Serve him? Not a comforting thought. Nothing about this was comforting. Except maybe his promise not to kill her.

He glanced at Yates. “Well done, Captain. You’ve redeemed yourself.” Then he met Shyla’s gaze. “I was not pleased with the captain after you escaped. He’s proven quite resourceful since, discovering those protective torques the priestess was using. I hope you like your new necklace. It’s like my sigil, except once it’s clicked into place, there’s no way to open it without a key.” He leaned closer. “It’s thicker, too. No worries that the deacons will cut it off with a pair of metal cutters. And my jeweler added an extra feature. Let me show you. Yates, get the mirror.”

Fear pulsed in her heart. Cut off from her magic, she had no defenses. Yates handed the prince a small rectangular mirror and he angled it so she stared at her reflection.

It wasn’t a necklace. Not even close. It was a collar. Four centimeters wide and engraved with the Invisible Sword’s symbol. On the very front hung a metal ring. That must be the extra feature, but what did it do?

The prince handed the mirror back to Yates, then he pulled out a short chain from his pocket. Before she could react, he snapped one end onto the ring. Then he yanked her forward by the chain so they were almost nose to nose.

“You’re going to regret every problem you ever caused me. And you’re going to use those pretty blue eyes for my benefit only. Understand?”

All ability to speak fled as terror gripped her.

“No? Don’t worry, you will. And don’t think that when I take that necklace off you’ll have a chance to attack me. I’ll be protected and I have a very good imagination when it comes to punishments.” He handed the chain to Yates. “Show her to her new room.”

Yates hauled her to her feet. Unable to resist, she followed two steps behind him. He led her to an almost empty room. In the middle of the floor was a metal anchor, very similar to the one Jayden was currently chained to. If her situation wasn’t so dire, she might have acknowledged the irony. Yates pulled her down and snapped the end of her chain to the anchor.

Before leaving he said, “If you had agreed to work with the prince when he asked you, your accommodations would have been opulent.” He left, sliding the door closed. A thin ribbon of light shone underneath so she wasn’t in complete darkness.