Then a presence licked at the edges of my mind.
My heart skipped a beat.
Come to me, Charlotte. It’s time to come home.
Dr. Henry.
No. I tried to push the voice away. Tried to force him out of my head. I wouldn’t let him control me again. I couldn’t leave Beck.
Come to me.
The command wrapped around my thoughts, the alien presence like a snake moving swiftly through tall grass. Only the grass was my mind, and the snake had already woven dozens of paths. It knew exactly where to go.
Now, Charlotte. I tire of waiting.
My muscles moved without permission. I sat up, dislodging Beck’s arm.
“Charlotte?” he rumbled, his voice thick with sleep.
Cool air kissed my bare skin as I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress.
Beck reached for me. I stood, evading his grasp. I needed to go. The master had called.
No. No, that wasn’t right. I shook my head, trying to clear it. Beck. I loved Beck. I?—
Ignore these distractions. Come to me immediately.
Yes. Of course. Obedience was everything. It was the only thing. My clothes were scattered over the floor. I scooped my sweater from the ground and pulled it over my head.
Somewhere in my mind, alarm bells shrieked. This was wrong. This was?—
“Charlotte!” Beck appeared in front of me, his face the color of the bedsheets behind him.
Ignore the bear.
Swinging away, I grabbed my panties and stepped into them.
Someone was speaking. The bear. His voice was a low rumble, his tone concerned and urgent, but the words slid past me like a stream flowing around a rock.
He wasn’t important. Just an uneducated animal who’d distracted me from my purpose.
The snake in my mind flicked its tongue.He’s nothing to us.
Yes. That was right. The master was everything. The master had guided me, shaped me, made me who I was.
You owe me everything.
I owed him everything.
I walked to the door.
The bear stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His silver eyes were wide, his face etched with worry.
“Charlotte, stop.”
I stepped around him. The master had called, and I needed to get to him.
Hands gripped my shoulders. “Charlotte, please. You’re not yourself. Henry is in your head.”
