Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger

41

Morgan and Cassiusslowed as they approached Cassius’s apartment, the sound of their footsteps dampened by carpet.

The front door was ajar and hanging off its hinges.

“Argonaut definitely did not do that,” Adrianne murmured behind them.

The sorceress drew her gun, the others following suit.

They’d driven straight to Mission Bay and Cassius’s place after they’d left Bostrof’s club, eager to secure Chester Moran and his sect’s apparent primary target.

Julia indicated Zach. “We’ll take the outside.”

Morgan nodded, apprehension coursing through him.

They waited until Julia and the demon had taken up position on the terrace before storming the apartment fast and low. But they didn’t find any enemies nor a trace of the demon cat inside.

The place was empty, the stillness inside absolute.

Burn marks scorched the walls and floors of the living area and the bedroom, as if a fierce battle had taken place. The smell of sulfur still stained the air, the currents shifting agitatedly in the breeze blowing in through the terrace doors.

“Whoever they were, they’re long gone,” Julia said briskly as she and Zach returned from inspecting the exterior. “We can’t find any trace of them outside the building.”

“Where’s the cat?” Zach asked, glancing around.

“They’ve taken him,” Adrianne said grimly.

Morgan looked over at Cassius.

The angel was standing in the middle of his living room, his hands fisted at his sides and his face locked in a furious scowl.

“You think Loki did this?” Morgan asked quietly. “Fought them off?”

A muscle jumped in Cassius’s cheek. “I’ve never seen him engage in battle. But he must have done something to evade them for so long. That cat is a devious little bastard.”

He stormed toward the exit.

“Where are you going?” Morgan said, bewildered.

“To find that stupid imp and teach him some manners!” Cassius snapped over his shoulder. “And he’s grounded for the rest of his life!”

Bailey made a face. “I get the feeling the Keeper of the Eternity Key is going to regret choosing Cassius as his master.”

Morgan sighed and followed the irate angel.

Dawn was breaking across the city by the time they turned up outside Occulta. Suzie opened the private door next to the bar with a scowl, Cassius having pressed the buzzer for her apartment a gazillion times.

“What?!” she snapped.

Morgan and the others stared.

Suzie was wearing a pink T-shirt that matched her hair and came to mid-thigh. The words across it proclaimed that witches ruled.

Zach stared at the fuzzy demon-rabbit slip-ons adorning the witch’s feet. “I like the socks.”

He raked her figure with his blue gaze, making zero effort to hide his interest. Suzie flushed and tugged her T-shirt lower.

“What’s going on?” she muttered.

“Can we come in?” Cassius said.

Suzie sighed before opening the door wider. They followed her upstairs to an airy, open-plan apartment with a mezzanine level.

Suzie indicated the L-shaped couch that took up most of her lounge and plopped down on a Chesterfield sofa. “What’s up?”

She crossed her legs and hugged a colorful pillow to her chest, her gaze darting self-consciously to Zach.

The Aqueous demon smiled faintly.

Cassius looked questioningly at Morgan, seeking his permission. Though Morgan could still sense his ire, he’d calmed down somewhat on their drive over. He nodded.

Cassius updated Suzie on their most recent findings under the church in Richmond District, their interrogation of the black-magic sorcerer at the Argonaut bureau, their trap to lure a Lucifugous, and their encounter with Bostrof and Lilaia.

Suzie paled as she listened.

“Damn,” she mumbled. “You guys don’t mess around. And that warlock is Tania’s son?!”

“Yeah,” Cassius muttered.

“No wonder he was pissed.” Suzie frowned, color returning to her face. “What do you need from me?”

“Bostrof said I might be able to trace the magic you left on him when you broke his leg,” Cassius said grimly.

Suzie blinked. “My magic? How?”

Cassius rubbed the back of his neck, his expression turning uncomfortable. “I think I need to touch your soul core.”

Morgan blinked, surprised.

Zach frowned. “What?”

“I have to grasp a thread of her magic,” Cassius explained as he met the demon’s stare. “It’s the only way I can think of to do what Bostrof suggested.”

“Won’t that hurt her?” Zach said stiffly.

“I…honestly don’t know,” Cassius murmured. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“I doubt Bostrof would have suggested it if he knew it would harm Suzie,” Julia said.

“That’s a big if!” Zach snapped.

“It’s okay,” Suzie said.

The demon scowled at the witch.

