Relief swept through me. Merle certainly appeared one of the saner inmates of the asylum, and at least I knew I could touch his thoughts. If I could touch them, I could control them. Maybe not for a hugely long time, but long enough to get the hell out of this place.
Maybe.
But until I knew where we were - what the odds were - I wasn't doing squat.
My gaze drifted beyond him. The sheer blandness of the room was instantly recognizable. We were back in Merle's bedroom - and had been here for some time if the aroma of sex and sweat riding the air was any indication. I drew in a deep, careful breath, testing what other scents lie in the room. There was little beyond the stale-ness that came with air-conditioning. I couldn't see anyone else, nor could I smell them - though that in itself didn't mean much considering Starr's DNA experiments.
Merle's body began to jerk spasmodically. I closed my eyes, keeping still as he came. He slumped against me for several minutes, his dead weight making breathing difficult, then he slowly climbed off.
I cracked my eyes open again, watching him. And noted the fresh scars down his back and barely healed scratches on his arms and side. It looked as though Merle had been a little too close when I'd changed shape to heal my wounds. Couldn't be sad about that.
And it certainly explained why I was tied up.
"Iktar," he growled. "A drink."
The spirit lizard was there almost instantly, a bottle of soda and a glass in hand. He poured the drink then offered the glass to Merle.
"Sir, Mr. Starr phoned five minutes ago and said that he will be finished by six. He wants you in the toy room at that time."
Merle glanced at his watch - which indeed was gold and gaudy. "Gives me just over an hour to play with the bitch."
It was five already? I'd been with this bastard for nearly six hours? Christ, no wonder I was achy - it wasn't from the fight, it was the pounding I was getting from Merle.
Obviously, Starr's lieutenants had nothing better to do all day than rut like dogs. Though even the worst of us dogs had a hell of a lot more class in the loving stakes than Merle did.
Iktar nodded, but as he turned, his glance fell on me. He knew I was awake. That was so evident in the gleam in his eyes, the slight smile touching his thin lips.
Merle came back to the bed as Iktar left. I closed my eyes, but my other senses were on high. Not that they needed to be. Merle was extraordinarily easy to track - all I had to do was listen to the soft sound of his steps and follow his sweaty, in-need-of-a-shower smell.
The bed dipped as he sat on it, then his fingers were on my breasts, plucking and pulling my nipples. It wasn't pleasant to simply lie there and take it, especially when my wolf soul wanted to rise up and rip the bastard's hand off. It was even harder when his fingers moved down, roughly exploring. I'm not sure what he was trying to achieve, but it certainly wasn't any form of foreplay I was familiar with.
After a while, his lust stirred anew and his body shifted over mine. As his cock slid inside, I carefully felt for his mind. His shields were as tight as ever, but as his body began to move, the wall wavered, became less solid. It still felt like I was pushing through thick glue, but either I was stronger than before, or Merle's recent efforts in the loving stakes had left him weaker, because this time I got through quicker.
Once past that barrier, I didn't bother with finesse, simply stormed in and took control. It was a rout in every sense - in a matter of seconds, his body and mind were mine. Now I just had to decide what to do with him.
I ordered him off, then made him lie on the bed as I searched his thoughts for any mention of the labs. But as before, there was little. Either he didn't know, or the knowledge was buried so deep it would take hours and hours to uncover. As I had neither, I called for Iktar.
The spirit lizard appeared instantly, a smile of amusement touching his lips as he walked across to the bed and undid my bindings. "And here he was, only last week, boasting he was strong enough to repel any psychic attack."
"Baring Starr, I'm guessing."
Iktar shrugged eloquently. "That is a given."
I sat up and rubbed my wrists. "Are there cameras in these rooms?"
"Only in the hall."
"No other security device we should be wary about?"
"No. Unless Merle regains enough control to hit the alarm on the panel near the bedside table."
"Good." I rose and headed for the bathroom I'd seen my last time here.
Iktar followed, watching as I soaped up and washed the blood and sweat and fluids from my skin. If he was at all aroused, it wasn't showing. "What is your plan? You cannot hope to hold him forever."
"I know." Even as I rinsed the soap away, I could feel the muted ache behind my eyes beginning to grow. I may have controlled people this completely before, but never one who was psychic. Controlling Merle took a whole lot more power - and strength - than I thought it would. "Who has access to the main security area?"
"Merle, Moss, and those guards who man it. Access is thumbprint and key-coded and there's armed guards at the entrance and exits."