They didn’t sleep.

Raven felt too full of excitement—the lingering, brutal thrill of mindblowing sex and the impending victory made her feel like she’d had five coffees in a row. She showered instead of vainly trying to catch a few minutes of sleep, emerging in a wave of scented steam and contentment. She dug out the gala-night cosmetics from where she’d stowed them in the bathroom drawers and set about making herself immaculately made up.

In the mirror, as ...