26. Scarlet
Chapter 26
Scarlet
B lood coated her skin, flaking with every movement. The sight should turn her stomach, but now it simply annoyed her.
The thought made her pause, and finally her gut twisted. But it wasn’t from the violence, no, it was from the fact she was beginning to not recognise herself. Being brought up as a medic meant blood and gore never bothered her, but violence should. Especially considering she’d initiated it.
She’d felt nothing when she’d faced Blaze, her threat as cold and calculated as her heart was. She shouldn’t be that surprised, she’d died along with her brother. She was never going to be the same, and now she was alone, in a foreign realm with only one goal.
Turning towards her dresser she paused, her pulse beating against the side of her throat when she spotted the mirror. The sheet she’d used to cover it had fallen, revealing just a sliver at the edge. Scar quickly corrected it, frowning at the way the fabric pooled.
Her eyes automatically darted towards her bow, which was exactly where she’d left it. Opening a drawer she found her herbs and bowl, counting the little packets she had left. It seemed everything was there, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had been in her room.
Has someone rummaged through her stuff? Or was she simply losing it?
Opening another drawer, she began a meticulous search through her clothes before the corset dug into her side. Not bothering with the fastenings she ripped it from her body before throwing it onto the bed. It landed with a loud clang, and it took her a moment to realise it had landed on the phone she’d purposely left behind.
It had been in the bag from Lucifer, along with a single squished croissant. She had no idea what it meant, or the reason why he’d added it.
Reaching over she immediately scrolled through to the only contact, finger hovering over the keypad. Of course he’d called himself ‘Sex God,’ but she couldn’t bring herself to message. Lucifer wasn’t a friend, and once she’d figured out Cassiel’s weird obsession and finally found peace for Silas, she was gone. She’d always planned to leave. To find another life somewhere where she wasn’t reminded of her brother’s pain every day. The mark was an issue, but she was sure to find out how to remove it. Or she could spend the rest of her existence pretending Lucifer didn’t exist.
Both were viable options, depending on her mood.
A knock on her door, and Scarlet quickly grabbed the closest wrap top to cover herself.
“You’re late.”
Scarlet froze, turning to find the Archangel himself. Lucifer had replaced the lock on her door like he’d promised spontaneously one evening, but in her panic she hadn’t used it.
Cassiel’s attention dropped to the skirt she had yet to change, single brow raised. “How was Lucifer?”
“He’s doing exactly what you said he would.”
“Of course he is,” Cassiel said. “His vendetta against Gideon is entertaining, especially with the blatant power imbalance.”
“I think he’ll surprise you,” she said, instantly regretting it once Cassiel pinned her with a callous stare. “I mean...”
Cassiel’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re right. As a specimen for the Daemonic Breed he’s simply… fascinating. Maybe even more so than Gideon.”
Scarlet dipped her head, not sure what to add. “Is there anything else you need, Sir?”
Cassiel paused, the silence stretching uncomfortably. “I require your assistance.”
Dread settled on her chest, but knowing she couldn’t refuse she simply walked in step behind him. No other officers were in the shared living space as she followed, both Nahal’s and Zaph’s doors were closed. Aeron’s was open, but she couldn’t hear him as she passed.
“You’ll be pleased to know your last bloods have come back clean.”
Cassiel had taken to drawing her blood almost every night, checking to see how Lucifer’s mark was affecting her. It was the one test she eagerly agreed to, because she was curious too.
“You’re at a prime breeding age, and with the mark continuing to leave no lasting impression I predict you’ll still be able to provide strong children.”
A shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature chilled her skin. That was her, simply an incubator for the next generation. She was still nothing more than an object to breed. It was why she was so thankful for the contraceptive implant.
She didn’t bother explaining she wasn’t planning to have children, silently walking beside him. His office was empty, and he immediately guided her down the stairs and into his lab.
Scarlet paused at the bottom step, frowning at the chalk lines that had been drawn in the centre of the room. Most of the shelves had been pushed to the side to give more space, lining up every jar in a grotesque display along the edges. But it was the table in the centre that held her attention, and the white sheet that lay atop.
“What is this?” she asked, feeling Cassiel’s presence behind her.
“Research.” Nudging her further inside, he stepped across the chalk lines. She recognised the design, the same one drawn by the coven when they’d summoned Lucifer, just on a much smaller scale.
Reaching over to the sheet, Cassiel pulled it back to reveal a man. He was naked, his entire body covered in similar tattoos as Lucifer.
“A Daemon?”
“Fresh, and newly ascended,” Cassiel explained, pressing his fingers to the Daemon’s shoulder. He was clearly alive, and starting to rouse from whatever drug Cassiel had given. He growled low in his throat, his head slowly moving from one side to the other. He’d been pinned to the table, thickened cuffs locked tight around his wrists and ankles.
His chest had been cut, and a retractor placed to keep the ribs open. The organs were greyer than expected, and the heart was twice the size it should be.
