the war inside.

Jessa had never been a very strong fighter, as far as vampires went. She was smart but she wasn't strong and that had been her downfall - what had led her to being captured by Marcus. She had been sent as a decoy to draw a group of Loupe's wolves away from the fighters of her group. So that they could circle back around and attack Marcus' den. Except Marcus had known that and set a trap, And captured most of the group that Jessa had been with.

The first few days were a blur, Jessa had easily been able to conclude that she had been transported. That she wouldn't remember any of that because Marcus hadn't wanted any of the women left alive to be able to find their way back to Marcus' den if they managed to escape.

For the first few weeks that she had been kept there, Jessa hadn't been given an ounce of blood to feed on. She had been kept chained up in a silver cage, with chains around her wrists so that she couldn't move. The longer that she continued to lay there, the more that she was about to die. It wasn't very often that a vampire died from lack of blood and malnutrition but it seemed that Marcus did not care for the prisoners that he had taken. No one had come down to check on them in days and the longer that time passed, the more that Jessa was sure she wished she had been one of those that were killed.

She was angry and frustrated but with a lack of food, Jessa was far too weak to be able to do anything but lay curled up in her cell. She tried her best to avoid the sides of the cage because it was made of silver but each time that her skin brushed against the metal, Jessa would whimper and pull away. There were various burns all over the poor girl; some worse than others from when Jessa had hoped the silver would kill her but she'd been unsuccessful.

@ castle.

it had been a while since Marcus had come down to the cells. For a while, there had really been no need for him to go down and interact with the prisioners. There were others beneath him that tended to handle the prisioners, their needs, their punishments, their deaths, or really anything similar to that. Though, they did not bother much with such nonesense. It was hard to kill a vampire as it was, and even if they were to die, the wolves wouldn't really care. Not like they had anyone of particular importance down here.

However, today was different. Marcus needed intel and none of the high security vampires seemed to know a thing. Or at least they refused to talk despite the intense torture. It was time to go to some of the less important soldiers. Maybe they had some useless information. Maybe they did not even know it. As he passed through the cells, Marcus glanced from prisoner to prisoner. Who to start with first? It was easy to make his decision when he saw one woman in particular. She already seemed to be broken, almost dead inside. It should be easy to get what he wanted from her. Plus, Marcus thought she was rather pretty and it would be enjoyable to have a little fun with her.

"Her." Marucs said as he pointed to the woman. "Bring her up and get her ready for me." With that, Marcus turned around and started to make his way through the cells. While doing so, he had his eyes on a few others that might be next.

Jessa let out a small groan, her head rolling to the side when she heard the door at the top of the stairs open. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she blinked before letting her eyes slip shut. She was exhausted, there was no fighting it any more and she didn't think she wanted to. If she welcomed death, maybe it would come and she wouldn't have to suffer any more. Jessa shifted slightly, gritting her teeth as she hissed, feeling the silver chains brush against her wrists.

It wasn't until she heard someone speak that a feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. Jessa's eyes shot open, searching for the source of the voice and when her eyes landed on Marcus, she couldn't describe the fear that slivered its way down her spine. She didn't recognize him but she knew his scent, even in her delirious state, she knew the scent of an alpha. Jessa was in more trouble than she even had realized.

Groaning as she was lifted up, Jessa didn't even try to fight back as she was dragged toward the stairs. Her head hung as she was pulled up them, barely catching a few steps to try and right herself as they moved. "Please..." she croaked, whimpering when one of the wolves sank his nailes into her skin. She wasn't a fighter, even the smallest amount of pain made her recoil from the source. She whimpered as she was thrown down into a chair in the center of a room, the chains around her wrists being used to tie her wrists to the arms of the chair.

@ castle.

Marcus walked into the room after Jessa had been sufficiently tied down. He glanced down at the frail woman, thinking of his first words carefully. There were things that he wanted to know, things that she might know that would be helpful. But there was also a way to do things and outright asking would rarely give Marcus the results he looked for. Often, people would not know the true depth of their knowledge. And, of course, there were those who just wanted to defy him.

