He stayed still as it reached him, where it gently hovered in the air in front of him, and Cass thought of a puppy sniffing at his hand. He had a flash of insight then, and he couldn’t help his slight movement in shock. The thread spiraled back into Kushiel at the movement, and Cass stayed still, waiting to see if anything else would happen, but the ghost and the angel seemed to be peacefully resting.
Cass walked out of the room, his head spinning, and gently shut the door behind him. He walked to his own room and got ready for bed, washing up and changing on autopilot, his head full of thoughts.
Because he’d seen brightly shining golden colored threads before, hadn’t he? Between demons and humans. Michael and Ari were a prime example. It wasn’t simply a thread between them, though, it was more like a thick rope made of thousands of threads. It was an irrevocable tying together of two souls. He’d seen it again when he’d looked very closely at the guy who had been possessed, although it had been harder to see when two souls resided in the same body.
He’d seen lots of demons and angels, and he’d never noticed those gold threads unless the afterlifer was tied to a mortal soul, making them both immortal and tied together in love for eternity. Did this mean that Kushiel was going to be tied to a human?
He pulled the covers back and sat on his bed, almost unaware of how he’d even made it that far. As he laid down and settled under his blankets, he couldn’t help the pulse of hope that he felt.
The gold thread had reached out toward him, after all. Did that mean that Kushiel and he were supposed to be together? Cass could admit to himself that the idea thrilled him. After all, humans and demons who were tied together were deliriously happy.
But he had no idea how the nervous angel would take the news. Did he want to be tied to a human? Cass also had no idea if the gold thread was seeking him, or perhaps it was just poking about and was seeking someone else.
It hurt a bit to think about Kushiel bonding to someone else.
Cass sighed and rolled over in bed. It did no use worrying over it now. He supposed he would find out sooner or later, and in the meantime, they had work to do, and he couldn’t do it if he was exhausted. He closed his eyes, slipping into sleep.
Chapter 10
Kushiel
Kushiel woke, and for a moment he lay in the soft bed, just content to exist. His body didn’t hurt or ache, he wasn’t burning or freezing, and he felt calm and at peace, although he wasn’t sure why. He felt the soul next to him, and the weight of its guilt seemed less than before, which made him feel a sense of accomplishment, even though he’d done nothing but sleep.
It wasn’t long, however, before his thoughts took a turn. There were still other lost souls out there, and there was someone plotting against him. He couldn’t conceive of how they had even accomplished the task; how had they removed so many souls from hell? He also couldn’t begin to fathom the motivation behind it all. He knew he wasn’t well-liked amongst angels, but for them to do that to so many souls? It spoke of a level of hatred that Kushiel couldn’t conceive of. He had thwarted the plans of an archangel to separate soulmates, but that archangel was no more. Perhaps there was someone who took issue with Kushiel’s part in that. If they wanted to go after him, he could deal with that, but it wasn’t fair to hurt the innocent.
Or perhaps it was just angelic snobbery. Most angels would argue that the souls in Erebus weren’t innocent. Yes, at one pointin a mortal existence they had done something terrible. Kushiel did not excuse horrible behavior, but he also didn’t think it was beyond fixing.
He believed in redemption. He believed in finding the good in others and helping it to grow. He believed in the ability of change.
It was why he had helped the demons and their soulmates. That was surely one of the biggest changes the afterlife had ever seen, but those demons deserved happiness. They were lucky to have found it, and Kushiel would never begrudge another’s happiness and peace.
He thought then of Cassius, and he realized that he could smell coffee and bacon. He should go and see what the human needed from him, since clearly he was awake and moving around. Kushiel felt a little guilty for sleeping past when Cass had woken.
He decided to leave himself in his angelic form. Cassius hadn’t seemed surprised when he’d seen Kushiel’s form at first, but he didn’t want Cassius mistaking him for something he wasn’t. Kushiel was self-aware enough to realize that he liked the human, and he would rather scare him off now as opposed to later.
He made his way downstairs, white pants and a white shirt on, even though he didn’t always wear a shirt in his angelic form. He followed his nose to the kitchen, where Cass was bustling about.
“Have a seat. I’m fixing breakfast,” Cass ordered, not looking up from the stove, and Kushiel did so before he realized he ought to have offered to help.
“Um, would you like some help?” Kushiel asked. Better late than never.
Cass looked up then and smiled softly. There was no surprise or hesitation in the look. Kushiel really didn’t understand it.
“Thank you, but it’s almost done,” Cass said, turning around after that and reaching for two plates.
Cass deftly served them both breakfast, which included eggs, bacon, some type of pastry that was deliciously decadent, juice, and coffee. They ate at the kitchen table sitting next to one another, and Kushiel couldn’t help it if he kept stealing glances at the man.
Cass’s brown hair was tousled and messy, like he hadn’t bothered to comb it after waking up. He was wearing low slung sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, and it was worn enough at the collar that Kushiel could occasionally glance his shoulder and a bit of his chest. There were a few light freckles there too. Kushiel wondered where else Cass had freckles, and then he blushed at the thought. Cass looked over at that moment, and he smiled at Kushiel.
His smile was radiant, and it took Kushiel’s breath away. He had never had such pleasure and happiness aimed at him, and he had no idea what he had done to deserve it from this man.
Kushiel turned back to his food, embarrassed and a little confused at the attention. They finished eating in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward. Only when they were done did Kushiel speak up.
“Thank you. I cannot ever remember a meal being cooked for me, and it was truly delicious,” Kushiel stated, and he was concerned to see a look of sadness pass across Cass’s face. He tried to think why, but he couldn’t come up with a reason. He hadn’t offended him somehow, had he? He didn’t visit topside that much, but he thought thanking someone was normal. He hoped he hadn’t done something odd, and he felt self-conscious.
Cass interrupted that train of thought, though. “You’re welcome. I’ll be happy to cook for you anytime.”
Kushiel blushed again, and Cass got up and gathered their plates. Kushiel realized he should have done that, but by thetime he had that thought, Cass was across the island, leaning on it and staring at Kushiel.
