The bristles of my brush moved slowly through my hair, dark strands falling straight and glossy under each stroke. The room still smelled faintly of lavender and clean linen, the scent from my bath still lingering in the air.
I sat in front of the mirror in my room, dressed in a silk nightgown that clung to every curve like a second skin, the fabric brushing against my bare thighs.
I had once hated all these robes, I had hated that I had to wear them for Gideon night after night, I had hated how I looked like a slut in them for him. But now, these very robes made me feel powerful, they made me feel pretty, sexy.
Behind me, the door clicked open. I didn't turn because I knew it was Elias.
"Good evening, ma'am," Elias said, voice steady, low.
I kept brushing.
"He returned everything," he continued. "Territory, funds, assets siphoned from our ports. All of it, Varek yielded. There was no summit. He sent an envoy this earlier, signed and sealed."