Once the other men left the room, Marcus moved in front of the girl. It was time to get started. Interrogations were best done alone. It would make it hard for the girl to distract herself or be able to read off others in the room. Also, this way, there was no one to possibly defy him or say the wrong thing. He needed full authority in this type of situation and others were much too unpredictable for his taste.

"What is your name and squadrant?" Marcus asked her. There was very little reason for the woman to lie about her identity. Plus, it should give him a starting point on what being honest looks like for her.

Jessa's throat was burning, worse than she had ever felt before. She had been blood hungry before, where she had struggled to find an animal to feed off of but never for weeks on end. Never while being pinned by silver chains that she had no hope of escaping. Her head dropped forward and the room began to spin, it made her sick to her stomach but there was nothing for her to throw up. She let out a small whimper, sinking in on herself as her shoulders sagged. Surely, death would come soon...

Raising her head when Marcus spoke, Jessa's eyes fluttered as she tried to pull her arms in toward her chest. Hissing as her wrists were burned, Jessa let out a breathless groan.

"Jessa," she answered, her voice hoarse from lack of use and from being as dry as it was. Tears welled in ehr eyes but they didn't fall. Her chest heaved with effort as she tried to find the energy to even answer Marcus. Not an ounce left of energy. "N-No... just... intel," Jessa wheezed, her fingers curling into weak fists. "Please. Please. Just.. kill me."

@ castle.

His eyes looked over the figure in front of him. The way she moved, the tears in her eyes, her begging to die. Pathetic. Though she seemed ripe for this. Marcus might not even need to lift a finger in order to get her to talk. But if she continued to struggle just to speak, that would be an issue. He didn't like waiting for his answer, didn't like listening to her try and get her thoughts straight in her head. Perhaps a little blood would liven her up a bit. But he was worried that would give her the strength to fight against him.

"And what is your last name Jessa?" Marcus asked her as he moved his hands behind his back. It was unlikely that she was anyone of importance. His men should have already weeded out those who needed to be kept alive. But he wanted to know. He prefered to know who he killed.

"And what kind of intel have you been in charge of?" He continued on, deciding to ignore her begging for death. It did not interest him to kill Jessa. Though, she would die soon enough, once he got the information that he needed. This girl would not be needed after this session, and if she was good, Marcus would give her what she wanted.

Jessa's body stilled when Marcus questioned her about what her last name was. She wasn't a fighter, she wasn't one that was even going to try and deny that but to betray her family... she couldn't do that. Her last name didn't matter and she hoped that Marcus wouldn't press the issue because she wasn't so sure that she could stand against torture that he would likely end up inflicting on her body. Wincing, Jessa shifted her weight slightly. She was almost relieved when Marcus asked another question, taking the attention away from what her name was.

"Locations," Jessa breathed an answer, her chest heaving as she tried to steal herself away from the silver pinning her in place. She gave her wrists a light tug before she gave up, letting out a sigh as her shoulders sagged. Jessa prayed her family was searching for her but she had the feeling that wherever she was... that it was heavily guarded and wouldn't be easy to get through.

"Enemy camps, leaders, armories..." she trailed off, hoping that was all that Marcus wanted out of her. Her nails dug into the wood of the chair's arms, gritting her teeth against the pain that shot through her body each time her skin would brush against the silver. "I planned attacks, I never... I didn't fight," Jessa tried to explain, hoping to buy herself out of whatever might be coming her way.

@ castle.
Marcus let out a small huff. "You say you didn't fight, like that will make a difference to me. If anything, you're worse than the regular soldiers. You are the one that planned everything out for them. You gave them information that would allow them to attack us better. Your actions probably have killed more of my men than any soldier could alone" He shook his head at her. No one in this war was innocent, and he hated that she tried to pretend to be so.

He walked over to the woman and squatted down, looking her in the eyes. There was no mercy, no compassion in his face. "I should torture you just for that. Bring you to an inch of death and bring you back to life for every life I lost when we captured you. It would be weeks of pain, screaming, passing out, thinking that you would finally be released of life before I brought you back just enough to do it all over again."

