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Taking it tentatively, I opened the lid to find a gold chain. Hanging from it was a pendant of interwoven loops, at the center of which lay a sparkling black stone like the one in his ring. Up close, it seemed to drink the light into its endless depths.
“Is it onyx?” I asked, not touching it.
“The stone is an abismine. It’s from my world.”
Alarm bolted through me. Accepting anything from him was dangerous, but this… He wore this stone, as did Roark. Was this to mark his ownership over me in a way others could see?
“It’s not dangerous,” he said, picking up on the tension in my body. “And it serves a purpose.”
He rose and stepped behind my chair. My hands shook as I reached back and lifted my hair, allowing him to slip the chain around my neck. My heart pounded when his fingers brushed my nape, my whole body too aware of that single touch. As soon as the clasp closed, I dropped my hair and angled myself away from him.
“And what is its purpose?”
“It connects you to me,” he said. “Touch the stone, and you can call for me. Whatever you think, I will hear.”
My eyes widened, but I quickly rearranged my face into a more neutral state. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Because you’ll need a means to contact me when you are in your world—unless you wish to stay in the Otherworld forever and keep me company.”
Hope bubbled inside me, but I tamped it down, afraid to let it show on my face. I’d seen enough of Lach to warrant caution about showing him my hand. “So, I can leave the Otherworld?”
“As long as you return as expected.”
These were the terms of the bargain, I realized, and I needed to tread carefully. Speaking without thinking, without considering the consequences, had gotten me into this mess. “And when am I expected? Every week? Once a month? Once a year?”
Mischief glittered in his eyes. “Human life spans are far too short for that. You gave me your soul, remember? I expect you to be here every night.”
“Every night?” I touched the necklace. If this fairy asshole thought I was giving up every night of my life to amuse him, he needed—
“I can hear you,” he reminded me, those eyes of his now dancing with wicked delight.
I snatched my hand away from the necklace like it might bite. I was going to have to remember that.
“I can’t think of any other agreement that would work for me. Do you have a better plan?” He waited for me to offer one.
But planning was not my strong suit. Reacting? I was good at that. Thinking long term was a luxury I’d never been afforded, and now he wanted me to make a decision that would affect the rest of my life? “How about you just let me go? It’s not like you need me around with your guards and big, empty house and important fae bullshit.”
His mouth flattened, the spark leaving his eyes. “I do not agree to those terms. You promised your soul.”
“So you keep reminding me,” I grumbled. Maybe one day I’d understand exactly what he needed with my soul anyway. For now, I sighed. “I can’t come every night. I might have a shift.” I swallowed. That was, if I didn’t get fired. “Once I’m reinstated.”
“If you wish to continue working—”
“I wish,” I snapped. “People depend on me.”
“Like Channing?”
My eyes narrowed. “Not just Channing. I work at Gage Memorial. Someone has to clean up your messes.”
For a long moment, he didn’t say anything as he weighed my words. “As I said, I will settle for your nights. I will speak to the hospital regarding your availability.”
Of course he could do that. His name was on the trauma center. He could do whatever he wanted. But still, the more I understood about this, the better off I would be. I pointed to the necklace he’d just given me. “So, I will use this to come back here?”
“It’s also spelled to send you to your world at sunrise. At night, when you are ready to return, just think it, touch the necklace, and it will be done.” He waited for me to object, but I didn’t. Not with so many lovely loopholes to work with. But as if he’d just realized that, too, he added, “I expect you within an hour of sunset.”
“Wonderful,” I said through gritted teeth. “And if I forget?”
“The necklace is a courtesy.”