Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger
6
Cassius’s palmsgrew sweaty upon entering the office of the director of the San Francisco branch of the Argonaut Agency. He prayed the man beside him didn’t notice his sudden nervousness.
Despite his bravado, Cassius knew he needed to be careful. Not only was it evident that the Argonaut agents in San Francisco were prepared to use illegal ammunition on him, they had an incredibly skilled Aerial angel working for them in the shape of Morgan King.
A tall, charismatic black man with receding, gray hair and a goatee turned from where he was standing at a bay of windows overlooking the Embarcadero. His dark eyes gleamed shrewdly when they landed on Cassius, the sunlight reflecting off the water framing him with a halo.
Cassius wasn’t fooled by his benign appearance.
Francis Strickland was a Level One mage and one of the most powerful magic users in the country. He knew more about Cassius than most people did, including his best-kept secrets, which was another reason for Cassius’s edginess.
He’s aged pretty gracefully.
Strickland no longer gave off a strong whiff of Juniper, unlike the first time they’d met. Only the most seasoned magic users could mask their abilities as effectively as he was doing. Cassius was aware the man and woman standing next to Morgan and him were likely one level below Strickland, judging from their almost undetectable scents. The Valerian smell emanating from Adrianne’s soul core marked her as a sorceress, whereas the blue-eyed blond redolent of Frankincense seemed to be an equally powerful wizard.
Following the Fall, the magic that had always existed deep inside the souls of humans had flourished, a side effect of being exposed to the seraphic and demonic cores of angels and demons. It had taken many forms, from sorcerers who could use the energies around them to create and manipulate magic, to wizards who had to rely on potions and spells to access theirs. There were also enchanters who manifested illusion magic and mages whose staffs acted as a medium for them to focus their powers.
Of all magic users, warlocks were the rarest and most feared, their ability to draw power from demons and the Hells an art that was once forbidden.
All magic users were required to make themselves known to Hexa, the guild of registered magic users. They were subsequently assessed and classified based on their abilities, with Level Six being a novice and Level One being the most powerful magic user.
There were probably a dozen people in the world who could discern the power in the souls of magic users of the caliber of Strickland and the other two. The fact that Cassius was one of those people had made him a target of Hexa for as long as it had existed.
“Mr. Black,” Strickland said. “I would like to say it’s good to see you again, but current circumstances prevent me from doing so.” The director walked over to his desk and indicated the chairs on the other side. “Please, sit.”
Cassius followed Morgan as the angel headed for the seats. It was that or be forcibly dragged across the floor.
To Cassius’s surprise, the demon cat jumped on Strickland’s desk and padded over to the director. It sniffed the air in front of Strickland’s face, froze, and darted back to Cassius, hackles raised and an angry hiss leaving its throat. The feline leapt down onto the floor and hid under Cassius’s chair, still spitting.
“Damn,” Cassius murmured. “That cat is the smartest thing I’ve met since I’ve come to San Francisco.”
“Is that a dig at me?” Morgan said, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.
Cassius masked a frown. What’s with this guy? He nearly killed me back at the apartment and now he wants to be friends?
“I don’t know,” Cassius said coolly. “From what I’ve seen so far, the IQ levels of the Argonaut agents in this city leave a lot to be desired.”
A palpable wave of displeasure washed over him from the two agents framing them.
Cassius flashed a bitter smile their way. “Don’t take it personally. I think most Argonaut agents are dumb as fuck.”
Adrianne and the blue-eyed magic user scowled at him.
Strickland sighed. “Really, Cassius? Insults?”
Cassius narrowed his eyes at the man across the desk. “Since it seems we’re going to get personal, yes, Francis. One of your agents shot at me barely an hour ago and this asshole—” he jerked a thumb at Morgan, “—tried to kill me in my own goddamn apartment. So your people can piss off if they think I’m gonna play nice!”
Strickland’s gaze shifted to Morgan. “You tried to kill him?”
Morgan’s expression sobered. He didn’t reply.
Strickland steepled his hands on the desk and dropped his forehead on his knuckles. He murmured something under his breath.
“What’s he doing?” Cassius asked Morgan.
“Praying for patience,” Morgan replied morosely.
Strickland finally looked up, his eyes dark with irritation. “Uncuff him.”
“What?!” Adrianne said, shocked.
Strickland’s tone turned arctic. “I said uncuff him, Agent Hogan.”
“But, sir, Black is a suspect—” Adrianne protested.
“Whatever you believe this man has done, he hasn’t. Trust me on this.” Strickland arched an eyebrow when the agent opened her mouth to voice another objection. “I am well aware of Cassius’s abilities, Adrianne. In all the time I’ve known him—and known of him—he has never attacked someone without being heavily provoked first.”
Adrianne faltered before stiffly unlocking the handcuffs shackling Cassius to Morgan, a muscle jumping in her jawline.
Cassius rubbed the red marks on his wrist. “Thanks.”
“How do you guys know each other?” Morgan asked Strickland curiously.
A dry smile curved Strickland’s mouth as he studied Cassius. “Cassius saved my life when I was a starry-eyed Level Three mage working in London, thirty years ago.”
From the way Adrianne and the wizard sucked in air, Cassius guessed it was unusual for their director to be so frank in their presence.
“To be fair, you were starry-eyed because you were under the spell of that woman’s enchanter,” Cassius muttered.
The cat jumped onto his lap and curled up in a ball. He petted its head and was rewarded by a low, demonic rumble.
“That guy was good,” Strickland admitted with a grunt. “There are only a handful of people who can match his skills these days.”
“Wait.” Morgan frowned. “Thirty years ago in London? Are you talking about—?”
“Tania Lancaster?!” Adrianne gasped, some of the color draining from her face.
“Who’s Tania Lancaster?” the wizard asked blankly. This earned him a battery of stares. He grimaced and shrugged. “What?”
“Tania Lancaster was a Level One sorceress whose sect terrorized Europe over a period of twenty-five years,” Adrianne explained. “She was a black-magic user who excelled in necromancy and she had incredibly powerful acolytes working beneath her, including one of the best enchanters this world has ever known. A lot of people died at their hands, regular humans and magic users alike. They even killed a few demons and angels. All the agencies worked together to bring them down when they went underground in London.” She cast a troubled frown at Cassius. “I never heard anything about Black’s involvement in that incident. It was Victor Sloan who killed her.”
“Victor was there,” Strickland said mildly. “But it was Cassius who landed the killing blow on Tania and saved everyone’s life that day, including Victor’s. Cassius insisted Victor take credit for his accomplishment.” His sharp gaze moved to Cassius. “How is Victor, by the way?”
Cassius kept his expression neutral at the mention of his friend and former lover. “He’s okay. He’s enjoying being the new head of Cabalista.”
Morgan frowned faintly. Argonaut agents had as much love for the demonic organization as they did for Cassius.
“Why was this kept a secret?” Anger underscored Adrianne’s words. She tilted her chin challengingly at Strickland. “If Black was responsible for Tania’s death, then why wasn’t this fact made public?” Her irate gaze shifted briefly to Cassius. “It would have helped change people’s opinion of him.”
Silence fell in the wake of her question.
Strickland leaned back in his chair, his eyes on Cassius’s carefully blank face. “Because none of the organizations who govern the supernatural beings of this world wants anyone to know that the most feared and shunned Fallen on this planet does their dirtiest work for them.”