For a moment, the man paused, letting silence fill into the room. He wanted to give Jessa a moment to think about what he was saying. It was important that she comprehended how much worse things could get for her. Marcus then continued on, "But, I do not have to do that. I could just save you any more pain, and end it quickly for you. You were just asking to die, right? I could give you that, if you give me what I want."

Standing back up, Marcus took a few steps away from Jessa, glancing over at the two way mirror for a moment before continuing. "You see, Jessa, all I really want is a conversation. To talk to you and you to be completely honest with me. Give me the information I want, and I will give you what you want. Is that a deal you would willing to make?"

The fear that slivered down Jessa's spine as Marcus spoke to her made her want nothing more than to shrivel up and die in the moment. More than she had already wanted to. Closing her eyes, Jessa willed death to come but there was nothing that she could do. She couldn't launch herself at Marcus and get him to kill her, she could do nothing but lay there and pray for something to happen. Jessa let out a pained noise, shrinking in on herself as much as she could.

Jessa was trying to remember the few things that her sire had said to her to do if she was ever captured but she was sure that none of it mattered. She wasn't a fighter, what didn't Marcus understand about that?

"Please... I don't..." Jessa trailed off, her throat burning with each word that she spoke. She wasn't going to provide the answers that she was sure Marcus was after and she had a feeling that wasn't going to bode well for her at all. Swallowing against the dryness of his throat, Jessa gave a weak nod of her head.

She had no idea what she was getting herself into but if she had to, she would make up answers to Marcus' questions. Jessa knew what she thought was nothing of importance so whatever he asked, Jessa was sure she was going to have to figure out a lie that seemed true and worthwhile. "Okay, okay," she agreed finally, biting down on the inside of her lip. "I don't.. I don't have anything though. Not of importance."

@ castle.

Marcus did not worry for a moment about whether or not Jessa was telling the truth. If she was lying to him, he would figure it out. If she was being honest, it would be easy enough for the man to verify. Also, he completely doubted that Jessa truly had nothing of importance to share. Her role in the war would be enough to give Marcus plenty of valuable information. Even if she had been a simple solider, she probably would be able to share soemthing that he had not known before. Though, this was typical. The enemy did not want to let on that they knew a gold mine of infomormation.

"I will be the judge of that. Do not worry about whether or not I find what you tell me valuable. I just want the truth from you, Jessa. Though, be fore warn. I will know if you are lying to me, and if you lie to me then you will suffer the consequences. I can assure you that you do not want that." With that, Marcus cleared his throat and deided to move on. There was really nothing ese he wanted to say before starting.

"Now, what to discuss with you first." Marcus said as he brought his hand up to his beard, rubbing it for a moment. There were so many questions he could ask her, so many things that he wanted to know. Though it was still questionable on whether or not Jessa was going to be honest about anything. A pre torturing almost sounded like a good idea, but he wanted to give the woman a chance. "Tell me more about your position there as an intelligence agent. I want to know exactly what information that you collected, not just a general overview. Tell me what you know, and how you found out that information."

Jessa coughed, giving a tiny nod of her head to show that she understood the threat looming over her head. If she was lying, Marcus would only punish her further and she was sure of that. She had no doubt that his promise of it being awful was truthful. She closed her eyes, saying a silent plea that things would be quick. Whatever Marcus wanted from her, Jessa would offer up and then he would kill her and she would be at peace.

Her hope was dwindling, Jessa was sure that her family was trying to find her but whether they would get to her in time or not... before Marcus gained information from her. Before he killed her. A shudder ran down her spine, causing her to wince as she opened her eyes. Even the simple gesture of shivering was enough to send a raw, burning pain through her limbs. It felt as if her body was dying, shutting down from the lack of blood.

"I tracked groups of vampires, w-wasn't very hard... not if you knew what you were looking for," Jessa croaked, her fingers digging into the arms of her chair in an attempt to ease her pain. "You find one vampire, they lead you back to others.. to armories.. to camps..." Jessa whispered, dropping her head. Surely, it would come now. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jessa was launched into a coughing fit. Eventually it eased enough that she could speak again. "You send scouts out to survey the area, to verify what you already suspect and then from there, you plan what you need to do..." Jessa trailed off.

