"Open your mouth and drink this."

"Smells bad," he whispered right before Shadow poured the thick sludge down his throat. "Tastes worse." Talon gagged and fought to keep the concoction down. Within minutes he felt the pain ease.

"You have to make it back to the bed before that sh...stuff takes full effect."

"Can' feel m' legs." He barely recognized his own voice. He didn't know what Kierin mixed together but it was more effective than a full night of heavy drinking. He vaguely realized he was leaning heavily on Shadow until he fell against the bed and everything stopped.

"d.a.m.n you, Talon," she mumbled while struggling to get him straightened on the bed. "This was supposed to be a simple job. Find you. Train you. Leave you to whatever future you wanted to live."

Sitting beside him on the bed, Shadow stroked his cheek. The rasp of his morning stubble was both soothing and confusing.

"What have you done to me?" She whispered. "You're supposed to be nothing more than a stupid drunk." She leaned over and softly kissed the corner of his mouth. "Why did you have to be...more?"

Kierin gave her special instructions if his headaches were as severe as she feared. The crystal witch didn't give her specific guidelines for his pain levels but if she expected anything worse than this, Shadow didn't want to be around to see it. Pulling the small wooden box from her pocket, she shuddered once at the knowledge of what she was about to do. Closing her mind to everything but the next few minutes, she drew a deep lungful of air and lifted the crystal slivers from the bed of moss in the bottom of the box.

Each no thicker than a fine sewing needle but only a third as long, they hummed with potent power. The pulses, one blue-one green, matched the beats of her heart. She a.s.sumed they would mimic Talon's heartbeat once inserted.

"How in h.e.l.l does that witch expect me to do this? I'm not trained in the healing arts. She's out of her freakin' mind." Another deep breath and she picked up the first delicate sliver and concentrated on remembering Kierin's instructions. "This better work or I'm gonna kick some witchy a.s.s."

Carefully touch the outside corner of his eye until you feel the edge of the original crystal implant. Slowly insert the sharp end of the new crystal so that it slides against the original. It must rest fully against the original crystal.

"s.h.i.t. s.h.i.t. s.h.i.t! I don't want to do this!" She leaned close to Talon's ear. "I don't know if you can hear me or not, but don't even think about making me pay for cussin' right now."

Forcing her fears to that deep, dark place in her head, she touched his face. "Please don't move, Talon. If this doesn't work, I can't un-fix it; and if I screw this up, you'll lose what little sight you have now."

With another deep breath, Shadow found the slight point beneath the skin and gently pushed the sharp shard into Talon's skin, careful to keep it touching the original implant. When the new crystal disappeared, Shadow released the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Don't know how healers do it." She mumbled, shaking her hands to relieve the tension. "Give me a horde of Kildarian spider demons any day. Can't deal with being responsible for someone else's existence." What she was attempting wasn't life threatening to him; but she knew in her heart if she screwed it up, Talon's life would be over.

"Okay. Time to shut down the pity party and finish this. Dak didn't pay me enough for this s.h.i.t."

After repeating the process on the other eye, and covering both with spider silk bandages, she pulled the blanket over him and quietly left the room. She wouldn't know if Kierin's crystals worked until he slept off the effects of the painkiller. A good, stiff drink would do wonders for her nerves about now. Too bad she got rid of everything before they left Cypriana.

"Suck it up, b.i.t.c.h." She muttered, shaking her head. "It either worked or it didn't. Sitting here watching the man sleep is a waste of daylight." Her head knew it was the truth. Her heart was a whole different story.

Their boat captain was right. The storm was over and sunshine peeked through the remaining clouds. She could use this time alone to explore what remained of the village. Talon's training would start as soon as he woke up. a.s.suming she hadn't screwed up. With a shake of her head and a loud growl, Shadow forced the negative thoughts away and stomped out the door.

Chapter Nine.

Talon struggled, fighting his way back from deep, drugged sleep. Walking through quicksand in cloying fog would be easier. Kierin's little painkiller should be outlawed. He knew a half dozen dealers back in Cypriana who would pay substantial numbers of coins for the distribution rights to that foul tasting brew.

He didn't know how long he'd been out but it had to be all day and part of the night since there was no discernible light through the open window. The cool breeze carried no hint of rain. "Captain was right about the storm," he muttered.

Sitting on the side of the bed, Talon scrubbed his hand across his jaw, testing the length of his whiskers. The smooth skin surprised him since he hadn't shaved since before they boarded the first transport ship. Shaving was a little complicated for him since the blindness. He had to heat his face almost to the point of scalding to be able to see himself in the mirror. Depending on the weather and the room temperature around him, he would have to repeat the process multiple times before the job was complete. A normal man could accomplish this daily task in ten minutes or so. Blind-it took as much as an hour during the cold winter months. Given the probability that he could cut his own throat, it was just safer to let it grow or wait until one of the ladies he knew to offer to shave him before s.e.x and avoid razor burn.

"That woman is determined to civilize me."

