She was his weakness, and there was nothing in the world he could do to change that.

And he wanted to change it, that's what Jacob told himself over and over when he caught himself following her with trained eyes. There was absolutely nothing special about her, she was weak, if left on her own he doubted she'd last more than a week out in the real world. She needed him to survive, only him. Not even Joseph could save her from herself. That's what Jacob tried to think about as he watched with mild interest as the girl - his girl - stopped by the cage which was currently housing the infamous Deputy, seemingly for an afternoon chat.

Jacob's men knew better than to so much as look at her, and she damn well knew better too, yet there she stood bold as brass breaking the clearest rule he had set out since bringing her to the Veterans Centre. Had he been more like his brother John, Jacob would have stormed over to the pair of them dragging her away by her hair before making her regret ever lifting her eyes from the ground. He wasn't his brother though, so Jacob chose to watch on quietly to see how the little exchange panned out.

There wasn't a doubt in Jacob's mind that the Deputy would be confused by her presence at the compound, a woman had never made it into his ranks and he couldn't risk too many distractions for his men, so when Hope County's would be hero scrambled to his feet to move closer to her Jacob was anything but surprised. If anything he was disappointed. Only the weak would beg in the dirt for help off a creature who was clearly weaker than them, obviously the Deputy was weaker than he had first anticipated.

The girl bolted when Jacob's heavy feet took him over to the Deputy's cage, no longer able to simply stand back and watch when the pair were so physically close even with the metal bars between them. If he thought about it Jacob couldn't remember the last time another person besides him had been that close to her, possibly Joseph and that was only allowed because they were brothers, anyone else and he wouldn't have hesitated to put a bullet through their skull and he had on more than one occassion. Jacob was faster though, and before she could slink off back to his quarter or where ever the fuck it was she went during the day when he worked, he grabbed the top of her too-thin arm making her freckled nose scrunch in discomfort as she fought to remain silent in his presence like he had taught her.

"Well isn't this cozy?" Jacob spoke calmly despite of the anger that was bubbling away inside of him. She knew she was in trouble, of that Jacob was sure, but she didn't struggling in his hold knowing things would only get worse if she didn't behave exactly how he had taught her. "Peaches! Bring my chair."

Never far from his side, Peaches scurried off at a frenzied speed to retreive Jacob's chair desperate not to piss off his captor. When the chair was placed directly infront of the Deputy's cage Jacob dismissed Peaches with the slightest of noise, he didn't even need to watch to know that the pathetic man would be standing arms behind back only a few feet away, and he didn't even need to make a noise to know that the moment he dropped his hold on the girls arm she would sit by his feet like a well trained dog.

Reaching down Jacob pushed his rough fingers through the thick blonde hair that fell scruffily down to her mid-back and pawed the pads of his fingers on her scalp with just enough pressure for it to be uncomfortable for her. To let her know that she was far from off the hook. "How long have you been in this cage Deputy? Five, six days?" It had been six days, Jacob knew that, he knew everything that went on in his compound, hell he knew everything that went on in his region, it seemed that he had however neglected to tell the Deputy about the rules of staying in his house. He would be sure to correct that.

The Deputy hadn't retreated from his place at the front of the cage, showing a slither of dominace through the thirst and hunger he was most definately feeling, it was that look that Jacob enjoyed squashing the most. His girl certainly hadn't disappointed in that aspect.

"Do you know what a person will do, what they will become when they have nothing left?" Beneath Jacob's touch she stiffened at his words, but she knew better than to say anything he had made sure of that a long time ago. "Now you, well you're not at that point yet. It's not far off now though. Soon you will understand your purpose and what nothing truly feels like."

The strong gaze that the Deputy had focused on Jacob shifted over to the small creature sat obediantly at his feet, an eyebrow quirking as if mocking the control he had over her, as though it was a just a game she was playing. Games weren't his thing, that was more his brother John's department, Jacob required complete obedience and anything else was dealt with swiftly and harshly. She knew that better than anyone.

"She's surviving. She isn't obedient, or loyal. She's desperate." The Deputy croaked horsely from lack of water.

A smile tugged at Jacob's lips. For months the Deputy had been running around his region, fucking with all his well laid plans, and not a word had been uttered when Jacob had brought him to the cage that was no firmly his the first two times. But now the supposed mute Deputy spoke, and with such strength and righteousness, something that was almost comical in the Deputy's current predicament.

Raking his fingers as far as the knots in her hair would allow him Jacob removed his hand from their comfortable position, clicking instead at Peaches to gain his attention. "Get me one of them guns." He instructed gesturing at a table not too far from where he was sat. The more Jacob was in the presence of the man who was trying his hardest to destroy everything he and his family had built, the more he came to realise he was man who had never experienced true pain, or loss. It was something that he was going to make damn sure the Deputy knew inside and out though, much like the girl sat at his feet.

Shot gun now in his hand, Peaches back in his permentant place of readiness, Jacob held the large weapon out for the girl to take. "Go on, pup. S'okay, you have my permission." He reassured, a satisfied smirk on his face that he knew bothered the hell out of the Deputy. As if on cue, the girl took the shot gun and pointed it directly at the Deputy, her big eyes shooting over to check that she was doing exactly what he wanted, and he laughed a low dark chuckle at the look of sheer shock on the Deputy's face.

