Page 6 of Hellfire & Tinsel
Oren’s whine faded out, because Kassel wasn’t standing in the meeting room anymore.
He was in the middle of a cramped human room, next to a glittery, decorated tree and in front of a very small, very surprised-looking human being. He was shining brighter than the tree, it seemed. The glow came from within, where Kassel knew his soul was. And this was the kind of soul that only came about once in a century. Just pure goodness. Kassel had never seen it before.
As the human was sitting down, Kassel couldn’t really determine his size accurately, but he seemed short when compared to Kassel. Taller than Oren, though that wasn’t a huge feat.
He had dark, almost pitch-black hair curling on his forehead and tickling his small ears, and huge blue eyes—two of them, like most humans—surrounded by long, dark lashes.
He was wrapped in a fluffy red-and-white knitted blanket, with matching socks poking out of the cocoon. There was a gigantic leather-bound book next to him, Oren’s name proudly etched into the front cover.
Oren had some explaining to do.
Ending his inspection, Kassel turned his eyes toward the human’s again, finding him staring right into the middle ones on Kassel’s face.
Kassel was about to say something, talk the human into releasing his binds and letting him go back home when thehuman trained the widest smile on him. It was open and friendly and it made something inside Kassel… move. He wasn’t sure what it was. He’d never felt it before. It was fluttery and not entirely pleasant. Something made to be crushed.
“Hi,” the human said, standing up and walking closer. He stood right in front of Kassel, the top of his head reaching the middle of Kassel’s chest. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“You are,” Kassel deadpanned, all of his eyes narrowing.
He was accustomed to weird humans by now. Oren had some very unorthodox reactions to all things hellish. Kassel had been under the impression that Oren was an anomaly—a singular soul designed with a flaw to just understand Hell and appreciate it the way those who were born in it only could. Yet here this creature was. Summoning a demon and acting like it was the best thing to ever happen to him.
“Yes!” the human said, reaching out shyly and offering his hand to Kassel. “My name is Beau.”
Kassel took the offered hand in his, sparkly claws wrapping around the fragile-looking bones. He turned it over and yanked it up toward his eyes, looking for the reason the human had held it out in the first place.
There wasn’t anything special, only the errant thought that the pale skin looked interesting next to Kassel’s lavender tone. His skin was softer than anything they had in Hell.
“Um… you’re Kassel, right?”
He sounded bashful, and when Kassel turned a single eye to him, he found the human biting his lip.
“Yes,” he said shortly.
Beau beamed up at him, giving their joined hands an enthusiastic shake. Kassel allowed the strange motion, letting Beau bring his hand closer to his face this time.
“I like your claws,” Beau said, for some reason rocking onto the sides of his feet and back again. “They’re very festive.”
“Festive?” Kassel repeated, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. His eyes tracked around, the answer niggling at his brain. It had been so long since he’d been topside.
“Oh,” Beau said, breaking their grip and rushing to rearrange some pillows on a hideous green sofa just behind him. He picked up a set of needles and a basket filled with yarn, stuffing them somewhere off to the side of the sofa.
It was like having a small hellpup underfoot. Kassel would have to make sure he didn’t step on him.
He watched the human fuss until he could clear off the majority of the small piece of furniture.
“Please, have a seat. You got here really quickly but I don’t know if the trip was difficult to make. Did you travel safely?”
Kassel tilted his head as he watched him point to the sofa, waiting for him to sit down. So he did. What else was he supposed to do?
The sofa creaked and bowed under his weight. Kassel was pretty sure it was about ready to say goodbye to this earthly realm. As for him, his knees were up against his chest, his tail wrapping around his own thigh in order to fit himself into the small space.
He sighed to himself, looking up to see Beau staring imploringly at him, one of the cushions clutched to his chest and resting under his jutting chin.
Kassel was trying to work out what for when he remembered Beau’s question. “The trip was unexpected, yet quick.”
“Was it painful?” Beau asked, blue eyes going wider as he stepped even closer, his leg brushing against Kassel’s knee. “I didn’t even think of that before calling you here. I apologize if the trip hurt you in any way. It wasn’t my intention. I didn’t even know if it would work when I started reading it out, I just hoped…”
He trailed off and didn’t continue.
