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My shoulders loosened and my jaw unclenched as the last residual bits of fear fell away. It made no sense, but if that was how he wanted to play things, then fine by me. I could go home, reassure my family and catch my breath. And maybe I’d even choose to come back later in the day… if he’d have me.

“So that’s it? Instead of taking anything from me, you give me some of your power and a little kiss and send me on my way?”

Gabriel frowned. “For now. But I’d be foolish to turn my back on a bargain that’s been willingly struck. Are you familiar with the concept of a lien?”

I pushed his hand away from where it still rested almost tenderly on my shoulder. I’d thought my heart was beating fast during the kiss, but that was nothing compared to the way it pounded at his words. “I’m a Sadler. I’ve been brought up with magic since I was born. I know what a lien is.”

I took refuge in righteous indignation, because I knew full well what a lien was, and I saw the shape of the rest of my life. How could I have walked into his trap?

“You made a bargain,” he whispered, as though I were about to deny it.

I nodded. I was starting to sweat, but somehow, I kept my voice more or less calm. “I understand the old laws. I was stupid to forget them, just because you seemed reasonable for a moment.”

“The magic is a gift. And the kiss was wonderful. But the lien will be binding. You promised me your body and your magic in exchange for leaving your brother’s power alone. I chose not to collect last night. But I reserve the right to do so.”

I nodded again. What else could I do? Some people might claim I should have argued with him, sought to reason with him, or run for my life. But I understood how magical debts worked. It didn’t stop me feeling like the room was spinning around me.

“Give me your hand,” Gabriel murmured.

I slipped my trembling right hand into his left without having to be told.

If we were making the deal from scratch, I’d have to promise whatever it was I was committing to. But I’d said those words last night. Deep down, it was already binding. This was just the formality.

He pressed my hand against his chest, then with his other hand, squeezed the base of my ring finger between his thumb and finger, employing a massaging motion. A few moments before, I’d no doubt have found the sensation romantic or erotic. Now, it filled me with terror. After a few seconds, he let go.

I was all too familiar with the marks my father burnt into the flesh of his allies and customers. Large, ugly bands around the upper arm. This was different. A tiny, elegant circle of twisted, interwoven lines around the base of my finger. It almost looked like a wedding ring.

I flexed my finger a few times. Technically, it meant only one thing. At some point, he was entitled to have sex with me, during which he could take some of my magic. Nothing more, nothing less. But perhaps it was the design. Perhaps it was his magic circulating in my veins or the lingering aftereffects of the kiss. Either way, I felt like I’d made a much deeper, much more binding commitment.

“The magic I gave you will make you immune to my mind control,” he said, matter-of-factly. “You should be anyway, with your natural power, but I’m strong enough to mesmerise some pretty serious practitioners, and I need you to be sure. A vow is a vow. I don’t want or need to control your will to make sure you pay up.”

I pushed him away and stood up, despite not being entirely sure my legs would be able to support me. The magic in the air combined with Gabriel’s intensity had made the whole thing seem unreal, like something from a fairy story. But now, the implications were catching up with me.

“Any time you feel like it, you can ask for sex and magic, and I have to comply,” I snapped. “Mesmerise me or don’t. Imprison me or don’t. There’s no such thing as consent with this branded into my skin.”

He shrugged, as if the situation was out of his hands.

“Can I leave now?”

“I’m not holding you prisoner.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Gabriel.” I practically shrieked the words. “Tell yourself whatever it takes to convince yourself you’re not a total psychopath.”

I raced out of the door and traversed straight from his gravel driveway into my family’s back garden without a second’s hesitation. As I landed, the mark on my finger flashed red, as though to remind me that my magic was only my own as long as Gabriel allowed me to keep it.

* * *

I walked into the family home, and the entire family, minus Brendan, were there in seconds.

My mum won the race to reach me and pulled me into the tightest embrace I could ever remember. “Are you all right, darling?”

“I’ll murder him,” my dad snapped, throwing his arms around my mum and me and squashing us all together.

“You can’t,” Liam, always the voice of reason, muttered. “Dad, be sensible. You can’t kill someone for something they’ve done as part of a legitimate bargain. It’s like turning your powers on yourself.”

My dad knew that better than anyone. But when he was in a blind fury, he sometimes needed reminding of the basics.

“He took your sister!” Dad yelled, as though I wasn’t there. They’d probably been having variations on this argument all night.