She was far from intimidating, too malnourished and small -not that Jacob acknowledged that or went easier on her because of it. The shotgun only seemed to accentuate just how tiny she was though. Thin, skin tanned from the hot summer sun, with eyes so dark they almost looked black and hair the colour of wheat, so thick that it had matted almost to the root. He couldn't remember how old the girl actually was, the dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks gave an indisputable innocence to her, all Jacob knew was she was damn sure a lot younger than he was. Not that obedience had an age limit.

"It's amazing what people will do when they're desperate." Jacob's returned his rough fingers to the girls hair, stroking at the dirty strands in reward for her behaviour. It had started subtle, the way she reacted to his praise, now though she was like a cat curling into his encouraging touches. She craved praise from him. Only him.

"I'm not as innocent as I look, Mister."

The girl had surprised him. Jacob had made sure that she knew only to speak when told to do so, or expected to, the shotgun in her child-like hands had clearly given her confidence. He needed no more proof than that to show the Deputy exactly how loyal his girl was, she had made the point for him, and by the sickened look on the Deputy's face he had received the message loud and clear. "Pup, you're done here."

Confused eyes looked up at Jacob, all wide and hurt filled, and it took her longer than he would have liked for her to lower the gun and set it on the ground beside him. He didn't like it when she tried to act defient, but goddamn if it didn't set his veins on fire to see a little backbone in his pet.

Leaning forward, elbows propped on his knees, Jacob watched with concealed glee as the oh-so-sure Deputy stared in disbelief as his pet followed command, stumbling in an almost dreamy daze towards the large doors of the Veterans Centre. Had he been an unfocused man, like his brother John, he might have goaded the Deputy with his triumphant display of obedience and loyalty. "Peaches learnt the hard way about looking at things that don't belong to him. Gotta say he had the balls to ask her name though."

In truth Jacob had no idea what the girls real name was. He had found her, along with John, and he had given her the only name she was known by. "I found her when John and I went to buy the last piece of land he needed in Holland Valley. Ugly business really. She was in this goddamn huge field of lavender, not a care in the world. Lavender, suits her doesn't it?"

Jacob reached into his pocket producing the tiny music box that could do so much damage to the mighty Deputy as he rose from his seat, taking the few steps needed to come not two inches from the cage. He noted, with pride, the fear that flitted across the Deputy's stony exterior from his close proximity. He had fear down to an art, conditioning too, and that was exactly what he had planned for the Deputy. "I shot her daddy in the head when he wouldn't hand over the land we needed. Can still hear the screams she made. Went on, and on, for weeks, until I had no choice but to give her enough bliss to calm her down." With elongated twists Jacob wound up the music box, he had wasted enough time on idle chit-chat for the day. "You're not a hero, Deputy. And Lavender, well she doesn't need one. The weak have their purpose, she sees that, and soon you will too."

She needed to be punished. She had gone directly against his very specific orders and that was something Jacob couldn't let slide. He hadn't gotten her to where she was by cutting her slack and being forgiving, no it had taken hard work and perserverance to mould her into such an obedient little thing, so he had no choice but to punish her for talking to the Deputy.

When he returned to his quarter he found her exactly where he knew he would, curled up tightly on the heap of blankets at the foot of his bed with a pouty look on her face, wearing nothing but one of his old tattered grey tee shirts. Blown out pupils stared up at him, no doubt from her latest hit of bliss, and Jacob scoffed. He didn't need to ask who she had gotten the drug from, it certainly wasn't him, John however was weak when it came to her. He always said yes.

"Is this how I taught you to greet me, Pup?"

She moved at a frantic speed, all legs and arms, as she scrambled to get to her feet quick enough for his liking and tripped heavily as she crossed the room to stand before him.

With her in place Jacob just stood over her for a few seconds, she hated it when he watched her like a wolf, it scared her, and rightfuly so. "C'mon Pup, I taught you better manners than this."

In only a fraction of a second she dropped down to her knees, pressing soft kissed on his boots, working her way up his calf to his knee caps. She was asking for forgiveness that much was clear to Jacob, but he wasn't a forgiving man and it would talk more than a few soft touches to dissuade him from punishing her for her disobedience.

"You see, I thought we were past all this. I thought that you knew the rules. That they're not optional." After a few moments pause Jacob grabbed a handful of her knotted hair, pulling hard enough to force her to her feet. Like a frightened lamb she thrashed under his hold, but kept her hands by her side knowing better than to try and remove his strong grip.

"Please."

Jacob tutted as the single word slipped quietly from her chapped lips. "I don't remember giving you permission to speak, Pup."

She had known the slap was coming before he even raised his hand. Jacob had watched her nose crinkle and eyes scrunch shut in anticipation. It was a dance they had done many times before but not in a long time. For so long she had been nothing short of a well trained dog, following simple clicks and commands whenever Jacob threw them out, and he had rewarded her complete submission by removing her cage from his quarters and allowing her full run of his compound. Wasn't like she was going to run. She was nothing without him.

