Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “After the explosion, I couldn’t make up my mind whether I regretted that decision, or was glad of it. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve regretted it so much. Knowing that I’d never, ever be able to see you has haunted me almost constantly.”

  “And now?”

  “Now, I feel like that girl in the story who bites into an apple and suddenly she has everything she ever dreamed of.”

  “An apple?” Thorn asked in surprise. “How does an apple grant dreams?”

  “Maybe it’s not an apple,” she said. “Oh, she gets her finger stuck in a spinning wheel. That’s it.”

  “How does getting your finger stuck in a wheel answer your dreams?”

  Ria frowned. “I’m not sure. But it does. Then a bunch of mice turn into horses and the apple turns into a wagon and it takes her someplace to get new shoes…wait, no, a party?” She shook her head. “Anyway, the point is that it’s a dream come true for me to see your face and the scars are just part of the package, like your nose, or your ears.”

  Thorn smiled, his heart so filled with love that he didn't know big enough words to express it. So he decided to tease her instead because she liked that. “Remember when you told us that we wouldn’t believe some of the things that go through your head?”

  “Yes.”

  “You were right.”

  Ria laughed, then grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. “Come on, I want to see Talon and Tee and Star and oh! The cubs! I can’t wait to see them!”

  Thorn laughed as he let Ria pull him out of comms and up the corridor to the elevators. She bounced on her toes while they waited for the doors to open. He saw her look at the stairwell door, and shook his head.

  “No stairs,” he said firmly. “It may be a century or two before we’re able to let you use stairs again.”

  “Ogre,” she grumbled. He didn’t know what an ogre was, but it didn’t matter. Whatever it was, there was far too much happiness in her for him to be fooled into thinking she meant it.

  The doors opened and she all but leapt inside. He grinned down at her as she pressed the button and the doors closed. “It’s amazing to be able to see well enough to read again.”

  “I imagine so,” Thorn said soberly. Ria smiled up at him just as the doors opened. She nearly ran up the corridor, so excited she could barely contain herself. Thorn picked up his step, not wanting to slow her down. She’d gone through a lot without a single complaint. She deserved her excitement and he wasn’t even going to suggest she try to contain it.

  She waited for him to catch up with her before she pressed her hand to the door panel. She hurried into the room before the door was fully opened and stopped when she saw Star standing a few feet front of her. After looking at her for a long moment she wrapped her arms around the Brun’s neck and hugged her tightly.

  “You’re so beautiful Star,” she said. “Even more beautiful than I imagined.”

  “You can see me?” Star asked excitedly.

  “Yes, I can,” Ria said, happy tears wetting her cheeks again as she released Star and stepped back to look at her more closely. “I can’t see color yet, but I can see you, and I can see the star on your shoulder, and I can see Thorn standing there looking down at us and oh! The cubs! I have to see them.” Ria was already hurrying to Star’s bed before she finished her sentence. She went to her knees beside the mattress and fell silent as she stared down at the cubs. She knew it was Belle on top of Lonato because of the black edging on her tiny ears Star had told her about. She reached out to touch Belle’s soft fur with one finger, more tears running down her face. Then she gasped.

  “Ria?” Thorn asked as he hurried to her side.

  “Star, why didn’t you tell me the cubs’ eyes have opened?”

  “Because I didn’t know they had,” Star said in surprise. She stood at Ria’s other side, looking down at Belle as she looked up at Ria. “It’s fitting, I think, that the first time Belle opens her eyes it’s to see you as you see her for the first time.”

  “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see them, Star,” Ria said quietly as she watched Belle’s eyes close, returning to her nap.

  “I’m happy you can see them too, Ria.” Star said, leaning her head against Ria’s for a moment.

  The sound of the door opening behind them had Ria on her feet in an instant. She turned to see Talon and Tee enter the room and immediately ran straight toward them. She leapt up into Talon’s arms, causing a wide grin to stretch across his face as he caught her and held her close.

  “You can see, can’t you?” Tee asked.

  “Yes, I can see,” Ria agreed, wrapping her arms around Talon’s neck. When she released him he put her down. She immediately turned and leapt at Tee, who caught her with a laugh and spun her in a circle.

  When he set her back on her feet she was a little dizzy but she couldn’t have cared less. She just kept looking at everyone, over and over again, as though she’d never get enough of seeing them.

  “We must celebrate,” Tee announced.

  “Celebrate how?” Ria wondered.

  “Hmmm…dinner, tonight,” Tee said. “We’ll do something special for all of us.”

  “No, it should be just you four,” Star said.

  “Star,” Ria began but Star shook her head.

  “I insist, Ria,” Star said. “Consider it my celebration gift to you.”

  Ria knew what Star was getting at and she went to hug her in thanks. Then she turned to face the men. “Do you guys mind?”

  “Of course not,” Talon said. “But don’t order dinner for Star tonight. We’ll bring her something special when we come to get you.”

  “All right,” Ria said, happy that he’d found a way to include Star.

  “We must go now, I’m afraid,” Talon said, bending to kiss her lightly. “But we’ll see you this evening.”

