Dario spent the next day in a state of nervous anticipation. He was meeting Marcus at a small restaurant in an out-of-the-way part of the city, somewhere they could talk freely without worrying about being overheard.
You're nervous, Cassius observed as Dario changed his shirt for the third time.
Of course I'm nervous. This is complicated.
How so?
Well, for starters, I'm supposed to be dating Sarah. And now I'm going on what might be a date with someone else.
You're attracted to him.
It wasn't a question. Dario sighed.
Yes. Which makes me a terrible person.
It makes you human. Humans are complicated creatures with complicated desires.
And what about you? How do you feel about seeing Aurelius again?
Cassius was quiet for a long moment.
I never thought I'd see him again. For centuries, I believed he was gone forever. The possibility of reconnection... it's overwhelming.
Did you love him?
I still love him. That kind of connection doesn't fade, even across millennia.
Dario considered this as he finally settled on a simple button-down shirt and jeans. His feelings for Marcus were complicated enough without adding ancient supernatural romance to the mix.
The restaurant was exactly what Marcus had promised—small, dimly lit, with widely spaced tables that afforded privacy. Dario found Marcus already waiting in a corner booth, looking nervous himself.
"Hey," Marcus said, standing to greet him. "Thanks for coming."
"Thanks for asking."
They ordered wine and made small talk until the server left them alone. Then Marcus's expression grew serious.
"Before we go any further, I need to tell you something. About why I'm really in Chicago."
Dario's stomach dropped. "You're not here for school."
"I am, but that's not the primary reason. I'm here because Aurelius sensed Cassius's presence. We've been tracking you for months."
"Tracking me?"
"Not to hurt you," Marcus said quickly. "To warn you. There are others looking for people like us, and they're getting closer."
"I know. I've already been contacted by a group."
"Led by someone calling himself Alex?"
"How did you—"
"Because we've been tracking them too. Dario, they're not what they seem."
Marcus leaned forward, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper.
"The entities they claim to host—Lucian, Nyx, Kali—they're not partners. They're parasites. They've completely consumed their original hosts and are wearing their bodies like masks."
Dario felt the blood drain from his face. "That's impossible."
"Is it? Have you ever seen Alex when Lucian isn't present? Really present, not just pretending to be?"
Dario thought about it. Every interaction he'd had with Alex had felt like he was talking to Lucian wearing Alex's personality as a costume.
"What are they?"
"Fallen angels, as Lucian claims. But not the romantic, misunderstood kind. The kind that rebelled against creation itself and were cast out for good reason."
"And they want me to join them."
"They want Cassius. You're just the vessel they have to control to get to him."
Aurelius's voice emerged from Marcus, deeper and more resonant. "Cassius is one of the most powerful entities to ever exist in this realm. In the wrong hands, he could be used to tear holes in reality itself."
"What do you mean?"
"The barriers between dimensions, between the world of the living and the realm of the dead—Cassius has the power to breach them. That's why he can make bullets pass through him, why he can erase people from existence. He's not just manipulating physical reality; he's accessing the spaces between worlds."
Is this true? Dario asked internally.
Partially, Cassius admitted. I've been limiting my abilities to protect you. And to protect everyone else.
From what?
From the temptation to use too much power. From becoming something I swore I'd never become again.
"Again?" Dario said aloud, not meaning to.
Marcus nodded grimly. "You know, don't you? What he was before he bonded with you?"
"He says he was a god of demons."
"He was the god of demons. The first of the fallen, the one who opened the door between Heaven and Hell. He's spent millennia trying to atone for what he did."
Dario stared at Marcus, trying to process what he was hearing. Cassius—gentle, protective Cassius who worried about hurting innocent people—had once been responsible for unleashing demons on the world.
"I'm not that being anymore," Cassius said, taking control for a moment. "Bonding with Dario changed me. His humanity, his compassion—it gave me back something I thought I'd lost forever."
"What?" Marcus asked.
"The ability to love without consuming. To protect without destroying."
Marcus reached across the table and took Dario's hand. The touch sent warmth spreading through both their consciousness and their hosts'.
"That's why we need to get you away from Alex's group," Marcus said. "If they succeed in turning you into a weapon, you'll lose that. All of it."
"I can't just run away. They'll hurt Sarah."
"We can protect her. Aurelius and I have been building our own network—people like us who want to live in peace, not conquer or control."
"How many?"
"Not many. Maybe a dozen worldwide. But we look out for each other."
Dario was quiet for a long moment, weighing his options. Stay with Alex's group and become complicit in murder, or trust Marcus and potentially put everyone he cared about in danger.
"What are you asking me to do?"
"Come with us. Leave Chicago, start over somewhere safe. We can help you learn to control Cassius's abilities without losing yourself in the process."
"And Sarah?"
"Can come with us if she wants. Or we can arrange for her protection if she chooses to stay."
"You'd do that? For someone you don't know?"
"We'd do that for you," Marcus said simply.
The weight of the decision was overwhelming. But as Dario looked into Marcus's eyes, he realized he'd already made his choice.
"Okay," he said. "But first, I need to tell Sarah the truth. All of it."
"Are you sure that's wise?"
"She deserves to know. And if I'm asking her to trust me with her life, she needs to know exactly what she's getting into."
Marcus squeezed his hand. "Then we'll tell her together."