Kings of War

Eli refused to let go of her son. There was no way that she was going to be separated from her baby. Not when she had worked so hard to keep him safe, away from the monsters that would hurt him. Now she was holding him as they lay trapped in the trunk at the behest of the king of the monsters. She was going to kill Shaun for this. She kept that thought as a comfort as they drove thought he streets. She hated being blind. She hated being helpless. She hated being so afraid. Jason had stopped whimpering and now merely lay clinging to her side. She started singing a lullaby to him, rocking him back and forth, breathing the words into his ear. She kept singing to him even when she knew that he had fallen asleep. It comforted her probably as much as it had comforted her son.

The car pulled to a stop and Eli stopped murmuring the song, her head jerking up and looking around. It was pointless to look around of course. The scenery hadn't changed throughout the drive. Not in the least. She heard the trunk pop and bright light spilled into the darkness. Eli hissed softly, The Knights laughed. "She thinks she's a little vampire bitch," one of them said gaining a roar of laughter from the others. Eli ground her teeth together. She wasn't going to rise to their bait she promised herself. She had done that before and she didn't even want to remember that situation. She wouldn't do it again. She wouldn't be beaten down again. She had made a promise that she intended to keep. "Out!" the Knights ordered, one stealing Jason from her arms and another dragging her out.

"Get off of me!" she screamed. "Give me my-"

A hand gripped her throat, squeezing tightly. Black lurked at the corner of her vision before the grip loosened and air came rushing back into her lungs. "Do it again whore, do it," her nightmare ordered. Eli bit her lip hard. She had to keep her promise. She had to stop giving into her whims even if she was terrified of the men around her. She had to stay strong. Her eyes wandered trying to catch Jason and she saw her baby still sleeping. At least, she hoped it was sleep that held him in thrall.

The only good thing about Shaun's summon was that they didn't wind up in the dungeon. That didn't make the accommodations anymore pleasant. Jason was laid on the bed while she was propelled towards it with a rough shove. She didn't try to run out as the Knights left, locking the door behind them. Instead, she went to Jason's side. She scooped up her son in her arms and held him close. Her comfort came when he moved closer to her, still sleeping though. Eli sighed with relief and laid back against the wall that the bed was pushed against.

She had to have drifted off to sleep because she woke up to the door being slammed open. She looked down at Jason to see his hands clench into her hair before she looked up to see Shaun and Xander standing in the doorway. He still looked so good that it was devastating. It was no wonder she had fallen for him all those years ago. She couldn't make the same mistake now. Eli clenched her jaw and stared hard at Shaun. "What the hell do you want? Tell me one reason why I shouldn't kill you for what you just had done?"