  “And I will see you, too,” Ria said, smiling as Thorn, then Tee also kissed her. Ria waited till they were gone and the door was closed and locked before she turned to Star. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome, of course,” Star said. “I ask for one thing.”

  “Okay.”

  “As special as this day already is, make tonight just as special.”

  Ria felt her cheeks heat, but her smile widened. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

  Chapter 21

  After so much excitement Ria’s lack of sleep the previous night finally caught up with her. As busy as the morning had been, she was surprised to find it was barely noon. She ordered lunch for herself and Star, then took a long nap afterward.

  As soon as she opened her eyes, Ria smiled. She could still only see in black and white, but she could see. She sat up, looked over at the clock on the bedside table, her smile widening just because she could actually see the numbers telling her the time. Then she looked over to the corner where Star’s bed was and smiled again.

  Even when Star was lying with her head down, she usually had to guess if she was asleep or not since she couldn’t see her eyes. Now she saw clearly that Star’s eyes were closed, so she climbed off the bed and went into the bathroom as quietly as she could. When she came out a few minutes later Star was standing up, stretching in that cat-like way she had.

  “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

  “You didn’t,” Star said. “I fell asleep when you did and that was quite a while ago.”

  “A couple of hours,” Ria agreed, heading for the chiller. She grabbed a bottle of water and opened it while Star went to the water fountain the engineers had made for her.

  Ria heard the pups making soft grunting sounds and wandered over to see them. She sat down and watched as they crawled around on the bed, their eyes open but unfocused as they explored a little.

  She reached over and picked up Lonato, cuddling him close for a few moments until Star returned. Once she was settled, Ria put Lonato down so he could have his second lunch. Or his third. She’d lost track.

  She visited with Star for a w
hile, then decided it was time to get ready for what she hoped would be an extra special evening. After a long hot bath, she rubbed her favorite lotion into her skin, sure not to miss any spots. She’d had her body hair permanently removed when she was in college, like most girls her age, so shaving wasn’t an issue. Make-up wasn’t really an option since she couldn’t see colors. She didn’t want to end up with a blue nose and red eyelids, so she used lots of moisturizer instead.

  For the first time since losing her sight she was able to put extra time and effort into her hair, brushing it to a silky, shiny fall that hung straight to her hips. She added a touch of rose tinted lip balm, then reached for the dress she’d hung on the back of the door.

  She’d only brought two dresses with her. One was an elegant but simple gown that she’d bought for the expedition on Vari’s advice just in case. The other was a cream colored cotton sundress with little blue flowers that she remembered matched her hair. It had a halter neck, and showed her figure without clinging to it. It fell loosely from her waist to just above the floor with high slits up both sides to make it easier to walk in. It wasn't intended to be fancy or dressy or even sexy. Just feminine and comfortable. It was a pretty dress though, she thought, and a nice change from jeans and workout clothes. She just hoped her guys liked it. She slipped her feet into a pair of soft white leather sandals and looked at herself in the mirror.

  She frowned, worrying suddenly if the dress made her look as though she was trying too hard. It wasn’t too late to change into jeans if she moved quickly.

  She stepped out of the bathroom and saw Star lying on the bed facing the entertainment center watching one of her documentaries. As soon as she heard Ria leave the bathroom she paused the vid and turned to look at her.

  “You look so beautiful, Ria,” Star said. “Even more so than usual. That dress is very pretty and your hair is so shiny.”

  “I don’t look silly?” Ria asked nervously. “Or too dressed up? Like I’m trying too hard?”

  Star’s ears popped up. “Silly?” She laughed softly in Ria’s mind. “No, you do not look silly. Your mates certainly will not think you look silly either. I don’t know what you mean by too dressed up though. Do you not want them to know this night is special to you?”

  “It’s not that,” Ria said. “I just don’t want them to feel pushed.”

  “I don’t think pushed is the word they’ll be thinking of when they look at you,” Star said with humor in her tone.

  “I’m nervous I guess.”

  “I know, but that’s normal.” Star hesitated a moment, then spoke her mind. “Ria, I did not care much for Thorn at first, as you know. But over the past couple of weeks I’ve come to know him, Talon, and Tee. They love you, Ria. Very much. They want only to make you happy. You have nothing to fear from them.”

  “Yeah, I kind of know that,” Ria said. “Thanks for reminding me, Star. You’re truly the best friend I’ve ever had in my whole life.”

  “I still find that hard to believe,” Star said. “I am very lucky and proud to be your friend.”

  “I feel the same about you.” Ria leaned over the edge of the bed and hugged Star tightly.

  There was a knock on the door and Ria released Star, her face paling. “Here goes,” she said nervously and walked to the door.

  “Hi,” she said, her cheeks warming though she didn’t really know why. She stepped back to let Talon, Thorn and Tee in without looking up at them. Instead, she turned and started for the table. When they all stopped just inside the doorway, she turned in confusion, though she still didn't look up at their faces.

  “You look very beautiful, Ria,” Tee said, while Talon and Thorn nodded their heads. “You always look beautiful to us, of course. You just look even more beautiful tonight.”

  Ria knew Tee was telling the truth which gave her the courage to look up at them. The way they were staring at her, their eyes wide and lips slightly parted, made her skin pebble and her mouth go dry.

