There were few times in Liz's life when she knew she had screwed up big time. Once when she was eight and she had hit a softball through her mother's kitchen window. Again, when she didn't study for that important final her sophomore year of college. And finally, when she had decided to taunt the most powerful man in the Whitetail Mountains.

The first two times had not ended well for her, and she had no doubt that this would not end well either.

Her head was throbbing. It took a minute for her vision to come back to her. Light shone into her eyes. The ground underneath her was hard and cold. She slowly propped herself up on her arms and rubbed her eyes, only to see bars all around her. She was in a cage at the Veteran's Center. Which was no surprise. Those hunters had gotten to her.

"Well, if it isn't Ms. Elizabeth Palmer."

Her heart lept up into her chest. There was that voice she would recognize anywhere. She turned her head to the side to see Jacob. He stood nonchalantly outside of the cage, a smirk across his face. Everything about him was the same. Same jacket, same beard, and the same face that she just wanted to slap. Pratt was cowering behind him, with his hands clasped in front.

She rolled her eyes. "Go to hell."

She let herself fall back to the ground. She covered her face with her forearm and let out a sigh. "And… really? A cage?"

Holy shit. She was captured again. When was the last time she saw Jacob in person? Had it only been days… or a week? She honestly couldn't remember. She also couldn't remember the last time she saw Pratt in person either.

He chuckled. "So nice to have you back, little lamb. I missed having you around here."

"Well, I haven't missed you." She sat back up and propped her elbows on her knees. Jacob gripped the bars on the outside of the cage. She made sure to stay as far from him as possible.

He eyed her up and down. A gaze that wasn't out of desire, but out of curiosity. "God, you look like shit."

Her mouth hung open. What an ass. He spent the last week trying to get her back. And now that he had her, he was insulting her. But in all honesty, she probably did look like shit. Bruises still covered her neck from being choked, by him. Her nose was disfigured and broken from her fight with Jess.

"Your hair's shorter though. Looks good like that." He said.

She ran a hand through her ponytail and re-adjusted her ballcap. She had to bite her lip to fight back the smile that was forming. What the hell was wrong with her? Anytime Jacob made some little observation about her, she always folded. It seemed to be her only weakness.

"You always look like shit, Seed."

"I'd watch your mouth there, sweetheart. Keep talking like that, you won't like what I do to ya'." He gripped the bars tighter.

She shook her head in frustration. "Oh please, what are you going to do? You've already put me through hell. If you're going to kill me, go ahead and do it. Then I wouldn't have to see your ugly face anymore."

"Now where's the fun in that? I'm not going to kill ya' yet. Not when you have so much to tell me. And we still have so much catching up to do."

The way the words rolled off his tongue made her uncomfortable. She tried to never think about what Jacob's true intentions were. She didn't want to know. She suppressed any thoughts of things like that deep down.

"Is that why you sent your hunters after me?"

His stance shifted, and a scowl crossed over his face. "I sent them because you have become a problem to my operation. You've continued to help the Deputy, when I told you not to. You've burned down one of my camps and taken an outpost. You need to re-learn your purpose. And you've been taking my men out, with this of all things?"

He raised her bat from his side. He held it up by the strap, dangling it in front of her like it was candy. It reflected the sunlight into her eyes. Liz bounded up and jammed her arm through the bars, flailing as she tried to grab it.

He took a step back, snatching it from her reach. "Ah, ah, ah. It's not going to be that easy, little lamb."

"Give that back! It's mine!" Her face scrunched up in anger.

"No. You took something of mine. Now I'm taking something of yours."

She slammed her hands on the bars. That bat might be the only thing that made her feel like her old self. Without it, she was just broken. She was just a killer. Dep had also given it to her. She didn't want to lose it.

"Give it to me! Please Jacob…"

He gave her a smirk before chunking it into the cage next to her. It clattered on the ground. A judge occupied the cage. Shit.

"If it's so important to you, go get it."

"You're such a dick." She gave him a glare.

He sighed. "So, you've told me."

She slowly walked over the bars and squatted. The bat was laying in the middle of the cage and the judge was curled up asleep on the far end. She stuck her hand through to the other side. It was far enough away that she had to stick her whole arm through. She clawed at the dirt trying to grab it. After a few tries she was able to get one of her fingers around the strap. She carefully began to drag it back to her.

Before she could safely bring it back, Jacob's foot collided with the bars. It rattled the whole cage. The judge's eyes opened. A growl came from the creature. In an instant, it got up and charged straight at her.

"Shit!" She was able to pull her hand from the cage at the last second. She had to let go of the bat. She scrambled away from the edge. The judge continued to throw itself at the bars, foaming at the mouth ready to rip her in two. It was doing everything in its power to try to get to her.

