She couldn't bring herself to speak, mortified and humiliated by Drizdan's show, but also blindingly angry at Epharis for his choice to spare her.
"I can't lose you too," he said after several long minutes of silence.
She looked at him, her body huddled against the wall to make herself as small as possible.
"I can't lose you," he whispered again and dropped his gaze from her furious, hate filled one.
Silence stretched between them until Drizdan returned and he smiled at the tension.
"Oh no, trouble in paradise?" he asked as he approached her and when no one responded, he shrugged and jerked her away from the wall by her hair.
Reaching down, he positioned her on her knees, her fingers clenched and smoking around the chain to keep from bending her arms back.
Kneeling at her side, she bit her lip as she heard something whistling and she screamed at a loud whacking sound, something long and thin connecting against the backs of her thighs.
Again and again the switch stuck her while she struggled to remain silent. Tears had begun to trickle down her cheeks after the second blow, blood filling her mouth where she had bitten her tongue in an effort to remain silent.
The sound of the switch was loud in the small room, followed by a sharp smack and her gasps and whimpers of agony.
He didn't stop until he was covered in sweat, pulling her eyes up to find him staring down at her with a burning intensity, the front of his trousers tight with his arousal.
"You're so beautiful when you're crying…" he whispered, seemingly unable to take his eyes off her.
Dropping her eyes to the floor as he stood, she shrank back at his dark laughter.
"See Epharis, you only have to beat her enough to make her obey," he taunted, "Just like any good pet," he crooned as he cupped her chin, forcing her head up but she was unable to meet his eyes.
The room was silent for a long moment as Drizdan studied her, his breathing heavy with exertion.
"As much as I would love to hold you down and fuck you, I'm willing to wait," he said finally, though she felt it was more to convince himself than anything.
Without a word, the Drow left the room. He didn't stay gone for long, returning quickly with a short, narrow knife.
"Lie down on your back," he said without looking up.
She hesitated, glancing towards Epharis. She might be angry at him, but she was terrified of Drizdan.
Her hesitation costed her, the back of the Drow's hand connecting with the side of her face to send her sprawling on the hard stone floor.
Rolling her jaw to see if it was broken, she heard a faint clicking in the joint but she couldn't focus on that when Drizdan grabbed onto her legs and dragged her closer to him.
He was on his knees, the sight of him looming over her like that sending a thrill of terror through her, certain he had changed his mind on not defiling her.
He didn't however, instead he rolled onto his backside and lifted her right leg onto his thighs. The position was intensely uncomfortable, her hip burning within a few seconds as he forced the joint to twist in a way it was never designed to go.
Clenching her jaw, she refused to make a sound, knowing he was going to do something terrible to her.
The knife slid cleanly over her skin and she jerked back, but with his arm around her thigh, she could barely move. Again the knife danced over her skin, cutting deep lines into the soft, sensitive flesh.
It took only a minute, but when Drizdan drew back, his hand and knife were both bloody.
Shoving herself back from him, she glanced down and there was something odd on her inner thigh. It was hard to read through the blood, but she had a sudden dawning horror as she realised he had cut his name into her inner thigh with the knife.
***
Three days passed in a similar fashion though his violence grew worse with each passing hour until he seemed to be timing how quickly he could leave her unconscious on the floor. It had become a game to him, revelling in her ability to heal and when he grew bored or it became too much for him, he pleasured himself over her.
He was true to his word at least, he never touched her aside from her breasts. She was glad when he said his time was up and he left, waving a cheerful. "I'll be seeing you soon," over his shoulder and leaving them alone.
She had stopped trying to fight after the first day, though he was good at getting her angry enough to try and defend herself. It only ended in him beating her mercilessly and then humiliating her. He was incredibly skilled at what he did, chipping steadily away at her confidence and self-worth until she was little more than a doll for him to move around as he pleased.
Her submission made him more sadistic and he began to torture her to the full extent of her body. Leaving her broken and bleeding, barely clinging to life, yet he was extremely careful not to tip her over that edge into the freedom of death.
Glancing at Epharis to find him staring at her with a burning intensity, she dropped her eyes again to avoid having to speak to him. She didn't want to have to talk, she wanted to hide and be alone.
No, that wasn't entirely true. She wanted to be with Kai and Jaia, to have them around her and telling her that she was going to be alright. She needed that comfort from someone who wasn't another abusive man.
Dwelling on her thoughts, it was a good three hours before the sound of running footsteps had them both looking up.
Kai burst into the room and then immediately wheeled back out, the scent of blood, degradation and fear hitting him like a wall and blow to the gut all in one.
They heard him taking three deep breaths and then one bigger, holding it before he turned back and rushed back into the room, his eyes huge.
Epharis was sitting with his legs outstretched before him, his head back against the wall though he hadn't taken his eyes off her in hours. He looked mostly fine, bloodied and dishevelled but relatively okay all things considered.