her, submit to her will. Means she can look through eyes, whisper in mind. Send dreams, or pain. But not control directly. Not usually.*
“But she could control you against your will,” The Bitch said slowly. “Because…you’ve always had that connection to her?”
*Yes. From first spark of life, first heartbeat. Was wrapped in whispers, while still under dam’s heart. Snakemother was in her blood, so was in own as well.*
“And your mother—Ophelia, I mean—knew nothing of this?” Icehorse asked.
*No. Think…think she would not have agreed to mark, if she had known what it would do to her cubs.*
He wanted to believe that, at least. Even now, his memories of his dam were scattered, shrouded. Only a few sharp fragments remained—the scent of her perfume, a snatch of lullaby. Soft hands.
A last kiss.
“This is all very interesting,” Man-Alpha growled. “But we’ve got bigger problems than psychoanalyzing Fenrir’s tragic childhood. Because if I’m understanding this right, he’s a goddamn half-demon, and a motherloving evil snake queen can wear him like a hand puppet any time she feels like it.”
*No. Not at the moment.* He struggled to his paws, jerking his head to indicate his hellhound form. *This body has no mark. Snakemother can only control man-self. Not this self.*
The Bitch stroked his fur. “This is why Ingar turned you so young, isn’t it? He found out about the mark, and what it meant. He was trying to protect you from Uncegila’s influence.”
He nodded without thinking, and then flinched, catching himself. He couldn’t afford human reflexes. Not anymore.
Birdcat let out his breath, shoulders dropping. “So we’re safe now.”
Through the pack bond, he felt the ripple of relief run around them all. Deep Bitch lowered her sword. Man-Alpha didn’t holster his gun, but the muzzle dropped, no longer pointing directly at his chest.
Only The Bitch didn’t relax. She sat there, frozen, staring at him. Alone out of all of them, she’d followed the trail to the inevitable end.
“We’re safe,” she said. “As long as Fenrir doesn’t shift.”
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. They both knew that it was true.
Uncegila still lurked within him. He could feel her down there, down in the darkness at the bottom of his mind, serpent coils irrevocably entwined with the other half of his soul.
Watching.
Waiting.
Seesnake’s mouth opened, then closed again. “Oh.”
“Oh,” Stone Bitch echoed, her face going white. Her hands shook in distress. “Oh, Fenrir.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Sun Bitch said. At her side, the unicorn Sunrise stamped a hoof, lowering her head. “You were human for weeks without any problem, Fenrir. If Uncegila could possess you at any time, she would have murdered us all in our beds a dozen times over by now.”
Birdcat swore. “Please tell me she wasn’t secretly manipulating you, Fenrir.”
He froze. That terrible possibility hadn’t occurred to him. He cast his mind back, searching for even the slightest hint that his actions hadn’t been his own.
*No,* he said at last. *Perhaps animal-self was still keeping her at bay, somehow. Even in human form.*
“I think you’re right. Your mark wasn’t obvious until tonight.” The Bitch glanced around at the others. “He had a scar on his back. In retrospect, it was kind of in the shape of a snake, but it was so old and faded I didn’t recognize it as being the same as the mark on Lupa’s forehead.”
“He seemed normal to me,” Icehorse said. “Not that I was actively looking for signs of demonic possession, of course.”
“I too detected nothing out of the ordinary,” Deep Bitch said—but Shadowhorse frowned, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.
“There was one strange event,” he said slowly. “Darcy, do you remember? You asked me to help you find Fenrir after he ran off.”
“And you sensed something odd,” Darcy finished for him. “You said he was flickering in and out, there and then not there. Could Uncegila have been influencing you then, Fenrir?”
He started to say no—and then paused, remembering how his body had seemed to take over. How he’d run straight to Lupa, without even knowing that she was there…
He licked his nose in unease. *Don’t know. Perhaps. But doesn’t make sense. Serum was wearing off, then. Animal was strong. Why then, and not later, when animal-self was weaker?*
The Bitch looked at him sharply. “Why was your animal weaker? You weren’t taking any…”
She stopped, eyes widening. He could see her fitting the pieces together at last. Seeing the full scale of his betrayal.
*Was.* He’d thought it would be a relief to be able to finally