Jacob let out a low whistle. "That sure was something, sweetheart. I thought you were smarter than that, but maybe I was wrong."

She collapsed into a heap on the ground. "Yeah… maybe you were."

There was no true reason for Jacob keeping her alive. She wasn't strong or smart. She wasn't a soldier. He just wanted to screw with her head.

She looked over to Pratt. He had been standing in the same place for the entire time. His eyes were fixated on the ground. He hadn't reacted to anything, even her arm almost being torn off.

"I see you got my old job, Pratt. He hasn't kicked your teeth in too much, has he?"

Jacob stepped in front of him. Not in a protective manner, but possessively. "No, sweetheart. You don't talk to Peaches. Only to me."

"What? I can't talk to my friend?"

He scoffed. "You and Peaches seem to be more than friends."

From the sound of it, Jacob was jealous. She didn't know why he would be. There was nothing between her and Pratt. And there sure as hell wasn't anything going on with the two of them.

"You really still think that? I doubt Staci told you what really happened. Yeah… we used to date, but it didn't end well. You want to tell the story, or should I?" She started Pratt down. He didn't move a muscle. His eyes stayed fixated on the ground. She got up and approached him.

She scoffed. "Okay well, I guess it'll be me. Remember Staci, how you begged me to go to prom with you? You even asked my brother and everything. I was so excited to go with you. And then the day of prom happened, what did you do?" Still no response came from him. She shook her head. "Fifteen minutes into the dance, you ditched me to go hook up with Tracey Lader! I spent the whole night crying over you!"

She noticed the scowl fade form Jacob's face at the mention of that. He gave her a look. He almost looked like he felt sorry for her. But he didn't. He didn't care about her. It was just another one of those things that he did and that she noticed. It didn't mean anything. It just happened.

"And then you barely ever talked to me ever again. I thought we were at least friends…"

Jacob was like a foreigner to their conversation, but he seemed invested in it. He looked back at Pratt. "Damn. That's cold, Peaches. You got anything to say to Ms. Palmer?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up! Now you wanna' play Mr. Nice Guy? You're the asshole who kidnapped me!"

Jacob grabbed the front of her shirt and snatched her towards him. His attitude changed on a dime. Gone was the caring gaze and in its place were the eyes of a killer. Her chest slammed into the cage. He threatened to pull her through the bars. A huff made it past her lips. His hands stayed curled in her shirt. She had no choice but to look him dead in the eye when he spoke to her.

"I told you told watch your mouth."

She wrapped her hands around his, trying to get him to let go. But as always, it was no use. He wasn't letting her go. He wasn't going to kill her either. A wicked grin flashed across her face. She was going to do the one thing that she shouldn't… run her mouth.

"You know, I didn't know I'd be seeing both of my ex's today."

Both Jacob and Pratt looked confused at her comment.

"My ex-boyfriend…" She gestured to Pratt. "And my ex-kidnapper!" She tightened her grip around his wrists. She wasn't intimidated by anything that Jacob could do to her. He'd already done everything. She grinned in the face of death, literally.

"I'm still not sure which of you I hate more. You dumped me at prom and broke my heart. And you… well… you know what you did."

Jacob didn't look amused. He pulled her tighter against the bars and drew his knife. Liz's eyes grew wide. She tried to arch her neck away from the blade, but it didn't do any good. He rested the cool metal on her face. She let out a shaky breath.

"Hold still, sweetheart. Wouldn't want to mess up that pretty little face of yours."

Her hands began to shake. As he drug the side of the blade across her face, her confidence disappeared. He had called her bluff, and he was spot on.

"Jacob…"

"Shhh."

The blade drug across the length of her cheek and made it's was to her lips. The pressure was firm, but not enough to cut her. He knew exactly what he was doing. This was just another thing to remind her that she wasn't in control. That no matter how many times she yelled at him, he would always win.

He drifted the knife further to her neck. "You're a lot quieter, honey. What's the problem? Cat got your tongue?"

She swallowed the saliva that had been forming in her mouth. The blade felt like it was digging deeper into her throat, but it wasn't. It was in the perfect spot where it wouldn't hurt her. It traveled down to the front of her shirt and in between her breasts.

In one swift motion, Jacob cut open the top two buttons on her shirt. She took a sharp breath. The upper part of her chest was exposed. She squirmed against his grip. He used the knife to push the parts of her shirt aside.

Jacob's face went slack. At first, she thought that he had been looking down her shirt. But it wasn't that. He looked like he was about to be sick. He was staring at her neck. It was still covered in dark, ugly bruises from that night. They still hadn't healed. Jacob's handiwork was truly amazing.

He lowered the knife and ran his thumb across the sore skin. It was only for a moment, but it made her shudder all the same. He released her from his grasp, and she stumbled backwards in the cage. She struggled to piece back together the remnants of the top of her shirt. She didn't want anyone else to see her neck.