@ castle.

A nod came from Marcus as Jessa spoke. Her explaination seemed logical and practical. It was something that they also used when looking into the vampires. Though, it just showed Marcus that his wolves needed to be more careful when going out and patroling. They needed to lessen their chances of being found. Admittedly, that would be a difficult task considering vampire's abilities. But they knew tracking better than their enemy. Now they just needed to figure out how to hide as well.

The man walked away for her for a moment, lifting his hand up and raising up three fingers at the one way mirror. He looked straight into the glass, giving a small nod before turning back to his subject. There was more that he needed to do, to find out from her. But now he couldn't help but get curious as to who this girl was exactly. How did she manage to get a position like that with the vampires? That was not something to give out lightly.

"I want your name. Full name. Who is your family? How did you get your job with the vampires?" Marcus asked as he walked back over to her. "They don't hand those types of positions out to nobody." All of this was beginning to get suspcious and he couldn't help but begin to think that something had gone wrong when they brought their captives in.

When Marcus seemed satisfied with her answer, Jessa breathed a small sigh of relief. She was the slightest bit hopeful that he would let her go or kill her... either or but something to end the pain that she was in. She didn't think she cared which any more. So long as something happened to put her out of her misery. Right up until Marcus demanded her name, her full name at that. Swallowing thickly, Jessa hung her head. She knew that Marcus was expecting her to give him an answer but she knew that by doing so, she would betray her family and her clan. She couldn't do that.

"Jessa.." She started, taking another deep breathe to brace herself for the lie that she was going to tell. "Eagan," she gave a last name that was well known within vampiric ranks; one that she hoped Marcus would recognize and be convinced that Jessa was telling the truth. Surely he would be - how would he know any different?

"Father appointed me to the position when I was young... said that I would be good at it," Jessa explained lowly, running her tongue over her bottom lip. That was the truth, it was just the wrong name that she had given. She could keep up with this lie, surely. "Trained from when I was young. S'all I've ever known."

@ castle.

The man looked over at the woman for a moment. Eagan was a name that he had heard of before. He had an understanding that they were relatively respective and well known. Though he was unsure that she was high enough in the hierarchy to keep alive. More than that, he was unsure if she was even telling the truth. The hesitation in her voice was a small tip off that made him feel that something was not right.

Marcus walked over to the two way mirror and help up three fingers and then five fingers. He knocked on the mirror before turning around and looking back at her. Silence fell over the room as he looked over the woman. Even if she was lying about who she was, Marcus was unsure he wanted to kill someone who could be potentially helpful.

After a couple of minutes, there was a knock on the door. With Marcus' permission, two wolves walked into the room, dragging a beaten vampire with them. The man was in bad shape, his body limp. The men forced him onto his knees before grabbing his head and forcing it up.

"Who is she?" Marcus asked the man, pointing to Jessa. "If you lie, you will be punished."

Jessa's head hung low as she listened to a knock on the mirror in the room. She hadn't even thought about the potential of it being a two way until Marcus had knocked on it but she didn't seem to care really, there was clearly nothing she could do to shield herself from the onlookers.

It wasn't until she heard the door open that she looked up and the sight in front of it, it damn near made her sick to her stomach. Jessa jerked, her eyes narrowing as an anger filled the pit of her stomach. "Silence, Dravis," she demanded, her eyes narrowing as she turned her attention back toward Marcus. Sure, Jessa wasn't one for pain or discomfort but she wasn't about to let Marcus try to hurt one of her closest friends to get back at her.

"Blackthorne," she spit out the name, jerking angrily on her arms. Jessa wanted to launch out of her chair but there was nowhere for her to go. "Don't fuckn' touch him," she hissed, sitting up a bit straighter for the first time since she entered the room. "You're a sick, disgusting piece of shit," Jessa spat, her nails digging into the wood of the chair beneath her.

@ castle.

