Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger
23
They squeezedaround the booth to make space for Charlie, Morgan’s thigh pressing against Cassius’s leg. Cassius concentrated on his whiskey, the heat emanating from Morgan a distraction he could have done without.
Bailey and Zach returned with a round of drinks and pulled a couple of spare chairs over to the booth.
“So, how’s girls’ night out going?” Zach asked, taking a sip of his beer.
Adrianne frowned. Lucy grinned. Maggie sighed. Julia took another sip of her cocktail, her expression smug.
“That bad, huh?” Bailey said with blatantly fake concern.
Cassius hid a smile in his glass.
“Why are you guys here?” Morgan asked Zach gruffly.
The demon shrugged. “Probably the same reason you all are. We’re casing the joint.”
Charlie glanced anxiously across the bar. “Is it me, or are we drawing a lot of attention?”
“It seems everyone and their dog knows about Cassius now that that damn video went viral,” Bailey muttered.
Cassius didn’t have to look around to be aware of the stares being directed at their group. Having suffered the same kind of scrutiny for centuries, he was immune to them. The others were obviously not used to being observed this closely.
“By the way, did Strickland get in touch with you about that news broadcast?” Julia asked Morgan.
“We spoke this evening.”
Cassius looked at the Aerial, surprised.
Julia arched an eyebrow. “And?”
“The heads of the four agencies are having a meeting about it tonight,” Morgan admitted grudgingly, not meeting Cassius’s eyes. “Strickland and the other three local directors are also taking part.”
Cassius’s grip tightened on his glass. The fact that Morgan hadn’t mentioned this to him didn’t bode well.
“Wait. Does this mean they don’t all know about what went down in London?” Zach asked with a frown.
“Yes,” Morgan grunted. “The secrecy spell Victor Sloan imposed on everyone who was present at the time bar Cassius was absolute. Now that Cassius’s identity as an Empyreal has been revealed, Strickland and Victor are bringing the others up to speed on the Lancaster case.”
Adrianne’s troubled gaze danced between Cassius and Morgan. “What does that mean for Cassius?”
“I hope they’re not thinking of doing something stupid like arresting him,” Zach said grimly.
Despite the disquiet that had been with him ever since he’d found out about the video, Cassius couldn’t help but feel grateful for the Argonaut agents’ concerns. He frowned faintly as he stared into his drink.
Fear was a powerful emotion. It led many astray, causing them to do things they would never contemplate doing were they sound of mind. And most of those actions turned out to be mistakes they would regret for the rest of their lives.
Adrianne and the others’ apprehensions were not unfounded. There was a good chance the agencies could decide Cassius was too powerful for their peace of mind.
Unfortunately for them, Cassius had meant every word he’d said to Strickland yesterday, when he’d first been brought to the bureau. Just because he hadn’t fought back before didn’t mean he couldn’t or wouldn’t. And he knew the world would come to regret it if he were to use his powers to defend himself against an all-out attack.
“They won’t,” Morgan said darkly. “Not if they know what’s good for them.”
Cassius stared at Morgan, not quite certain if he understood the meaning behind the Aerial’s words correctly.
“It’s been ages since I’ve tested myself in battle,” Julia mused, downing her cocktail. “I could do with the practice.”
“Same,” Zach drawled.
Cassius’s pulse raced as he gazed at them.
“We told you we had your back,” Adrianne reminded him.
“You’ll make a lot of enemies if you choose to stand at my side,” Cassius said slowly.
“We don’t abandon our friends,” Bailey stated firmly.
“One for all and all for one,” Zach said wryly, lifting his beer in a toast.
The rest of Morgan’s team nodded, adamant.
Cassius’s chest tightened. He blinked, lost for words.
“Why do I get the feeling we’re getting roped into something we don’t even understand?” Lucy muttered to Maggie.
Adrianne brightened. “Speaking of which, Lucy found traces of that poison in the bodies of the victims. It’s just as Cassius suspected.”
“It was in their blood and on the runes that were carved into their flesh,” Lucy confirmed. “I thought it was Dark Blight at first, but I re-analyzed the samples and compared them with what I found in the sorcerer’s bloodstream following Pretty Boy’s suggestion. The trace was faint but definitely there. It seems they only used tiny amounts of it for fear of killing their victims before the rituals.”
“How’s our prisoner?” Morgan asked. “Any sign of him waking up yet?”
“Nope.” Lucy shrugged. “Whatever this thing is, it’s suppressed his metabolism and brain activity. The guy is practically in a coma.”
Cassius shared Morgan’s frustration at this piece of news. The sorcerer was their best chance of finding out who was behind all of this before any more victims fell prey to their dark scheme.
