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His body is so hot, burning on top of me as my legs wrap around him.

What the hell just happened?

I run my hands through his hair. The room and the house are so quiet, and I’m acutely aware of Cali’s presence inside the wall. “Lincoln.” I whisper, “is…that still you?”

His body doesn’t move, his breath is so heavy. “Yes, it’s still me.”

“What went on inside your head just now?”

He is still and unmoving, and if it weren’t for his pounding heart pressed to my chest, I would believe him dead.

But then he makes motions, pressing himself deeper inside me. He fucks me slowly and forcefully, causing my legs to open involuntarily and a moan escapes my lips.

If it’s even possible, he’s even better than he was last night. His lips find mine, and I playfully nibble on them. Then he moves his kisses to my neck, and finally to my ear.

It doesn’t seem like he wants to talk, and that’s okay with me. I’ll happily spend the rest of the day entangled in him.

Something flips again, and when he looks up at me, his eyes flicker and I can see the inner workings of his mind change within him.

“Do you want to know the best part about this?” he murmurs, and I let out a sigh of relief at hearing him speak, knowing it’s still him. Although, this isn’t him; he’s changing…

“What’s that?” I pant, his tongue teasingly tickles my ear.

He lifts his head up and stares down at me, pulling off his glasses and smiling. “Having a scientific mind like mine and not giving a damn about ethics.”

My heart races at his words.

Ethics… Of all the things to discuss right now.

He continues, “That I get to test a hypothesis that no scientist could properly research without getting thrown into prison.” I meet his eyes, and he drags his lips down my neck. I bite my lips as he presses my arms around my head, grasping them into his.

I’m captivated by those mesmerizing, flickering eyes that pierce my soul. “Would you like to know what I hypothesize?”

I think I already know. It’s the reason I’m here and haven’t run out screaming. It’s the reason I haven’t put him into prison for kidnapping the girl he has hidden down here. It’s why I crave him so much.

He wants to discover if I am like my father. And I wonder if that’s the reason he’s keeping Cali alive…

My insides tighten as footsteps shuffle on the floorboards above me.

Do they realize what’s really going on down here? I saw the way Xander’s eyes widened when Mikael made a brief appearance upstairs. He was terrified. He knows what Lincoln is…

My hand instinctively goes for my phone—gone. I glance at Lincoln, and he’s smirking.

I grit my teeth. “I’m not my father, Lincoln. I’ve never thought about death until you and Mikael put those vile thoughts in my head.”

I don’t admit to vividly imagining cutting Misty’s eyes out—or how real that urge was, or how often I think about death.

He chuckles softly. “That’s not exactly what I’m referring to, although we will address that, eventually. What I really want to explore is what I can make you do. I want to have complete control over your mind, baby.”

I’m weak. Weak. He’s been manipulating my thoughts for weeks. Years, even.

My throat starts to burn, and I push away from him but am only met by a solid wall of his ab muscles. “You don’t own my mind. I’m in complete control of myself. Full mind control is impossible.”

He chuckles again and kisses my lips, releasing his grip on my arms. A smile spreads across his face as he beams down at me. “You’re sure of that?”

Goddammit.

Why does he have to look so hot? His hair is so perfectly mussed, his skin so smooth, like silk, like an underwear model. And the way he kisses… Right now, it’s so much like Mikael.