I dug in my heels, made myself deadweight. It didn’t matter.
The one with the gold bar pressed my left arm against one pole and then tightened a shackle around my wrist. His friend repeated the process with my right arm.
I stood with my arms spread wide. Tied. At their mercy. I pulled against the cuffs, but there was no give. I reached for my magic, but it was gone. No. Not gone. Dampened. “What’s happening?” My voice was too high, almost squeaky.
“It’s the cuffs,” said Gold Bar. “They cut off access to magic. You are being punished.”
I swallowed. Hard. “For protecting myself?”
A knife whispered down my back, and the fabric of my tunic fell away, revealing my bare spine.
Panic clawed at my throat, choking me.
“Did you think you could embarrass me and get away withit?” The man I’d kicked in the groin stood behind me, close enough that his sour breath assaulted my nose.
“I protected myself.”
“You don’t get it, Shield. If a guard tells you to suck his cock, you do it. If he tells you to spread your legs, you do it.” He ran his fingers up the inside of my leg, and I shuddered.
“I’d rather die.”
He laughed as if I’d said something funny.
The sudden bite of a whip against my back brought tears to my eyes.
The second lash sliced through my flesh and scored my bones. Each lash sent vibrations through the wooden posts. Someone had built these specifically for this purpose. How many women had been chained here before me?
Drake gave me a moment to catch my breath.
“Asshole.”
“What did you call me?” Drake was behind me again. His fingers poked at my wounds and played in my blood.
“Asshole,” I said with force.
“I have the whip.” He meant it as a warning. He could rend the flesh from my bones.
It was a warning I refused to heed. “What kind of man beats a woman for protecting herself from rape?”
“Not rape. Just taking what I want.” His hand, already slick with my blood, circled my torso and grabbed my breast, twisting it painfully. “Should I fuck you now or wait until your back is destroyed?”
I jerked my head back and felt it connect with bone.
“Bitch!”
The whip bit into my back, and fresh tears welled in my eyes, spilling over my lids and soaking my cheeks.
He hit me again. And again.
Pain stole my breath. Only the lack of air kept me from screaming.
“You’re crying?” I hated the delight I heard in his voice. “You’re nothing but a weak girl. How dare you deny me?”
I gritted my teeth. Reacting to pain didn’t make me weak. It made me self-aware. And I was all too aware of the pain.
Another lash. It felt as if a thousand knives had ripped into my skin at the same time. Agony threatened to devour me, to blot out my reason. If that happened, I might beg him to stop. The asshole could see my tears, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing my pleas. Not that he’d listen. He was enjoying this. He wanted to break me.
I wouldn’t give him that.