A large smirk moved over Marcus' face as Jessa caved. He had been unsure if she was being honest before, but now he knew. There was no doubt in his mind that the woman would lie about being a Blackthrone. Though, what was even better was in just a moment, Marcus had gained quite a bit of information. One, this woman as a noble which was very valuable to him. Two, Jessa new the prisoner that he brought forward. And three, she seemed to care more about others than her own wellbeing. That was something he could take advantage of.

Marcus let out a few tsks as he walked closer to Jessa. "Ah, you have turned me into a bad host miss Blackthrone. I have not had the opportunity to properly treat the noblewoman in front of me. Let me assure you that your treatment here will be quite improved. Though I must ask that a lady not use such foul language. I would not want your family thinking I taught you such horrid words." His eyes sparkled as his words rolled from his lips.

Turning back to the men, Marcus motioned to them. Soon enough, Dravis was pulled out of the room, his body limp as he was carried. Oh Dravis would be very useless later, but for now, he needed the man taken care of and out of the way. "Now why did my lady hide her true identity?"

Jessa's attention was focused solely on Dravis, her entire demeanor having changed from the slumped over form that she had been just a few moments ago before her friend and confidant had been brought into the room. She frowned slightly, her eyes roaming over his form. It made her heart ache to know that he was near death and there was nothing that she could do to stop it. Swallowing, she looked back up to Marcus as he began to speak.

"You will be a bad host, regardless of who I am. It is just what you beasts do," Jessa declared, her eyes narrowing into thin slits. She gave a jerk of her wrists, ignoring that pain the sparked through her being as her skin was torn by the silver chains keeping her in place. She let out a dry laugh, shaking her head as she tilted her head to the side.

"I am a noble. You will use that to your advantage, I am not stupid, Marcus. I may be at a disadvantage and likely about to die but that does not make me stupid. Don't treat me like it!" Jessa snapped, her hands balling into weak fists. She exhaled, forcing her hands to relax enough that they would loosen. "Go on. Get rid of me, now. Minus well get rid of it, hm?"

@ castle.

"No, my lady. You will not die while in my care." Marcus assured her, a growing smirk on his face. He would not kill her or allow her to die before reaching her kind again. Though it would be a very long time before that happened. It was likely that the war would end before she was allowed back, but he would not allow this woman to die. Her information and her status was more than enough reason to. But, also, if need be he could trade her back for one of his own.

With that, Marcus turned and started to head out of the door. He got all of the information that he needed for now. Though he was sure that it would not be long until Jessa ended back in his hands. He always need more information...but sometimes Marcus just go bored and Jessa would be a fun little toy. "I hope my lady enjoys her improved treatment."

Once out of the room, two other werewolves came in and picked Jessa up gently. They carried her out of the room. But this time, they did not head down to the other prisoners but to a different direction. This hallway was instead filled with large, heavy doors. They moved down a ways before opening one up. It was a very bland room, but there was a bed, a small bathroom attached, and a tiny window. They laid Jessa down in the bed before leaving.

Jessa was alarmed by Marcus' promise but she thought she could worry about that later. At the moment, there was nothing that she could do to change her predicament and she was just so damn tired of fighting at the moment that when Marcus made to leave the room, the only thing that she felt was relief. Her eyes narrowed a bit at his last comment but still, she just let out a relieved sigh when Marcus finally did leave the room.

Her shoulders sagged for a moment, until two wolves stepped up and untied her, lifting her and carrying her out of the room. She expected to be taken back to her cell so when they took a different path, she was surprised but chose not to say a thing. What was she going to do? She doubted there was any reasoning with her guards, Marcus had chosen them for a reason after all.

She was surprised when she was brought to a room but said nothing still, gritting her teeth against the pain as she was laid on the bed. It wasn't until she was completely alone that she let out a small sob, her injuries enough for her to wish for her sire. She wanted nothing more than to see him but she couldn't and just that was enough to make her want to die. It wasn't unlike a wolf wanting to see their mate - just a different dynamic. Jessa sat up slowly, tugging her shirt over her head. Her wrists and neck were completely raw from the chains that she didn't want anything touching them. Even the air stung but the material of her shirt was too damn much.

It wasn't long before Jessa had fallen asleep, her body completely exhausted that there just was nothing left at this point.