Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger

7

Surprise joltedMorgan at Strickland’s words. Adrianne and Bailey startled.

Cassius sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Should you really be telling them this, Francis? You know the other agencies will be pissed if you blab about their classified information to unauthorized agents.”

“Morgan and his team know how to keep a secret,” Strickland said dismissively. “Besides, that’s not what’s important right now.”

Morgan stiffened slightly at the calculating light in Strickland’s eyes.

If Cassius noticed, he gave no indication of it. He picked up the demon cat and studied it solemnly face to face. “What’d I tell you? Argonaut agents are idiots.”

The feline yawned before giving the angel’s nose a tentative lick with its pink tongue. A bolt of jealousy stabbed through Morgan.

Stupid cat.

The demon spirit turned its yellow gaze on him. Morgan wouldn’t have been surprised if the creature had suddenly smirked.

A knock came at the door.

“Come in,” Strickland called out calmly, seemingly immune to the strained atmosphere in his office.

Agent Driscoll opened the door and walked in. He slowed when he clocked everyone’s expressions, cast an uneasy look at Cassius, and came over to murmur something in Adrianne’s ear.

The sorceress frowned. “Thanks.” She waited until Driscoll had left before turning a chagrined gaze on Strickland and Morgan. “Black’s story checks out. He was hired to find that cat yesterday.”

Something that felt a lot like relief darted through Morgan. Though his instincts had told him Cassius didn’t have anything to do with the mutilated body the agency had discovered in the sewers last night, it was still reassuring to hear proof of his innocence.

“Great.” Cassius rose to his feet, the cat in question under one arm. “Now that that’s sorted, I’ll take my leave. I hope the agency will foot the bill of repairing and cleaning my apartment.” He turned and headed for the door with a casual wave of a hand. “It was nice to see you again, Francis.”

“Wait,” Strickland ordered in a hard voice.

Cassius stopped. He looked over his shoulder, his expression turning frosty. “No.”

Strickland narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t even heard my offer yet.”

A muscle jumped in Cassius’s cheek. “The answer will be no, whatever it is.”

“We still need to take your statement about what you saw in the sewers last night,” Adrianne told Cassius stiffly.

“You can do that at my place.” Cassius’s tone turned mocking. “I’m afraid being in a building full of people who hate my guts will make me…uncooperative.”

“Why did you apply for a license to operate as an independent operator?” Strickland asked Cassius. “Last I heard, you were still working for Victor and Cabalista.”

Cassius twisted on his heels to face them, his eyes darkening with displeasure.

Morgan masked a frown. Few Fallens chose to work independently of the organizations that governed supernatural entities and magic users. Independents were not as well respected as those who worked for the Argonaut Agency, The Order of Rosen, Cabalista, and Hexa, the four main agencies that came about in the centuries after the angels and demons fell to Earth and magic became all too powerful once more. Nor did they enjoy the money, protection, and benefits that came from belonging to an influential institution.

As an angel, Cassius had the right to ally himself with Argonaut, the agency responsible for maintaining law and order among the Fallen and magic users, or The Order of Rosen, the organization of angels affiliated with the Catholic Church.

Morgan grew thoughtful. Of course, him being an outcast means those are probably not viable options.

He’d heard rumors of Cassius working for Cabalista in an advisory capacity about a decade ago.It seemed the demonic organization wasn’t as fearful of a backlash from its members as the other agencies were. Somehow, Morgan suspected Victor Sloan had something to do with that. He’d met the demon a handful of times in the past, when their paths had crossed on business for their agencies. He hadn’t been able to get a read on the man, which only convinced him of one thing: Victor was a suave politician through and through and good at getting what he wanted.

Though Cassius had done his best to hide it, Morgan had noted his reaction when Strickland had mentioned the demon’s name just now. He couldn’t help but feel that there was more than just a business relationship between Cassius and Victor.

Strickland glanced at Morgan, as if he’d detected his deepening irritation.

“Have you and Victor parted ways?” the director continued, plainly ignoring Cassius’s scowl.

“The answer to that question is no one’s business but mine,” Cassius grated out. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He had his hand on the door handle when Strickland spoke again.

“I can revoke your license, Cassius.”

Morgan straightened in his chair.

No one could have missed the threatening wave of seraphic energy that had just washed through the office from the man standing frozen at the door.

Cassius’s back trembled as he fought to stop his wings from sprouting from his body, his knuckles white where he grasped the metal knob.

“Do not test me, Francis,” he said between gritted teeth. “I’m having a shitty day.”

The hairs rose on Morgan’s nape at what he sensed from Cassius then. He saw Adrianne and Bailey reach for their guns and shook his head jerkily. They stopped at his command, their faces wary.

“You would never intentionally harm me, Cassius, and we both know it,” Strickland said sedately.

Morgan couldn’t help but glance at his old friend in admiration. Though he’d surprised Cassius back at the apartment with his powers, he doubted he could do so easily right now. He’d heard rumors of the black-winged angel’s abilities over the centuries but had never believed them. It seemed Strickland had witnessed what Cassius could do during Tania Lancaster’s execution in London.

And it appears he deliberately didn’t unleash his full powers when I attacked him this morning.

“The secrecy spell that Victor had his mage cast on us in London prevents me from telling the agents in this room the full extent of your…talents,” Strickland continued, confirming Morgan’s suspicions. “Look, I know you just want to be left alone.” The director sighed. “Believe me, as your friend, I want to respect your choice. But I can’t. Morgan and his team are working on something big. And I think you can help them.”

Morgan narrowed his eyes at Strickland.“Wait. What the hell are you trying to pull? You want to offer him some kind of position on the team?!”

Cassius’s expression when he twisted on his heels would have turned Strickland to stone had he been a lesser man.

“Are you saying you’ll have the city revoke my license if I don’t help that—” he glared at Morgan, “—that douchebag and his friends? Because that sounds a lot like blackmail to me!”

Morgan grimaced. “Ouch.”

“You deserved that,” Adrianne muttered.

Cassius pointedly ignored them.

“You only need to go down to the bullpen to see how your agents feel about even having me in the same building,” he told Strickland heatedly. “I have no wish to work with people who would stab me in the back with their next breath!”

Morgan saw Adrianne twitch out the corner of his eye. He knew the sorceress had taken that dig personally. Still, none of them could blame Cassius for his wariness.

“I don’t trust any of you,” Cassius continued, his angry gaze landing on each and every one of them. “Argonaut. Rosen. Cabalista. Hexa. You’re all the same. Your self-righteousness has bitten you in the ass over and over again in the past few centuries, yet you keep making the same mistake. You keep assuming that the only reason I haven’t fought back is because I’m scared of you.”

Morgan’s skin prickled at the light that flared in Cassius’s eyes. The windows trembled and the room shook. Adrianne and Bailey straightened, their apprehension palpable.

Only Strickland remained indifferent to the overwhelming power emanating from the angel.

“Someone is stealing human souls again, Cassius,” the director said quietly.