Crush

“I’m surprised to see you here.”  Cass offered his hand to the man standing in the doorway, only sparing a short glance to the white horns that jutted out of his forehead and then curved along crown before pointing upwards.  Then he smiled in his pleasant business way and took his hand back from the handshake.

“Not an unpleasantly, I hope,” Cass said, the laugh in his eyes.

“Not at all,” the man said, “just unexpected.  It’s alright, come in.”  The man with white horns--this Matthew Bendett--stepped back and ushered him into the house, away from the biting cold of December’s end. “Am!  We have a guest!”  The door closed behind them and the man passed him, hands going to his pockets as he lead Cass down the long hallway.  This was probably the nicest home in Forsberg.  Cass conjured the thought as he glanced about the space’s minimalist design, its high ceilings and white walls and petulantly noted that even his own apartment wasn’t as sleek as this one.  Cheap Merloc b******s….

“I’m sorry the place’s a mess,” Mr. Bendett said as he shifted a few books from the black leather couch to the glass coffee table.  He sat down in the vacated space and gestured for Cass to take the armchair across from him.  “You caught me on my day off.”

“Oh,” Cass said, hesitating to sit, “I have no problem returning at some later date.”

“Nah, sit down, please,” the man insisted, making the gesture again. “I was getting bored doing nothing anyway.”  So Cass sat and thanked the man for having him. Bendett smiled and said nothing.  Instead, he stared at Cass for a long while, his eyes following some slow, circular guide as if he were outlining a bubble around the chair he sat in.  Cass tilted his head a bit in curiosity. 

“Is something wrong?”

“No, no,” Bendett said, waving a dismissive hand. He grinned.  “I just wonder….”  There was an echo of doors and then the steady pace of booted heels hitting hardwood. The man’s eyes flicked upward to the second floor behind Cass and at that, Cass turned to the staircase where a woman was steadily descending.  She had horns too, though hers curled from right above her ears around the back of her head among a playful mass of tight black ringlets, making it look like some interesting fashion accessory more than anything.  She had skin like a cortadito and a shocking gleam in her eyes like a knife pulled out of nowhere.  Cass stuck his gaze to her lips, full and grinning before the tight sparkle of sharp teeth and she looked straight at him.

“Well, look what dear Mattie has brought home for me,” the woman said.  Her voice spilled out of her mouth and down the stairs, coming to pool around Cass’s feet as he stood up to greet her.

“He’s not for you, Am.”  Bendett rolled his eyes.  “Jeez….  Casciel, this is my sister and business partner, Amber Tullsey.  Amber, this is Casciel, he’s our regions new G.A.”  Cass reached his hand out and caught the slender one she extended to him, leaning to kiss it.

“Charmed, Ms. Tullsey,” he said.  At that, she stifled a giggle and gave his shoulder a little squeeze.

“Amber’s fine,” she told him before stepping back.  Like her brother, she gave him a once-over before pursing her lips in a secretive smile and clicking away to sit next to Bendett on the couch.  It was only then that Cass remembered that as non-humans, they could see his wings, even if they were in their ghost-like dormancy at his back.  Made sense.  At least it was better than thinking they were eyeing him like a piece of meat.  Demons weren’t cannibalistically inclined, right?  Before he could dig his brains for the answer, Amber said, “What brings you to our home, Casciel?”

“Call me Cass, please.  Frankly, I’m here on business.”  A glimpsing apology smile to Bendett again.  “After getting all my preliminary arrangements settled, I decided I’d like to offer the two of you a proposition.”  They both shifted across from him, leaning back against the couch and watching him a little more intently.  A feeling of incited nervousness crawled just beneath the skin on Cass’s arms, like someone had been rubbing them roughly.

“Whatcha got on your mind, Cass?” Bendett said.  He grinned like he already knew what Cass was going to say.  Next to him, Amber had her lips pressed together in an effort to reign in her glowing grin.

“Both of you were at the top of this list they gave me.  The one detailing regional sources of discord and risk factors.”

“Makes sense,” Bendett agreed, nodding once or twice.  “This town was pretty pokey until the horns grew in.  Then there were riots, huh, Am?”  His sister nodded, chuckling a bit.

“I think Cass is probably referring to the fact that we tend to be the subject of violent rumors more than the fact that we aren’t human, Mattie,” she said.

“Either way,” Cass continued, “the fact is that with Forsberg under my guardianship, my endeavors to keep people alive and sane are more or less going to end up tangling with my interactions with you, wouldn’t you agree?” And they both nodded as if Cass was merely saying that it was cold today.

“It comes with the trade, I’m afraid,” Bendett said.

