Naturally, I wanted to stay. I wanted to give into what he wanted. This man deserved everything; And I was 100% willing to give him everything. But there was something inside of me that fought against my instinct to bow to him and give in. It was the switch that I recognized, the one that turned on when I needed to survive.

I could almost hear the click as the switch turned on.

"I want to see my brother. When I know he's safe and alive, I will give you my decision."

I kept my chin up and maintained eye contact, unlike everyone else in the room. Mathias frowned, his eyebrows meeting together and forming a V. It seemed to bother him that everyone else submitted to his words, but I stood tall, defying his silent commands to bow before him.

He grunted, obviously feeling irritated. But then the weirdest thing happened, I realized that the longer I looked at him, the less attractive he became. His beautiful complexion was nothing more than flawed skin, his beautiful black eyes were now empty holes, the black eyeliner turning to tar before my eyes. His suit looked tacky, like it was far too extravagant for him, and his hair was a disheveled mess. The longer I looked, the uglier he became.

"What will happen is y oooiu will give me your answer, and I will take you to your brother."

"I'm not agreeing to anything until I see Collin."

"Well, Miss Ford, it appears we're at a stalemate. For I will not permit you to see your brother without first your word that you will trade with him."

I raised an eyebrow and smiled, slightly baring my teeth, "I'm not saying anything until I see him. Then I promise to give you my answer."

"How do I know if you're telling the truth?"

I hummed, pondering the question, "I guess you'll have to trust me."

He chuckled, his laugh sounding devious, "I'm not so sure that I can do that."

I glanced at Jackson, who was looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. His head was facing every direction but at Mathias.

There was something in his eyes, like they were pleading for me to do what I was told and agree with his plans. But then my eyes could a movement that Mathias would have never seen. It was him pulling a gun out of Emily's hands.

My eyes flicked back to Mathias, who was watching me, waiting for me to move, so he could pounce.

I waited for him to do something, so I could take my chance. He didn't move, he didn't take his eyes off of me. I decided that if I didn't do something soon, then something I didn't like would happen. I shifted to the left and watched as his eyes followed my every movement, taking in every part of me, every inch.

I took two quick steps forward, and all of the sudden, like a flash of lightning, Mathias was in front of me, his black eyes boring into mine.

"What's your answer?"

"Depends on what your answer is."

He growled, "I'm not playing games with you, Miss Ford! Are you staying?"

"I told you, I am not giving you shit until I know you're not pulling my leg. I was proof that my brother is alive and well."

He smiled then turned on his heel. He walked straight up to Silas and looked down on his submissive figure. Silas was tough, it was weird seeing him so powerless compared to Mathias' towering stance. I took that moment to glance at Jackson, who flicked the loaded gun at me. I grabbed it, tucked it under my waist and straightened everything back out before anyone noticed.

"Silas, bring him in here."

"Yes, sir."

Silas quickly escaped from the glare from Mathias and sprinted from the room. By the time I could think about what had happened, Mathias was back to me, staring me down.

"Alright, Miss Ford. I'm getting your brother right now. What's your answer."

I held up my hand. I was braver now that I had a gun behind me. "Not so fast. I want to know what happens to me when I stay."

He put his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels, "Well, what happens is you become... a science experiment of sorts. Your body, your mind... well, you, become mine." His eyes darkened as he said "mine" and a chill ran up my spine.

His black eyes stared into mine, saying nothing.

"Yours? Or your research team's?" I raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

He smirked, "You're very testy."

"Thank you."

He growled, "It wasn't a compliment. First thing I'm going to have to do is sew that fucking mouth of yours shut."

I narrowed my eyes, "I haven't said that I'm staying."

Victory washed over his eyes and he nearly purred, "Oh, you'll stay. That I can promise you."

What an arrogant son of a bitch. I glared at him, wishing over and over that he would just burst into flames. When he didn't, I had to remind myself that the gun in the back of my waistband wasn't for killing him unless I really needed it. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I could feel the smirk on his face which didn't help me to calm down at all.

When I opened my eyes, Mathias was staring at me with his head cocked and an amused expression on his face. "Fortunately I like the color of your eyes, so those will stay open. Sadly, your hair will have to go. I need easy access to that beautiful brain of yours."

I growled and clenched my teeth which only caused him to chuckle, "How do you expect to take your brother's place if you can't talk about what's gonna happen to you? Don't be so pathetic."

