Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger
37
A low roarrose in the distance, the sound different from the drone of traffic coming from above them. Morgan exchanged a guarded glance with Cassius.
“What is that?” Adrianne said.
“It’s a crowd,” Cassius replied quietly.
They’d been walking underground for a good five miles, Akamon leading them confidently through the maze of tunnels beneath the city. Morgan suspected they were somewhere under Nob Hill, one of San Francisco’s most affluent neighborhoods.
Tension stiffened his shoulders when Akamon headed for a watertight service door next to a weir gate. Though Cassius seemed certain the demon would lead them to Bostrof, Morgan still harbored a sliver of doubt about his intentions. The Lucifugous they’d captured and used to guide them to the crime lord in the past had never done so willingly and had always made their distrust of humans all too clear. Akamon could very well be leading them into a trap.
“You can trust him,” Cassius told Morgan as they entered the concrete corridor beyond the service door. “He won’t lead us astray.”
Morgan recalled the Lucifugous’s reaction when he’d seen Cassius’s Empyreal form and his red and black wings.
He’s probably right. Akamon looked pretty starstruck.
The clamor they’d been hearing for a while became a chant when they turned a corner. A crimson light framed the end of the passage.
“Wait,” Bailey muttered. “Are they saying…kill?!”
Morgan frowned.
The noise of the crowd got louder. “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“They not kill,” Akamon said reassuringly over his shoulder. “They beat.”
Julia’s hand dropped to her knife.
“Stay on guard,” Morgan warned the others.
They emerged onto a metal walkway above a giant pit some hundred feet deep. Morgan stared, his pulse quickening.
“Is this a fight club?” Cassius asked Akamon warily.
The Lucifugous nodded. “Ohomgath. Fight. Beat.”
He made a punching movement with a fist.
The space beneath them was a cavernous, concrete auditorium painted black and red. Amber spotlights and fluorescent tubing dotted the periphery and reflected off the glistening walls, turning the air the color of blood. It meant the hundreds of Lucifugous demons standing in the galleries and on the gangways could see without the light hurting their eyes.
The fighting cage in the base of the pit was enclosed in wired fencing and padded at the corners where steel beams formed its frame. A Lucifugous was rising from the floor of the ring, blood streaming from the cuts on his face, his right eye swollen and bruised. He snarled and charged the hulking demon who had brought him to the ground. His attacker moved deftly, hooked an arm around his throat, and sent him crashing into the cage wall.
The demon shook his head, stunned. A grunt left him as his attacker punched him in the gut. Blood spurted from the demon’s mouth. He groaned and fell face first to the floor.
The winner placed a foot on the fallen demon’s head and drummed his chest with his fists, a loud war cry erupting from his throat. The crowd responded with an even more powerful roar.
“Crusher.” Akamon indicated the Lucifugous prancing proudly around the fight ring. “Bostrof champion.”
Bailey grimaced. “Nice.”
Akamon pointed at an opening on the lower gallery at their two o’clock. “Bostrof.”
“Aren’t you coming with us?” Adrianne said, surprised.
Akamon shook his head. “Me not belong.”
Morgan caught the demon’s hungry gaze as he stared at the crowd. It was clear a hierarchy existed even among the Lucifugous and Akamon was at the bottom of the feeding ladder.
Cassius turned to the demon. “Thank you, Akamon. I’ll see you around.”
Akamon nodded, his gaze gleaming. “Friend.”
He turned and disappeared into the shadows of the service corridor.
Morgan narrowed his eyes as they descended the metal stairs leading to the galleries beneath them. He’d spotted several humans among the Lucifugous.
“There are angels and other demons here too,” Cassius observed. “Seems Bostrof’s fight club is not exclusive to his kind.”
A ripple washed through the auditorium when they neared the lower level. The noise died down a fraction before resuming with an added frenzy, the eyes of the crowd focusing on Morgan, Cassius, and their team.
They reached the opening Akamon had indicated and entered a crimson-lit corridor. A black, leather-padded and metal-studded door appeared at the end. Two demons guarded it.
“Vorzof, Goran.” Morgan stopped and nodded to the two Lucifugous eyeing him coldly. “I need to speak to Bostrof.”
