don’t go in public alone anymore.”
“What was your life like growing up? I know you were in the home of a dark dragon and that he hurt Daisy, but Mara said you were well treated prior to her finding you.”
“My mom was beautiful, and she garnered attention wherever she went. My dad said he was the luckiest man alive. My early years were full of love and laughter. I should have noticed the differences after my father died, but I was too mad about losing my father and my sight. I didn’t notice what was right in front of me.”
Rhadan took her hand and squeezed it. “What differences?”
“Devlin provided me with the best of everything. I couldn’t see my bedroom, but the fabrics were soft like butter and the few friends I brought over always told me how lucky I was.”
“He allowed you to have friends?” Rhadan asked.
“I believed it was me who drove them away. Whenever I would meet someone at school and eventually brought them home, it didn’t last. A few weeks at most, then they were suddenly too busy and couldn’t hang around with me anymore. I think they were scared of Devlin.”
“It is human preservation. They sense the predator, but can’t explain why they feel as they do.”
Tempest huffed. “I should have noticed the differences in my mother. She never laughed with Devlin. She was always telling me how much he loved her and the things he did for her, but I never once heard him say it.”
“He likely planted the memories in her mind. She told you what he wanted her to,” Rhadan said.
“I was blind, and it wasn’t just my sight. I hid from the world, so I didn’t have to deal with my disability. I was a fool.”
“You were a child, but you have hidden for long enough, Tempest. The world waits for you and Daisy will enjoy it at your side. It’s time for you to start living the life you were meant to.”
She swallowed hard. She hadn’t felt safe since that fateful night. He offered her more than his sight. He provided safety and family. A life. “Will you show me the world? I get glimpses of the past, but they are fragmented. It had been so long since I saw colors; it almost hurt when you showed me. I am ready to face what I have lost.”
Rhadan stood. “Of course. There is nothing I would like more. Your rediscovery of the world makes it new for me. It brings hope to the void that was my eternal torment.”
She hugged him, because she could feel his anguish. The years of darkness had been harder on him than his brethren realized. The guilt of his power weighed on him like a five-ton weight on his chest. She wasn’t just his mate. She was the air he breathed.
He wasn’t shy about sharing his feelings for her, despite her reluctance to return them. It was ironic that everything adored him and the one person he worshiped was hesitant to respond.
CHAPTER 12
Tempest leaned over the railing as Rhadan led her to the top landing above the garden. She looked down at the array of herbs and inhaled the scent of lilacs. Mara was constantly telling her how the side garden flourished under Natalie’s care. While Natalie denied doing anything special, Tempest was sure the druid’s power was innate. Plants around her simply thrived.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said.
Rhadan stared at the array of plants. “They are. Nature has always thrived around the daughter.” He pointed at the curled brown leaves that marred the lilac bush. “Such affliction is a sign the temple is not at full power.”
Tempest clutched the plain wooden rail. “I was so caught up in being able to see, I forgot we had more pressing matters.”
He touched her back. “We have time. You cannot restore the temple until you come into your power, and I am told that is another year away.”
“Yes. That must be disappointing for you.”
He kissed her cheek. “Not at all. You being here is enough for me.” He held out his arm. “Come. Let me show you the world.” He led her down the steps to the front of the store.