“I don’t get to hold them for long. That drifting ability is a pain, and if they’re too drowsy I can’t study their pain thresholds efficiently.”
“What… what are you researching?” Scarlet turned her back to the mirror, wanting nothing more than to grab the sheet and cover it.
“Evolution.” Cassiel reached for a scalpel, and carefully sliced back a layer of skin by the Daemon’s hip. “I think that’s where I’ve been going wrong. I’ve been trying so hard to recreate those creatures when I still don’t fully understand the magic behind it. What better way to understand than dissecting a Breed that by the law of balance, shouldn’t exist.”
The Daemon hissed, his body tensing against the cuffs. She expected it to bend from the exertion with gold being usually weak, but they held without strain. Clearly they were made with Cassiel’s personal metal.
“Have you ever heard of the Chaos theory?” Cassiel waited until he’d settled before continuing, drawing the scalpel over the man’s abs and towards his thighs.
When she didn’t answer, he continued.
“It’s the theory that there was once only one source of magic, Chaos. But over time it evolved into creating the three realms that we know of. Aetherna, Asherah of Far and Earth. Three realms, each with their own magic structure, generated by Chaos. A recalcitrant element more powerful than anything we could ever comprehend. Yet, Daemons are able to manipulate magic from all three realms, something that should be impossible.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, keeping outside the circle.
“How can you not?” Cassiel looked up, his gaze unwavering. “There was only one person who we believe was ever able to control Chaos magic without succumbing to it, although that same power was used against him in the end.”
“Hadriel.”
“Exactly. It makes me believe Daemon’s are just another type of Unhallowed, created by Hadriel himself in the realm designed as his own prison.”
After a moment he resumed his cutting, the scalpel slicing along skin with an ease that was disconcerting. The Daemon was beginning to snarl, horns piercing through his hair only to curl back and knock against the table. His skin held a sickly sheen, but what was strange was the metallic colouring around his wrists and ankles. Almost as if the metal of the cuffs was spreading.
“Come,” Cassiel said, brow raised as he studied her. “I need you to feel his genetic structure.”
Scarlet took an automatic step back. “My abilities don’t work like that.”
His expression turned cold. “So, Aeron told me some interesting information regarding your application.” Dropping the scalpel, he picked up a cloth to wipe the blood from his hands. “Blackmail was an interesting choice, and I’m fascinated with the motive behind it.”
Crossing back over the chalk line, Cassiel moved to the side.
“While I’m impressed, I don’t believe it’s the reason you travelled across a realm, and then blackmailed an officer into a position amongst my staff. Which means there’s something else.”
The Daemon screeched, thrashing to the side with the effort to release himself. He managed to dislodge the retractor, which clattered to the ground.
A squeak, and Scarlet turned to find Cassiel wheeling over a free-standing mirror. She hadn’t seen it at first glance, having been hidden behind a shelf but she immediately dropped her eyes to the floor.
“Ah, so he was right,” Cassiel mused. “Who do you see?”
Scarlet let out a cry, her head forced up with a sharp tug of her scalp.
“I asked you a question,” he said, his eyes empty when she met them in the reflection. Silas stood there too, but she made sure her attention didn’t waver.
“No one,” she whispered, wincing at the pain.
“Don’t lie to me,” he said calmly. “He mentioned you’ve been covering the mirrors.”
Scarlet paused, and Cassiel tightened his hold at the back of her skull. “I see my brother.”
Cassiel tutted. “I haven’t heard of someone in the Null for a long time. Is he there now?”
Scarlet met her brother’s distraught face. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Fascinating, truly fascinating. He must be the reason you’re here, but why?”
Scarlet swallowed, trying hard to watch Cassiel and not Silas. “Because I want what your son took.”
“Hmm.” Cassiel regarded her with curiosity in the reflection. “And what has my son taken?”
“My brother’s life.”
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Shut up Silas! she thought, still daring not to look at him.
Cassiel froze behind her, his fingers still locked at her scalp. “You sound so sure of that accusation.”
“Aeron took a trophy, and I just want it back.”
“Aeron?” Cassiel’s smile was slow, predatory. “And what did Aeron take, exactly?”
“His eye.”
Cassiel released her so abruptly she crashed into the mirror. Reaching out she caught the frame before it could shatter.
“Don’t worry, the mirror is just a window into the Null. He’ll still be there for as long as he’s grounded to a living relative. Which, if you were telling the truth, would just be you.” Cassiel gave her his back, returning to the Daemon who was thrashing violently against his bonds. “Now come, we don’t have long before he regains his ability to drift.”
Scarlet glared at him, her hands shaking with how hard she fisted them.
“Don’t make me ask again.” His voice was like a whip. “And keep the mirror, I think your brother should watch this.”
“And if I don’t?” she asked.
“Well, it’s not like you have much of a choice.” Cassiel shoved his hand straight into the Daemon’s chest, the resulting scream enough to rattle the glass containers. “Not unless you ever want to help your brother find peace.”