Stopping a murder that happened forty years earlier may be the only way to heal a tortured mind ...<br><br>Six months after Jesse Madding is brutally tortured by Marcus Brooker, he is still experiencing flashbacks, panic attacks, and jumping at his own shadow. His lovers, Gideon Keel and Emma Coolidge, would do anything to help him, but Jesse refuses to be hospitalized for treatment, or even visit a therapist. Desperate for a change, Gideon and Emma suggest a radical solution.<br><br> Jesse wants to fix his life. More than anything, he wants to be normal again. He doesn't want to live in fear. He doesn't want to be ashamed of his scarred and mutilated body. He doesn't want to shy away from Gideon's touch. Certain that the holding pattern will kill him, he agrees to Gideon and Emma's proposed solution: travel to an alternative dimension and save Marcus Brooker from witnessing Mary's grisly murder ... in order to save Brooker's soul.

Chaos and Communion

“Because losing you was the hardest thing that ever happened to me,” came his tight response. “I am not going to lose Jesse, too.”


Now she focused on Jesse like she was getting ready to save him herself. “Are you in danger?”


“No…” He set the cup of coffee down, surprised to find he was still holding it. “Yes. The past six months have been hard…between the flashbacks and everything. Michelle is my friend, and she thought it would be good for me, mentally and emotionally, if we made things right. That includes actually coming face to face with the person…”


“Is that why you went to the church today?”


“I just wanted to get a look at the place. I thought it would be empty.”


Mary covered his hand and squeezed his fingers gently. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”


“Though I guess that explains how you knew about the bite on my neck.”


Chapter 35