"Forgot how much of an asshole you were."

He holstered his knife. "That's your own fault."

"Yeah…" She sighed. They stood there for a moment just staring at one another. It always came to this. She tired to think back to a time when she and Jacob had nice moments but kept coming back empty. They were there somewhere. But it seemed like every time they met it came to this. At this point, he was practically her arch-nemesis.

"How's Eli been treating you?"

Her head perked up and she rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Doesn't your dear uncle want to use you though? He lets you run around with Dep, when he knows that you could get killed."

She should have never told him that. Now he would only use it against her, just like everything else. Sometimes she just couldn't help it though. It was just easy to tell him things. Even telling him those things would bite her in the ass later.

"Well, at least he never put me in a cage!"

He chuckled. "That's because I couldn't have you running away, sweetheart. Not when we still have business."

"And what business is that exactly? You still haven't told me why the hell I'm here!"

His stance shifted. The smiled faded from his face. "You're right. I need to stop beating around the bush. The reason you're here is because… you're going to help me kill Eli."

She released a shaky breath. That wasn't what she had been expecting but it made sense. That was the one thing that he wanted most of all. Eli was his greatest enemy. His death would completely dismantle the Whitetails.

"And what makes you think that I'll help you do that?"

"Because I know you'll do anything to survive."

He wasn't wrong there. She didn't care who she had to step on, as long as she lived. She didn't know if that extended to Eli, but she might soon find out.

"This doesn't have to be a bad thing, Liz. And you know what? Since you like options so much, I'll give you a few." Her eyes grew wide. He couldn't be serious, could he? Jacob never gave her a choice for anything.

"First one, you can sit right there and be a good little lamb. You can join the Chosen and accept the word of the Father. Or two, we can go upstairs right now, and you can tell me where the Wolf's Den is. And if you tell me where it is… I'll let you leave."

Her eyes grew wide as she slowly approached him. "Leave Hope County? You really mean that?"

"Got your interest now, huh?"

"Don't bullshit me Seed! Do you mean it? If I tell you where the Whitetails hide, you'll let me leave the county?" That was the one thing she had been trying to do not too long ago. She wouldn't have to fight, kill, or be used by anyone. She could go live a normal life, away from this war. Everything would be okay.

"Yes." She studied his eyes to see if he was lying, but he wasn't. He was telling her the truth.

She extended her hand through the bars of the cage. "You got yourself a deal."

Jacob was in complete shock. Even Pratt looked up from the ground to stare at her. They probably hadn't expected it to be that easy. He cautiously clasped her hand. His monstrous hand completely covered hers, and it was a little sweaty. They shook on the deal.

"So good to see you come to your senses, sweetheart."

Pratt stepped forward with the keys to the cage. He unlocked it and opened the door. She didn't try to run. There were too many guards with guns around. They would shoot her down in an instant. Pratt gently grabbed her wrists and bound them with rope. He worked methodically without being told. He was too far broken and too far under Jacob's thumb to do anything else.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her out of the cage. He kept it there as they walked. Her bat still laid in the cage beside her. The judge was sitting on it, guarding it. There was no getting it back now.

Jacob led the way through the maze of cages. She noticed that people were staring at her. A few of them even whispered that she was a traitor. They were all Whitetails that had overheard the deal she made. She didn't care what they thought. It wouldn't matter in the end. She would outlive all of them.

She tried to keep her head held high as she stomped across the grounds. Everyone was staring at them. They had every reason to. Jacob had his little lamb back and she had just agreed to take down the Whitetails for him. She was surprised that he wasn't jumping for joy right now. He seemed to be more shocked than anything.

She stared at the back of his head the entire walk up to his office. Pratt's hand stayed on her shoulder the whole time. She didn't bother looking around. She knew where everything was. When she got out of here, she knew exactly what route she was going to take.

When they made it up to his office, the ropes had begun to dig into her wrists. Jacob's office was almost exactly the same as she left it. Pratt let go of her and shut the door behind her. She was alone with Jacob.

"Come on over sweetheart. Don't be shy."

Liz slowly walked over to his desk. He put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her into the chair. A map of the mountains was laid out on the desk. How many times had she done this bullshit now? She'd spilled her guts to both sides. Neither time had accomplished anything for anyone.

"Here's how this will work, little lamb. You give me a location. If it checks out, the deal stays. I'll drive you over to the border and drop you off myself."

"Is that it?" She kept her eyes on the map. She didn't look up at him. She didn't want to see if he was actually lying or not.

"That's it."

Sure, it was. There was always a catch with Jacob. It only depended on how long it took her to figure it out. She just smiled. That was the only thing that would get her through it.

'Just play your part. It'll be over soon.' She thought.

