Jinx’s amber eyes lit up, and he gave me a truly shit-eating grin. His whole beautiful face beaming pure joy.
“Fine, your boyfriend is causing too much trouble. I can overlook him killing his summoners but not the other incidents. The nightclub, the frat house, the warehouse. He is a danger to us all.”
I had no idea about a warehouse incident but it didn’t sound good. Clearly Jinx had been up to no good without me. It was unsettling to think that the times he had disappeared had been dangerous. He’d been out there causing havoc without me and I’d been clueless. But the Council had known. It was terrifying that the Council knew so much. They weren’t supposed to be all seeing and omnipotent. Clearly they were.
“I’m sorry. I’ll keep a better eye on him,” I tried weakly.
Silas frowned, “Not good enough. You need to either banish him or collar him.”
Guilt hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. Banishing him had never crossed my mind. I hadn’t thought of it. Hadn’t offered it. I damn well knew Jinx had been summoned to my realm against his will. I should have offered to send him home. I was a selfish ass.
“You want to go home?” I asked Jinx.
His eyes widened and he stepped closer to me, grabbing my top with his bound hands. He shook his head vigorously, an imploring look in his eyes.
I smiled softly at him. “Are you sure?”
He nodded.
“Okay then,” I reassured him.
I turned to the Grand Master. “If I collar him, that’s the end of it? You will let us go?”
It seemed very lenient. Almost too good to be true. There had to be a catch, some punishment to go with the preventative measure.
Silas Darkstar shrugged elegantly. “What can I say, I’m a sucker for love stories.”
I looked deep into Jinx’s eyes, making sure I had his full attention. He needed to understand what he was potentially agreeing to.
“If I collar you, it will mean that you belong to me. I will be able to control you. You won’t be able to leave my side. It will mean no more wandering off and doing whatever it is you do.”
Jinx stared back at me solemnly. His eyes bright and intelligent. He clearly understood what I was saying and I could tell he fully grasped the seriousness of it.
“If I sent you home, you’d be free,” I said softly, as if I didn’t want him to hear me.
Surely he couldn’t like me that much? We barely knew each other. He had no reason to give up his freedom and his home to stay with me. It was too much of a sacrifice.
Jinx held my gaze and nodded decisively. Maybe he really likes this realm? I pondered to myself. Maybe he has reasons to not want to go back to Hell?
I nodded back to him with a soft smile. Whatever the cause of his decision, it was his to make.
One of the enforcers shoved something in my hand. I looked down at it. A plain iron collar. Not too thick, it wouldn’t be too heavy. It was even lined on the inside with red velvet.
I glanced up at Silas in surprise as realization hit me. “Right now?”
Silas gave me a very impatient look that scared the shit out of me.
“Do I look stupid? I’m hardly going to let you walk out of here on a promise. Get on with it.”
Swallowing nervously I turned back to Jinx. He stared at the collar, curiosity clear in his beautiful eyes.
“Take off their cuffs,” ordered the Grand Master.
As soon as we were free, I handed the collar to Jinx so he could investigate it. He took it and turned it over in his hands. Then he sniffed it. I imagined what it would look like on his slender neck. Avarice swirled through me. I wanted to claim him, own him. I wanted the world to know he belonged to me. Mine to care for. Mine to protect. Mine to touch. The collar would look good.
Jinx lifted his gaze to mine, and I saw something like avarice in his eyes too. He wanted this. He wanted to be mine. Excitement tingled through me.
“Are you sure?” I whispered.