I scoffed, "I'm not being pathetic. Normal people shouldn't talk about their bodies being used for experimentation. I'm just going to need time to adjust."

He frowned, "No, I think you're just chickening out on being so damn selfless. Well, here's the deal: you're not better than everyone else just because you're basically killing yourself so a dead man can live." He laughed, a dark chuckle, "You're still pathetic."

Where the fuck was my brother? I was trying to think about everything but him and Silas but I couldn't do it anymore. He'd been gone for so long and Mathias was really pissing me off...

"What's your game?" I asked through clenched teeth. I hadn't realized that my fists were clenched too, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take a huge swing.

"Say yes," he purred, his face getting closer to mine. What happened next was hard to explain then, even now I don't know what happened to me.

My head spun, and like a magnet, I was pulled to him, his desires and wishes suddenly being mine too. I was enthralled by him yet again, like a boomerang, I had gotten out of reach, but all of the sudden, the wind picked up and I was back in his hands. I was clay, begging to be molded. I gasped, the feeling was magical. What was happening to me?

He smiled, fully exposing his beautifully white teeth; they were perfect, just like the rest of him.

Before I knew what was happening, I was gasping for air and wishing that I was dead at the same time. The switch in my brain was off, and for the life of me I couldn't find the damn thing.

It was the most epic internal struggle I've ever had. My body reacted to Mathias in a way I can't begin to explain. I was aroused physically, wanting him to touch me, yet wanting him to have all of the pleasure. It was irritating that I wanted him so bad, yet wanted to feel nothing. I wanted to give more than I wanted to take.

But my mind was alight with colors. Reds and greens all meaning together, finding a way out, finding a way to stop my body from getting any hotter so I wouldn't take any clothes off and throw myself at Mathias, who was starting to look more like candy than a man. The red washed over every part of my brain and for a split second, I thought my body was winning. But the greens and blues intertwined and made a beautiful color that covered everything. And I was able to keep my body and my mind in check.

At least that's what I thought happened.

Really what happened was i took in the pros and cons of letting my body take over versus my mind taking over. And when I finally realized my mind was the most important, the switch in my brain made its presence known and I flipped it before my body could convince my brain to do anything hasty.

"Not until I see him."

He tilted his head down so our lips were so close together, they almost brushed, "When you see him, I know you'll say yes. I can feel it, here..." he pointed to his stomach, "Here..." His finger trailed up his black suit to his heart. He circled it for a second then moved down over his stomach and stopped before he got any lower.

What was it with me and making every man I met want to fuck me? Damn, it's hard being a female...

"I wouldn't be so sure. I may not be as selfless as you're making me seem."

Mathias raised an eyebrow, "Hmm," he hummed, "That's really a pity. I was looking forward to having you all to myself."

"To you... or your research team?"

He growled. I was dismissing his authority, and it really irked him. It was like I was taking his confidence and taking a big shit on it.

Not that I would. That's a pretty gruesome visual.

There was a knock on the door and my heart leapt out of my chest. I found myself hyperventilating before I even knew what I was doing. It didn't matter, though. My brother, who I thought was dead, was standing, very alive, on the other side of that door. I was so close to seeing my best friend again. I couldn't contain my excitement.

Mathias could see my reaction and held up his hand. "Wait. Don't let them in yet. I want your answer first."

The fucking cock...

"What?"

He smirked, "Say yes and I'll let your brother in, say no, and he stays without you seeing him. That's the new rule."

I shook my head, panic rushing through me. "No," I squeaked. If I said yes, my life would stop right here. There was no point to being alive, there was nothing to live for. And I wouldn't give these assholes the satisfaction of getting one piece of information out of my brain. But, if I said no, I would never see Collin again. Ever.

But whose life was more important? Mine? Or his?

I couldn't avoid this question. I couldn't just ignore it and walk away, come back when I wanted to. This was happening right in front of me and I couldn't wait a year to process what I was asking myself.

I looked at Jackson, who watched me tear myself apart. If I said that I was more important, I would be the worst person in the world, I would betray my brother and myself. I would throw everything I believed in out of the window. But if I said that he was more important, my life would be over. And the switch in the back of my mind wasn't about to let that happen. My survival was important, but so was Collin's.

Mathias stood up straight and glared down at me. "I'm sick of waiting for an answer from you. What's it going to be?"

I took one last look at everyone else in the room. Everyone's eyes were on me.

I opened my mouth, then snapped it shut. Two more seconds passed. I switched the flip in my brain, hung my head.

"Me."