Helena's order still hangs in the air of the penthouse, her cool fingers resting on my wrist as she waits for me to take the camisole. The silk would stretch across my chest in the mirror, turning the last pieces of the man I pretend to be into something else entirely. My brother's custody hearing is in three days, and every command she gives pulls me deeper into the safety I have never admitted I need.
I reach for the fabric anyway. The key to her locked drawer slides into her pocket, and I know she sees the fear and the want fighting behind my eyes. If anyone learns what I let her make of me, I lose him. If I stop now, I lose her.
Her crown tattoo shows when she shifts her stance, and still she waits for me to obey.
