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“Either one.”
“…Why?”
“Because I want it.”
She didn’t know why she gave it to him.
More than that, she didn’t know why she held still while he slapped the circular thing around her like a bracelet. She knew it wasn’tjusta bracelet.
Once it clasped shut, there was no way to open it. Shetried. He watched her face as she rotated the thing over her skin, searching for the seam. The merchant disappeared into the back to give them privacy.
Her eyes snapped to Caligher’s, noting the not-so-subtle glow of victory burning in his stare.
“Is this a tracking device?” she asked.
“No, Lucca, I don’t need a bracelet to track you.”
“Um, wow, that’s not a creepy statement.”
His gaze lowered to her wrist. The bracelet was thin and comfortable—but unbreakable as far as she could tell. It wouldn’t even bend.
She held preternaturally still when he took her wrist in hand, holding it so his thumb could brush over her pulse point. It electrified her skin—made her sensitive.
“It responds to my spark,” he said. “Onlymy spark.”
He sent a demonstrative jolt of static into the thing, popping it open. But he was fast to snap it back shut.
Itwasa manacle. An elegant little handcuff with his name carved inside so there would be no question of who owned her. Her mind and body warred over what to make of it because, obviously, it didn’t get more offensive than this—but her body disagreed. Her body thought this was great.
He rotated it and slid his thumb over another section. A tiny compartment flipped open and a loop of metal sprang upright—a convenient place to attach a chain. They both stared at it.
Now her heart was in her stomach, plunging lower still. He shocked it again and the metal loop vanished, turning the device into a featureless silver band. Eyes lifting up, he stared at her with banked hunger.
What a mistake Lucca had made in underestimating Caligher. And she’d thought he wasinnocentat one point.
“What do you think?” he asked.
She shook her head, at a total loss. What was she supposed to say to this? Thank you?
“I can only get it off with your spark?” she asked.
He looked smug. So fucking smug. “That’s the idea.”
Her lips pressed together. Half of her wished he would throw her on the counter and take her right in public. If he was going to use this little bracelet to mark her as his property, he might as well be thorough.
“Is this a gift?” she asked. “Or are you forcing me to wear this?”
“Since it only reacts to my spark, making you wear it is the point.”
She looked at him again.
Noremorse in his eyes. He didn’t even feel a shred of guilt.
“I’ll pry it off. I’ll reverse-engineer the signal you use to open it.”
He shrugged one shoulder, but that self-satisfied smirk stayed glued in place. “Go for it, Lucca. I won’t stop you. The bracelet, however…”
The clerk was loudly ignoring them and she was starting to resent him, too. Her eyes moved over the products on display and she recalled Caligher disclosing once that he had anembarrassing selection of handcuffs.
