“Why?” I manage to press out at last. It comes out like barely more than a whisper. He draws in another highly controlled breath and tightens his grip on the collar. “Because if I have to see you in this collar one fucking second more than absolutely necessary, I’m going to start killing people.” My heart flips. The muscles in his jaw flicker as he forces out a breath and flexes his fingers around the collar still in his hand. “Outside this room, you need to wear it. If you don’t, they will torture you. But in here, when it’s just us, I will take it off.”