“You have appointment?” Vorzof sneered.
Morgan sighed. “You know I never have an appointment.”
“No appointment, no see Bostrof,” Goran grumbled.
“Boys, boys, boys.” Julia shook her head and cracked her fists. “It seems you two have forgotten our last encounter.”
The Lucifugous demons paled slightly.
“No appointment, no see Bostrof,” Goran repeated sullenly.
Morgan glared up at the camera to the left of the door.
“Call your guard dogs off before we hurt them, Bostrof,” he snapped. “We don’t have time for this shit!”
A long silence followed. The door finally swung open on silent hinges.
“My, my, how impatient,” Bostrof Orzkal drawled.
Cassius looked up. And up again.
Bostrof was a beast even among the Lucifugous. Standing eight feet tall and almost half as wide, the demon was a mountain of muscle and sinew. The expensive suit he wore did little to mask his strength and overpowering presence.
Morgan frowned. No wonder he climbed to the top of the food chain so quickly. Bastard probably ate his competition.
Bostrof’s dark gaze found Cassius. A stillness came over the demon. One that made Morgan shift protectively toward the angel.
“The Guardian of Light,” the Lucifugous said quietly. “What brings you to Ohomgath?”
Cassius frowned faintly. “Akamon called me that too.” He studied the Lucifugous without fear. “What does it mean?”
A brooding look came over Bostrof. “Come, we must not speak of such things where the walls have ears.”
The Lucifugous turned and beckoned them to follow him with a wave.
The room they entered was opulent and designed to intimidate. Half office, half lounge, it boasted black crystal chandeliers, leather and glass furnishings, and fur rugs. Morgan suspected Bostrof carried out many of his business dealings in the place.
Bailey stared at the gigantic TV taking up a third of the wall to their left. It showed the fighting cage in the club. Two demons were cleaning up the ring and getting it ready for the next match.
Bostrof walked over to a mini bar and poured himself a whiskey.
“Drink?” he asked, holding the bottle up.
“We’re on the job,” Morgan said.
He looked around the room. He couldn’t help but feel someone else had been in there just a moment ago.
Cassius was staring at a beaded-glass curtain at the far end.
Bostrof followed the angel’s gaze and smiled faintly. “Your sense of perception is as formidable as the rumors say.”
The Lucifugous tilted his glass at Cassius in a mocking toast before taking a sip.
Cassius frowned. “I have no idea what those rumors you speak of are, but the gossip about me is rarely flattering.”
“That’s because the people of this world are blind fools,” Bostrof said shrewdly, his eyes gleaming. He addressed Morgan. “Now, tell me, why are you here?”
“We need information on a Lucifugous demon who was seen with a warlock who attacked us last night,” Morgan said gruffly.
Bostrof’s expression turned aloof. “Are you talking about the incident at Occulta?”
“Yes.”
Bostrof swirled the contents of his glass around before gulping them down. He turned his back to them and poured himself another shot of neat whiskey.
“And what will you give me in exchange for this information?”
Morgan traded a guarded glance with Julia.
“What do you want?” he said reluctantly.
Cassius looked at him, surprised.
Morgan masked a grimace. There was no point beating around the bush with someone like Bostrof. The more straightforward their interaction with the Lucifugous, the better it would be for both parties.
Bostrof twisted on his heels and perused Morgan and Cassius over the rim of his glass. Unease danced through Morgan at the way the Lucifugous looked at Cassius. Just like before, the demon was studying the angel as if he were a prized good that would fetch a fortune on the black market.
“A fight.”
The demon’s quiet words echoed around the room.
Cassius stiffened. Julia, Adrianne, and the others went deathly still.
Morgan scowled. “Like hell I’m going to let you fight him!”
Bostrof smiled grimly. “You misunderstand me.” His dark gaze focused on Morgan. “I meant a fight with you.”
“Are you insane?” Julia snapped. “Why the hell would we agree to such an asinine demand?!”
“Because I will tell you who I think that Lucifugous is and more.” Bostrof’s gaze locked with Cassius’s. “I will tell you where you may find the answers you seek, Guardian who does not belong to this world.”