The fabric parted slightly at her midsection, showing a thin strip of bare skin.
"It must be nice," Seraphine continued, pulling at the tie more, the knot coming undone bit by bit, "to be so powerful. So completely without fear or vulnerability. To know that nothing in your own realm can harm you."
The tie came completely undone, the ends falling away. It hung even more loosely, one good movement away from dropping to the floor entirely.
Seraphine finally let the tie fall from her hands, her arms now hanging loosely at her sides. She took a small step closer to the bath's edge, and the movement caused the gown to shift dangerously. It slipped lower on her hips, revealing more of her stomach, more of her waist.
"I wonder," she mused, her eyes locked on Julian's, "what it's like to have that kind of power. That kind of freedom. To be able to do whatever you want, take whatever you desire, without consequence or limitation."
