“Thrace…”Trin reached out tentatively and stroked his hair. It was a gentle touch—thesame way she might soothe an animal on the verge of panic. Thrace found himself soothed by itnow.

He couldn’t help himself—the memories had undonehim and for a long moment he couldn’t push them back. He leaned into her touch,looking for reassurance, needing her scent and the warmth of her hand to knowit was safe to do this…safe to submit to the collar he had so hated in thepast.

Notthe Master, he told himself over and over. She’snot the Master.

Whythe fuck are you putting yourself through this? demanded the sarcastic little voice in his brain. Whyendure the pain and the rush of bad memories? Is it really just to pay a debt?

Again, he had no answers. He simply held stillunder her touch, breathing her warm, feminine scent and trying to calm hisscreaming nerves. Even surrounded by B’Rugh’s goons he hadn’t felt this fuckedup—this threatened. In a moment he would be able to bury the past again. Butfor now, it was all he could do to hold still and let this happen, all he coulddo to submit to the collar for her sake though he still didn’t know why exactlyhe was doing it.

“Thrace,”Trin whispered again and her hand moved lower, caressing his cheek, cupping hisjaw.

A warm current seemed to flow through him at theskin-to-skin touch and at last his labored breathing became easier.

Notthe Master…The past began to recede.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Trin asked in a lowvoice, for his ears alone.

Thrace looked up at her. “I have to,” he murmured. “It’sthe only way you can trust me.”

She looked troubled but at last she nodded.

“True. All right—here goes.”

Thrace held his breath and closed his eyes as shefastened the hated black collar around his throat, making sure it wasn’t tootight as she fit it in place. Not the Master…not the Master, not the Master…

“There.” She said at last, cupping his cheek again.“It’s done.”

“Thank you, Mistress.”

Thrace could barely get the words out. Turning his face,he pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand. It was the final gesture ofsubmission—kissing the hand that collared him.

He knew it was the correct gesture because it waswhat the old Master had demanded of him. But he had never given the old Masterthat satisfaction or said the words he had spoken to Trin, no matter how muchthe Master shouted and raved and hit. No matter what…other things hedid.

Now he gave the gesture of submission to Trin withouthesitation, just as he had given the words.

Why?

He still didn’t know.

Thedebt. I just have to pay off the debt.

The debt. Right.

“Rise, slave,” he heard her say in a strange,slightly strangled voice. “I claim you as my own and demand your utmost respectand loyalty at all times. You will serve in whatever capacity I deem necessaryand you will not be free until I say you are. Until I remove this collar andgive you your freedom you are mine.”

So she knew the words too. Was that from beingaround the mistresses of Yonnie Six? Thrace wondered as he looked up ather and got slowly to his feet.

He heard an uneasy murmur from The Alacrity’screw as he stood to his full height and towered over all of them. But Trin heldup a hand to quiet them.

“You all saw the ceremony,” she said in a clear,ringing voice. “You see that Thraceis wearing the collar and I have the remote.” She lifted it high, letting themall get a good look. “You can go about your business now with confidence thatyou’re safe.”

“I don’t feel so very confident,” the navigatorsaid, frowning. “Why would he let you put the collar on him in the first place?Why come back when Sidna had set him free to go his own way?”

“To pay a debt,” Thrace answered before Trin couldspeak. “You may not think much of males but my people are honorable. CaptainTrin…my Mistress, paid a great deal of credit to buy my life. When I have paidthat back, we have agreed she will set me free and let me go my own way. Untilthen, I am her humble, obedient, and willing slave.”

“Well…” The navigator looked somewhat mollified. “Iguess we’ll see about that. But I hope she shocks the hell out of you if youtry anything.”

“I will,” Trin said steadily. “You don’t have toworry about your safety—none of you do. The remote is now keyed to my heatsignature and palm print alone. No one else can use it and no one can take itfrom me. Here, Sidna—try.” She held out the remote to the medic and waiteduntil the older female unfolded her arms and reached for the small blackrectangle.

“Ouch!” She jumped back as a bright spark flashedbetween her fingertips and the remote.

“See?” Trin said, smiling grimly. “Perfectly safe.”

“How do we know he can’t take it?” one ofthe other crew members demanded.

“If Thraceso much as touches the remote it will cause his collar to deliver a verypainful shock,” Trin announced.

“Let’s see it,” Sidna said.

“No, I won’t be needlessly cruel. He—” Before shecould finish, Thracereached for the remote.

The moment his fingertips brushed it the paincollar delivered a current of electrical pain so strong it made his entire bodyfeel like he’d been dipped in boiling oil.

“Gods!” He gave a hoarse gasp and fell back to hisknees, his hand clenched into fists and his heart pounding. Son of a bitch thathurt! But he well knew how necessary it had been.

“Thrace!”Trin knelt by him at once, putting the remote carefully to one side whereeveryone avoided it like the plague. “Are you all right?” she asked, looking athim anxiously.

“Fine.” He looked up at her, panting. “Just…had todo it.”

“No, you didn’t.” She looked back at the crew whowas still standing there, staring. “Go on, all of you. Back to posts. AndNanda,” pointing at the navigator. “Set a course for Yonnie Six.”

There were several subdued murmurs of, “Yes, Captain,”and the crew immediately disbursed. All except Sidna who stood there staring athim for a long moment, a stony, disbelieving look on her face.

“Sidna, you too.” Trin frowned at the medic whoshrugged.

“As you wish, Captain.” But she gave Thraceanother hard look before she walked stiffly off, her soft soled shoeswhispering along the metal floors.

** * * *

Thrace tried to laugh but it came out sounding more likea croak to Trin.

“She doesn’t like me,” he muttered, nodding atSidna’s retreating back. “Doesn’t like me one damn bit.”

“Because she doesn’t know you yet. Or trust you,”Trin said. She was still kneeling beside him, keeping one arm on his muscularbicep and watching him anxiously. From the moment she’d produced the collar,something had been wrong.

She’d seen his eyes go wide and the almost panickedlook come into his face. She’d never seen that look on him before—not on thedisplay platform in the Flesh Bazaar, not when he woke, chained to the cot andhelpless, and not when they were surrounded and outnumbered by B’Rugh’s thugs.

But somehow the collar had brought that responseout of him.

Why? Was it just because he’d nearly been killed byit before? That would certainly be reason enough to cause an extreme reactionbut somehow Trin thought it was more than that. More of what she didn’t know.She only knew that at the sight of the collar the proud, fearless, recklessmale she was coming to know and grudgingly respect had somehow lost himself. Orrather…he was only holding onto himself by a thread. Maybe that was why he’dshocked himself on purpose—to bring himself back, to clear his head somehow.

Ormaybe he was just showing the crew they were safe. Come on, Trin—stop making upstories and deal with the reality, she lecturedherself.

But the reality was that she’d seen genuinedistress when she showed the collar to him…the reality was that his big bodyhad trembled as she fastened it on.