She pointed to a spot on the map. It was to the northeast of the Whitetails, in the complete opposite direction of the bunker. Fort Drubman.

He scoffed. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"I don't care if you believe it. That's where the Wolf's Den is."

"We checked out Drubman's place years ago. He doesn't fight with Palmer."

She turned her head back to stare him down. "You're right. He didn't before. But Eli promised that all of the Whitetails would vote for him when all this was over. You tell me a politician who wasn't swayed by votes."

He gave her a small smile. Liz couldn't help but smile herself. She knew she shouldn't have, not with what she was planning. This just felt right though. The two of them together again, scheming, planning, and bantering. The feeling faded as soon as she thought about the bruises on her neck.

"The entrance is hidden. It's a couple yards east of the house. There's only one." She picked up one of the markers off the table. It was kind of difficult to write with both her hands bound but she was able to draw a semi-decent circle. Who knows what was actually outside Fort Drubman. She had no idea, but Jacob didn't need to know that.

He leaned over her shoulder, studying the map. She couldn't tell if he actually believed the bullshit she was feeding him. But he didn't object. He just carefully studied the map. If this plan worked, Jacob wouldn't make it to Fort Drubman alive.

"Let's go check it out now. The sooner I get out of here the better…" She stood up from the table and tried to make her way to the door.

Jacob held his hand up to stop her. It wasn't forceful enough to hurt her, but he halted her in her tracks all the same. He gently held it there. It was almost an endearing gesture. Almost…

He let out a sigh. "How stupid do you think I am, sweetheart?"

Damn it. There it was. He called another one of her bluffs. He was so good at that. Maybe she should just stop trying to lie to him. It would save them both so much time.

When she tried to walk away again, his hand curled around her arm. "You really thought you would be able to drag me all the way to Fort Drubman. Were you hoping for his idiot son to blow me to hell with a rocket launcher?"

"No, I-I…"

'Yes.' She thought.

She felt so helpless right now. Her plan was in complete shambles. She would have preferred to be out of his compound when she made her move. But with this disaster, called for a little improvisation.

"I don't appreciate it when you lie to me."

"I know. I just…" The real reason she didn't tell him, is that because she didn't want to hurt Eli. As big as an asshole as her uncle was, they were still family. She couldn't just kill her own uncle.

Jacob stepped towards her. Most likely to scare her. She wasn't though. He had already hurt her a million times over. She was done letting him push her around and use her. She took a step towards him to stare him down.

"How you gonna' get yourself out of this one, little lamb?" His tone was mocking her.

She had to strain her neck to look up at him. This man had done so much to hurt her. He had kidnapped, starved, and beaten her. He was the man that killed Elizabeth Palmer. He also had said that she was his soldier. It was time to start acting like it. No more hiding. No more pretending. How exactly was Liz going to get out of this? Well… she still had one more trick up her sleeve. One that might be a little unorthodox but might still work.

She reached up a grabbed the collar of his jacket and yanked him down towards her. He stumbled, grabbing her hips for support. He hadn't been expecting that. In an instant, he removed her ballcap and tossed it across the room. Her hair fell to her shoulders. She moved her hand so that it rested on the side of his face.

He took notice and pulled her closer to him. His lips hovered inches from hers. Their noses brushed across each other's. He was so close that she could kiss him if she wanted to. But she didn't. She wasn't here for that.

They stayed like that for a minute. It was nice, peaceful even. It made her think of being back at Seed Ranch, before everything all went to shit. Liz stared into his eyes. She made sure to remember what they looked like. After this she wouldn't ever see them again. This was the last nice moment they would share… before she killed him.

Jacob's eyes fluttered close for half a second. That was all that she needed. Liz thrusted her knee up into his crotch. Something that was a mix between a whimper and a growl, came from Jacob. His hands fell from her hips and he slightly buckled over.

She shoved him away. Her hand curled into a fist and collided with his jaw. A cracking sound came from it, more damage was done to her hand than his face. She shook her hand out before lunging after his knife. Jacob had already recovered. He caught her hand before she could grab the knife.

"Little la…"

A snarl crossed her face. She slammed her forehead into his. "Gah!" She cried.

A sharp pain rippled through her body. She hissed though clenched teeth. Jacob slightly stumbled as well. It was enough for her to wrap her hands around the knife and pull it from the holster. She whipped her bounded arms around, blade in hand. He stepped back just in time for the blade to whiz by his throat.

Before she could strike again, she was met with a swift punch to the gut. Liz felt the air leave her lungs. She collapsed onto her knees. The knife fell from her hands and skidded under his desk. Jacob tilted her chin up, so she was looking at him.

"You play dirty, little lamb."

Despite the pain in her ribs, she was able to form a smile. "Only way I know how."

