Sanctuary

Chapter Five

He didn't want to touch her, knowing first hand he could cause more harm than good, so Damon just crouched beside her. Iyla's breathing was returning to normal and with it, embarrassment and mortification surged through her. She lifted her head from the black silky fur and turned to look at him, expecting confusion. What shocked her was the amount of understanding she saw in his blazing blue eyes.

"I'm not going to ask what happened to you, ok? I just want to know if you're alright." She blinked just looking at him for a moment as her muscles uncoiled and she relaxed, dropping her head to the side as she nodded.

"I'm ok...thank you," she whispered, her heart still racing against her chest, her mind coming out of the fog of panic. Her face had been deathly pale, but now was flushed with red as she scrubbed a hand over her face.

"What was that noise?" She asked softly her eyes drifting around the room, then back to Damon as he stood.

"A garbage truck...here," he mumbled reaching his hand out for her to take. She was hesitant at first but took the extended hand with a small smile. When their hands touched, the skin to skin contact had that same strange bolt of electricity shooting through her arm and spreading through her entire body. She thanked him softly before looking down at Shadow, who's large head was pressed against her thigh. Her fingers smoothed the fur on the top of his head as she sighed.

"I'm-"

"Don't.....don't apologize," he paused as he took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, exhaling a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

"I understand better than most that noises can trigger panic attacks, anxiety, lapses in mental state. When I came back....from the sandbox, the sound of my own fan kept me up at night. It's strange, usually people hear their fan and don't give it a second thought but for me....it was a nightmare. It sounded like a helicopter right above me, instantly took me back," He snapped his fingers as he placed his hat back on his head and turned to look at her. She noticed the small look of defeat flash across his face and opened her mouth to say something...anything. But the words didn't come. So she just nodded and brushed some stray hairs behind her ears.

"What branch?" She wondered looking down to her feet and back up to him.

"Navy." She blinked and tilted her head with a small frown as he moved to place his coffee cup on the mantle. She had noticed the tattoo before but not what it was. Just inside his forearm an eagle sat perched on an anchor, a trident through it horizontally and in it's talons...she couldn't see what it was but she knew.

"So....you were a frogman," she stated with a raised brow moving over to get her roll of paper towels to clean up the spilled coffee on the floor. Damon frowned, whirling to look at her with a surprised look.

"How did you know?"

"I'm a military kid, I've seen that before," she commented pointing haphazardly to his tattoo before continuing.

" When we were stationed in Rammstein in 2012, I'd see guys like you. They'd stop there before heading back stateside. They'd all come into the Exchange and get-"

"Cinnabon. Cinnabon and naps," Damon said with a small grin, his eyes bright and his hands on his hips.

"So your dad....Air Force?" Iyla just nodded her nostrils flaring with pride.

"So is my oldest brother. My dad was a fighter pilot, and my brother is an F-15E WSO. Both my aunt and uncle are army, so the military is in my family," she explained. He whistled lowly and grinned at her, crossing his arms over his chest. There was definitely more to this small woman in front of him than on the surface, and he still couldn't shake the feeling he got seeing her drop to the floor like that. But he wouldn't press her. That's not what she needed. And so he kept asking her questions, about her brothers which he learned she had two, about the plans she had for the house anything he could to keep her mind occupied. Shadow had found a perfect little sunspot by the doors to the sun room, lying lazily on his side as he napped.