Page 54 of Calling Chaos

“You’re done with…” Cooper trailed off, reluctant to finish his own sentence. “You’re done?”

“All done.” Chaos’s brow dropped into a scowl. “You’re still shivering.” He made it sound like an accusation, zipping up Cooper’s sweatshirt for him and pulling the hoodie over his head aggressively.

He grabbed Cooper’s hand, tugging him to the back exit, then stopped, looking over his shoulder at Sascha and Kai. “Your brother’s about to lose it,” he told Sascha. “Should be fun to watch, if you’re interested.”

Sascha heaved a sigh, rising from Kai’s lap. “What’s happened now?”

“Nix was sent back to the Void.”

Kai stood in a flash. “What?”

Chaos waved a hand, dismissing Kai’s shock. “Ivan’s getting him back already. Get out there if you want to see the show.” He turned, dragging Cooper behind him. “Puppy and I have places to be.”

Places to be apparently meantin Cooper’s bed, with Cooper tucked under a million blankets—more than he’d known he owned—sweating his balls off while Chaos insisted they all stay on until he’d “made a full recovery.”

Cooper wasn’t sure what Chaos’s version of a full recovery even was—it seemed to involve Cooper taking a nap. But that was kind of hard to do when Chaos was hovering over him, his fox eyes wide and unblinking.

“You didn’t like that,” Chaos finally said, after making Cooper finish yet another water bottle. It was the third one. At this rate, Cooper was going to have to get out of bed to pee long before he fell asleep.

Cooper licked the last drops from his lips, cheeks warming when Chaos’s eyes tracked the movement. “No. I told you I wouldn’t.”

Cooper had been to meetings before where men ended up dead. They were nothing like what had just happened in that restaurant—the abject terror and frantic chaos. But that was probably the thing about the supernatural and why Ivan had wanted a show of more than just the usual guns and muscle. It provoked a deeper, weirder kind of fear than what Mafia men were used to.

Cooper should have been paralyzed by it, that fear. More than he had been, at least. He should have tried to run from Chaos the moment he’d seen his demon slice through a man’s chest. But maybe Cooper’s history—the constant thrum of anxiety that already ran beneath his skin—had broken him in some way.

He still liked Chaos just fine. So what if he was a little scary? So was going to the grocery store.

Chaos nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll handle any meetings from now on. You’ll stay home and manage your computer work. There’s no need for you to do both.”

Should Cooper be offended that Chaos was declaring him unfit for duty? He was acting like it was a sure thing too, like he’d be around to handle the unpleasant side of Cooper’s work for the foreseeable future.

It was an odd echo of what Sascha had said about Kai, the way he used his naturally violent nature to protect Sascha from more of the same. But Kai was Sascha’s mate. And Chaos was…not that for Cooper.

Still, Cooper was too worn out to let the comparison hurt. He let it warm his chest instead. His demon did care for him, in his way. “Okay,” he said easily. “I’d rather stay home, anyway.”

Chaos continued to stare at him. Cooper stared back. Chaos finally spoke again. “Nix was taken back to the Void.”

Cooper blinked at him, his eyelids heavy. “So you said.” Should he be comforting Chaos? Was that why Chaos was acting a little strange, even for him? His friendhadbeen taken away. That had to be painful.

But Chaos spoke again before Cooper could think of what to say. “It’s because he completed his contract before he could bond.”

He looked expectantly at Cooper, like that was a revelation.

Cooper let the words penetrate his tired and fuzzy brain. Oh. Chaos didn’t want to go back to the Void. And…he thought the same thing could happen to him? He was worried?

Cooper closed his eyes. Opened them again. “And you’re worried about that?” He tried to think of what would end their contract and came up blank. “What were our terms again?”

Chaos answered immediately, “I’m to be your friend until you no longer need one.”

“Oh.” Cooper let his muscles relax, settling him deeper into the mattress. He was still too hot, but it was kind of soothing now. He wasn’t sure if he was falling asleep or passing out, but he also wasn’t sure if it mattered—Chaos would watch over him either way. “Well, that’s no problem, then. I’m probably always going to need you to be my friend.” He gave Chaos a loopy grin. “I think maybe you made a bad deal, Bracchus.”

If Chaos felt that way, it didn’t show on his face. He only grinned back at Cooper, his sweet dimple flashing, and then settled next to him on the bed, on top of the covers. He laid his head on Cooper’s shoulder, a wonderful, warm weight. “Sleep, puppy. We’ll talk more after you’ve rested.”

Cooper let himself drift into oblivion.

He was safe here, with his demon.

16

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