“Right. You know a majority of political leaders, CEOs, and those in charge of the military are typically psychopaths. And this poor boy did what his father wanted by joining the military and becoming enhanced. He was turned into a submissive, which was unacceptable to his father. Every time he undergoes a new treatment, he’s worse. It isn’t just physical issues that we’re dealing with now but mental. You’ll see his file and the things they did to him, and I can tell you that every time you see a glowing report about the potential and progress, that it was a lie. If anything worked at all it was temporary. I think it’s abuse. He could probably sue. Drugs, surgeries, psychological interventions—you name it, he’s endured it. Everything that has been attempted on this young man didn’t do a thing beyond making him incredibly unstable.”

“So what has changed that has resulted in us having this conversation right now?”

“His father has had a stroke and is in the hospital in a medically induced coma. His son’s care defaults to me until the general is able to make decisions again.”

“The son can’t make them?” he asks, even though he knows the answer.

“Too submissive. His father arranged for me to be his conservator.”

Liam grunts in annoyance. If a soldier is too submissive to manage their own life, then they shouldn’t be allowed to serve. “I hate that. Either a submissive is mentally competent or he isn’t, but a conservator and active service shouldn’t both be allowed.”

“Exactly. And in my expert opinion,” Dr. Chang says, voice shaking with anger, “what Private Burrows needs is to be left alone and allowed to be himself. He needs time to heal.”

“Right. So I’m here because Daddy Warbucks can’t say no to you calling me in?”

“Yup. And the moment he’s back I have no idea what will happen, but my hope is that Daniel will be evened out and happy enough that his father’s heart will grow two sizes larger and he’ll just let him exist. Get him out of the military and settled with his owner.”

“Owner?” Liam asks, surprised at the word choice.

“He’s top of the scale. The poor boy isn’t meant to submit but to surrender hard. The dynamic he will be happiest in is quite extreme. He’s the closest thing to prey I’ve ever seen.”

Liam frowns. “So why am I here?” he asks flatly. “I’m not enough of a sadist for a man like that. Prey isn’t something I’ve ever dealt with. Frankly, I thought it was hypothetical.”