Page 111 of Feral Possession

The guard shriveled. His eyes sank deep into hollow sockets, his lips withered, curling around his teeth. Finally, his decimated frame collapsed, his soul ravaged.

As those gathered watched on in horror, Tiberius straightened. From head to toe, his flesh appeared fractured. Between the fissures in his skin, a crimson light glowed. Onyx horns jutted from his forehead, rolling back over his skull. He leveled red-rimmed eyes on Marcus. “Hello, nephew. We need to talk. But first…”

Tiberius looked out over the crowd and drew his massive shoulders back. Muscles bulging, horns gleaming in all his demonic glory. In a booming voice, he commanded, “Behold your master. Kneel before Zion.”

Twenty-Eight

“Zion?” Dove choked out, sucking oxygen into her deflated lungs. “No, no, no.” When she’d concocted this crazy plan, she’d hoped to simply reveal the magister’s demon possession. How was it possible that the Council magister, leader of the underworld, was also Zion?

Her mind wanted to reject the seven-foot demon standing before her. Reality refused to grant that wish.

Around her, chaos erupted, people screaming. No one kneeled, well, except her, since she lacked the strength to stand. Behind her, a group of men grabbed a bench and rammed the door to no avail. This room was made to withstand any supernatural attack.

Tiberius, or Zion rather, watched the mayhem he’d caused with irritation. Dove choked on a laugh, verging on hysteria. “Bet that whole kneel before Zion moment was far more impressive when you pictured it in your mind. Happens to me all the time.” Kind of like this moment wasn’t going at all as she’d planned. As usual.

Zion turned his glowing red eyes on her. “You. Thanks to your interference, this moment occurred ahead of schedule.”

Dove shucked off her sports-drink vest, gathered her shaky legs beneath her, and dusted off her hands. Despite her fear, she couldn’t help pointing out, “Sorry I stole your thunder, but you have to appreciate the irony. After all, it was an underachieving necromancer who just revealed Zion’s identity. Seems we’re not all worthless after all.”

Zion’s face drew into a sickening smile. “Don’t look so smug, faerie. Thanks to you, both the High Court and members of the Council are my captive audience. I couldn’t have planned it better if I’d tried.”

He wasn’t wrong. Her heart squeezed. Once again, her help had done more harm than good. Perhaps locking everyone in so they would bear witness to Tiberius’s duplicity wasn’t the best idea. She’d merely wanted witnesses. People to see what lay beneath Tiberius’s shiny façade. Instead, she’d made them his captives.

Kaius interrupted her moment of self-hate. “Enough of this tomfoolery.” He jabbed his gnarled finger at a cluster of armed men. “Why are you standing there? Guards, seize him!”

In response, the men met Zion’s eyes and nodded, communicating silently. Slowly, they moved beside him. Once they were in position, one fired his weapon at the ceiling. The gunshot rang out, piercing everyone’s ears.

Zion stood before the panicked crowd, arms crossed, legs braced. “Everyone, return to your seats. Now,” he boomed, his voice nearly as loud as the gunshot.

Hesitant, the mob did as he ordered.

When the roar of voices quieted, Zion turned his glowing eyes on Marcus. “Nephew, I almost forgot you were here. Don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless before.”

Marcus stared at his uncle, his expression stark. He lifted his hands in a helpless gesture, asking, “How?”

“Unlike you, I earned it,” Zion snorted. “It was my team at Legacy, the one you refused to fund, who acquired the Keres stone. They studied it. Deciphered the ancient language. In doing so, they determined it was the key to a unique artifact. One used to imprison a race of powerful demon spirits from another realm. Problem was, they were useless without a vessel. Recognizing the shades’ potential, we endeavored to transplant them inside a host. After many failures, I was the first successful pairing.” He grasped the collar of his shirt and ripped it open, popping buttons. On his chest was the same emblem Marcus had. “Lucky for you, we perfected our technique.”

Marcus snarled, and the light beneath his charred skin flared, revealing more of his demonic side. “It was you. You did this to me.”

“And may I say your gratitude has been underwhelming.”

Marcus raked a hand down his face and gestured to the magister. “But you… you’re…”

Muscles rippled along Zion’s flexing forearms, and a cocky sneer twisted his visage. “Bigger, more powerful. Turns out, I landed the hive’s master. The one they all served. Apologies, your shade was one of the weaker drones. Still, this is what you could have become if you’d only stopped holding back.”

Dove’s jaw went slack as she took in all that was Zion. He resembled Shadow-Steele, only fully transformed with no trace of his vampire persona. Was this what happened when the shade consumed a steady diet of souls? Was this what Marcus would become if he did the same?

Kaius pounded his gavel on the table, demanding their attention. “Sorry to interrupt the family reunion, Tiberius, or should I say Zion?” he sneered. “However, you have much to answer for. You, with your laws, arrests, and the task force you created. You’ve made a mockery of both the Council and High Court. Violated the sanctity of our judiciary system. All under the guise of eliminating Zion and his followers.”

The demon shrugged unapologetically. “What better way to stay hidden than to be the one in charge of Zion’s investigation? As head of my own task force, I had complete control. This allowed me to protect those who supported me and eliminate my enemies.”

“Like Victor,” Marcus said.

“He was but one of a handful of men who stood a chance at stopping me.”

“And Marcus?” Dove said. “Helen set him up on your orders, made him look like a conspirator, then tricked him into revealing his demon in public. Did you plan to get rid of him the same way you got rid of Victor? Because he was a threat?”

Zion cut her a dismissive glare. “I had my reasons.”

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