Chapter 367 Christmas Collar Ch1

• The box was black velvet, wrapped with a blood-red satin ribbon. It sat at the back of the tree, nearly hidden behind the rows of shiny decoys her mother had dropped off weeks ago — scented candles, a novelty mug, a stack of self-help books in cheerful wrapping. Those gifts were safe. Predictable.
• This one was not.
• She knelt before it, her knees sinking into the thick white carpet, the quiet hush of their living room lit only by the soft glow of twinkle lights and the crackling fireplace. Her breath steamed in the cold air. She hadn’t dared turn up the heat. It was better to feel everything — the contrast, the way anticipation turned her skin electric.