Ingrid was in pain and gasping for her breath when Alexei and the older man with him descended on the deck hands like a pair of the famed Russian wolves. She stared wide-eyed at the ferocity of her fiancee when he slashed the arm of the man who had struck her.<br/><br/>The man screamed and fell to his knees, and the other deck hands dragged him away, wailing and dripping blood. The sight horrified her, and yet, there was some secret fascination as well with Alexei's brutal defense of her honor.<br/><br/>When he turned to her, she looked up at him with that same mix of terror and curiosity. As he tucked a stray hair back behind her ear, she instinctively drew back ever so slightly, fear clouding her eyes. His gentle touch frightened her almost more than his fighting. What a powerful man could have two such sides to him and hold one in such complete abeyance while the other was dominant? Truly, he was a terrible, awesome creature to behold.<br/><br/>"Th-thank you, my lord," she managed to say. "I am sorry you should have had to see such terrible things. I hope the poor boy is all right."