Page 29 of Calling Chaos

“But the bed thing was about—”

“Lots,” Chaos repeated firmly.

The flush on Cooper’s cheeks deepened. His fear was dissipating, giving way to more nervous embarrassment. That was much better. “Okay. We’ll…practice again,” Cooper agreed.

Chaos’s lovely, agreeable summoner.

The phone dinged, and Cooper told Chaos it was a sign that the voice message was ready.

Chaos handed him the phone, only to pull it back at the last second. “Play it out loud,” he demanded.

Cooper pressed play, then the little speaker button, and they listened to Ivan and his frustrated words. “Cooper.”

Chaos frowned. He didn’t like the way Ivan said Cooper’s name. Like he was angry. Like Cooper had done something wrong.

“Why the hell aren’t you picking up? You have something of mine. Something you never should have taken. I need it back. Right thefucknow. I’m coming over. Be ready.”

Ivan was obviously talking about the Book. He wanted it back? Was he trying to bond with Nix? That was hilarious, but it didn’t really matter—Chaos wasn’t ready to give the Book back to the man with the mean voice.

What if Chaos got very good at kissing in the next few hours, and Cooper agreed to mate with him after all? He’d need it then.

At the diner, Cooper had insisted he wasn’t the right human for Chaos, but Chaos wasn’t convinced at all. With each passing moment, he was getting fonder and fonder of his puppy.

“He’s talking about your Book,” Cooper muttered, echoing the less fun half of Chaos’s thoughts. “If he wants it, I have to give it to him.”

Chaos grabbed the phone back, shoving it into his pocket. “No.”

“Bracchus…”

“If he tries to take it, I’ll slash him with my claws. Right across the belly.” Chaos held up taloned fingers in demonstration. He would too. Ivan’s belly would deserve it, for not being Cooper’s belly.

Cooper pressed his fingers to his forehead, like he was thinking very hard. “Okay. Right. So if this day is to have a nonviolent end, we need to leave and, um, take the Book with us.”

Chaos beamed at him. “You’re more than a little wise, after all. I was wrong to say otherwise before.”

Cooper rolled his pretty eyes. It was a bit sassy of him, but Chaos didn’t mind, if it meant Cooper’s fear of him was dwindling even smaller. Soon it would be a tiny pea, too inconsequential to matter.ThenCooper might not mind bonding him.

And they were going out again! That was delightful. The computer game had been fun, but Chaos had played for hours already. He wasn’t sure he wanted to return to it, when there was the whole outside world to explore.

“Where will you take me?” he asked eagerly.

Cooper still had his fingers pressed to his forehead. “I guess a hotel?”

“A love hotel?” Nix had told Chaos all about those. He’d liked to watch them through the portal, just like the porn shoots.

Cooper’s ears turned the same pink as his cheeks. “We don’t really have those here. Just—just a regular hotel.”

“That’s fine,” Chaos told him agreeably, magnanimous now that he was getting his way. “I’ve never stayed at one.”

He hopped off the bed, ready to start their adventure. So many new experiences his puppy was giving him already.

Not too much later,they were at a hotel bar. It was just like a regular bar but at a hotel.

Apparently Cooper had a few “secret bank accounts” with “stealth credit cards” so he could check them into the hotel under a different name, in case Ivan came looking.

It seemed like an awful lot of trouble just to hide from a regular human, but maybe it was like the numerous locks Cooper had on his apartment door.

Chaos’s puppy liked to feel secure.

---