I lift the band. It’s heavy.
I wrap it around her ankle. I press my thumb against the biometric sensor hidden on the inside curve.
Click.
The mechanism engages. The band snaps shut, sealing itself into a perfect, seamless circle around her leg. It fits snugly, resting just above the bone.
Ivy looks down at it. She moves her foot. The platinum catches the light.
"It’s beautiful," she whispers, surprised. "Thank you, Silas."
She thinks it’s jewelry. She thinks it’s a trinket.
I look up at her. I have to tell her. I want her to know the weight of it.
"It’s not just a bracelet, Ivy."
She freezes. She looks at me, the smile fading from her lips. "What do you mean?"
"It’s a tracker," I say calmly. "GPS. Heart rate. Body temperature. It transmits a signal directly to my phone and to the Estate’s security server every three seconds."
She stares at me. She stares at the silver band. She tries to pull it off. It doesn't budge. She claws at it with her fingernails. It’s smooth. There is no latch. No keyhole.
"Get it off," she breathes, panic rising in her voice. "Get it off me!"
"I can't," I lie. "It locks biometrically. Only I can remove it, and I have no intention of doing so."
"You... you tagged me?" She kicks out, her foot connecting with my chest, but I don't move. I grab her calf, holding her still. "Like a dog? Like an animal?"
"Like a target," I correct her sharply. "Nikolai knows you are here. He is planning a way to get you out. If he takes you, Ivy, if he drags you into a van or a boat... I need to know. Instantaneously."
"This isn't protection!" she screams, tears spilling over. "This is control! You want to know where I am every second so I can't hide from you! So I can't have one moment of privacy!"
"Privacy is dangerous," I say. "Privacy gets you killed."
I run my thumb over the platinum band.
"It monitors your heart," I say softly. "Right now, you’re at 110 beats per minute. You’re scared. Last night... when you came... it hit 140."
Her face goes white. "You’re going to watch my heart rate?"
"I’m going to watch everything."
I stand up, towering over her. She pulls her legs back onto the bed, curling into a ball, trying to hide the shackle.
"You are a monster," she sobs. "I thought... last night... I thought maybe you were human. But you’re not. You’re just a jailer with a lot of money."
"I am whatever I need to be to keep you alive," I say.
I turn to leave. I need to get back to the war room. I need to calibrate the perimeter sensors.
"Silas!"
I stop at the door.
"If I cut it off?" she threatens. "If I find a saw?"
I look back at her.
