His nonchalant tone grated at her nerves like nails raking down a chalkboard. The sick bastard was enjoying<i>every</i>moment of this, and that fact that her own inability to best the Veil played a part left her feeling angry and disgusted. Had she trained harder, perhaps she would have had him lying on his back with her blade in his throat. Instead, she was his prisoner and she was well-aware that he held almost all the power in this horrible situation. If she weren't so angry, she would have been scared out of her wits. It was useful, masking all the fear and uncertainty underneath her hatred for him and the entire Geslack household.<br/><br/>She held the rag firmly between her fingers and stared at him with all the defiance she could muster. Lyra prepared to turn away from him so she could wipe herself away from his prying eyes, but her strength left her and she felt a lump forming in her throat. This was the extent of his power... how could one refuse to show fear when they were literally stripped of their strength and made helpless. If he wanted to, he could do whatever he wanted to her and she would be too weak to fight back. It was an utterly frightening though and she was still reeling from the implications of it when he gave her strength back only to drag her into the water.<br/><br/>He was a power-tripping bastard like all the other Geslacks. That was the thought that pierced through her head before the fear finally broke through the defiance and water started filling her lungs. This was how she was going to die, in a pool of her family's magical element. Cruel Geslack boy with his love of power and inflicting hurt. She was surprised when he lifted her head above the water but when he finally drew her to the center to speak, groping her along the way with his filthy hands, she was no longer surprised... merely scared of what was to come.<br/><br/>Everything he said was true. She was a dead mouse without her magic or her strength to protect her. If he wanted to, he could take her and she would merely have to endure it. Disgust and fear melded together in the pit of her stomach and the horror she felt at the words he'd uttered finally shone clearly on her face. Lyra didn't want things to end this way, to be taken by a Geslack as she laid helpless. She felt vulnerable and the mention of the cousins she failed to protect only increased her helplessness. Her lips trembled when she spoke, the defiant words now quiet. "You wouldn't dare, Geslack. I swear if you do anything of that kind, my family will come after you." She tried to sound tough but it was impossible at this point. "They'll come after you and bring you hell. You'll regret everything<i>and</i>you'll pay for what you did to Astor and Alvina."