Chapter 21
Cassius
Kushiel was adorable, and Cass couldn’t help but smile at him through breakfast. They were probably making lovey eyes at one another, and Aunt Ro could only keep her mouth shut for so long.
“He made it all by himself just for you, Cass. Isn’t that sweet?” she purred.
Kushiel blushed, adding, “No, I had no idea what to do. Aunt Ro told me. I hope it’s still ok, though.”
Aunt Ro huffed, stating, “Silly boy. You do not attribute romantic gestures to others.”
Kushiel looked embarrassed, letting Cass know that he had indeed meant for it to be something of a romantic gesture, which was too sweet. And of course his Kushiel wouldn’t lie about how he’d done it.
Cass reached out and grasped Kushiel’s hand across the table. “Thank you, Kushiel. I’m glad Aunt Ro could help direct you, because it all came out perfectly. You did an amazing job.”
Kushiel smiled and his light flared so brightly that Cass had to blink. When he did, he looked deeper without meaning to.
He had hoped it was the case last night, but this morning cemented things; they were definitely soul mates. They weretwined together by hundreds of golden threads, thick enough now to make it seem like a rope attached the two of them.
Cass knew the process wasn’t totally complete, because he’d seen mated pairs, and there would be more threads as time went on; the rope would get thicker. But Cass felt pretty confident that at this point, there was no breaking the bond. He thought he would be able to follow it anywhere and find Kushiel if he needed to, which was definitely a comfort.
He blinked his sight back to his regular vision, and Kushiel was still his brightly shining soul. Cass was beyond lucky to have found someone with such a pure soul. Kushiel was his, and no one could take him away.
Cass couldn’t stop grinning, and it was like his mood was infectious, because Kushiel was grinning right back as they finished eating. Luckily they could cut their omelettes with their forks, because their hands remained intertwined through breakfast.
“Are you two done being disgustingly sweet yet?” Aunt Ro finally grumbled when Cass took his last bite.
Cass just rolled his eyes. “Yes, I suppose we do need to move on to business,” he agreed, giving Kushiel’s hand a squeeze.
Kushiel squeezed back, then turned to Aunt Ro. “Did you discover anything?” he asked her.
She sighed, plopping down in an empty chair. “I’m afraid to say it remains a bit of a mystery. Deception and concealment are afoot,” she stated, gesturing to her dress, which Cass only now noticed had tiny snapdragons scattered across it. He fought the urge to roll his eyes again.
“So you guys didn’t get anything accomplished,” Cass surmised.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Aunt Ro defended. “I taught our ghost here how to float and how to move small solid objects. Weexplored how to disappear and reappear as well. They do seem to have more form, don’t they?”
Everyone turned to look at the ghost, who was sort of floating an inch or two off the ground. Cass squinted. He supposed there was a bit more form to them; they weren’t just all dark shadows, but he thought any more light was Kushiel’s doing and not his aunt’s. Not that he would say that, of course.
He wasn’t stupid.
“That still doesn’t bring us any closer to answers, though,” Cass answered instead.
“Well, it seems you have some leads. I overheard?—”
“Eavesdropped,” Cass cut in.
“As I was saying,” Aunt Ro continued primly, “I overheard that you had a lovely chat with Lucifer and that some upper level demon is responsible. You have contacts in the demon world, Cassius. They’re always dropping into the shop. Simply ask them. Surely most upper level demons know each other. That Arioch fellow would probably have some idea with the clues you have of who might be responsible.”
Kushiel looked at Cass, adding, “It isn’t a bad idea. I can talk to them if you aren’t comfortable doing so.”
Cass sighed. “It isn’t that. I’m perfectly fine talking to them, and hell knows they owe me for all the assistance I’ve given them. I’m just not used to explaining myself to demons, and this will definitely require some explanation.”
Kushiel squeezed his hand again in support. “You do not need to tell them anything. They know I am looking for lost souls, and they know you are assisting me. They do not need to know where I got my information,” Kushiel assured him.
Cass smiled at his angel. He appreciated more than he could admit that Kushiel would protect him. Still, though…
“No, I don’t think we should withhold information from them,” Cass admitted. “Plus, maybe it’s time I let some peopleinto my inner circle. Michael and Ari have been… friends. Maybe it’s time for me to start trusting them.”
