Page 106 of Feral Possession

Tiberius exhaled a deep sigh, his expression haggard. “That was quite a show you put on at the casino last night. I’m disappointed you didn’t come to me sooner, son. Had I known of your possession, I could have helped you before things had gotten so out of hand.”

Marcus had no patience for another lecture. “Why are you here?” He tipped his head toward the chest.

Tiberius shifted his weight, glancing at Dove as he fiddled with the envelope he held in his hands. “I’m afraid I’ve come with bad news on two counts. First, I received a tip from a concerned party that Helen was headed to Green’s Field airport.”

Marcus looked at Dove as well. Her look of guilt spoke volumes. “Anonymous tip, huh?” Her betrayal was a sledgehammer to his gut. No. Not her, too.

“When we arrived, there was no sign of Helen or her men, just this, along with the chest.” Tiberius extended the envelope. On it was Marcus’s name. Zion’s insignia was stamped into the wax seal. He ran his thumb beneath the edge and withdrew a thick note card.

Written in a flourishing script was a simple message: A peace offering, in anticipation of future collaborations.

From the envelope, he extracted an iron key.

Tiberius hovered near the wooden box. “I’ve not opened it, but my men did scan it for incendiary materials.”

Marcus took a knee, set the key into the lock, and turned it. Metal clicked. Breath lodged in his chest. He grabbed the lid and forced it back on its hinges.

Blood pounded in his ears. Through the black haze, he registered Dove’s scream. Helen stared up at him, her milky eyes sunken. Lips curled in and mouth parted in an eternal shriek. Her body was bent as though she’d been folded and packed into the hand-carved chest by a contortionist.

Fire blazed through his veins and he lurched to his feet, turning to Dove. “You.”

She peered back at him, horror in her drawn expression, hand over her mouth. “Me?” she whispered.

“You knew where she was going and didn’t tell me.” Because of Dove, Helen was forever out of his reach. Any information she’d had died with her.

“But I was trying to help you.”

He crowded her, looming over her in his rage. “And you just happened to have Tiberius’s private number?”

“Now, Marcus,” Tiberius admonished. “You’re being too hard on the girl. I was worried about you, and I gave it to her for emergencies.”

Because his uncle was such a bleeding heart. “Tell me.” Marcus kept his attention fixed on his Chosen. “How long have you had his number?” How long had she been spying on him?

“Since the island.” Her voice broke. “But it isn’t like that, I swear.”

“Enough of this, son. Get control of yourself.” Tiberius stepped closer, grasping Marcus’s biceps. “Helen is gone and you’re in a shitstorm of trouble. Come with me now and I’ll do everything I can to clean up the mess you have made.”

Marcus jerked his arm back, rounding on his doting uncle, shadows twisting around them. “And you. You’re loving this, aren’t you? You just had to bring that chest here in person so you could watch my life burn to the ground.”

“I take no joy in this,” Tiberius snarled in return. “It’s your choices that have brought you to this place. Not mine.”

“That’s right. My decisions.” Marcus drove his finger into his uncle’s chest, blackened tendrils curling around his hand. “And it drives you mad, doesn’t it? You just hate that I’m no longer beneath your thumb. That you can no longer control me. Shape me. Melt me down and recast me in your fucking image.”

Tiberius stiffened, glancing at Marcus’s smoldering finger. “I’d hoped you’d see reason, but I realize now my mistake. Your condition is even worse than I feared. The demon has clouded your mind.” He pressed his hand to his ear. “Take the shot.”

Glass exploded. Dove screamed, and the world moved in slow motion. Fire seared Marcus’s shoulder. Chest. Pumped through his veins. Out to his arms. Legs. The room spun, and he hit the ground.

“Marcus,” Dove cried, kneeling beside him. She peered up at Tiberius. “What did you do?”

“Sedated him.” Tiberius’s black dress shoes swam into his vision. “Marcus Steel, you are hereby under arrest by order of the Council.”

This was why Tiberius had come alone. What he’d planned all along. Marcus was betrayed on all fronts.

“Oh, Marcus.” Dove smoothed his cheek. “How can I help? What should I do?”

“Get far away from me,” he managed to snarl. “I lay eyes on you again, I’ll rip your deceitful heart from your chest.”

Tiberius clamped his hand down on Dove’s shoulder, drawing her back. “You heard him. Fly home, little bird. You’re done interfering.”

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