She felt her face fall as she stared at him wordlessly and for a second, Lexi felt as though her heart had stopped beating, the breath completely robbed from her chest as the meaning of his words sank in.
"W-wait! Please!" She stammered but she was met with a snort of disdain as she felt herself being dragged along behind the figure of Eromaug as he pushed past Aoife and Orynn, sending them careening into the walls.
"You should know better than to test my patience, Lexi." He replied coldly as he stalked through the corridors, never slowing his pace.
"I'm sorry. I just…sometimes I can't help it. I say things without thinking…" She rushed out frantically as she stumbled after him trying desperately to keep up with him.
"Then that needs to change and apparently you and your father are more alike than I wanted to admit. He learned the hard way too, as will you." He spat in response, jerking her upright as she tripped over her own feet.
When Eromaug turned suddenly, for a moment Lexi felt as though she were weightless with the rapid speed that he descended the staircase she felt as though she spent more time in the air being dragged uncaringly behind him than her feet touched the steps.
The lower they descended, the stronger the scent of rotting flesh became and once they reached the bottom of the staircase, it was all Lexi could do not to throw up.
She stumbled forward a few steps before she found herself flung forwards, falling heavily to the damp floor with a cry of surprise. Her hands flew out in front of her but instead of bracing her against the fall, she found them slipping on the wet surface and she fell face first onto the filth.
With a groan she lifted her head, looking back at the smug face of Eromaug as he leered down at her.
"That is the position you should present yourself in whenever you are in my presence," he smirked as Lexi stared up at him in disbelief, "We aren't quite there yet but I'm sick of dragging you around after me, you can make the rest of the way on your own."
Lexi snorted internally and hung her head as she tried her best to cool her temper that threatened to make this situation even worse than it was. If she could just stay calm and appease him, perhaps she could talk him out of doing whatever it was that he had in mind when he brought her down here.
She began to push herself up to her knees, but without warning, she felt Eromaug's fingers around the back of her neck and seconds later she was thrust face first back onto the ground.
"Do you really think I'm going to let you walk the rest of the way?" Eromaug sneered, his lips only millimeters away form her ear, "If you want to behave like the fucking animals that you were bred from, then I will treat you as such."
He released her head roughly and Lexi winced as her forehead bounced from the ground, biting her lip to stop the pained cry that she felt bubble up...
"You will fucking crawl the rest of the way, head down as you move forward. Do you understand?" He purred as Lexi screamed internally, the pull of her magick tugging in her chest even more strongly now.
His fingers gripped her hair before she could answer, pulling her head backwards at rapid speed as she yelped in pain this time.
"Tick tock Lexi, I expect an answer immediately, not when you feel like it." He purred, flashing his fangs in a charming smile that did nothing but terrify her.
"Of course, I'm sorry." She rushed out, her eyes screwed shut as his fingers pulled roughly at more of her hair, "I'll do as you ask. I'll crawl...wherever you want me to."
He answered with a deep throaty chuckle as she found herself thrown to the floor once more.
"Good girl." He hummed as he watched her push herself up onto all fours and nudged her forward with his foot.
The anger and humiliation that Lexi felt as she moved forwards felt as though it might consume her. She knew that her face was more than likely a shocking shade of red right now, but she also knew that she had to swallow her pride if she wanted her mother, Allen and Greyson to stand any chance of coming out of this unscathed.
She wasn't stupid, as much as Eromaug wanted her to be a mindless sycophant, that would never happen. She would, however, bite her tongue and play the role as long as she needed to in order for them all to survive. After all, it wouldn't be too much longer until she would be able to put her plan into action, as much as the thought sickened her.
"Ah it seems we have arrived," Eromaug drawled with a hint of amusement in his voice, "Lift your head Lexi and be polite to our prisoners. After all, I'm sure your mother has waited for what must seem like a lifetime to see you again."
Lexi heard a frantic scrambling to her left and as she lifted her head, she locked eyes with the gaze of a woman that she had thought she would never see again.
"Lexi? Is that really you?!" Ximena gasped, her eyes traveling over every inch of Lexi's body in a fraction of a second as she memorized every single injury that she laid eyes on.
Lexi stared at her, unable to answer through the sob that escaped her lips as her vision became blurry with the tears that welled up without warning.
She lurched forwards towards her mothers arms that stretched through the bars, desperate to touch her, to make sure that this was real and not just a cruel trick that Eromaug was subjecting her to but a mere fingertip away from reaching her mother, she found herself pulled backwards out of reach by her hair yet again.
"Please!" Lexi sobbed, not caring anymore about her pride or the satisfaction this would give Eromaug, all she wanted was her mother's touch that had been denied her for such a long time, "Please let me go to her!"
"Now, now, Lexi. I didn't say that you could touch the animals down here did I?" Eromaug smirked, "This is merely to remind you that here, in my home, I am your god and you will obey me on everything. Otherwise, these pathetic creatures I keep here will suffer for your transgressions. Do you understand me?"