Page 80 of Feral Possession

Dove slipped into the room, head disconnected from her body. Brain floating somewhere near the ceiling, ready to pop. “What is this?”

Marcus scowled, his jaw set at a defensive angle, feet braced as though for a fight. “What does it look like?”

Her spine straightened. She too angled her jaw, setting her feet deep into the floor. “It looks like you’re a fanatical stalker who’s completely obsessed with Helen.”

“I’ll, uh, give you two a minute,” Bishop muttered, shuffling toward the hallway.

“Don’t,” Marcus barked. “We’re not done here.” At the sharp command, Bishop folded his arms and released a long-suffering sigh, leaning his bulk against the doorjamb.

Dove had little sympathy for the lycan. “I thought you were past this,” she said to Marcus. “I believed you and the demon were at peace with each other. That you’d accepted him as a necessary presence in your life. This”—she stabbed a finger at the wall—“is not the behavior of a someone who is well adjusted.”

“Did you also believe I would hide in this dusty old mausoleum forever? As lord of House Othonos, I have responsibilities beyond you and the blasted demon. Now that my control is better and my body strong, I need to take back my life.”

Dove’s heart winced, taking that verbal stab. This past week, she’d fooled herself into believing Marcus was happy in the mansion. Instead, he’d been plotting to resume his old life. A life that likely didn’t include her.

“Don’t act as though the truth isn’t right before me.” She thrust out her arm, pointing at Helen’s picture. “This isn’t some vision board for House Othonos, full of aspirations and inspirational quotes. This is a murder wall, one bordering on obsession.” That obsession would lead him down the same path that had taken her father from her.

Marcus hammered the table, snarling, “I am not obsessed with Helen.” Shadows swirled. Dark power brushed against her skin, and she ignored the warning. This wasn’t a time to let his strength cow her.

“Right,” Dove spat through clenched teeth. “Then look me in the eyes and tell me again how she has no hold on you.” She flicked a deliberate glance at Helen’s photo. “Face it. You’re giving your power away, Marcus. Giving it to someone who doesn’t have a single care for you.”

Marcus squeezed his fist, closing his eyes, centering himself. After a moment, the shadows stilled, and he opened his eyes. Jerk, she was the one who’d taught him that.

Calmer now, he said, “First, understand that I rarely feel the need to explain myself to anyone. However, for you, I will make this exception. That said, there are questions I need answered. While I see now the demon is the reason I still breathe, I’d like to know how I came to be the host of a creature that shouldn’t exist in this plane. Since I suspect Helen had a hand in my possession, she may be the only one with those answers.”

Dove flung out her arms. “But why go to these lengths knowing the outcome won’t change?” Unless revenge was truly his motive. It was a sobering thought. One that made far too much sense, given the evidence before her.

His anger returned, his left pupil glowing red. “While you may have forgotten that Helen implicated me as a Zion conspirator, I certainly have not. The Council plans to accuse me of treason. My uncle has already said he will not intercede on my behalf. That means I need Helen to clear my name before I lose everything.”

Damn him. It did make sense. She grew a bit smaller for having pushed such an important detail to the back of her mind. Who could blame her when Dove Land was so irresistible? Despite her moment of guilt, she persisted. “I hear you. Now I need you to hear me. I need to know this is about more than vengeance. I refuse to watch the same hate and rage that ruined my father consume you. I won’t walk beside you on a path to destruction.” Nor would she put him back together just to see him destroy himself.

Marcus’s countenance darkened. “I’ll admit, watching Helen suffer would give me great pleasure, but this isn’t about revenge. It’s about justice and ensuring she doesn’t succeed in ruining me.”

“Fair enough.” Dove nodded, though buzzards of apprehension still pecked at her insides. Like Marcus, her father had claimed justice was the reason he’d spent every penny they had chasing her mother’s killers. Regardless, Dove had said her piece. All she could do now was make sure Marcus didn’t follow in her father’s steps.

She skirted the table and leaned into his side. “I don’t want to see you ruined. Helen already took her pound of flesh. She’ll get no more on my watch.”

Marcus tucked his arm around her waist. “My champion.”

She sighed. “Catch me up. Maybe I can help.”

“Why not.” He shrugged. “We’ve tried everything else. Bishop.”

The bodyguard stepped into the room, standing before the board. “At the resort, we hit a dead end. In those security tapes, we identified Helen’s lover as Adam, a vampire who was one of Victor Custodis’s soldiers.” He pointed to a photo of a clean-cut guy with a buzz cut. “Though the information was buried, I was able to uncover the circumstances of his death. Turns out he was spying on Victor for Zion. When Adam’s cover was blown, Adam attacked one of Viktor’s men and was killed in the exchange.”

“Hence the dead end,” Dove muttered, her thoughts racing. “That means Helen’s boyfriend betrayed Victor. Same way Helen betrayed you.” She tapped her chin, studying the board. “Seems to me you’re missing a picture.”

“How so?”

She grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled on it, and pinned it in place. Next. She shifted two lengths of string before standing back to admire her handiwork.

“Victor?” Marcus read the name she wrote.

“Yes. The enemy of my enemy and all that.” She shrugged. “I figure he’s the only one who’s even more motivated to find Helen than you. For starters, her lover was a Zion mole who betrayed him. Second, she’s deeply acquainted with the Council’s most wanted criminal, Zion. You can bet Victor is highly interested in finding her.”

Marcus looked at Bishop. “My uncle pulled Victor off the Zion case because he believed he was mishandling it. Then he hired his own task force to take over the investigation.”

“I imagine that burned Viktor’s butt,” Dove chimed in. One thing she knew for certain was powerful men didn’t appreciate being undermined.

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