“You’re right that the universe has an order to it,” Cass added. “But lately, that order has been upended. Take the whole soulmate thing.”
Kushiel could not help his slight flinch, and he knew Cass felt it, but he couldn’t explain that he was jealous of those demons who got to have soulmates. Kushiel wasn’t proud of his envy.
“Yes, I can see your point,” Kushiel admitted. “Soulmates never existed before very, very recently. They would seem to be outside of the order of the universe. They don’t make sense.”
Cass looked at him oddly, and Kushiel rushed to add, “Not that I do not fully support the demon and human pairings that have occurred. It has done wonders for my demon brethren, and they have renewed excitement for their jobs and their eternal existence.”
“Hmm. Maybe that’s why there are soulmates, then. Maybe it somehow serves the order of the universe in some way we cannot understand, like bringing renewed joy to those who have soulmates,” Cass guessed.
Kushiel nodded. That did make sense. It did not, however, help them find the lost souls. Cass squeezed his hand again, almost as if he could sense where Kushiel’s thoughts were going.
“Come on, K. Let’s get some food and some rest. Aunt Ro was right on that,” Cass admitted, and he got up, pulling Kushiel by the hand and leading him toward the kitchen.
Kushiel was only too happy to follow.
Chapter 17
Cassius
Cass wasn’t sure what to make of Kushiel’s hesitance over soulmates. Cass had brought it up not only to illustrate that the order of the universe was obviously changing in some fundamental ways, but also because he had hoped to broach the subject with Kushiel of them possibly being soulmates.
Kushiel’s reaction had made him rethink that. Kushiel seemed happy enough for the demons he knew with soulmates, and Cass wasn’t going to try and guess what Kushiel’s flinch was about, but he didn’t want to startle his timid angel. As he led Kushiel into the kitchen, he couldn’t help but sharpen his sight again, just to check that the gold thread was still there.
It was. It was joined by two more threads now, too. They were wound together in the slimmest braid Cass had ever seen, but he couldn’t help the silly grin he gave at seeing it.
Kushiel saw his face and smiled back. His angel was so sweet that merely seeing Cass happy made Kushiel happy.
Cass was so fucking lucky. And he swore to himself, and to Kushiel, that he wouldn’t screw this up. He would take it slow, despite the fact that he really wanted to push Kush up against the cabinets and ravage his mouth before stripping them bothdown and frotting against him until they were panting and coming all over each other.
Huh. He supposed he could think of Kushiel as “Kush” after all. He wasn’t sure what Kushiel would think of the nickname, though.
He tried to reign in his thoughts. Food first.
“How about something sweet? Breakfast for dinner?” Cass asked.
“That would be lovely, Cassius. Please let me help,” Kushiel answered.
So Cass put him to work, rolling out dough and gathering ingredients while he got the oven ready and put together some fillings. A little fruit, a little chocolate, and some flaky pastry totally counted as dinner, didn’t it? He’d throw some bacon and eggs in a few pastries for a savory bite, too.
Kushiel certainly seemed to think it was adequate, oohing and aahing over everything Cass had him taste test.
Cass was a baker, but he wasn’t a cook. People often thought the two went hand in hand. Not for Cass. Give him pastries, cakes, quiches, and even the occasional casserole, and he was happy. Breakfast food, or even better—brunch—that was where the fun was.
Dinner was vastly overrated. Having to cook something new every night for the rest of your life—-just ewww. And people expected there to be meat and vegetables and a starch and salad and dessert—it was all so exhausting. People were never happy with the idea of sandwiches or something “small” (although they hadn’t seen the kind of sandwiches Cass made at the coffee shop if people thought that was a small meal). No, they wanted multiple courses and something new every time. People would eat the same breakfast all week and loved it, and yet they balked at eating the same dinner every night. And breakfast for dinner was seen as a shortcut or an occasional treat.
Fuck that. Cass was all about breakfast for dinner.
Luckily, Kushiel seemed to agree, because by the time they sat down with their pastries, Kushiel was moaning in happiness with each bite.
It took massive willpower for Cass not to jump over the table and attack the angel with his tongue when he heard those sexy moans.
“Cassius, this is amazing. I have never tasted something so delicious,” Kushiel said, licking his lips.
Cass totally couldn’t be faulted for thinking dirty thoughts when Kushiel’s tongue peeked out of his mouth to catch a bit of chocolate on his lip.
He cleared his throat, saying, “I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself, K.”
Kushiel blushed again at Cass’s husky tone, which just made Cass even hornier. A cold shower was definitely in his future.