Jacob grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her to her feet. She cried out in pain. Gone was any kindness from him. She was met only with the eyes of a stone-cold killer. This was the man she had seen that first day she got put in a cage. Because that's who really was, brutal and unforgiving.

"I'm going to give you one more chance to re-think what you're doing. Choose wisely." He snarled.

She spat in his face. It was a little unconventional, but it got her point across. She would rather die than strike up any deal with him. The look in his eyes grew darker and his hand moved to her throat. He picked her up by it and threw her across the desk like she was a ragdoll.

The back of her skull hit the desk. Spots had begun to form in her vision. She titled her head up just in time to see Jacob removing his gun from his holster. In a panic, she pushed herself off the desk and onto the other side. Her body smacked into the floor. The first shot hit the wall behind her. She couldn't help but jump at the noise.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a pain in the ass, Liz?"

She scrambled under his desk. Her hands were still bound in front of her. She looked on the ground to see Jacob's knife laying beside her. What luck. She snatched the knife up off the ground and began to saw at the ropes. Two more gunshots hit the wall, making her flinch each time. That made three.

"I have given you chance after chance to be a part of something here. And what do you do? You try to kill me again, like the little bitch you are."

He unloaded his gun further. Four. Five. Six. The bullets hit the wall, nowhere near to hitting her. He wasn't trying to kill her, again. Only trying to scare her. Liz continued to saw at the ropes. She was almost there.

"But I must say, sweetheart. I am impressed. You almost played me for the fool."

"Wonder where I learned it from?"

He scoffed. "I taught you too well."

After a few more seconds, she had sawed through the ropes. Her hands were free.

"Why don't you come on out, pup."

Her mouth hung open. "Really? You're branching out into new nicknames? No thank you. I'd like to stick with the shitty one you gave me."

"Yeah, you are my sweet little lamb."

She peeked her head over the desk just as one more shot hit the wall. She dove back behind the desk. That made seven. He was out of bullets. A small smile formed on her lips. As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed the fighting. When the shit hit the fan sometimes things would become more, clear.

She took a deep breath before making her move. She got out from under the desk and sprinted for the door. She jiggled the doorknob only to find it locked. Her hand slammed against the door in frustration.

"Damn it Pratt!"

"Peaches isn't going to save you darlin'. There's no getting out of this."

She turned to face him. His knife was still in her hand. Her body ached but was still functioning. She still had a job to do.

"There's only one way this ends. I made you a promise." She tightened her grip on the blade.

He shook his head and holstered his weapon. "You can't kill me. You're not strong enough to."

She clenched her teeth together. God, he was such a dick. She forgot how much she really hated him. No matter how many good moments they had, the bad would always outweigh them. He was probably right though, she wasn't strong enough to kill him. But it wouldn't stop her from trying. She gripped the knife in her right hand and squared up for a fight.

"You really going to do this?" He asked.

"I don't have any other choice."

He sighed. "I'm not going to fight you. That's not something that I take pleasure in."

She charged at him. She aimed the blade for his chest. Jacob easily sidestepped her attack. She crashed face first into his bed frame. She slammed her fist into the mattress and turned back around to face him.

"Fight me, asshole!"

"A strong man doesn't hit a woman."

Her eyebrow raised. That was a little hypocritical considering that he already had hit her, several times... today. But it had mostly been in his self-defense. She didn't object to it though. If Jacob wanted to live by his own stupid code, let him be.

"Strong man doesn't back down from a fight." She spat. She pointed the knife at him as a taunt.

Something in Jacob's eyes changed. Bingo. That had stuck a nerve. No matter the person, there was always something that broke them. For Jacob, it was being called weak. He would rather die than be weak.

Jacob sighed and removed his jacket. She took one look at his arms and thought about changing her mind. He was built like a tank. There was no way she would ever beat him, but she was going to try. Even if that meant dying in the process…

"Don't forget that you asked for this, little lamb."

They circled each other like two predators. Neither would back down. Liz's only advantage was the knife in her hand. He could easily disarm her, but he wouldn't. He enjoyed the challenge too much. And he would probably want to kill her with his own two hands.

"Bring it on." She wagged her finger at him to come closer. He obliged. She struck at him. He dodged it again. The blade cut nothing but air.

"You know honey, I had other things planned for us today."

She scoffed. "I know what type of things you plan. Trust me… I'm not interested."

She sliced at him two more times before he caught her hand. A smacking sound echoed through the room. She pushed against his grip but didn't gain any progress.

Her foot collided with his shin. He let out a grunt, loosening his grip. The blade slipped from his grasp and raked across his chest. The smell of blood immediately hit her nose. Red seeped through his T-Shirt.

