9. Cassius

Cassius stared at the door to the guest room that he'd just shut. He was strangely hesitant to walk away and head to his own room, even though exhaustion was pulling at him. He had been up very early and it had been a long day.

There was just something about Kushiel that tugged at him.

Cass had known a lot of demons and angels. Granted, he probably knew more demons than angels. Demons were always mucking about in this town; Cass thought of them like toddlers who were running around without parental supervision and causing minor messes. Sure, they might color all over the walls and leave their toys all over the place, but they rarely caused catastrophic damage, and they were kind of cute in their exuberance.

Still, he'd met his fair share of angels over the years as well. As a whole, afterlifers tended to be confident and self-assured. At their first meeting, Kushiel had seemed to be a swaggering afterlifer just like all the rest. He'd mistaken Cass's offer to help for flirting—which, ok, Cass could admit it had sounded that way when he looked back.

Yet the more he got to know Kushiel, the more he saw something else. There was a strange nervousness and lack of confidence in the angel. Yes, Cass knew that he looked different from most angels with his black wings, his dark hair, and his gray skin. He also recognized that most angels were not able to enter hell, and yet Kushiel could.

He had never met an angel or demon with self-esteem issues, but he could understand where perhaps Kushiel was the exception. Angels in particular seemed like they wouldn't welcome much in the way of differences, although the shining light of Kushiel's soul should be clear to anyone. How could they not flock to him with all that brightness inside?

Still, there was more to it than feeling self-conscious about his appearance. Kushiel jerked away from touch, and that more than anything pinged alarm bells in Cass's head. It was like Kushiel expected Cass's anger in response to his jerking away, too.

Then there were the many thank-yous. Cass wasn't really used to getting thanked for his assistance, but Kushiel seemed not just grateful—he seemed almost surprised by Cass's assistance.

It hurt Cass's heart to think of it, but had the angel been mistreated? Cass felt anger flood through him at the thought. Kushiel obviously cared about his job and about souls, and his own soul was a thing of beauty. To think that someone would try to dim his light… It was deplorable.

Cass didn't know everything about afterlifers, but he'd never heard of something like abuse happening. Sure, there were personality differences, and angels and demons weren't always besties, but they just avoided each other in that case.

Maybe Cass was reading too much into it, but there was definitely more to Kushiel than he could see. Perhaps he would seek some answers about the angel as well as looking for the lost souls. As much as those souls needed help, Kushiel did as well.

Cass was only human, and he knew it, but he felt protective of the angel. It was silly and slightly ridiculous, but he wouldn't let anything bad happen to Kushiel on his watch. He promised himself that.

"Are you just going to stand there like a creeper?" Aunt Ro asked, making him jump in surprise.

"Damnit, Aunt Ro, what have I told you about sneaking up on me?" Cass grumbled quietly.

"Well, you're the one who's standing here staring at a closed door. Not my fault you're not paying attention," she huffed. "You know, I bet he would love a little company," she suggested.

Cass looked over to see her wiggle her eyebrows.

"Seriously, Aunt Ro? Did you stick around just to get involved in everyone's sex life? You don't even like angels," he grumped.

"Well, you clearly do like him," she reasoned. "And it's been quite awhile since you've seen anyone. You know I only get involved in the love lives of family members. I only want you all to be happy. And fulfilled. "

"Aunt Ro!" he admonished, still whispering. "That sounds vaguely incestuous. And it's really none of your business."

She just chuckled, then she peeked her head through the door, which Cass knew she hated to do. Aunt Ro liked to pretend she was corporeal, although Cass had no idea why.

"Aww, that's kind of cute," she said when she pulled her head back into the hallway.

Cass was almost afraid to ask what she meant, and he looked at the door and frowned. It would be ridiculous to open the door and check on Kushiel.

Aunt Ro sighed. "What has your head working so hard?" she asked.

"I don't know. Something just isn't right, Aunt Ro. He's not like other angels, or even other demons," he replied.

"Hmm. Perhaps not. He does seem almost nice," she answered.

Cass just rolled his eyes. "Most angels and demons are nice, Aunt Ro. That isn't what I meant. He's a puzzle, that's all."

"He's like a lost puppy dog, is what you mean. You've never been able to resist strays, Cass. I'm guessing this is no different," Aunt Ro huffed.

Cass sighed at her. "Can you do me a favor?" he asked, ready to move on from this whole conversation.

"Yes, yes, I can already guess. I'll look around for more lost souls and see what the scoop is on the astral plane. Perhaps I'll ask around about your angel as well," she answered.

Before Cass could answer, she was gone, and Cass was left standing outside Kushiel's door. And yes, he did have to admit Aunt Ro may have been right, he probably was acting a bit like a creeper. Kushiel was probably wondering why he was standing out here talking to himself, since afterlifers did have excellent hearing, and Cass figured he ought to open the door and explain. Plus, he could check on the ghost again, too.

Never mind that both those things were just excuses, because Cass really had the urge to check in on Kushiel (and perhaps see what was so cute, according to Aunt Ro). He stopped worrying over it and lightly tapped his nails against the door before opening it.

Kushiel was laying on the bed on his side, the ghost curled up next to him like a pet might curl up next to their human. Cass could see from the doorway that his eyes were shut, and although he told himself he ought to close the door and leave if Kushiel was sleeping, he walked closer instead.

Kushiel's face was soft and peaceful in rest, and Cass realized how strained it had been when the angel had been awake. The ghost looked more formed, although it did really resemble a large dog as opposed to a human, and its features still weren't clear.

Cass smiled a little, because it was kind of an adorable sight. Aunt Ro had been right about that.

The ghost seemed to uncurl a bit, and he watched as it pressed closer to Kushiel still. Then… he had to blink, because he wasn't even sure he saw what he thought he saw. It was like some of Kushiel's light was sucked up into the ghost. It happened so fast that Cass couldn't have done anything even if he wanted to.

He looked up at Kushiel's face, which frowned a little as if he was uncomfortable, but then his features evened out again in rest. He looked back at the ghost, and yes, it definitely had more form. More form and more light.

Kushiel's soul glowed just as brightly, even if it had seemed to dim for a moment, so he seemed no worse off after whatever had just occurred. The gold threads still hovered around his soul, too—they were barely visible, and Cass watched as one reached out. He didn't know what was happening, but it very clearly avoided the ghost as it swept out through the air. Cass froze in surprise as he realized exactly where the gold thread was going.

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.