Eliot hated to be predictable but there was no better position. Sam was crouched, it would take him a second if orientation to rearrange his balance from forward to back, away instead of towards. People often underestimated how Eliot could go from looking perfectly relaxed to full attack in less than a second, and even with healing internal injuries and mending bones, he could still launch one with barely a second warning.

So he listened to Sam's spiel, nodded like the demon said the most reasonable things, and when Sam closed the distance, Eliot was grinned up at Sam. "You know what I think? It's a great plan, wear me down, reward for good behavior. But you see, that whole silver collar thing? It ain't me."

Suddenly Eliot was moving forward. His feet dug into the hard rocky ground and pushed up, using the bend of his knees and the back of the wall to give him the spring needed to tackle Sam. With his arm still only healing, he decided not to use it for more than leverage, instead of hitting with it he tried to press it sideways across Sam's windpipe to pin the demon down.