He immediately recovered and punched her in the gut again. The knife fell from her hands and clattered on the tile. She buckled over. When he moved to grab her, she lunged forward to tackle him. They both slammed into the tile floor. Liz straddled him. Her hand curled into a fist and collided with his jaw. Blood splattered over the two of them.

Before she could hit him again, he grabbed her hips and flipped her so that she was pinned under him. She couldn't help but gasp. His hips dug into hers. He picked up the knife off the ground and shoved it against her throat.

Here she was again, at the mercy of Jacob. She would never be able to kill him, but at least she tried. That was all that mattered. She could die knowing that she went out fighting.

"Do it." The blade pressed down further on her throat. He had that look in his eyes. He was thinking about it. Slicing her throat and solving the problem. It was a permeant solution to his long-term problem.

"Do it!" She wanted to die, and she wanted him to be responsible for it. Tears began to well up in her eyes. They spilled onto her cheeks. "Please… just do it… It's time."

She could see the confliction in his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder if she was the first person that had asked him to kill them. Miller had probably been begging for death in the end. She was no different than his ex-army buddy.

"You don't get to leave me just yet, Palmer." He removed the knife from her throat and holstered it. She felt like she could finally breathe.

He laid between her legs. His body sunk lower into hers. She squirmed, trying to get out from under him but it was no use. She wasn't going anywhere. She had nowhere to look but into his eyes. She felt her heartbeat quicken.

He reached up to carefully tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He got blood on her in the process. His hand rested on the side of her face, thumb stroking her cheek.

"Get off me."

"Little lamb…" His hips dug into hers. She could feel everything that was going on down there. They were too close, way too close. She didn't want to think about how she may have been the cause of it. Her hands began to shake but another part of her deep down enjoyed being this close to him. That part of her wanted him to never let go.

"Get off!"

"What are you gonna' do if I don't?" Jacob cupped her face tighter. She let out a shaky breath. Even though she shouldn't, she felt herself melt into his touch. There was something relaxing about the way his body formed to hers. Almost like it was meant to be that way. And that's why it scared the hell out of her.

"Nothing…" She leaned her head back in defeat. She would never beat him. She wasn't strong enough to. She knew that now.

He traced fingers across her neck one last time, examining the damage he had done. Liz shuddered underneath him. With a sigh, he pushed himself up off her.

There was a patch of blood on her shirt. She looked up at him to see a large cut down the center of his chest. She had done that. He extended a hand to help her up. To her own surprise, she took it. A sharp pain went through her as soon as she got to her feet. They had both beaten up each other pretty bad.

Liz wiped the blood from her face with one hand. She felt something heavy close around the wrist Jacob was holding. She looked down to see a metal cuff closed around her wrist. The cuff was connected to a chain that was bolted to the wall. How had she not noticed this before?

He immediately backed away from her. What the hell? She tired to go towards him, but the chain restricted her movements to a short distance.

"Jacob?" She furiously tugged at the chain, trying to break free. But it was no use. She wasn't going anywhere.

"What the hell!"

He stood far enough away that she couldn't reach him. "Can't have you running off, little lamb. I still need you."

"Just let me go. I'll stay." She yanked at the chain again.

He shook his head. "Not falling for your tricks again, sweetheart. No matter how tempting they may be. You're going to stay right there and be a good little lamb."

"Jacob!" He ignored her pleas. He crossed the room to rummage through his desk. He pulled out a first aid kit and a bottle of alcohol. He slowly lifted the hem of his shirt to inspect the wound. He winced as the fabric scraped across his chest. The cut was deep and ran across at least half his chest.

It was strange to see Jacob in pain. He was probably the strongest person she knew. There wasn't much that could take him down. But she had injured him. The girl that was only alive because of her last name. The girl that had fell face-first into the mud during training. Except she wasn't so sure she was that girl anymore. The girl that had attacked Jacob was cold. She had killed, lied, and manipulated. She wasn't any better than him.

Jacob stripped his shirt off and threw it on the ground. Her eyes widened. Jacob's chest was much different than she had imagined. Not that she had ever imagined what he looked like shirtless in her free time…

He didn't have bulging muscles, but it was clear he could break anyone in half if he wanted to. Scars covered his body as well. Except these were worse than the ones on his face. There wasn't a smooth patch of skin on his top half. The left side of his chest was completely blackened. The rest of him was covered in the same ugly welts and scars. She also swore that she saw lash marks on his back…

Jacob paid no attention to his disrobed state, or to her. He poured the alcohol onto a rag and dabbed it against the cut. A low growl rumbled out of his throat.

"It's not nice to stare, little lamb." He didn't even look up at her. He continued to attempt to clean his wound.

Liz broke out of her daze. She had been staring too long. She sat on his bed, letting her back lay against the headrest.

"Just admiring my handiwork. It's nice to see what you finally get what you deserve, asshole." She stretched out her legs on the bed, feeling smitten with herself.