“I’ll be alright.” A smile curved Suzie’s mouth. “You seem to be forgetting that I’m a Level One witch.” Her gaze shifted from the worried demon to Cassius. “So, how do we do this?”

Cassius hesitated before getting up and crossing the floor to Suzie’s chair. He knelt in front of her, moved the pillow aside, and set it on the floor.

“Let me know if it hurts at any point.”

Suzie nodded, apprehension darkening her eyes slightly. Lines furrowed Cassius’s brow as he concentrated on a point behind Suzie’s lower abdomen. Morgan knew he was visualizing the witch’s soul core.

Brightness flared on Cassius’s hand. Power throbbed across the apartment, rattling the windows and glassware.

Suzie sucked in air when Cassius carefully laid his light-wreathed fingers on her belly. “Oh!”

She blinked and stiffened as his hand slowly sank beneath her T-shirt.

Zach was at her side in an instant.

“It’s okay.” Suzie glanced at him before staring at Cassius. “It just feels…warm and tingly.”

“Here goes,” Cassius warned.

He flexed his fingers slightly. Suzie winced.

Zach grasped her shoulder and opened his mouth to protest. The words died in his throat when Cassius’s hand emerged from Suzie’s body. A thin thread of incandescent light danced between the Empyreal’s fingers.

“Is that my soul magic?!” Suzie gasped.

Cassius stared at the phenomenon as it slowly sank into his skin.

“I guess so,” he mumbled, meeting the witch’s stare with his own shocked gaze.

He flexed his hand a couple of times, rose to his feet, and went to the window overlooking the street. He pressed his palm to the glass and closed his eyes.

“Did it work?” Adrianne murmured to Julia.

It was almost a minute before Cassius opened his eyes. He turned on his heels. Morgan’s pulse quickened at the light burning in the gray depths.

“I can sense him,” Cassius said in a hard voice. “He’s somewhere north of here. I’ll get a better idea of his exact location once I’m up in the air.”

Morgan turned to Adrianne. “Call Argonaut. Tell them we need authorization to fly and backup at an address we’ll relay shortly.”

He took out his phone and dialed Strickland’s cell. Strickland answered on the second ring.

“Cassius is ready to track down Chester’s location,” Morgan said briskly. “We’ll let you know once we get there. Warn the other agencies.”

“I will.”

Strickland sounded even more somber than the last time they’d spoken, the recent revelation of his vanished apprentice’s true identity a double-edged sword that had driven the director to a dark place.

Morgan could sympathize. Betrayal was never nice, especially when it came from trusted quarters. He was beginning to suspect Strickland had considered Chester Moran to be more than just an apprentice. The director’s marriage had been a childless one and his wife had died many years ago from a cancer that even magic and otherworldly drugs could not cure.

“Brianna called,” Strickland said, his tone hardening. “The Hexa agents she assigned to your case came up with something interesting concerning the sites of the sacrificial rituals.”

Morgan straightened. “They did?”

“Yes. The information was hidden deep in the Hexa archives, so don’t feel bad about it,” Strickland continued gruffly. “They’re all ancient burial grounds for magic users.”

Surprise bolted through Morgan. “What?!”

Cassius cast a frown his way.

“They are arcane places of power. Ones that the Hexa leaders of old never went into detail about, but nevertheless chose for a specific reason.”

“Thanks. We’ll keep that in mind.”

Morgan ended the call. The others traded shocked looks when he told them of Brianna’s findings.

“That explains a lot,” Cassius murmured. “Those kinds of burial grounds are where the walls between the realms tend to be the thinnest.”

“The walls between the realms?” Bailey said, puzzled.

“He means the Nether,” Julia said grimly.

Suzie called out to them as they turned and made for the stairs.

“Wait.” The witch bit her lip and hesitated, her gaze locked on Zach. “Oh, what the hell!”

She stormed across the floor, grabbed the demon by the lapels of his jacket, and kissed him. Surprise flared across Zach’s face. It was replaced by desire. He wrapped his arms around the witch, pulled her close, and took over the kiss.

“Don’t die,” Suzie mumbled against the demon’s mouth when he let her go, her eyes shining bright.

Zach smiled faintly. “I won’t. I have a date with a hot witch to look forward to.”

Suzie blushed.

“Great,” Adrianne said morosely as they headed outside. “Everyone’s gonna get some except for me.”

Bailey brightened and opened his mouth.

“Don’t!” Adrianne snapped.