Even with his hand tugging painfully at her hair, and a red mark spreading across her hollow cheek, there was nothing but adoration in her black eyes as she stared up sadly at him. And she should have fucking hated him. Jacob had shot her daddy not two feet from her, made her drag the stupid mans body off of the property because there was no way he or John had time for that shit, and John didn't want a rotting corpse on his newly acquired land. After that he had heaved her into his truck and taken her back to his compound where he had conditioned her into the perfect prized pet. Today though she had fucked up.

"You think I enjoy punishing you, Pup?" Jacob asked in a calm voice that had the girl whimpering in his hold. "I'm not John. I don't take pleasure in disobedience, I want a pet that listens. That doesn't need asking twice. So you're gunna take this punishment. Learn from it. Become stronger from it."

Not taking is eyes away from her, Jacob grasped the bottom of her tee shirt before pulling it over head and tossing it somewhere over his shoulder. Now she was completely naked Jacob turned his attention to his desk and rooted around in the top left drawer until he found what he was looking for. "Hands." He instructed as he straightened out the thick rope, readying it to be wrapped around her tiny wrists.

She offered her hands out to him with no resistance, keeping her eyes to the floor in submission. That was the girl Jacob knew, the girl that wouldn't so much as breathe without his say so. As he wrapped the rope around her wrists Jacob took note of the silvery scars that marred the sunkissed skin. She had thrashed and fought to hard in the beginning the ropes, or whatever he decided to use to restrain her, had cut into the soft flesh and left perminent marks as a reminder.

"You know what to do."

She moved, panting, to an exposed beam where Jacob had attached a meat hook. Her arms raised without Jacob needing to ask, without him needing to snap his fingers, dutifuly she waited for him to attach her restrained wrists to the hook that she hated so much. Gently his calloused hands trailed up her arms until they reached the rope and lifted her onto the very tips of her toes to hook her in place.

Jacob could see she was bracing herself mentally, was ready for the bite of his belt against her soft skin, he suspected she was repeating soothing words in her head but that wouldn't help her. Not when they were twenty strikes in and her skin had split open, she'd be screaming so loud the Deputy would be able to hear and he know that it was partially down to him that little Lavender was suffering.

"Be strong." Jacob whispered, unlooping his belt from his jeans.

Her whole body was rigid and she jumped when his hand ghosted across her bare thigh. She hadn't been expecting that. Jacob liked to keep things unpredictable. How would she ever learn if she knew exactly what was coming every time? She forced him to get creative. John would have been proud.

Jacob's hand slipped between her skinny legs and dipped inside her, while the other trailed down her spine and came to a stop on her too-skinny waist. "Good girl." He praised as she quickly grew wet for him, mewling as his fingers worked her at a punishing speed. It wasn't long till she was bucking back against him as much as her balancing would allow, wanting more than he was allowing her. Giving a low laugh Jacob pressed his body into her bare back stopping her from teetering on her toes and lean back against him, allowing him to move the hand that had been holding her hip in a bruising grip to tease her clit with deft fingers.

It didn't take long for Jacob to have her rubbing against him like a bitch in heat, shamelessly moaning like his men just outside the door couldn't hear. She was close, he knew that, he had fucked her enough times to know exactly how to work her into a shaking mess. It was at that point that Jacob pulled away, and when she twisted her head to look at him with deer eyes he brought his belt down across her back. He could barely make out the crack the belt had let off the scream she let out so loud that Jacob was sure people could hear all the way in Holland Valley. It didn't stop him from doing it again though. And again. And again.

He had successfully lulled her into a false sense of security before destroying it utterly, just like she had done him. She had made him trust her, had made him give her priveleges, and she had betrayed that by speaking with the Deputy.

After the thirteenth hit Jacob dropped his belt to the floor. With heavy steps he circled around her until he came to face her, moving close enough to be able to hear the small whimpers of pain she was making. "Do you see now how quickly the hand of favour can turn against you?" Her head nodded rapidly, the long matted hair hiding her face from Jacob. "I think a couple more hours like this will help that lesson sink in just a little deeper. I've been too soft on you, Pup. S'not you're fault entirely, I'll take some of that blame."

He felt no guilt for what he had done when he looked over at the frail girl that hung in his room. He had done what was required and she had learnt. Jacob was certain she wouldn't be talking to the Deputy again any time soon. Everything he did had purpose, she knew that, and that was why she would still crawl into his lap that evening and beg for his touch. She would kiss and lick at him, like a dog desperate for forgiveness, and if he was in a good mood he would grant her the forgiveness she craved so badly.

She was the epitome of weak. She was laughable to him. And it was utterly ridiculous that he could cull the herd by any means necessary, but somehow with just one look at her doe like eyes Jacob was unable to kill her like he had her daddy. She was his weakness.

A/N/ I've been sick and had writers block, the WORST combination. I will get around to updating my other stories when I'm not so ill, have no fear. But in the mean time I decided to do this quick one shot because I love Jacob Seed. Let me know what you think, and if you'd like me to add another chapter because I can't decide whether too or not :)