A long, lithe body was tied face down on a heavy wooden St. Andrew's Cross, her face covered in a spandex max that left her eyes and mouth exposed. Shamira would always be able to recognize the Representative's soft-looking, luscious lips anywhere. And the Representative . . . Alessandra . . . was looking right at her. And she looked so content that it made Shamira's heart lighter. Not many people even knew the names of anyone on the Tribunal, and certainly no one would normally be allowed to see one in such a "compromised" state.

Besides the mask, Alessandra was naked. Her wrists and ankles were secured to the...