Page 44 of The Vicious Defender

I shudder, and my dogs start growling. They pull me away from the cage and lead me further into the darkness.

"Good boys," I murmur, letting them guide me. "Find Xavier. Go on, boys."

The dogs sniff the air and lead me into a dead-end, a single cage sitting there in the dark.

"Xavier," I whisper, and suddenly, the light above the cage switches on, and I see him. His face is covered in bruises, his lip cut, and his eyes are angry.

"Get away from me," he snarls.

"No."

"Leave. Now."

"Not without you," I hiss. "I've been fighting to see you. Please, just talk to me. I love you, Master."

"Don't say that," he groans, looking away.

"Why not?" I frown.

"You'll regret it later."

"What's later? When you're out of here?"

"I'll never be out of here. You've lost your mind if you think they'll ever let me go."

"You're not their prisoner, though."

"Then what am I?"

"Mine," I say, kneeling on the dirty, damp concrete.

The dogs lie down in front of the cage while I fumble with the keys. I fit them in the lock one by one, but none of them work. I keep trying until one of the keys breaks off.

"Fuck!" I groan in frustration. "None of these goddamn keys fit."

"It's no use," Xavier mutters. "What's the point of letting me out for a few minutes? They'll just throw me back in here. I'll never get out now. Not unless I agree to your parents terms."

"What terms?" I whisper.

"An eye for an eye," he laughs bitterly.

"I don't understand."

"They want my child," he tells me, and the words hit me like a punch to the gut.

"Our child," I hiss.

"My son, because he'll be just like me. He'll never belong to us, Tallulah. This is the end of the road. The only way out is to agree to their terms."

"Then agree," I hiss. "Do it."

"But our future children..."

"We'll get them back," I assure him. "You don't have to worry. They'll never keep us from them."

"You've always had a lot more faith than I have."

"We can do it," I nod. "We'll raise him to hate them. And when he's old enough, we'll get revenge."

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