Riven's Pov
It was a night seemingly no different from the others, though I should've known better by now—Selthra never let anything remain ordinary.
I lay sprawled on her silk sheets, exhausted, skin sticky with the heat of her touch and the residue of my own disgust. Every night bled into the next, the same performance, the same hollow-eyed obedience. Tonight was no different. When she finally seemed satisfied enough to retreat to a side of the bed, I tried to shut my eyes and pretend I could sleep.
Sleep was never easy here.
I tried my usual trick. I thought of them. Caius's flush when I teased him, Miri's gentle fingers carding through my hair. Memories of them dulled the scorch of Selthra's hands on me, made the nights bearable—sometimes. If I closed my eyes hard enough, I could almost imagine Miri curled against me instead of Selthra, Caius's steady presence at my back.