Grateful the headache no longer threatened to explode his skull, Talon rubbed at the spot above his eye where the pain always started. The shock of feeling something more than his eyebrow caused his heart to stumble before kicking up. The last time his eyes were covered like this, Kierin had used her crystals on his burned eyes.

Fighting the panic triggered by his memories, he took a deep breath and reached for the contoured pads covering both eyes. That explained why everything was totally dark but why would Shadow bandage his eyes?

"Good. You're awake. I need to remove the bandages."

Talon turned toward Shadow's voice. With his eyes covered he couldn't see her and he only heard her movements if she wanted him to hear. She was as silent as the shadows that were her namesake. "Why am I bandaged? Did something happen during the headache?"

She slapped at the fingers picking at the edges of the bandage and dropped to her knees between his legs. "Yes...no...maybe. c.r.a.p!" She placed a warm, wet cloth across his eyes.

"d.a.m.n, woman! What the h.e.l.l did I do?" His spine tightened from the anxiety clawing its way through his gut.

"Nothing. You didn't do anything. Let me explain." She replaced the cloth with a fresh one. "Kierin somehow knew the headaches would get severe if they weren't already. If she was right, the pain would keep getting worse until it killed you. That's why she sent the drugs...and stuff."

He might be blind but he could hear the apprehension rolling off her in waves. She was hiding something. "Exactly what stuff did the meddling witch give you?" His gut clenched tighter. Shadow wouldn't be so evasive if she was talking about bandages and antiseptic.

"She was...concerned that your body would attempt to reject the original crystals."

"And...," Talon prompted when she didn't continue.

"Fine. There's no way to say it but straight up." She huffed. "Keep your hands off the cloth or I'll tie you to the bed!"

He slammed the door on the images her threat created. "Quit stalling, Blue!"

"Okay. Okay. Why are you always such a grouch in the morning? Lean back against the headboard so I don't have to hold the cloth in place. It's the fastest way to dissolve the adhesive." She waited for him to stretch out on the bed before she replaced the cloth and leaned back on her heels.

"Kierin gave me two tiny slivers of rock and specific instructions on how to use them. Said to tell you her father would be happy and you would know what she meant."

Talon's lips twitched, fighting a grin. "She got her son after all."

"What? No, their child is a girl. She's pregnant so maybe that baby is a boy.

Does that make a difference?"

Talon chuckled at her obvious confusion. "Only to them. These slivers...?"

"You are one strange bas...."

He could hear her teeth grinding in frustration. Suddenly, he wanted her to lose control-turn the air blue with her obscenities. A flash of memory, no longer than the blink of an eye, rocked through him. He knew the hint of morning tea still lingered behind soft lips. His tongue remembered the feel of something round and smooth embedded in her upper canine. What the h.e.l.l?

"...so that's why the bandage is there."

s.h.i.t! Get your head out of your a.s.s!

"Say that again-slowly. I want to be sure I understand." He'd rather pull his fingernails out with rusty pliers than admit he was lost in erotic thoughts-memories?-and missed what she said.

"That's the best you could come up with?"

He growled, refusing to acknowledge her taunt.

"Pay attention, grump b.u.t.t. Kierin. Told. Me. Step. By. Step. How. To. Insert. The. Slivers."

Her deliberately slow speech earned another growl. The quickly smothered giggle told him she was intentionally trying to p.i.s.s him off. It worked, but he had to fight the urge to smile. Part of him craved the lighthearted banter but a bigger part feared the pain when she left him. What the h.e.l.l? I don't give a double d.a.m.n if she leaves. She's brought nothing but trouble from the first time I saw her.

"The slivers are supposed to redirect the energy somehow. Don't ask me how. She didn't explain all that. As soon as the spider silk softens enough to remove, I'm supposed to keep the eyes covered until I get you outside in the sunshine. If I did everything right, you'll be able to see like before only with no headaches. If I f...screwed it up, you won't even see the heat images."

Despite the terror crawling up his spine, Talon heard the anxiety and fear in her voice and couldn't ignore the urge to comfort her. "It is what it is, Shadow." He whispered softly. "Whatever happens, don't blame yourself. Draagon killed me a long time ago. I'm just too hard-headed to give that soulless wad of humanity the satisfaction of actually giving up."

She swallowed the pithy comeback she would have thrown at him a week ago. He seriously believed what he said. This was about more than just his blindness. From what she observed in Cypriana, he managed to turn his disability into a means of supporting himself. Unorthodox? Definitely, but his 'tricks' never crossed the lines of legality. If her actions saved his life only to destroy his only means of support....

"Whenever you're ready, we'll head outside."

Holding the damp cloth against his face with one hand, Talon extended his other hand toward Shadow's voice. "You'll have to guide me through the doors."

Chapter Ten.

Talon struggled with the fear chewing on his gut. His current acceptance of his limitations was a hard won battle; one he still fought on a daily basis. The possibility of losing even the meager vision he had now made him grateful he hadn't eaten yet this morning. He had no doubt he'd be tossing his toenails. The warmth of Shadow's smaller hand in his kept him moving-barely.

