Madeline hung her head and covered her face with her hands. Now, she would be hated by everyone, even her new friends. And what if something happened to Alex? Her gut churned as a vision of Alex bleeding forced its way into her mind. But even she had limits. Being tied and raped was not something she could ever tolerate again. Hadn’t she dealt with enough? She fought to keep her tears within.
“I am sorry, Brenna. But I cannot tolerate it anymore. With them both here in front of me, all is fresh in my mind. Kenneth tied me to chairs, whipping posts, whatever was closest at the time. Niles tied me to the bed when he raped me. I cannot live my life like that anymore, even for your brother.” She wiped the flowing tears off her cheeks.
Brenna stared at her friend in shock. She sighed and reached for Madeline. She stepped past her brothers and wrapped her arms around Maddie. Her voice softened, “Maddie, you know my brother. How could you think he would do such a thing to you? He would never treat a woman so.”
“How would I know that?” Maddie’s voice broke as she clung to Brenna. “I thought all men beat women. Kenneth beat me for the past two years and most of the servants, too. They say my da spoiled me, so I thought it to be why he never hit me. Please, no more beatings. I like your brother, but I would rather be in a convent than live my life as such.”
Niles’ taunts rose above the crowd.
“Alex!” Madeline broke away from Brenna and pushed against her guards in an attempt to get closer to the fight. “Robbie, I need to stop him.” Tears flowed unchecked down her face.
“My lady, the laird will have our heads if we let you near him. You will only distract him. He needs to concentrate,” Brodie explained.
“Robbie, do something!” Brenna pleaded.
“Brenna, I do not try to stop my laird when he is this focused. This is not a small matter to Alex. It is a matter of honor. From the stories I hear, ‘tis about time someone held the Comming accountable for his actions. The king will not retaliate. Alex is acting to keep peace. Now, cease talking!” Robbie glared at her as he turned to watch the action again.
Alex patiently waited for Niles to make the first move. He preferred to get a careful measure of his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. The crowd grew impatient and broke into a chant waiting for their laird to make his move. Niles raised his sword and came at Alex from above. He drove his sword over and over at him. The clash of steel on steel rang out as Alex easily blocked all of Niles’ parries.
Niles took a step back, “You will not get her, Grant. She is mine, and she was good, too!”
Alex turned and swung his claymore in a sideways arc at Niles. Niles blocked the blow, just missing having his belly sliced open. Alex parried at him again and again, swinging his powerful arms repeatedly at his adversary. The crowd’s chants grew louder. Sparks flew as the sounds of crashing metal continued. The ruthless drive continued, spurred by a power even Alex didn’t fully comprehend. Then a shout wrenched from the crowd as Alex slipped on the gravel and took the edge of Niles sword in his right thigh. The crowd booed at the injury to their laird. First blood had been drawn.
Alex stepped back to reassess. The wound was a small one, but he smiled. It was a reminder to him that he needed to stay in control. Niles would try to anger him with his taunts and lies about Madeline. He had to shut his mind to them if he was to win. He expected the Comming to be a dirty fighter. The man knew nothing of the word ‘honor’ as he expected.
The crowd cheered Alex on. He couldn’t see Madeline but preferred it that way. He wanted no distractions. His brothers would take care of her and his sisters. He would not have to see the fear in Madeline’s eyes anymore because of Niles Comming.
Madeline watched the sweat pour off Alex’s body. His muscles rippled every time he blocked a thrust of Niles’ sword. Even though the strain was evident in his movements, his power radiated from within. His strength knew no bounds. The opponents continued to slash and swing at each other relentlessly. Madeline grabbed Brodie’s arm, squeezing as she watched.
Alex lunged at Niles. Niles anticipated the move and rolled out of the way, but not before Alex sliced into his shoulder. The crowd roared. Niles still got up and was able to block two more blows.
Both men stepped to the outside of their circle. Niles paced as Alex held firm, both changing their strategies. The crowd quieted as they noted the blood dripping on the ground. Alex’s thigh was still trickling red, and Niles’ shoulder bled profusely. Alex knew he now had a weak spot on Niles. His shoulder had to be paining him and would weaken quickly. He glanced at his thigh. The pain was minimal and the bleeding was already slowing. But not on Niles, his shoulder continued to bleed heavily. He had to force him to swing overhead.