Page 10 of Exiled Heir

“Not wolf fights?” Cade’s lip lifted in a sneer. “I hear Rage allows opponents to rip off each other’s body parts.”

I went stiff, all traces of teasing gone when I asked, “What else do I need to know?”

“Nothing.” Cade glanced at me, a slight frown between his brows, but he didn’t apologize.

I narrowed my eyes, staring out at the world around us. We were passing through another small town, the bright gas station sign lighting the sky in primary colors.

Only a few more miles until the turnoff, and after that, the chance to get off this ride was gone.

“Five hundred thousand dollars.” I drummed my fingers on my leg. “That’s a lot of money, even if it gets you the crown you want.”

The interchange was coming up, the signs for it indicating the lanes we had to be in to get on the 175. Cade signaled, merging to the right.

We didn’t speak for the next half hour. I was trying to wait him out, and he had no problem driving in silence, without even the radio to break the quiet.

It was only when we turned off the freeway, taking an exit that led to an unmarked road, that Cade spoke again.

“Here. You’ll need to put this on.”

Shifting his body, with only one hand on the wheel, he dug something out of his pocket and threw it at me. Automatically, I caught it before it hit my chest.

It was heavy in my hand, and I squinted down. A passing streetlight illuminated what it was: a collar.

ChapterFour

Idropped the collar. It fell to my jeans and then slid down into the footwell.

Cade’s eyes narrowed. “Put it on.”

“I’m not putting that on,” I said.

On the floor, it looked even more innocuous. A plain strap of leather, two inches wide, enough to cover a swath of my neck. There were no hook clips, nothing for a leash to attach to. It was simply a brown length with a silver buckle.

“We don’t have time for this, Miles,” Cade said. “We’re almost at the estate.”

“I’m not putting that on.” I crossed my arms, tucking my hands into fists. If I could shift, I knew that I would already be covered in fur and growling.

I had done any number of unsavory things for money over the past eleven years. But that didn’t mean that I had no limits.

“You have to. It’s a symbol of our bond. It’s—” He broke off, his eyes narrowing on the road, his lips pressed together tightly.

“It’swhat?” I pressed. “I’ve never understood why consorts are collared like dogs.”

“Not like dogs,” Cade corrected.

“Exactlylike dogs,” I said, picking it up and throwing it back at him. It hit the driver’s-side window with a loud clatter. “I’m not doing it.”

“It’s not a collar like that,” Cade protested. He picked it up, twisting it between his fingers before tucking it into his jacket pocket.

“Is there a different way to wear a collar? You aren’t here to tell me it’s afashion statement.” I pulled my lips back from my teeth. “Are you seriously telling me that it could be anything other than a sign that you own me?”

Cade made another turn, and we started driving up. The path was twisted, and a bright light blinked into existence next to us. At first, I thought it must have been a motion-activated streetlamp, but then a series of them lit up the dark.

As we passed the first lights, tall redwood trees surrounded the car, so massive that even in daytime, the curved road must have been dark.

The glowing lights weren’t attached to anything.

They hovered in midair, suspended by magic. No wires, no light posts, nothing other than a light that pulsed like it was alive.