He laid her down on the bed and immediately climbed in beside her, pulling her into his arms. She shoved her face in his neck, her body shaking. Her pulse was a frantic staccato, and heated moisture fell onto his neck and slithered downward to disappear beneath the collar of his shirt.
"Don't cry, baby. Not for them. They aren't worth your tears. I don't want you to ever have a reason to cry again."
She gripped him harder for a moment, pressing her face and lips more firmly against his neck before she released her hold on him and slowly eased her head back so she could look up at him.
She was prevented from speaking when a quiet knock sounded at the door and Isaac called for Shadow to come in. He carried a glass of water in one hand and his other was curled around something, trapping it in his grasp.
He handed the glass to Isaac and then opened his palm to reveal the small peach-colored pill. "I need you to take this, sweetheart. Can you do that for me?"
"What is it?" she asked cautiously.
Isaac caressed her cheek with his free hand. "It's just something to help you relax and it will ease the panic and anxiety. Most important, it will help you sleep, and you need to get some rest. I've kept you up the last three days and I'm sure you're exhausted."
She flushed, looking so adorable that Isaac wanted to spread her out and kiss and lick every inch of skin that was now a delectable shade of pink.
But then her expression became troubled and she lifted sorrow-filled eyes to both Isaac and Shadow. "But what about what happened? What does it all mean? Who would do something so horrible?"
"We'll talk about it after you wake up from your nap," Isaac said soothingly, stroking through her hair with his hand. "Right now I need you to rest. Will you do that for me? I won't withhold any information from you. I promise."
She eyed the pill Shadow was now holding just in front of her lips, waiting for her to open her mouth to take it, and hesitated.
"I'd never give you anything that would hurt you," Shadow said, sincerity ringing in his voice. "You have my word, Jenna. I'll protect you from anything or anyone harming you. I'm not the enemy."
She grimaced and looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Shadow. I didn't mean for you to think I doubted you. I just feel as though I have absolutely no control over any aspect of my life and I was afraid the medicine would make me feel even more helpless."
Shadow grinned. "Kinda hard to feel helpless when you're sound asleep, angel face. Now open up so Isaac can give you something to wash it down with."
She took the pill and immediately made a face, lunging for the glass in Isaac's hand. She swallowed hard and then shuddered. Then she sent Shadow an accusing look. "You were trying to kill me! That tasted awful!"
Shadow laughed and then gave Isaac a chin lift before ruffling Jenna's hair affectionately. Without another word, he left the room and Isaac gathered her in his arms once more, determined to stay with her until the medicine took effect and she fell into a deep and hopefully dreamless sleep.
"I wasn't upset that the elders were killed," Jenna said, suddenly interrupting the quiet that had fallen over the room. "I know it's wrong, but they're pure evil and they deserved what they got."
"What upset you then, baby?"
Tears glistened in her eyes. "They killed everyone. Even the children. And the women. Many of the cult members weren't evil. They were just misguided and brainwashed. They thought they were doing God's will. They didn't deserve to die just because they believed the wrong people."
Isaac nodded, tucking her head against his chest so he could rest his chin atop her head.
"I know it may not seem like it now, but honey, soon this will be all over and once it is, I'm making you mine legally, and then I'll go to work making you so happy that one day you'll look back at all that happened and it won't be so bright in your memory."
She yawned and snuggled closer to him, wrapping her legs around his. "You have no idea how much I want that, Isaac. But I'm afraid to dream. I'm afraid to hope. Before, I didn't have anything to look forward to, dream about or that gave me hope, so it didn't really matter what happened. But now there's so much I want, and I couldn't bear it if it was all taken away after I had the chance to experience it even for a short time."
"With love, miracles happen, and you were already a miracle, so I'm liking our odds. Don't count us out before we ever get to start on our journey together. I swear to you that if you'll trust me with your heart and your happiness, you'll enjoy every minute of the ride."
TWENTY
ISAAC eased himself from the bed, having waited until Jenna succumbed fully to the sedative, and he leaned down to press his lips to her brow, closing his eyes, his heart aching over what he knew lay ahead. She'd endured enough hurt and sorrow for a lifetime, and it frustrated him that he couldn't just make it all go away for her instantaneously. Before it was all over with, she would suffer still more emotional duress, but he'd give his life to prevent her from enduring more physical pain. He fervently prayed that violence never touched her again, though he knew he couldn't make that kind of guarantee. The only promise he could make was that he'd protect her as fiercely as he'd ever protected anyone and he knew his men would do the same. Their determination matched his own, and it was there to see in their eyes and their demeanor.