I woke on a bed so soft it felt like I was floating. Warm air skimmed over my bare back, brushing the raw, sensitive skin with a gentle kiss that was almost soothing everywhere but the upper left side, where the brand had seared itself into my flesh. The pain had dulled to a throbbing ache, numbed further by a coolness radiating from the fresh bandage. My cheek was half-buried in the pillow, limiting my view to the hazy edges of silk sheets and the vastness of the mattress beneath me.

With ...