“Scream all ye want, lass, but naebody will come to yer rescue,” he hissed in her ear, his ale-soaked breath almost making her gag. “They are all having a grand old time in there with the Ceilidh.”
Melissa’s eyes shot past his shoulder to a window overlooking the yard. Nobody had heard her scream, all of the guests were laughing and drinking, completely oblivious to what was happening just beyond the doors.
“Ye an’ I are about to have some fun of our own.” His hot breath made her sick as his lips brushed against her neck.
Shutting her eyes, she tried to fight him off, realizing with sickening panic that her strength was not enough to keep him at bay.
2
Daniel frowned to himself and placed his mug of ale on the table before making his way across the room, trying to hurry whilst not arousing any suspicions from any of the guests. He’d seen Melissa leaving through the open doors, but the man she had been with was nowhere to be seen once the doors had closed.
He’d thought for a second that the scream had been his mind playing tricks on him, but the silence that came from beyond the doors made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Although he had enjoyed Melissa’s annoyance with the unwanted attentions of the young lad, there was something about him that didn’t seem right. The way he carried himself had spoken of arrogance in a manner that didn’t sit well with Daniel. What was worse was the fact that he hadn’t recognized the man as anyone he’d seen before. There was every chance that an uninvited guest had wandered through the open doors.
Daniel briefly wondered why he cared about Melissa now, when he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her at any given time. He reassured himself that he would do the same for any lass that was followed by a strange man.
Making his way across the room to the closed doors, he quietly pulled them open before stepping into the warm evening air and shutting them behind him.
The courtyard was empty, with no one to be seen. He hurriedly scanned the corners before his eyes were drawn to the shadows behind a pillar.
His breath caught in his chest at the sight of the unknown man pinning the sister of his best friend’s wife against the wall in a more than unsuitable position.
Struggling to fight back, Melissa scratched at the man’s face, trying her best to gain the upper hand by using her knees to aim for his groin. The man, however, was far superior in strength, holding her in place with one hand while stifling her screams with the other.
Seeing red, Daniel flew across the yard, yanking the man by the shoulder and causing him to stumble back, falling to his hands and knees before flipping him over again with a kick. There were many things he would tolerate in life, but seeing a man take advantage of a young lass unleashed his inner rage.
“What the devil…” the man yelped in pain, from his position on the floor, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Daniel and the anger on his face. Jumping to his feet, he quickly attempted to flee across the courtyard and into the shadows.
Daniel was, however, quicker, as he reached the man in a matter of seconds, gripping the back of his coat and yanking him to the ground in one quick motion.
Melissa gasped from where she still stood as Daniel raised his fist in the air, pulling on the lapels of the man’s jacket and pinning him to the ground with his knee on his chest.
“I didnae mean any harm,” Ethan pleaded with his arms covering his face.
His vision became blurry as Daniel lost control, punching him in the face with quick successive blows. His fist made contact with soft flesh more times than he could count, landing sickening blows that drowned out the sound of the man’s protests.
“Stop, you’re going to kill him!” Melissa’s panicked voice broke through the fog, bringing Daniel back to his senses.
Pausing with his fist in the air, Daniel let go of the man’s collar. Pushing himself up and taking a step back, he looked down at the man, whose face was barely recognizable beneath the wounds and blood. His chest rose and fell with each labored breath as he struggled to regain control of himself. Clenching his fists at his side, he took another step back, allowing the man to roll to his side.
Blood spilled from the man’s mouth and nose as he struggled to his feet, carefully backing away before turning to run, disappearing into the shadows before Daniel had a chance to change his mind.
“Bloody bastard,” Daniel cursed under his breath as he watched the man run away. He would have beaten the life out of him if it hadn’t been for Melissa pulling him off. Remembering why he had beaten the man in the first place, he turned to look at her.
Her body was trembling as she stared into the dark with a wide-eyed look of disbelief and panic on her face. Her hair was messy and disheveled, while the front of her dress was partially torn down the front, exposing the milky flesh of her round breasts. Yet, he couldn’t see that the man had inflicted any kind of physical wound on her.
Realizing that she was exposed, Daniel quickly removed his coat and placed it on her shoulders in an attempt to cover her up. His hand gently brushed the curve of her shoulder, causing her to flinch away from his touch. “Ye dinnae have to be scared anymore, lass.” He lowered his voice to a gentler tone in an attempt to soothe her nerves.
Taking a deep breath, Melissa pulled his coat over her shoulders and held the fabric in front of her breasts. “I wouldn’t think it would have been you who came to my rescue,” she said in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood.
Daniel felt a sense of pride at the fierce way she tried to make light of her current situation, hiding her fear. “Did he hurt ye?” he asked, gently placing his finger under her chin, and examining her face.
“No.” She shook her head, allowing him to make sure that she was fine. “You came just in the nick of time. He was about to…” She shut her eyes and winced at the thought of what would have happened if Daniel hadn’t come along when he did.
“Try an’ nae think of what may have happened,” he gently replied and led her over to the bench where she’d been sitting before Ethan had come. “Take a deep breath an’ relax, I’ll wait for ye to catch yer breath ‘afore we go back inside.”
“I can’t go back inside like this,” she said, almost panicked at the idea of having to face the guests in her current state. “Everyone will know that something happened.” The color drained from her face. “Everyone will think that I was ruined.”
