Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger
9
Sunlight sparkledon the green waters of the pier, casting dazzling reflections across the outdoor seating area and the table they sat at. Considering how busy the restaurant had been when they’d entered it, Cassius was surprised their order had reached them in such record time.
He only had to observe the way the waiters and waitresses were exchanging heated whispers and the admiring glances their group was drawing from the other customers to realize Morgan and his team likely had this effect on people wherever they went. Cassius frowned faintly.
I can’t say I blame them. Angels and demons have always been rather striking in their appearance.
Julia Chen, a Terrene angel with sculptured cheekbones, long, shiny, black hair piled in an elegant topknot, and dark eyes full of wisdom, was stunning enough to be a super model. Seated to her right with the demon cat asleep on his lap was Zach Mooney, a broodingly attractive Aqueous demon with brown hair and blue eyes.
Compared to them, Charlie Lloyd, the Level Three enchanter with dark hair and gray eyes, and Bailey Green, the blond wizard from Strickland’s office, looked positively mundane despite their above-average looks.
Cassius turned to the most arresting figure of them all. “What am I doing here again?”
He frowned at Morgan and waved a vague hand at their surroundings.
“Adrianne and I wanted to apologize for what happened this morning,” the Aerial replied.
Cassius cursed his treacherous heart when it skipped a beat at Morgan’s faint smile. Adrianne dipped her chin at Cassius, oblivious to his mixed feelings.
“Lunch is on me,” the sorceress said. “I’ve ordered the agency’s admin pool to organize the repairs to your apartment. And you’ll be pleased to know Driscoll is on my watchlist.”
“Why do I get the feeling I never want to be on your watchlist?” Cassius said warily.
A cool smile stretched Adrianne’s mouth. “You would be right.”
“We call it the Watchlist of Death,” Zach told Cassius helpfully as he poured ketchup on his French fries.
“As in, the agents who end up on it barely make it out alive after she’s through with them,” Bailey added before biting into his burger.
Adrianne cut her eyes to the demon and the wizard.
“How about I give you some details about the murders we’ve been investigating?” Morgan asked Cassius.
Cassius paused, his hand on a slice of extra-hot pepperoni pizza. “I haven’t agreed to help you guys, so you’d be breaking the law if you did. Besides,” he looked around, “this place isn’t exactly a secure location.”
“Strickland gave me permission to discuss the case with you.” Morgan looked across the table. “Charlie, do your thing.”
Charlie sighed. “I wish you wouldn’t call it that.”
The enchanter murmured a spell. An invisible privacy shield formed around them, enclosing them in a soundproof bubble only a magic user or supernatural being could detect. All anyone outside it would hear was what would pass for a normal conversation if they were to spy on them.
“It started two months ago,” Morgan said, ignoring Cassius’s frown. “The first body was discovered in the Mission Dolores Cemetery, in front of the sculpture of Junipero Serra.”
“The Saint of California?” Cassius asked curiously. He bristled slightly when he saw the amused light in Morgan’s eyes. “This doesn’t mean I’m taking on your case.”
“Sure, sure,” Morgan drawled.
“Serra was hardly a saint,” Julia observed as she cut into her lasagna. “He forced many Native Americans to convert to Catholicism.”
“I thought you angels were all for Catholicism,” Adrianne said drily, popping a French fry in her mouth.
Julia shrugged. “Only if people sign up to it of their own free will.”
Zach stabbed a lettuce leaf with his fork and chewed on it thoughtfully. “Serra also worked for the Spanish Inquisition, during which time he accused many magic users and demon practitioners of witchcraft and sorcery. That guy was definitely not a saint.”
“Oh.” Julia raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t that the time he accused Melchora of devil worship?”
The demon cat woke up, stretched, and studied Zach’s plate with avid interest.
“Yup,” Zach said. “She was pissed. She said the only way she’d idolize Satan was if that bastard licked her feet and worshiped her back.”
“How is Melchora?” Julia said curiously. “I haven’t seen her in decades.”
“She’s good. She runs a chain of hair salons in Mexico City.” Zach grimaced. “That demon is filthy rich.”
Bailey sighed. “Sometimes, I forget how old you guys are.”
Charlie nodded.
“Who was the first victim?” Cassius said.
“It was a college student,” Adrianne replied. “Her name was Anita Hernandez. She was a sophomore in the Liberal and Creative Arts Department at SFSU.”
“She had no links to the magical or supernatural world that we could find,” Julia said. “The girl was a high-school Valedictorian and pure as the driven snow as far as we can tell.”
“No one is that innocent,” Cassius said skeptically. “Not in this day and age.”
“You’re not wrong,” Julia said. “You’re sitting next to a very depraved soul.”
Morgan narrowed his eyes at the angel. “You know I’m your superior, right?”
A cool smile stretched Julia’s mouth. “I’m willing to take you on anytime, anywhere, Aerial.”
“You guys did that once,” Zach said drily. “Remember?”
“What are you talking about?” Cassius asked Zach.
“Julia and Morgan were in opposite factions during the Napoleonic Wars,” Zach explained. “They tore a pretty big chunk out of the Spanish coastline during their one and only battle.”
Morgan frowned. “I still can’t believe you supported that little French twerp.”
“His arguments were pretty convincing at the time,” Julia muttered without a trace of remorse.
Charlie’s eyed rounded.
“Are they talking about Napoleon?” he asked Bailey.
“Yeah. They’re like a walking history book,” the wizard replied, indicating the angels and the demon with a vague wave. He studied Julia shrewdly. “By the way, did you and Bonaparte ever—you know?”
He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Adrianne grimaced. “Eww.”
Julia rolled her eyes. “No. Unlike our esteemed leader over there, my brain is not located in my gonads. Besides, there’s no way Bonaparte could have satisfied me.”
Zach leaned back in his chair.
“Is that a challenge?” he asked Adrianne behind Julia’s back. “I can’t help but feel it’s a challenge.”
“Stop it,” Adrianne berated him. “The last time you flirted with her, she buried you at the bottom of San Francisco Bay and we had to save your sorry ass.”
Morgan’s frown deepened. “Are you clowns quite finished?”
There were general mutters around the table. Cassius swallowed a smile. Despite their grumblings, he could tell Morgan and his crew were close.
“What about the other victims?” he asked Morgan, no longer bothering to hide his interest.