Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger
39
Morgan hesitated before following Bostrof,Cassius at his side and the others on their heels. He was still reeling from what had just taken place inside the fighting cage, the echo of the power he had unleashed shivering through his soul core.
Why the hell did my wings just turn black?!
Bostrof led them to his office, went into a bathroom, and returned with a couple of towels. He threw one at Morgan, poured two whiskeys, and handed the Aerial a glass.
This time, Morgan accepted the drink wordlessly. He sat down in a leather chair, wiped the blood from his face and body, and swallowed the contents of the glass in one gulp, his wounds healing with faint tingles.
“I don’t get it,” Julia told Bostrof with a heavy frown. “Why the hell did you want to fight him if you weren’t serious about winning in the first place?”
“Oh, I was serious all right,” Bostrof said wryly. “But I knew I would lose if Morgan revealed his true powers, now that he’s managed to unlock them in this realm.” He glanced from Morgan to Cassius and back. “I’m sorry for taunting you. Threatening to take Cassius was the only way I knew to rile you enough for you to show me what you are truly capable of.”
Morgan stared at his right hand. He clenched his fist, a frown marring his brow. “Even I’m shocked by what I’m capable of.” He shared a troubled look with Cassius. “That’s the first time I’ve manifested a sword made from that black wind.”
“Your powers will only grow from now on,” Bostrof said confidently.
Morgan stared at the demon, his belly twisting with unease.
“How do you know all this?” Cassius asked in a deadly voice.
Morgan glanced at Cassius, sensing his smoldering anger. He knew Cassius was as deeply perturbed as he was by what had just transpired in that ring.
A tired expression came over Bostrof. The demon seemed to shrink slightly where he stood. “Because I did not lose all my memories after the Fall. And neither did many Lucifugous.”
Morgan’s pulse stuttered.
“Wait,” Julia said hoarsely. “You know who you were before the Fall?!”
“Yes,” Bostrof said quietly. “My recollections are hazy, but some things I am certain of.” He paused. “I was the King of the Lucifugous and the rightful ruler of the Shadow Empire.”
Shocked silence reverberated around the room. Morgan’s stomach dropped.
Damn. No wonder he’s so strong!
“The Shadow Empire?” Adrianne mumbled, the color draining from her face.
“The place where ghouls and dark alchemists are said to dwell?” Bailey murmured, similarly pale.
“And Lucifugous demons.” Bostrof sighed. “The Shadow Empire used to be part of the Nine Hells and the rightful home of my kind. Like the other realms where the otherworldly now dwell, it was ripped from its true place when the Nether tore.”
Morgan’s pulse thumped rapidly as he took this in. “Do you know our true identities?” Hope burned brightly inside him as he stared unblinkingly at the demon. “Do you know who Cassius and I really are?!”
A guarded look darkened Bostrof’s eyes. “I have some knowledge of who you were before you fell, yes. Cassius more than you.”
Morgan waited breathlessly, aware Cassius was as stupefied as he was.
Bostrof met Cassius’s expectant gaze. “The Guardian of Light is but one of your titles. Your true name eludes me still but, like I said before, you do not belong in this world.”
Cassius swallowed. “Where do you think my rightful place is?”
“In the Nether,” Bostrof said quietly.
“What?!” Morgan gasped.
“The Nether?!” Julia exclaimed, exchanging a startled look with Zach.
“Yes.” The Lucifugous turned to Morgan. “As for you, I believe your true self and name lie in your abilities. My wife refers to you often as the Prince of Night. Your black wings are a testament to this.”
Cassius clutched the back of Morgan’s chair, as if his legs had suddenly gone weak. The title Bostrof had just spoken made Morgan’s soul core tremble with an echo of memory. The way Cassius paled when Morgan looked over his shoulder to meet the Empyreal’s astonished stare told him he’d felt the same thing.
“Your wife?” Bailey repeated, puzzled.
The beaded-glass curtain at the end of the room clinked and parted. A woman appeared, one unlike any that walked the Earth. The rich, earthy smell of soil and unspoiled woodland suffused the air as the Nymph crossed the floor, grass and flowers blooming briefly beneath her bare feet. The gauzy dress she wore shimmered as she moved, ethereal and full of grace despite revealing her tall, naked form.
Morgan stared. He’d detected her presence briefly across his bond with Cassius when they’d entered the office the first time. Her soul core had appeared as a bright, warm ball of light in his mind’s eye. She’d rapidly suppressed it to evade Cassius’s senses.
She stopped in front of Bostrof and rose on her tiptoes. The Lucifugous leaned down so she could press her lips to his.
“This is Lilaia, my wife,” Bostrof said proudly as he straightened, a hand on the Nymph’s back.
“Hello,” Lilaia murmured, a soft smile lighting up her beautiful face.
Morgan gazed at the River Spirit, her divine energy dancing across his skin in comforting waves. Nymphs were nature deities, often confused with woodland sprites and fairies. They were Goddesses of the forest who dwelled in Rain Vale, the realm of the Nymphs.
It was exceedingly rare to see one in this world.
“Er, no offense,” Adrianne said leadenly. “But how the heck did you two end up as husband and wife?”
Bostrof and Lilaia exchanged a secret smile.
“I have but a vague memory of our first meeting,” Lilaia said, her melodious voice ringing in Morgan’s ears. She caressed Bostrof’s cheek lovingly. “I was the commander of an army who invaded the Shadow Empire after a group of Lucifugous kidnapped some of my kind from Rain Vale. Full of rage and unwilling to negotiate with those I deemed to be savages, I challenged their king to a fight to the death. But Bostrof laid down his sword when he entered the battlefield and knelt at my feet. He apologized for what his demons had done, promised to return my sisters unharmed, and swore that he would punish the fiends who had brought us to the brink of war, even as I brought my blade to his heart.” Her eyes brightened. “I saw his soul and who he was in that moment. How could I do anything but fall in love with him?”
Bostrof kissed her palm, his dark eyes gleaming with affection.
“Of course, I would not mind if you wanted to bring another into our bed,” Lilaia added in a saccharine voice.
She arched an eyebrow at Cassius.
Bostrof paled slightly at the steel underscoring her words. “I was only jesting, wife. I have no wish to mate with the Guardian of Light.”
“Thank God for that,” Morgan muttered.
“Good.” Lilaia patted Bostrof’s face gently. She studied Cassius appraisingly. “Although, truth be told, I wouldn’t have minded a taste of him myself.”
Morgan stiffened.
“My love!” Bostrof protested, shocked.
“Is it pheromones?” Bailey hissed sideways to Zach. “Is Cassius oozing the stuff or something?”
Morgan cut his eyes to them.