He slammed his hand on the table, making her jump. "You're so right, sweetheart."

"I am?"

He gathered up all of the medical supplies and walked over to the bed. He sat them down on the bedside table. He towered over her.

"This was your work. So, you get to stitch me up."

She scoffed. "To hell I am. I'll just try to kill you again."

"Get up." He said. Liz just sat there, staring up at him. Damn her for running her mouth again. It always got her in trouble, but she continued to do it. "Don't make me ask again." He growled.

With a sigh, she got up from the bed. Jacob sat down in her place. He leaned back against the headboard and stretched out his own legs. Liz watched the whole ordeal with her mouth agape. He patted his lap for her to sit down on top of him.

"Uh, hell no." She backed away but was snagged by the chain. Jacob grabbed hold of it and yanked her towards him. He grabbed her hips and dragged her up onto the bed. She had no other choice than to comply.

"Hi there, little lamb." He gave her a smirk.

"For the love of everything, let me go." She was sitting awkwardly in his lap. She shoved at his chest, but he didn't budge. He helped her adjust so she was straddling him, for the second time today. She let out a sigh.

"Nope. You're stitching me up."

She examined the wound on his chest. It was shallow, but far deeper than she thought she had cut him. It oozed out thick blood. If it wasn't treated soon, it would get infected.

Liz was accustomed to blood. It was everywhere at the Veteran's Center. Seeing dead bodies was once part of her daily routine. But still, seeing Jacob's fresh wound made her uncomfortable. Deep down though, she knew it wasn't the wound but the position she was in.

"But I don't even know how. I'll probably end up killing you on accident too."

"I'm going to show you. So, you can learn." He handed her a bottle of alcohol and a rag.

"Remember what happened last time you told me to learn something?" She tipped to bottle over to wet the rag.

"The way I remember it is you not listening to me and poking your nose into things you shouldn't."

That was not how that night went at all. That had been the worst night of her life. She had only wanted to die. Just the thought of what happened then pissed her off. She let the rag fall from her hands. She tipped the bottle and dumped the contents onto Jacob's chest.

The clear liquid sizzled the moment it touched his skin. Jacob hissed through clenched teeth. His hands kneaded into the sheets below him. The alcohol flowed down his chest. A good chunk of it even got on her jeans. She didn't care.

"It hurts doesn't it?"

"Little lamb, if you…" She dumped the rest on him, cutting off his sentence. He let out another groan. He snatched the bottle from her hands and chunked it across the room. It shattered against the the tile. He let out a shaky breath. "Could you stop acting like a bitch for five minutes?"

Liz shrugged her shoulders. "Nope."

"Well, you you're not getting off until you stitch me up. So if I were you, I'd hurry up and get it over with."

She sighed, weighing her options. There was truly no going anywhere unless Jacob said so. "Just show me how to do it."

He reached back to hand her the forceps, needle, and thread. He instructed her on how to tie the thread and use the forceps to guide it through. She got the needle prepped and placed it against the wound. She looked up at him for approval. What the hell was wrong with her? She had just tried to kill him and now she wanted to make sure it was okay to put a needle to his chest.

He gave her a small nod and she proceeded to start her first stitch. More blood spilled from the wound, leaving her hands wet and sticky. She snatched them away.

"I-I can't do this."

"Well, you're not going anywhere until you fix your handiwork." His hands drifted to her hips and squeezed her tightly. They rested a little too low on her hips for her liking.

Oh shit. This could not be happening. Not again. His hands had been all over her today. What scared her even more is that she kind of enjoyed the feeling.

"Let go of me." She hissed.

"Not happening, sweetheart. Take your time though. I can sit here all day." He sunk further into the mattress and gripped her tighter.

She sighed. "You're such an ass, you know that?"

"Well, I guess we're not that different after all."

No, they were not. They were just two people who would do whatever it would take to survive. There was no getting out of this or around it. So, she might as well get to work. She took a shaky breath and prepped the needle.

Her hands shook as she pushed the needle through his skin. She wasn't the one getting stitched up, but she winced all the same. Every time she touched him more blood seemed to seep out. Her hands were stained red, just like out by the lake that one night. She shook the thought from her head. She had a job to do. She needed to focus on that.

The first few stitches were sloppy, but as she continued they became more uniform. Jacob just sat there. Occasionally he would grunt or sigh but that was it. His hands stayed planted on her hips. She could feel his eyes burning into her skull, but she never looked up at him. She couldn't. If she did, she wouldn't be able to stop.

So, she focused on the sutures. They became easier to do as she continued. But she also grew uncomfortable with his hands on her hips. And after a while, for some reason, she felt compelled to open her mouth.