“Normally all this would imply me putting heavy regulations and restrictions on your activities but to be completely honest, I don’t want to do any of that s**t.”  Cass grinned as he kicked the conversation off-road and watched the reaction of intrigue in the eyes of the two across from him.  “My personal opinion is that Merloc can get their noses out of everyone’s business and leave well enough alone.  They’re a bit too preoccupied with making people’s lives boring.”  Amber was giggling behind her pressed lips.  “I have to at least keep some guise of making things work in this place, though, so I’m willing to offer you this deal: I’ll vouch for all your activities regardless of their legality and in return, I’d like you to take me on in partnership to your business.”   In the quiet that cushioned consideration, Cass held his patience, knowing that he had a good chance to get what he wanted. It was a heavy and exhilarating feeling. 

Amber was tugging on Bendett’s sleeve, her eyes bolted to Cass’s but her countenance willfully composed.  Cass could almost hear the words caged behind her sharp teeth.  Bendett patted his sister’s hand, not working as hard to keep silent.

“Well, I’d be more than happy to take you up on that offer,” he told Cass with a steady nod and a pleased grin.  “Course, you do realize that I’ll still have to interview you and do the rest of that preliminary nonsense.  What particular talents are you bringing to the table, just so I can have launch point here?”

“Instigation,” Cass replied.  “Well aware as everyone is of the two of you, the Dealer and the Hunter, I think that you could greatly benefit from the added presence of one who can get things done for you.  Make arrangements to carry out your work and gather information from sources you might not have current access to.”  The possibility of it all gleamed between them and Cass could see the reflective glitter of it in the eyes that continually stared at him. 

“Well, I’m completely for it,” Amber said, getting to her feet and crossing to where Cass sat.  He rose as she approached and unconsciously gathered her hands in his own when she extended them towards him.  He couldn’t help but smile at her.  Her hands were so soft, though there was a dull prick of her long, black nails against the backs of his wrists.  She squeezed her fingers a bit.  “I’d be delighted to have you as a partner,” Amber continued.  “I’m already suffering from deep fascination; I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself without getting inside that pretty head of yours.”  Cass laughed.

“Something else to look forward to,” he agreed before turning to look back and Bendett.  The man eyed the two of them with this wary and intrigued appraisal.  It quirked against the corner of his mouth as he perched his chin against his fingers in a studious thoughtfulness.

“Well, like I said, I’m game.”  He stood and approached them and Cass relinquished Amber’s grip to shake Bendett’s hand.  “How about we have that interview over dinner?  My fiancée is coming over to cook.  You should stay.”

“You should,” Amber repeated.  “Penny makes the most delicious pierogies.  She’s been teaching Mattie too, and I think it’s time he got some unbiased feedback.”  She winked at him.

“If you don’t mind me imposing, then I’m happy to eat all the food you give me,” Cass said. 

 

Amber had brought Cass out onto the balcony after he helped her with washing the dishes following dinner.  He said it was the least he could do after Bendett--though he insisted that Cass call him Mattie now--and his bride-to-be had made dinner for an uninvited guest.  Now he stood with Amber against the sternum-high wall and railing of the terrace with a glass of port swirling in his palm.  Amber took the space to his direct left, her shawled shoulder pressed just so against his arm.

“I never would’ve expected a Guardian Angel to come to our door seeking alliance,” she said, her breath rolling out and up in a curling gray vapor.  “Maybe to bring a sword down on our heads, but not this.”

“I assure you it doesn’t happen often,” Cass chuckled before lifting the wine glass to his lips and drinking.  “I’m risking exile.  Which would be enough to stop me if I happened to give a damn about Merloc’s priorities.”

“Is it just some rebellious phase you’re going through?” Amber flashed a teasing grin at him.

“Could be,” Cass answered, shrugging so his arm smoothed against hers in a warm brush.  “You can call it petty if you like, but I know that I’m enjoying myself.”

“No, no, more power to you.”  She was silent for a moment and Cass could feel the buzz of possibility straining against his stomach, wondering what she’d say next, or even what he thought of her.  So to take his mind off it, he turned to her and broke the pause.

“What’s it like?” he asked.  “You’re Ahtnamas, so that means you were born human.  I’m sure you have some interesting things to say about that experience.”  Amber laughed before a well-humored sigh and then set into illustration, her hands gesturing animatedly as she spoke.

“Well the best part of was the staring,” she began.  “Though at the time I kinda hated it.  My horns grew in before Mattie’s--we didn’t even expect it when he became possessed too--and I got to experience the brunt of freakdom.  I didn’t have too many friends to begin with; we had only just moved here like a few months before the horns grew.  But people in town started calling me the Demon.  At first it was annoying, but then I kinda got to a point where I reveled in them staring at me.  It just made me excited.”  She bounced a little on her toes, grinning as she talked about it.  There was a happy glow in her caramel colored eyes and Cass laughed at the sight of her.

“Sounds like you have an exhibitionist’s tendencies,” he teased her.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Amber said, shaking her head.  “The Ahnka changed me.  Maybe she was a natural-born starlet or something.  That or a psychopathic hoarder.”  Cass snorted into his wineglass, thankful that he hadn’t taken a sip before she spoke.

