Page 114 of Feral Possession

Marcus’s heart tripped. Dove never mentioned she’d communicated with his mother. No. He needed to focus. Draw his uncle’s attention away from Dove. Keep him talking while finding a way to save her.

“If you wanted me at your side, why order Helen to kill me?” Marcus asked.

Zion turned to him, smirking. “Figured that out, huh? I gave that command once I determined you were too much like your father. You didn’t share my vision, refused to invest in my research at Legacy. When you delved into my finances, it became clear you were a problem. I decided to eliminate that problem.”

Though Marcus tried to steel himself, the coldness of that admission hurt. Without feeling or remorse, the male who’d practically raised him chose to end him, just as the bastard had his parents. “And the shade you locked inside of me?” he grated.

Zion’s smirk faded. He shrugged a shoulder and Dove’s tenuous position shifted, making her squeal in fright.

“I confess, I had a moment of regret when they brought you to my lab after the explosion. Seeing your battered form, watching you cling to life, I realized you were stronger than I thought. Despite your failures, I did think of you as a son. The shade was a gift. A second chance. It still is.” His uncle’s tone softened, reminding him of the male who’d comforted him after his parents’ deaths. The deaths Tiberius caused.

Marcus held back the rage roaring inside of him. Swallowed the words he desired to unleash. How dare his uncle claim him as son in the same breath he admitted responsibility for his attempted murder and possession. “You offered me a second chance? Well, here I am.” He spread his arms wide. “You’ve got me exactly where you wanted me. Set Dove free, unharmed, and we can negotiate the terms of our new partnership. Wasn’t that the point? The card you sent with Helen’s corpse said she was—A peace offering, in anticipation of future collaborations.”

Zion winced in mock sympathy. “If only it were that easy. As your mother was for your father, the girl is your weakness. Your feelings for her make you vulnerable, as does her influence over the shades. Seeing how she drew mine out, there’s no way we can allow her to run unchecked.” His grip on Dove loosened, and she uttered another squeak of terror, eyes going wide.

This time, Marcus couldn’t contain the fury welling inside of him. He snarled, taking one threatening step forward. “Harm her and I swear I will hunt you to the ends of this earth.”

Zion barked a laugh. “Hunt me as you hunted Helen? How did that work out for you? Have you learned nothing?” He shook his head, his tone full of mock sympathy. “Foolish boy, still so blind to what is beneath his nose. The necromancer was spying on you for me the entire time. She betrayed you, just as Helen did. Helen deceived me too, putting her own desires before my cause. I gave her to you as a gift.”

His uncle spoke of trust and loyalty, yet none had ever betrayed him more than the monster standing before him. “I believe I’ve had enough of your so-called gifts. I grow weary of this conversation. State your terms.”

Zion’s eyes glowed red with the demon’s influence. “Very well. My terms are simple. Prove your loyalty to me by reaping your Chosen’s soul. Give in to the hunger, feed your shade. Welcome the darkness into your heart and mind, as I have. Then, and only then, will you be worthy of sitting at my side.” He hitched a shoulder flippantly. “Or reject my terms and I’ll throw her off the ledge.”

Dove coughed a hysteric sound. “So option A, I’m dead. Option B, I’m also dead?” Tears wet her fear-stricken eyes. “You’re a horrible negotiator. Remind me to never call you if I need help purchasing a new car.”

“Silence,” Zion snarled, shaking her. “This will go easier for you if you don’t fight.”

Pride swelled. Even when her life hung in the balance, Dove wasn’t afraid to slice through the bullshit with honesty and realism. Problem was, as she so eloquently pointed out, both options presented would result in her demise.

“Do not like thisss game,” Shadow grumbled in his head.

“Got a better plan?” he answered through their mental link.

“Zion is hive master. I am drone. Alone, we cannot defeat him in battle.”

“What do you propose?”

Shadow relayed his desires with flashes and images.

Marcus’s temples pounded beneath the onslaught. It was risky. However, Option C just may see Dove alive at the end of this nightmare.

“Son, I know you like I know myself,” his uncle added. “We’re the same, you and me. For all your flaws, you’re a businessman. Weigh the cost and choose the most lucrative outcome. What’s the loss of one pathetic soul, a faerie’s soul, no less, compared to what I can offer you?”

Darkness welled within him. The leash he kept on his shade slipped in his grasp. His face burned, turning demonic. “Be ready, demon.”

“You be ready,” his belligerent partner snarled back.

Zion grinned. Eyes half-lidded, he drew oxygen into his nostrils as though savoring the shade’s growing presence. “That’s right. Let the beast surface. Feel its hunger rising within you.”

“Marcus?” Dove asked, her voice wobbling with uncertainty.

Marcus blocked out her whimper. “The mortal world has evolved.” His words rumbled with his demon’s rougher tones. “Perhaps it’s past time that the underworld evolved as well. Time we come out of hiding, demand our due.”

Shadows circled his body, spiraling outward. The shade’s smokey energy swept around Dove and Zion. Dove clutched the demon’s arm tighter, tears falling. At the sight of Shadow’s power circling Dove’s form, his uncle’s grin spread. “Yes, that’s it. Take what you desire.”

“Desire?” Marcus snarled in monstrous tones. “My desire is to see you pay for the damage you’ve caused both to me and our community. For your lies and deceit, the destruction you will leave in your wake. What you propose isn’t for the betterment of the underworld but your own personal gain. You want power, control. To take away choice and freewill. Yet, you are unworthy of the throne you covet. You care nothing for those you’ve sentenced to servitude. It’s you who is the disappointment. Yours is the soul with no value.”

Zion’s grin turned into a deadly snarl. His grip on Dove tightened. “It’s as I feared. You’re too much like your father. Very well. You’ve made your choice.”

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