"Do you want to do this from the porch or out on the gra.s.s?"

"Here is fine." Her question lightened his mood for some reason. "If this doesn't work I can dive head first down the steps and, hopefully, break my neck."

"It's only two steps, monkey nuts. You wouldn't break a fingernail falling that distance."

"That sounds like you owe me a kiss, Blue. Just what is a monkey?"

"Not this time. A monkey is a primate and I didn't cuss. Their males have b.a.l.l.s just like every other male so you won't be getting any kiss from me on that one."

Talon let her push him against the wall. Did she think he would need the extra support? "Let's just get this done, Shadow." He hoped his voice was steadier than he was.

"Keep your eyes closed."

That's not the problem, Blue. Do I have the guts to open them? That's the real question.

He felt the slight tremor of her fingers against his face and covered her hand with his. "Whatever happens, I know you did your best." With no more warning that that, he ripped the softened spider silk from his faces and tossed it on the ground.

"You are such an a.s.shole!" She yelled. "Are you trying to peel the hide off your face?" Before he could mention her lapse in language, she grabbed his head and pulled him down for a brief, hard kiss before stepping away from him. "I always pay my debts. Now, slowly open your eyes."

To h.e.l.l with his eyes! He wanted another taste of her mouth! He remembered her taste. The kiss was too brief for him to savor her mouth-too quick for him to locate and identify the small, round...something he remembered. His body immediately reacted to her kiss but he fought down the l.u.s.t currently straining against the b.u.t.tons on his pants.

Drawing a deep breath into his lungs, Talon slowly lifted his lids.

"Oh, G.o.ds," he whispered, sliding down the wall until he was seated on the rough, wooden porch. His chest burned and he realized he was holding his breath. He forced the air into and out of his lungs.

"What's wrong? c.r.a.p! It didn't work, did it? I screwed it up, didn't I?" She stomped from one side of the small porch to the other.

"I can see the trees, Shadow," he whispered into the early morning air. "And the gra.s.s. And what's left of the other houses."

"What? You can?" She squatted beside him, gently brushing the hair back from his face.

"Yeah." He sighed. "It's a strange shade of gray-green, but I can distinguish...everything!"

"Good." She mumbled, wiping the tears from her face. "That means we can start training right after breakfast."

Talon acknowledged her leaving on the peripheral edges of his awareness. He never thought to see again, had come to terms with his limitations. To be given another chance at a normal life was almost more than he could comprehend. Humanity across countless galaxies shared similar, fickle fates. Every blessing or gift came with a price tag and the bottom line was proportionate to the value of the gift. He sent a silent prayer to whichever deity was responsible for this...miracle? Second chance? He didn't know. Only time would lead him to the choices now available to him.

A pair of small birds landed in the gra.s.s at the end of the steps. Their cheerful chirping brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time-if ever-he stopped to listen to their songs. Just another thing he took for granted until it was too late. Emotions he thought long stripped from him surged to life, strangling him with their power.

I'll pay whatever price is demanded by the G.o.ds. With Shadow's help, I'll put an end to Draagon's evil and try to build a life. Draagon has been the driving force behind my decisions for more than twenty years. There are entire solar systems out there to explore. I wonder if Shadow would be interested in a traveling companion.

"Haul your b.u.t.t up. Food is on the table and we've got a long day ahead of us."

Interesting. I couldn't detect a heat image for the birds but chalked it up to their size. Shadow's signature is so faint...barely visible. Guess this is part of the price. Trade off one ability for another.

"I can already tell that you're going to be a harsh task mistress." Talon pushed himself up from the floor. "Your command is my wish."

"You are such an as...axel."

Talon held the door open and leaned in close when she tried to pa.s.s. "Almost cost you another kiss? You know, you don't have to cuss to get a kiss. I'm here and available whenever you...."

"Shut up and go eat before it gets cold."

She would hear his soft chuckle in her dreams long after this job was finished.

"For the first week or so we need to work on your core strength. You've got some impressive muscle tone for someone who did nothing more strenuous than lift a bottle."

Shadow swallowed hard and forced her eyes back to his face. He removed his shirt before they started on the stretching exercises and she struggled to stay focused. His lean build was deceptive when covered by clothing. The tanned skin and light dusting of hair across his chest made her mouth water. And that 'treasure trail' that disappeared beneath those low-slung pants had her wanting things she couldn't have.

"You said there was more than enough s.p.a.ce here to run. Now that you can see the changes brought on by time, do you still agree with that statement?"

Talon scanned the road in front of him. "There's about twenty continuous miles of road that circles around the developed areas of the island. If you want something more rugged, the numerous trails leading from the water's edge into the foothills add another hundred or so miles."

"We'll stick with the roads for now." She needed to put some distance between them...fast! Every time he reached high into the air, his pants slipped lower before hooking on his hipbones. He had an intriguing set of muscles that formed a wedge, bracketing his abs, before disappearing into the waist of his pants. Oh, how she wanted to follow where they led-with her fingers or her tongue or both. Focus, dammit! He's not the first hot guy you've trained and he won't be the last.