  “Hello, Admirals,” Star said with a hint of teasing in her tone as she climbed off the bed.

  “Um, yes, hi, Star,” Talon said, then shook his head as though to clear it before carrying a tray with Star’s dinner to the table. He took the cover off, checked to be sure the roast was sliced, and lifted another cover off of a dish of stir fried rice with chicken which was far and away Star’s favorite treat. He glanced over at her as soon as he lifted the lid and already she’d caught the scent.

  “You brought my favorite,” she said happily, her tail wagging. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome, Star,” he said, pleased with her reaction. He carried the tray to her eating mat and put it down for her.

  “How’s the water fountain working?” Thorn asked.

  “It’s wonderful,” Star said. “You do so much for me, all the time. I hope you know how grateful I am.”

  “Of course we do, but we don’t do any more for you than we’d do to accommodate anyone else,” Talon said.

  Ria gave Star another hug, whispered goodnight to her, then joined Tee near the door.

  “Goodnight Star,” Talon said.

  “Enjoy your dinner,” Thorn added.

  “I will,” Star said. “Have a good evening.”

  When they were outside the room Thorn paused to be sure the door was locked behind them. Ria was surprised when they only walked a few steps before stopping in front of Talon’s door. He opened it and she looked up at him in surprise before stepping inside.

  “We thought it’d be nice to have a private meal,” he explained. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, not at all,” Ria said. She was actually relieved. She had a feeling most of the ship knew she’d gotten her sight back and she really didn’t want to be distracted by other people’s stares tonight.

  Thorn pulled a chair out for her, Tee poured her a small glass of wine to go with the water she usually preferred, and Talon began filling her plate for her. She realized suddenly that this was the first time she’d had a meal with them alone, or that hadn’t come packed separately for each of them.

  Talon passed her plate to Thorn, who carefully chose a few items to add that he knew she liked, then Tee added even more food, selecting the best go each of her favorite dishes in the time honored tradition of Clan males caring for their female. She watched in silence, her heart pounding with both excitement and joy. Tee placed the plate in front of her she smiled brightly at each of them.

  “Thank you, very much,” she said. Then she looked at the plate in front of her and laughed at the mountain of food. The Katres grinned back at her as they filled their own plates.

  “You don’t have to eat all of it,” Talon said.

  “That’s a relief because I’d be here for about a week.”

  “It’s wonderful to see you so happy, Ria,” Thorn said. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get enough of your smiles.”

  “It feels good to be happy,” Ria said.

  “Have you started to see color yet?” Tee asked.

  “No, but I think that I will.”

  “Why do you think so?” Talon asked.

  “Well, if Vari’s supposition is right, and I think it is, the nano-bots gave me Doftle vision. They see in the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum outside of the range of our vision, which means they don’t actually see and process color the way we do. Visible light is completely different than invisible light.

  “So far they seem to take their time figuring things out before they make changes. Why or how they discovered my eyes are made for visible light when they started replacing the bridge with altered brain cells I can’t begin to fathom. But I think that visible light is a completely new concept for them. Now that they’ve added it, I think it’s just a matter of time before they figure out I’m supposed to see things in color, and how to make that work.”

  “What if they don’t?” Thorn asked. “What if they don’t or can’t find a way for you to see in color?”

  “Then they don
’t,” Ria said. “I’m happy with what I have, although I do have one problem.”

  “What’s that?” Talon asked.

  “Well,” she began, then paused, suddenly embarrassed. “Maybe I need to think this through some more.”

  “Nope, not allowed,” Tee said.

  “Not allowed?” She asked, looking at him in surprise, a smile playing around her lips.

  “That’s right,” he said firmly. “Once you start to tell something, no fair holding back.”

  She knew he was being playful, but he was also serious. It did seem like an awful tease, she realized. “Okay then, here goes. As I told Thorn earlier, I never saw any of you before I lost my sight, not even in a picture. You might have noticed, or not, that I’ve never asked you to tell me what you look like, either.”

  “We noticed,” Talon said. “And we wondered about it.”

  “Well, maybe this sounds foolish but I wanted to wait for a special occasion. A private occasion. With just us. I wanted it to be something to remember.” She shrugged, then fixed her eyes on her plate, ignored her burning cheeks, and continued. “I thought tonight would be a good time for that. For you to tell me what color your hair and eyes are anyway since I can see you now.”

  Talon froze, looked up at Thorn, then Tee, and saw the same expressions on their faces that he knew was on his own. He looked back at Ria, sensed her tension, and forced himself to relax. Whether she meant what they thought or not, they would go along with this gladly.

  “We like that idea, Ria,” he said, reaching over to touch her hand lightly.

  “Really?” she asked hopefully.

  “Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll start, if you like.”

  “Yes, please,” she said eagerly.

  Talon smiled. “My hair is black, as is my tail lock. I have golden eyes, but they’re several shades lighter than Prince Garen’s.”

  “I guessed your hair was black, and your tail lock, but not your eyes. Thorn?”

  “I have the same eyes as Talon, and my hair and tail lock are medium brown.”