“ ‘I cannot bind you without his chain,’ ” he said. “That’s what you said to me. You couldn’t control me without his chain—the bracelet.” He began to pace back and forth in front of the door. Grace watched him—she seemed unafraid in the manner of someone to whom the worst has already happened, leaving nothing left for them to dread. “So why did you break it off with me, four months ago? How was that part of Belial’s plan? He must have wanted to use you to convince me to give myself up to him. To let him possess me. When I saw him in Belphegor’s realm, he was furious that the bracelet was not on my wrist.”

“It wasn’t part of his plan,” said Grace, with an odd flash of pride. “My mother had fallen ill—she was not there to stop me. I know you will not believe me, James, but I always thought of you as a friend. My only friend. As the years went past, I hated using the bracelet on you. You were the only person other than Jesse who was ever kind to me, and I was hurting you.”

“So you—you meant to set me free? You cannot expect me to believe that.”

“Well, it is true,” Grace said, with a flicker of temper. “It is why I went to Charles—I thought him powerful enough to withstand my mother’s wrath when her health was recovered. I knew she would be furious I had taken back my power over you. But I was sick to death of it.” She looked away. “I was wrong. The threat of Charles, of the Consul—it did not matter. I did not realize how powerful my mother’s allies were until it was too late.”

“The marriage to Charles,” James said, feeling his way back through half-clouded memories. Would his mind ever be entirely clear? “You used your power on him, convinced him to drop Ariadne. Marry you.”

She nodded.

“Who else have you used your power on?” James said, his voice hard. “Any of my family? My friends? It only works on men, you said.”

“He—they would have forgotten—”

“Stop.” James ceased pacing. “Never mind. Don’t tell me. If you do, I cannot answer for what I will do.”

She shrank back, and he hated her, and hated himself.

“I tried and tried to take the bloody thing off,” he said. “Every time I went to remove it, I would find that I was doing something else, thinking of something else. If I had been stronger…”