Run Jesse- Part 8

               Later that night, he finally caught up with her at the end of one of the dungeon corridors, and he shoved her back against the wall, drawing a large-bladed knife seemingly from nowhere and pressing it against the tender flesh of her throat as he watched her wide eyes.

               He saw her tense as he pressed the knife against her flesh just hard enough to make her gasp, and he realized she was trembling softly all over before him.

               "Please," her voice was almost non-existent in the wake of all the screams and cries he'd already gotten out of her that night.

               Lifting his eyes from her neck to her face, he saw a tear slip down from the corner of her eye, glinting softly in the light of the torch on the wall.

               "Please don't," she shook her head gently, imploring him with her eyes.

               "Why not?" he asked her, searching her gaze with his own, his look curious.

               She closed her eyes as he trailed the sharp edge of the knife upwards along her flesh, steeling her jaw and doing her best not to cry as she felt him use the flat edge of the knife to guide her into tilting her chin upwards, to get a better look at her face.

               She gasped as she felt him press the sharp edge against the tender flesh of her throat once more, opening her eyes to find herself meeting his seemingly soulless black eyes again.

               "You're not giving up on me already, are you, Jesse?" he asked her quietly, searching her gaze with his own.

               She swallowed hard over the sob that was dying to come out as their eyes held, and her stomach quivered softly as the blade bit lightly into her flesh, hard enough to get her attention, but not quite enough to mar her flesh.

               Not yet, anyway.

               "It's what you want, isn't it?" she asked him, feeling the tear that spilled down over her cheek as she held his gaze, her lower lip trembling softly as she regarded him, "For me to give up?"

               "No...." he said as their eyes held.

               Her forehead creased as the word sank in.

               "No?" she repeated the word, regarding him curiously.

               "I need your strength, Jesse," he purred lowly, his eyes burning into hers, "I need you to fight."

               "Why?" she breathed, shaking her head gently, her eyes glistening at the thought, her exhaustion from all the nights she'd spent running from him washing over her at the thought of them as she stood there now.

               "Because I know you will," he said, his dark eyes burning into hers as she lifted her gaze to meet his again.

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