“I looked up the central Argonaut archives for any unknown poisons from other crime scenes over the past five years,” Maggie said. “There was a single instance when forensics failed to identify a substance they discovered on the remains of a victim. It was a Lucifugous demon killed a year ago, during a magic hunt in the Redwoods State Park. I’m waiting for a specimen from our Santa Cruz branch.”
Surprise jolted Cassius. “A Lucifugous?”
Maggie nodded. “Yes.”
Morgan stared at Cassius. “What is it?”
“There was a Lucifugous in the sewers, the night I went looking for Loki,” Cassius mumbled, his mind racing.
Could there be a connection between what’s happening and the Lucifugous demons in the city?!
Morgan frowned. “You never said anything about finding a demon in the sewers.”
“I didn’t think it was relevant at the time,” Cassius replied slowly. “I just presumed he was attracted by the dead body.”
“What happened to it?” Adrianne asked.
Cassius clenched his fist below the table. “I…killed it. It attacked me.”
“There were no signs of any other bodies down there,” Bailey said, puzzled.
Cassius remained silent.
Zach grimaced. “Let me guess. This is one of those secrets you can’t tell us about?”
“I’m sorry,” Cassius murmured guiltily.
“What did Singh say about Carneiro’s murder?” Morgan asked Julia, the look he gave Cassius indicating this conversation was far from over.
The angel frowned. “He wasn’t particularly forthcoming with information. All he said was that Carneiro was a Level Three wizard working on ad hoc contracts for Hexa and that the guy got drunk and picked a fight with someone he shouldn’t have behind Occulta. There were no witnesses to the crime. He still hasn’t gotten any leads on a potential suspect.”
“This place has security cameras,” Cassius said.
Charlie blinked. “It does?”
He studied the empty metal supports and beams above them.
Adrianne frowned thoughtfully at a spot high up on their left. “Hmm.”
“Those are pretty well concealed,” Zach mused.
Bar brick and metal, there was nothing visible to the naked eye. Only a powerful magic user or otherworldly would be able to detect the sophisticated security system currently tracking everyone’s movements in and outside the building, and this only if they knew where to look.
“Whoever’s spell this is, they are good,” Bailey said grudgingly.
Cassius’s gaze flicked to the woman behind the bar. “That she is.”
The others exchanged startled glances.
“Suzie Myers is responsible for the magic imbuing this place?” Morgan said with narrowed eyes.
“She’s a witch,” Cassius murmured. “A powerful one.”
Adrianne observed the pink-haired woman behind the bar with a skeptical frown. “You could tell, just by being close to her?”
Cassius hesitated. “I also sensed her soul core when we shook hands.”
Surprise widened Lucy and Maggie’s eyes.
“Wait. He can sense people’s soul cores?!” Lucy hissed sideways at Julia.
“Yeah,” Julia murmured. “It’s one of his party tricks.”
“Singh mustn’t know about the cameras,” Bailey said.
“That, or he didn’t find anything useful when he examined them,” Zach hazarded.
“I’m willing to bet it’s the former.” Julia turned to Cassius. “Have you checked the back alley for the Dark Blight you picked up in the sewers?”
Cassius frowned and dipped his chin. “It was just as we were told.” He glanced around the bar. “One of the people here could very well be our black-magic killer. Or someone here could know of them.”
The rest of them followed his wary gaze.
“Can’t you just sniff out their soul cores, like you did with us?” Bailey asked in a hopeful voice.
Adrianne made a face. “You’re making him sound like a dog.”
“Sorry.”
“Suzie’s magic is pretty good,” Cassius said. “She’s masking the auras in this place, so the only way for me to pick up traces of Dark Blight or black magic would be to get real close to people.”
Julia arched an eyebrow. “Should we mingle?”
“Alright,” Cassius said reluctantly.
“We’ll take a raincheck,” Lucy said. “Maggie and I have an early start tomorrow. Have fun.”
The two women slipped out of the booth and took their leave.
To Cassius’s surprise, Morgan and the others formed a subtle cordon around him as they headed into the crowd, Julia fighting off interest from scores of admirers, much to Adrianne’s chagrin.
They spent the next half hour exploring every corner of Occulta, Cassius seeking out traces of Dark Blight and black magic with subtle pulses of his power. He detected several illegal magical substances and Class A drugs when they passed the restrooms on the second floor, but nothing that matched what he was looking for. They were coming back up from the basement when someone knocked into Cassius at the top of the stairs.
“Hey, watch it asshole!” the guy slurred as he whirled around.
The men with him sobered when they clocked Cassius’s face.
“What?” The guy glanced from his companions’ cautious looks to Cassius. Recognition dawned in his alcohol-glazed eyes. His expression turned ugly. “Why, if it isn’t Victor Sloan’s little cocksucker.”