Enraptured

Chapter 15

He was covered in splotches of dust from head to toe. Even the collar of his shirt was torn apart. A bright red mark decorated the left side of his cheek, and deep scraps were littered across his hands.

What happened to him?

Why was he here by himself?

I quickly made my way toward the little boy, parting the crowd like the red sea with my large frame. The moment I reached him, I swiftly scooped him off the ground.

Theo reflexively swung his hand toward my face but immediately stopped mid-motion when his eyes widened in recognition. A series of emotions flashed through his eyes, from anger to shock to relief to panic.

Tears brimmed at the corner of his eyes as he incoherently sputtered, "T-that man... O-over there... he w-was... he's t-trying to..."

I never expected to see his previously cold demeanor break down like this.

I caught his flailing hands, not wanting him accidentally hurt himself. "Theo, please try to calm down first. I can't help you like this."

He yanked his tiny fists out of my hand and frustratingly shouted, "But he's hurting Ms. Belle!"

My blood ran cold at the one little sentence.

"Where, Theo?"

Between his sobs, he shakily pointed toward the southeast side of the market at a narrow alleyway between two tall buildings next to the market. I hastily pushed passed the people in my way, following his directions as I held the frantic little boy tightly in my arms.

I didn't fully know what was happening, but all I needed to push me forward was the knowledge that Ms. Caddel was in danger.

Right as I rounded the corner, I immediately spotted the back of some man pinning a familiar petite brunette against the wall, surrounded by a scattered array of fruits on the ground. He had a perverted grin carved into his face as he disgustingly pushed his hands underneath her shirt, taking no mind to her struggling body.

My blood boiled at the sight.

How dare he touch her like that? Completely disregarding all her feelings and treating her like a piece of meat.

Without another thought, I strode right up to him and clamped a heavy hand on his shoulder. I easily yanked him off of her in one forceful stroke, sending him tumbling to the ground with a loud crash and revealing a trembling Ms. Caddel.

Her hair was in complete disarray, matching the state of her clothes, with an array of revolting red and purple splotches trailing down her neck and along her collarbone.

My hand clenched into a fist, trying to contain my anger.

Theo was already trembling in fear in my arms, and I didn't want to make it worse. I needed to stay calm for both of them.

However, that thought instantly flew out of my head when the revolting imbecile shouted, "Dude, what the hell are you doing? I called dibs!"

My jaw tightened. 

I bent down to put Theo down next to his mother as calmly as possible. Then, I straightened back up to my full height and turned around to face the bastard.

As he slowly pushed himself back off the ground, he started, "Look, I don't know who you think you are, but it's none of your business, so just get—" He cut himself off when he looked up and met my eyes for the first time. Even when he was standing, he was still a good half a foot shorter than me with a much smaller build as well.

But that wasn't why he stopped to stare at me.

He pointed a trembling finger at me, stuttering as he tried to back away from me, "Y-you're D-Demetrius Nikolaos..."