A Wager Of The Heart

67. No one else

:::Kent:::

That scum of the earth, sorry excuse for a human continued to make his aim solely Charity. I would not allow him the pleasure. He was fast with that bloody kitchen knife but I managed to dodge his sloppy attacks. Whenever I could, I hit him as hard as my strength would allow. I was not foolish enough to leave Charity exposed again, however I refused to leave without erasing this man's existence from Charity's memories. Kesler's endurance was almost exhausted but I was just starting. I knew I could last longer than him. I just had to wait until he was no longer a threat and then justice would me mine to deliver. 

The three of us left in the clearing froze at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was very likely that the intruders were friendly, namely Brandan. But Kesler still blocked the exit so I didn't let my guard down. After a second of tense apprehension, Tallys came around the corner. Charity stepped behind me blocking her from view. Brandan came into the clearing next, leading Tallys by a tight grasp on his shoulders. He was followed by Preston, Bastion and Geraldine. 

I was happy Brandan had finally found us. But I was disappointed that he brought company. With Preston and Geraldine present it would be impossible to extract my pound of flesh on my angel's behalf. I stood up straighter and smiled at the present company. I felt Charity step closer to me and grab the back of my jacket. She was shaking with fear as she leaned into me, burying her head into my back. I realized she probably didn't see her family yet. 

The fury that blazed within my soul vanished instantly as she clung to me. It was replaced by an odd sense of pride and fear, an overwhelming conviction that I would do anything for this dark angel. My angel. I coaxed the tension from my body as I watched the new comers look on in confusion. I saw a mixture of horror and bafflement and anger pass over their faces. I tried to imagine the scene as they must see it. Then I found that I didn't care. I succeeded in protecting this woman that I loved more than anything in the world. 

I sighed in relief and my small noise seemed to wake everyone up. "What the hell is going on here?" Preston demanded, taking an angry step forward. I could tell from his tone that my father thought he'd been summoned from the ball to stop of my notoriously stupid fights. 

Charity clutched my jacket more tightly and I knew she was not only afraid but ashamed as well. I turned slowly toward her and away from the gathered onlookers. I tried to keep my anger in check as the full extent of Kesler's monstrosities came to my attention. Charity's face was swollen and bruising quickly. I could see the details of every one of Kesler's fingers on her soft skin. She had a cut along her jaw and her beautiful lip was split and bloodied. There was a deep cut along her throat and a few more shallow ones along the column of her neck. Her dress was cut at the sleeves and halfway down her bodice, exposing her upper chest. The cut administered by Tallys above her left breast was superficial and had already stopped bleeding.

I met her gaze and felt a weight drop into my heart and ground me forever. I could see myself in her eyes and I knew that at that moment there existed no one else in the world to her. I was everything. I swallowed hard around the fear coiling in my breast and pulled my jacket off. I laid the garment over her shoulders. I was surprised when Charity reached forward and gripped the front of my shirt as desperately as she'd gripped my jacket. 

"Kent!" Preston's voice boomed into the silence. I nodded and briefly squeezed her hand. She was going into shock and her eyes were still wide with fear. I turned around and stepped aside to finally expose her to the others. Preston's eyes darted between the three of us in shock and bewilderment. Bastion and Brandan were staring between Charity and Kesler. 

I saw from the corner of my eye as the shock and fear and relief hit Charity all at once and her body crumpled. I caught her just before she hit the ground. Kesler watched my angel fall with a smile on his face and Geraldine cried out and ran toward us. She leaned down into the mud and cradled her sister's head and wept over her limp form. I held Charity's fragile body in my arms and I knew there was no going back. No denying and no more games. I would win her trust and her heart and be a better man for it. 

I heard Preston sputtering and I looked up at him. He was angrier than I'd ever seen him. His face was purple, his eyes bulged and his hands shook. He wasn't aiming the anger at me. Instead he watched Kesler and finally managed to speak around his fury. "What, exactly, happened here?" Preston demanded in outrage. 

Kesler smiled and looked at the unconscious woman in my arms. "She got what she deserved, what she begged for."

From the corner of my eye I saw Bastion move like a blur as he ran at Kesler and tackled the younger man to the ground. Kesler never saw him coming. Bastion was screaming and his fists moved so quickly I lost track of how often he hit Kesler. "That's my daughter!" He screamed over and over again. His ferocious attack gave me new respect for the older man as I was content to watch him deliver the beating of a lifetime. Kesler deserved every second of it and more. 

Preston gestured to Brandan when, after several minutes, it appeared Bastion had no intention of stopping. Brandan released Tallys but before the man could scamper away, Brandan balled his fist and hit him square in the jaw. He was fuming, a site rarely seen in him. Tallys fell to the ground, either knocked unconscious or pretending to be. Either way it was the first intelligent thing he'd ever done. Brandan grabbed the still swinging Bastion and pulled him to his feet. Kesler lay on the ground and laughed through a blood filled and swollen mouth and a broken nose. Brandan kept Bastion restrained, even as the older man fought to continue his pummeling. 

"We are leaving." Preston announced, still too angry to stop his hands from shaking. "Geraldine, dear," He said softly and he leaned down to pull her to her feet. She was still crying silently. "Will you come with me and gather your things, and your sisters?" Geraldine nodded. "Meet us in the front, do not bring her into the house." He said looking at me. 

Preston and Geraldine walked toward the glittering lights of the ballroom. I rose to my feet with Charity still clutched in my arms. Brandan still held the struggling father back from finishing the job he started. Kesler lay on the ground, his once smug face bruised and bloodied and his eyes followed me as I carried my angel away through slowly closing slits. Brandan followed us around the dark side of the building, still pulling Bastion along. When we reached the corner Bastion had calmed down enough to be released. 

He watched his daughter in my arms for a moment and then tugged invisible wrinkles from his shirt. "I have a few things to say to our hosts before we leave." He said, with barely concealed fury. Brandan eyed him wearily and Bastion offered a tight lipped smile. "I think I've made my point with the maggot."

I nodded. "You'll want to get your things." I said in a measured tone. I was beginning to feel the aftershocks of my encounter with Kesler and my body buzzed with nervous energy. 

"I'll get the carriages prepared and pack your things as well as mine." Brandan said carefully as he followed Bastion up to the house. 

I watched them retreat and then turned my gaze to the woman in my arms. She was so pale and delicate that I felt another wave of need envelop my heart. A need to keep her close to me forever, to keep that smile on her face and never be faced with a situation like tonight. It was exhilarating and debilitating at the same moment. She was everything. No one else would ever matter as much. I sighed as I pulled her closer to me and walked slowly toward the front of the house.