When Nix was sufficiently stilled, Chaos returned his focus to Ivan. “Hi,” he said brightly, his tone incongruous with his blank face. “You’re scaring Cooper.”
Nix slowly—very slowly—laid a careful hand on Chaos’s shoulder. “Chaos,” he warned.
Luckily, Ivan seemed to sense the threat. For once, he didn’t scowl or scoff. And he didn’t make any sudden movements, thank the Book. “I didn’t intend to scare him,” he said slowly. “I’m simply…irritated.”
“Irritated…,” Chaos mused. He cocked his head. “If I set that suit of yours on fire with you inside it, do you think you’d be more or less irritated?” He asked the question like he was genuinely interested.
He probably was.
“Chaos,” Nix said again. Then, “Bracchus.”
At the sound of his given name, Chaos finally turned his head to look at Nix fully, his eyes still glowing red.
“I’m rather fond of this one,” Nix told him quietly. “I’d like to keep him in top condition.”
“Oh.” Chaos blinked, and his eyes shifted into the form Nix was most familiar with—golden, with vertical slit pupils, like the eyes of a fox. His hair, for whatever reason, shifted into a bright purple color. “Why didn’t you say so?” He grinned, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “Hello, Nix. You could tell it was me?” Heasked it as if Nix hadn’t been calling him out from the first moment.
And then he was crashing into Nix’s arms for a hug. Nix steadied himself against the force of it, patting his back gently. “Hello, sweets.”
He was pleased to see his friend—pleased that Chaos was getting a chance to experience life outside the Void again—but he was also realizing how badly he’d miscalculated the timing.
It had been so long since Chaos had been summoned—and much longer than that since Chaos and Nix had been summoned at the same time—that Nix had forgotten how his friend was in the human realm. Namely, like a human child let loose in a candy shop.
And in this case, more like a starving human child deprived of sugar for centuries let loose in a candy shop.
Oopsies.
Cooper cleared his throat. “Let me just grab that Book for you.”
He ducked into another room briefly, then returned with it in his hands, passing it over to Ivan, who was still holding himself stiffly, watching Chaos out of the corner of his eyes.
“There’s a meeting the day after tomorrow,” Ivan said after a moment, his words a bit stilted. “If you and your demon would like to attend.”
Nix bit back a smile as he released Chaos from the hug. He’d definitely messed things up a bit, but it was still remarkably charming watching Ivan do his best to be polite. It definitely didn’t come naturally to the poor thing.
“Um…” Cooper didn’t seem to know what to do with Ivan’s hesitance. “What about?”
“We’re making some changes. Getting rid of the rest of Sergei’s men, for one.”
“Does that mean you found him?” Cooper asked. He sounded relieved.
“He’s in the trunk of our car.”
“Will it be fun?” Chaos asked, tugging on Nix’s arm. “The meeting.”
“You might get to kill someone,” Nix told him with a smile.
“Fuck,” Cooper swore, then blanched as they all looked his way.
Chaos flounced back to the coffee table at Cooper’s side, perching on top of it like a gargoyle.
“Cooper doesn’t involve himself in the violence, usually,” Ivan explained, narrowing his eyes at Nix.
“He won’t have to, though, if I’m there.” Chaos patted Cooper’s hip reassuringly. He’d pulled the human in close, and Nix didn’t miss the way he was still tracking Ivan’s every move like a hawk.
Or like a minuscule dragon guarding his treasure.
Yep, Nix had definitely miscalculated.
