She frowned. “What—are you going to swear on a stack of Bibles you won’t hurt me and you’ll take me straight back to Earth?”
He shook his head, regretfully she thought. “I can’t do that. But I will swear to call a truce with you at least until I get the ship fixed. And in order for you to trust me, I’m prepared to offer you some assurance.”
Nina crossed her arms over her chest. “What kind of assurance? You’re huge. How do I know the minute I unlock the cuffs you won’t just jump me?”
“Because,” he said evenly. “I’m going to let you put the Hurkon collar on me.”
“What? No way!” she exclaimed. “You just got finished telling me how scary that thing is, and now you want me to put it on you?”
“It’s the only way,” he said. “You put it on me, and you have the controls. You can keep your finger on the pain button the entire time if you want to. When we reach some kind of agreement, you can take it off me. Until then, you’ll at least know you can trust me to walk around and get the ship fixed.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “You think that would make you feel safe?”
“Well, yes… but I still don’t like it.” Nina frowned.
“Like it or not, this is the only option. I can’t stay cuffed to the food prep counter forever,” he growled. “And I can’t promise to take you straight back to Earth—not now, anyway.”
What he was saying made a twisted kind of sense. Nina had to admit she would feel much safer and more secure about her future with the big Kindred if he was wearing the collar and she had the controls. Still, it was hard to believe Reddix, who didn’t seem like the trusting type, would be willing to put himself so completely at her mercy.
“So I’ll trust you more with the collar on,” she said. “But how do you know you can trust me? What’s to stop me from pressing the pain button just for the hell of it?” Of course, she would never do any such thing, but she was curious to hear what he would say.
He gave her a level look.
“You wouldn’t do that—you’re a healer. And you have compassion, even for your kidnapper.”
“What if I don’t, though?” Nina didn’t like the fact that he was so sure of her, and the silver eyes trained on her face made her nervous.
“You do,” he said quietly. “You wept for me last night. No one besides my little sister ever cried for me so. I trust you, Nina—enough to wear the collar and let you hold the controls. And if that’s what it takes to help you trust me, even a little, then I’ll gladly do it.”
The sincerity in his deep, harsh voice couldn’t be faked. Nina looked at him for a long moment, holding his gaze with her own though it made her heart pound strangely in her chest. Finally, she nodded.
“All right,” she said at last. “Let me put on the gloves, and I’ll get the collar.”
Lifting the Hurkon collar off its velvet cushion, Nina once again got the feeling that the thing was aware of her. Its red, green, and blue lights began blinking faster, and she could almost feel it trembling in her fingers as she held it.
“I don’t like this thing,” she muttered bringing it carefully to Reddix.
“You’d be a fool or a sadist if you did,” he said grimly. Shaking back his hair, he lifted his chin. “All right, put it on me.”
The collar in her hands was practically vibrating now, with anticipation, Nina thought. It was almost as though it couldn’t wait to jump onto Reddix’s neck. She could tell the big Kindred wanted to get this over with but still, she hesitated.
“Wait a minute,” she objected. “How are you going to, uh, feed it? Didn’t you say it survived on strong emotions?”
He laughed harshly. “You really think I don’t have enough strong emotions to feed the collar? I’ll be a fucking all you can eat feast for the damn thing. Now come on—hurry up and put it on me. It makes me nervous to watch you holding it.”
It occurred to Nina that he was afraid the collar might twist in her hands and try to hurt her somehow. All at once she felt like she was holding a poisonous snake that might strike at any time. She still had deep misgivings about putting the thing on Reddix, but he seemed so insistent about it. It’s not forever. I can always take it off him, she told herself uneasily. Everything will be okay—won’t it? She hoped like hell it would, anyway.
Slowly, carefully, she unhooked the simple clasp at the back of the black filigreed metal collar and placed it gently around the strong column of Reddix’s throat. The moment it made contact with his skin, the lights began blinking even faster. Nina started to fasten it in the back…and found that it was already fastened. It had hooked itself in place with no help from her.