Peace.
The kind of peace that couldn’t be wiped away in a moment of guilt when his past came back to haunt him. It was a permanent part of him now, every bit as much as she was a permanent part—the very best part—of everything he was. Even now he ached just remembering the beauty of that moment. As soon as she’d touched him there was no separation. Their hearts and souls had recognized one another and in that brief second when time seemed to stop, they’d been truly connected in a way Isaac had never been connected to another human being. Heart, soul and mind, closer than any two people could ever possibly be. He didn’t believe for a moment that any other two people were capable of sharing something as inexplicable as the kind of bond that had instantly and irrevocably formed between him and Jenna.
And because she’d healed more than just the physical wounds he’d incurred and brought light back into a world that had been dark to him for so long, he hadn’t had a single nightmare since finding her and bringing her home to him, knowing—and fully admitting to himself—that no other woman would ever own every single piece of his heart and soul like she did—and always would. If he ever lost her—fuck, it hurt to even entertain that thought—he’d never look at another woman again. She was his. Every inch of her body was his, and though she may have thought he was teasing, he’d been completely serious. He’d tie her to his bed in a heartbeat if he ever thought she’d try to leave him again.
Shadow cleared his throat in a not very subtle way and sent Isaac a pointed glare. “Daydream later when your attention isn’t needed on the very serious matter we have on our hands.”
Isaac glanced at Jenna, seeing trepidation in her eyes, but most pronounced was the set of her jaw, how her lips were pressed together and the determined way she stared back at him unflinchingly.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “I don’t like this, baby. I swore on my life to love and protect you always, to never let evil touch you and to bust my ass every single day to make you happy. Whatever the fuck is about to come on the news completely negates every one of those promises because if it wasn’t bad, and if it wasn’t going to upset you, then Shadow wouldn’t have indicated that you shouldn’t be present.”
She scowled in response. “Oh, let’s see. Not letting me decide for myself whether I want to watch a news program is not going to make me happy. Me being here surrounded by men who make professional wrestlers look like wimps more than covers my safety and protection. And unless you plan to tell me you don’t love me anymore because I didn’t act like a good little girl and meekly walk into the other room, I fail to see how any of your promises are at risk unless you decide to go through with the first and fourth items on my list.”
“Now you’re just pissing me off,” Isaac said in a near bellow. “Of course I love you, damn it. And of course you’re safe here.”
She lifted one eyebrow as she waited for him to address the first issue.
Dane strode into the kitchen. “We’re out of time, so do what you’re going to do but make it fast,” he snapped.
Jenna narrowed her eyes as she marched past Isaac as if daring him to stop her. And he was tempted. He was so tempted to make good on his threat to tie her to his bed. It would certainly make keeping the rest of his promises a hell of a lot easier. His lips curled upward into a snarl, baring his teeth when Jenna followed Shadow into the living room and took a seat on the floor next to him, the two sitting cross-legged directly in front of the TV.
“What do you think it is?” she asked Shadow nervously. “What did they say before the break?” She struggled a moment, her lips pursed in concentration, clearly puzzled. “Commercial break. That’s what you called it, wasn’t it? What is that?”
Oh hell no. If she needed information, reassurance, someone to hold her if the newscast upset or frightened her, it sure as fuck wasn’t going to be Shadow. Isaac moved pointedly between Jenna and Shadow, wedging his large body into the small space, unapologetically bumping into Shadow until Shadow gave him a disgusted look and moved over several inches.
“Let’s just see what the news anchor says,” Shadow said soothingly. “I’ll explain a commercial break to you later.”
Dane held up his hand for silence as the news anchor sat at her desk with a screen to the right of her shoulder showing images of flashing lights, dozens of ambulances, police vehicles and fire trucks.
As soon as the images began rolling, Jenna stiffened, her body going so rigid that the strain was evident in her face and eyes. Eyes that became haunted and so apprehensive that Isaac wanted to smash the fucking television to make it stop. The others cast Jenna worried glances and Shadow leaned forward, eyeing her sharply around Isaac.
It took everything Isaac had to focus on what the reporter was saying when all he wanted to do was shield Jenna from further distress, but the images meant something to Jenna, so they needed all the information the news could provide.
“We have a breaking development on a story we brought you earlier. What was first believed to have been a mass suicide in a compound in an isolated area north of Houston by a previously unknown and highly secretive cult has now been determined to have been a gruesome mass homicide,” the anchor said in a somber voice.
Isaac swore long and hard, and he wasn’t the only one. Tensions skyrocketed in the room and everyone’s eyes were glued to the television, where grisly details were being reported as calmly as if they were the weather report.
Jenna turned away from the TV, covering her entire face with her hands. She rocked back and forth, sounds of acute distress escaping her lips despite her having covered her mouth in an effort to prevent any sound from escaping. She shook uncontrollably and Isaac knew she was on the verge of shattering.
He exchanged helpless looks with Shadow and then glanced up at Dane, who was staring at Jenna with compassion and also fury over all she’d suffered. They all knew what this meant. What they didn’t know is whether Jenna had put it together yet or if she was just reacting to the reminder of the horror her life had been for two decades.
“Give me a minute with Jenna,” Isaac said in a low voice. “I’m going to take her into the bedroom and try to get her to rest.” He gave Dane a meaningful look. “Do what needs to be done while I take care of her.”