The women led me down a hallway that felt endless. When they opened the doors to the bedroom, I forgot how to breathe. It was gigantic. The bed sat in the middle like a plush island of milk silk and chocolate.
"You must not dress before you sleep, Lady Uriel," one of the women said. Her voice was flat, like she was reading a grocery list. "In this house, you sleep without clothes. Those are the rules."
Nakedness. I would have questioned that, but I was too weak to fight. My ribs throbbed with every breath, and my split lip felt like it was on fire. They brought me a tray of food—my favorite food. At that point, I didn't know how much of me this man knew, but he seemed to know everything.
They brought me a small glass of blue liquid. "For the pain," they told me. I drank it. Within minut
