Seeing with the Heart_A Kindred Tales Novel Read online

  I tried so hard to save you, Brother. But you died anyway. And now look at me…

  Braxx turned away, unable to look anymore, unable to bear thinking of his past failure. Instead, he studied the musical instrument which had rows of black and white keys. He wondered if Dr. Reynaud played it or if it was just for decoration.

  On top of its wooden surface was an old-fashioned framed picture—not a holo—of the female who had opened the door. Dr. Reynaud wasn’t quite looking at the camera for some reason but she was laughing, her big brown eyes sparkling with apparent enjoyment and beside her was another girl with black hair and deep brown skin tones who was also laughing. Maybe this was her friend—the one she was waiting for?

  She really was a beautiful woman, he thought, studying the Doctor’s picture. And young for such an honor. Commander Sylvan had spoken of her credentials with deep respect, leading Braxx to believe she was somewhat older. But she looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, although it could be difficult to tell age in an Earth female and they were sensitive about being asked.

  At any rate, she was gorgeous, no matter what her age, he thought. With that wild hair and those huge eyes…not to mention her lush, curvy figure which was what he’d heard some other Earth females refer to as “plus-sized,” any male would want her.

  He liked “plus-sized” females—he liked Doctor Reynaud’s lush hips, her generous behind, and her full breasts. Gods, he ought to stop thinking this way! How long had it been since he’d bedded a female?

  Not since Delanna, he thought regretfully. And even with her, he’d never had bonding sex. She’d said she wanted to wait until their joining night to let him sink his shaft all the way inside her, to fill her with the mating fist which grew around the base. He was incredibly grateful that he hadn’t bonded her to him now. Although he couldn’t help wondering if she might have stayed with him, even after the accident, if they had been bonded…

  “Hey, do you want some breakfast?” Dr. Reynaud came back into the room, still pointedly not looking at him. “I haven’t had anything yet—I was too excited and nervous to eat—but I know I need something. Since we’re waiting for Denise anyway, I can whip us up some Cream of Wheat.”

  “Cream of what?” Braxx growled, trying to think what she might mean. He knew wheat was an Earth grain but how would you go about making it creamy?

  “Oh, haven’t you heard of that?” she asked, coming up to him. “It’s a sort of regional breakfast food. It’s—oh!”

  Her last words ended in a shriek. Though she had been looking right at him—well, in his general direction anyway—as she spoke, she had somehow tripped over his outstretched legs and was now falling face first to the floor.

  Without thinking, Braxx reached out and snatched her out of the air. His Kindred reflexes stood him in good stead—she didn’t even hit the ground. Instead, she ended up in his lap with a surprised look on her face.

  “Watch where you’re going, why don’t you?” Braxx demanded, angry because he’d been afraid for her—afraid she would fall and hurt those lovely, delicate features he saw staring up into his own twisted visage.

  “I can’t watch where I’m going!” she exclaimed, sounding exasperated. “I’m blind. What did I trip over, anyway? I know there isn’t a piece of furniture there.”

  “You…you’re…” Braxx was having a hard time wrapping his head around the concept. “You’re blind?” he asked at last, staring down into her face. “But your eyes look so normal…beautiful,” he added, before he thought about it.

  “Of course they look normal.” She still sounded exasperated. “The accident that took my sight damaged the part of my brain responsible for vision—the occipital lobe—not my eyes.”

  Braxx was still having a hard time believing her. He held two fingers in front of her face.

  “How many fingers am I holding up?” he demanded.

  “How should I know?” she asked, frowning. “Look, are you dense or something? I told you, I’m blind. Which means I can’t see—at all. I’m not even partially sighted, okay?”

  “All right. I’m sorry.” Braxx shook his head. “It’s just…you moved so confidently around your domicile. I thought—”

  “I move around my own home with ease because I know where everything is,” she said crisply. “I had all the furniture placed and memorized its placement. And I know there isn’t a footstool or chair here, so what did I trip on?”

  “I…had my legs stretched out,” Braxx admitted haltingly. “I’m sorry,” he added. “I didn’t know you were…I mean, I never would have tripped you on purpose, Dr. Reynaud.”

  “It’s all right—I’ll just chalk it up as another ‘blind girl’ moment.” To his surprise, instead of continuing to be angry, she actually smiled and laughed with wry amusement. “I tend to have a lot of those but that’s okay—I just go with the flow.”

  Just like in her picture, the smile transformed her face from pretty to gorgeous and Braxx found he suddenly couldn’t look away from her.

  He was aware that he was still holding her on his lap and knew he ought to let her go—ought to set her back on her feet. But she was so soft against him and she smelled so damn good. The scent of her freshly washed hair was intoxicating and under it was another, deeper scent that was wholly feminine and incredibly enticing.

  Also, he was still trying to get over the fact that she couldn’t see.

  She wasn’t avoiding my eyes because she didn’t want to see my scars, like other females do, he thought wonderingly. She wasn’t meeting my eyes because she couldn’t see them. She can’t tell how ugly I am! And I can stare at her beauty all I want without being considered “rude” or worrying that she’s judging me for my own outward appearance.

  The thought was immediately and intensely appealing. A beautiful woman with a sense of humor who couldn’t see his own disfigurement. Dr. Reynaud was perfect.

  “Forgive me,” he said, trying to make his brain work again. “For tripping you. It wasn’t intentional, as I said, Doctor Reynaud.”

  “Call me Molly, Commander Braxx,” she said. “Any man who keeps me from face-planting is on a first name basis as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Molly,” he echoed her, liking the sound of her name. It seemed to fit her somehow. “And you may call me simply Braxx.”

  “Thank you, Braxx, for catching me instead letting me fall,” she said, still smiling. “You’re fast.” She placed one soft hand on his arm and ran her fingers lightly up to his shoulder. “And big,” she added, sounding awed. “I thought you must be, from how high up your voice was coming from, back at the front door. But you must be like…professional basketball player tall.” She tested his bicep with one hand and Braxx obligingly flexed it for her. “And professional wrestler muscular,” she added. “Wow.”

  “I am around six feet and eleven inches or two point one meters tall in Earth measurements, I believe,” he answered her. “But that is not unusual for a Kindred warrior.”

  “I’ve always heard how big you guys are but I’ve never gotten to meet one of you in person,” she admitted. “I’ve always been…curious.”

  Her soft hand was resting lightly on his shoulder and now she sat up a little and ran her fingers up the back of his neck to bury them in his thick black hair.

  Braxx felt a shiver go through him. Gods, how long had it been since a female had touched him with anything but pity or disgust? How long since he’d felt soft, feminine hands on his body and had known that the female touching him actually wanted to touch him?

  “I am…willing to satisfy your curiosity if you like,” he said, hardly knowing what he was saying.

  “What kind of Kindred are you?” Her fingers continued to card through his hair and Braxx became aware that his cock was getting hard under her lush bottom. That was it, he definitely needed to get her out of his lap now. But somehow he just couldn’t make himself let her go.

  “I am a Beast Kindred—from Rageron,” he answered, his