“What? Why?” the two women chimed in at the same time, both completely baffled.
Laney held up her arm and the bracelet that encircled it. The metal gleamed yellow in the light of the flickering candles and the fire, which was nearly out.
“This is the Marquis’ bracelet,” she said. “Several months before Erik died, he met someone; I never knew exactly who he was, I never met the man. I only know that he was a member of the Marquis’ elite circle of masters. He gave Erik the bracelet and then Erik gave it to me and I agreed to wear it. In doing that, I surrendered myself to a way of life, to rules, and an extreme form of sexuality that gave me more satisfaction than I could ever have otherwise. I put my life in Erik’s hands, and because I accepted this bracelet, I became bound to the Marqui