“What?  Explain that one to me.”  She shook her head and took the wine from Cass’s hand, setting it on the ledge before moving back towards the house, beckoning him to follow.  The angel and the demon walked together through the now shadowy hallways of the house, the shift of the winter wind smoothing against the glass walls while inside there came the lulling riffs of Robert Plant and lover murmurs of the two in the living room.  As Cass followed Amber, he could only think that he made a good decision to join these people.  The real possibility of them being violent and insane had been his main worry, but before he’d even hit the doorbell, Cass was glad to take up that mantle if it meant stepping somewhere interesting.  At least it’d give him something to write to Azzie about.  And at the most, he could find a new hobby and a job that didn’t bore him to tears.  Not that skulking around a city looking for disturbing activity to spring up was boring, but dear lord, it really was.

Amber had brought Cass upstairs and to the very back of the house, where the walls were all solid and the hallways were narrow, turning in a sort of half-spiral until there was a door at the end of it.  Cass made a note to ask about their architect some time since there really were no other places like this in the little town.  The woman paused at the doorway, reaching down the front of her shirt and pulling out a thin silver chain with a tiny key on the end of it.  She lifted the necklace from herself, the great loop going easily over her horns and voluminous curls, and stuck the key in the silver curve of the handle.  She twisted it twice and a bolt clicked back before she returned the key to where it belonged.  The door eased open by itself and the two stepped in.

With all the lights off, Cass had only the smell first.  That dusty-sweet perfume of mothballs and the palette-shrinking effects of formaldehyde.  They touched at the back of his head as the only whispered warning before the lights flicked on and the door slid shut.  Cass was facing a giant a room of display cases.  There were framed glass boxes covering almost every inch of wall space, stretching out for yards until the very back of the room.  In between Cass and the far end, there were curios and pedestals, glass-topped tables that skirted the periphery like rows of pews in a church.  And in all of them was something dead.  Nearest to him was a small podium-like display that housed a hand nestled against crushed velvet.  The bones were the same breadth of any human hand, but the fingers stretched out for another foot before sharpening off in cruel points, glittering like arsenic.  Cass pulled his gaze away from it, only to catch what he thought was a wire sculpture of a man encased in a box of glass.  As he tried to fathom just what he was looking at, Amber spoke up.

“This is my precious collection,” she explained, moving from the door to the case he was staring at.  Her nails scraped affectionately against the glass, like she would’ve caressed the mass of threads if not for the crystal barrier that kept her.  “I started it back when I was seventeen and been building it ever since.  It’s what drove me to become a bounty hunter, you know.” She turned back and smiled at him. “This is the circulatory system of a vampire,” Amber explained.  “You would not believe how difficult it was for me to get this.  Took quite a bit of magic.” She winked and Cass’s eyes widened as he looked over the figure again.  The black wires--no, they were blood vessels--were more recognizable now that she had named them.  He couldn’t take his eyes off the wet-looking ebony heart.  For a sick moment, he saw it lurching to pump blood through the nonexistent body. 

There were so many.  A cabinet full of skulls, rows and rows of teeth, organs floating in jars, pelts, colored horns, wax figures (though Cass was beginning to doubt they were wax, he didn’t dare touch to see if he was right) and wings.  The frames on the walls of all sizes and colors had wings in them.  And by the time Cass had walked the tour to the very back of the room, he could feel his pulse slipping heavily by his temples and around his ears. That’s when he looked up and saw the empty shadow boxes on the wall in front of him. There were two, side by side and backed in red, though they held nothing.  However, the plaque beneath them detailed exactly was going in them as soon as Amber got a hold on them.

Cass would’ve panicked at the touch of the woman’s hands against his back, but he just held his breath instead, keeping as still as he could, though he was sure that she could feel his heartbeat through his ribs.

“I’m so glad that I got to meet you, Cass.”  Amber’s breasts pushed against his shoulders and the whisper slid into his ear.  He barely suppressed a shudder.  “You have no idea,” a pause to put her lips against the top of his spine, “how long I’ve waited.”

Inevitably, the grin bloomed onto Cass’s lips as he couldn’t keep it back any longer.  As Amber put her arms around his chest and held him gently, he laughed, trembling with delight.  The sound of it rang and reverberated through the hall of corpses and parts, keening off the glass and filling the space with a madman’s song.  His hands grasped at hers and he turned about to where he could face her, going to smooth his palms over her gently flushed cheeks.

“You, Madame,” he lulled in a hushed whisper, dipping his head until he could smell the wine on her breath, “are a psychopath.”  She sneered at him, the pleasure glimmering across her fangy smile.  “For your sake, I hope you’ll enjoy chasing me as much as I will.”  Cass leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose.  She giggled, reaching her hand up to touch his materialized wings as he spread them for her.

Author's Note

Please review if you read. Even if it's only one word, I'd be appreciative.

Reviews

[Scytheriax]

I loved the dialogue in this piece.
The character development is good, also.
I also like how you include some details, but it isn't detail overload.
Overall, I loved this story.