"You know I almost died the other day…" She could feel Jacob shift underneath her, and his breathing changed as well. She kept her eyes on his chest. "I um… was trying to take the outpost with Dep and I, froze. This woman, almost shot me…"

Her hands began to shake at the thought. She was only halfway done with the sutures but set down the needle and forceps anyways.

"She looked exactly like Andrea… I could have sworn that it was her. I just… I didn't know what to do. I couldn't think, breathe. I just stood there and waited to die. But I didn't… I lived somehow."

Liz didn't know why she was telling him this story. He had no right to know it. He would only use it against her, to make the excuse that she was weak. But here she was telling him anyways. Like he had some right to know.

"Do you know what I told Andrea when I killed her?"

Oh no. Here it was. The secret that she had been holding in. Those cursed words she had uttered that afternoon. Ones that she had meant at the time but regretted saying now. And now she was going to tell it to the one man who she shouldn't be speaking to. Jacob just sat there. He didn't say anything. The only sound he made was the heavy breaths from his nose.

A tear fell down her face. "I told her that I was strong… and she was weak. And that she needed to be culled."

She laughed. More tears spilled from her eyes. "But she wasn't the one who was weak… I was."

Jacob moved to rest a hand on the side of her face. His hand covered her entire cheek. It was calloused but also, soft. His thumb brushed across her cheek and wiped away her tears. How could something so gentle come from the man who had hurt her so much?

"Hey… look at me…" He tried to tilt her chin upwards, but she wouldn't budge. She stared at his chest instead.

"You did what you had to. Alright. You're not weak. You culled the herd, that's what you're supposed to do."

That was not what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to go to college, get a job, fall in love, get married, and live a normal life. She wasn't supposed to kill and fight and die for a cause. That was never in the cards for her, but somehow this was her life.

"Liz…"

The sound of her name made her chin perk up. She locked eyes with his icy blue ones. They were filled with pain, which was something that didn't happen often. She didn't know if it was from the wound or from something else. No matter the cause of his pain, she was entranced. She couldn't look away.

"Does it ever get any easier?" She asked. Confusion crossed over his face. "Does killing people ever get any easier?"

The look he gave her wasn't filled with pain anymore, but with hopelessness. Much like the one Dep had given her before she got captured. It was the look of someone that didn't have any answers.

"It gets to the point where it's not personal. It's just a job." He said.

She gritted her teeth and a scowl crossed over her face. Her eyes never left his though. "You should know more than anyone that it is always personal."

It was personal when she had kicked that man off the cliff. It was personal when she killed those Peggies with Dep. It was definitely personal when she had killed Andrea… And it was personal when her cousin had died. Jacob was no different. The Whitetails, Eli, and Miller… It was all personal.

"It's not if you have a purpose."

There was that bullshit again. Jacob would rather die than break his stupid code. His other hand left her hip to cup her face on both sides. What the hell was he doing? She was prepared to rip his throat out and he was being so damn… gentle. She didn't like that.

"When did you stop counting?" She didn't explain further because he knew what she was asking. He always knew.

"Six."

"Why?" Why had he stop counting when he killed six people? There had to be a reason. She didn't think that she could ever stop counting. She was at thirteen so far.

He sighed. "Because I knew that there was no point. That it would never end…"

She understood exactly how he felt. That was how she felt sometimes. Her number would only continue to grow. The circle of violence would never end. It would just keep going around and around, till everyone was dead. Someone always payed in blood, hopefully it just wouldn't be her.

Jacob's hands burned on her face. Her cheeks were stained a bright red. This is not where she wanted to be, not at all. This man was her enemy. He didn't want her or care for her. She was just a tool, his tool. But as she got lost in those icy blue eyes, she forgot once again. Just like when she had put his holster on him that day. Forgetting was a dangerous thing to do with Jacob Seed.

He pulled her closer to him. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She forgot about the wound on his chest, the bruises on her neck, and the chain around her wrist. He brought her closer until their noses touched once again.

Liz felt herself start to panic. This could not be happening. No way in hell was she going to do this. Her hand curled into a fist and collided with his chest, right where the wound was. More blood splattered over the two of them. He let out a growl and his hands fell from her face.

He picked her up and threw her off of his lap. Her body slammed into the tile floor. Pain rippled through her.

"Fuck." She cursed.

Jacob stood up from the bed and retrieved his shirt from the other side of the room. He was still bleeding but didn't seem to care. A scowl rested on his face.

"Have fun rotting in here, little lamb." That was the last thing he said before slamming the door behind him.

Liz picked herself up off the ground, still trying to process everything that had happened today. She sat back down on the bed and tucked her knees to her chest. Blood still stained her hands and face. She yanked at the chain a few more times, but nothing changed. She was stuck here.

There was nothing Liz could do but sit there and be a good little lamb… so that's what she was going to do.