Chapter 25
Marcus pacedthe length of the balcony, having just returned to his penthouse. Over the roof of Steele Tower, the sun reared its head, clawing a path across the horizon. His shadow stretched out before him. Taller, longer, stronger. His skin pulled tight over his frame. Rage thrummed in his veins. Not since his accident had he felt this level of fury.
Once he’d made sure Bishop was okay, Marcus and his men had spent hours tracking Helen, to no avail. Her little distraction had accomplished everything she’d wanted. Again, he’d danced for her, a puppet enslaved by her strings.
Muffled footsteps pulled his attention to the open door. Dove tucked her hands into the sleeves of her sweatshirt as she drew closer, her manner hesitant. Her golden hair formed a bird’s nest around her head. Shadows darkened her eyes. “I waited up for you. You were gone so long, I was afraid I’d never see you again.”
“You thought I’d run?”
“Shouldn’t you? I mean, after what happened at the casino, you and Shadow are so out of the closet. In fact, I’m certain you set the closet on fire.”
“I’m not running,” he growled. “Running is for the weak. We are not prey.”
She frowned, concern lining her brow. “We? Since when did you both become a we?”
He ignored her. “I can’t give up my hunt for Helen to go into hiding. Not after all she’s done.”
Dove stiffened, tightening her arms around her waist. “Perhaps you should focus on the most immediate problem. By now, the entire underworld knows you’re possessed, including your vampire clan. Worse, you ravaged a soul in front of hundreds of spectators. Those witnesses saw you break Council law as well as the laws of nature.”
Her judgmental tone set his teeth on edge. “You dare to berate me after I revealed my demon saving you? Losing Helen in the process?”
“Ouch,” Dove whispered.
The hurt in her eyes cooled his rising anger. Dove wasn’t the one at fault. He opened and closed his fists. “Helen set me up. Forced my hand and exposed me. Am I to let that go unpunished?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. You are. It’s not as though she can help you clear your name at this point. Your troubles go beyond the shifty bookkeeping tying you to Zion. Do you hear yourself? You’re so consumed with Helen, it’s blinding you to everything else. To what’s important.”
“So I’m to give up the hunt because you, a simple necromancer, deem it unimportant?”
She winced as if he’d struck her but stood her ground, lifting her chin. “I may not be as worldly as you, but I’m not ignorant. My father became obsessed with catching my mother’s murderer. He abandoned me because of it. To this day, I don’t know what happened to him. Was he successful? Did his search drive him mad? Is he dead or alive? In the end, he let it destroy what remained of his life. That murder didn’t take just one life that night.” Her eyes hardened. “If you continue down this path, seeking revenge and reaping souls, it’s your actions that will ruin you, not Helen’s.”
Again with the lecturing. “You understand nothing,” he growled.
“I understand you’ve reaped three souls now. Shadow confirmed the truth of what happened to the security guard on the island, as well as what happened with Adam.”
“What do you mean, Shadow confirmed?” Marcus stopped his pacing, narrowing his glare on her.
“He surfaced while you were sleeping.”
“You spoke to the demon without my knowledge?” What else was she hiding from him? Shadows darkened around him, the lights flickering.
“I was going to tell you. It’s just the timing seemed bad. He said he grows stronger from reaping souls. That there were others here as well. Shadow isn’t the only one.”
“Others?”
“Yes. Celeste was able to translate Victor’s book. The creature inside of you is a shade. Drones like Shadow are all part of some supernatural hive. He and the others collect souls to feed a master. I didn’t want to believe it, but Shadow confirmed as much.”
“You knew this and didn’t tell me?” His battered flesh heated, energy swelling in his veins.
“I’m telling you now. Because it’s important that you not destroy any more souls. With each one, the demon will grow stronger.”
As would Marcus. This wasn’t a bad thing. Was she afraid he’d become too powerful for her to control? “I can see it in your eyes. There’s something more. What else haven’t you told me?” What other secrets did she keep?
She darted a glance to the shadows sliding beneath her feet, taking a step in retreat. “One more thing. And please know I did this to protect you. Back at the casino, I overheard Helen’s men talking. They mentioned an airport. I was afraid if I told you, that you wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to reap their souls, so I phoned—”
“Lord Steele,” Ida called out.
Marcus turned to find her hustling in their direction. “My apologies for interrupting, but your uncle is here.”
Marcus gnashed his teeth, uttering a low growl. He figured it was only a matter of time. He just thought he’d have more. “Send him in.”
“No need,” Tiberius entered the great room. Beside him were two men carrying a large wooden chest with an iron lock. “Set it down and leave us.”
Marcus met him in the foyer, aggression in his stance. “You’re here to arrest me? Alone?”
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.”
“Pumpernickel,” Dove whispered, and the room went black.