But after a moment, Nix gave him a slow smile. “You two are a good match after all,” he murmured. “How unexpected.”
Cooper didn’t have it in him to explain to Nix that they weren’t any sort of match at all. He was just practice, wasn’t he? So he twisted his lips in some semblance of a smile, and that was that.
Now it was only a matter of waiting for the meeting to begin.
14
Chaos
Chaos was feeling absolutely wonderful.
He was at a strange meeting that was sure to end in glorious mayhem and bloodshed, Cooper was at his side, and Chaos’s loyal summoner had somehow just received Nix’s tentative approval for their future bond (not that Cooper knew a future bond was coming their way, but still).
Chaos didn’tneedNix’s approval, of course, but it would make things easier if the incubus wasn’t trying to save Cooper from Chaos’s clutches. It was far too late for any nonsense like that, anyway. Chaos may have originally decided to keep Cooper on a whim, and weren’t whims just thebest? But the decision was burned into his very bones now. Cooper was his. They would bond. They would be happy. They would make adorable—
Well, they couldn’tactuallymake adorable hatchlings—as Cooper had found out today—but they would definitely put in the effort over and over and over again.
The big double doors at the front of the restaurant opened, and Chaos craned his neck to see who was coming in. He was curious about these traitorous mobsters Ivan was trying to weed out. Would they be wearing tracksuits and gold chains like in the movies? Maybe Chaos could start a little jewelry collection with the accessories of whoever they took out during this meeting.
But the duo that entered didn’t look anything like that. Instead, there was a big blond guy dressed in black and a little dark-haired man—Chaos sniffed the air and corrected himself:dark-haired vampire—at his side. He seemed at first to be dressed in an equally subdued way, but when he turned to glance behind him, Chaos saw there was a very large bright-pink kitten embroidered on the back of his gray sweater.
Ivan nodded at the newcomers. “Alexei,” he said shortly, addressing the burly blond.
So. The other cousin. Chaos frowned at him, unimpressed. All these blood relations, and Cooper had still ended up lonely and neglected. So what use were they, really? Cooper didn’t need them; that was for certain. He had Chaos now.
Alexei nodded back at Ivan without saying anything. Maybe he was mute or had lost his tongue somewhere exciting .And the little vampire pressed into his partner’s side, waving at the table before telling them his name was Johann, “or Jay, if you like.”
Cute, Chaos decided. Not as cute as Cooper, but certainly cuter than the other vampire duo at the table. The Wolfe fellow got Chaos’s hackles up, his energy weird in a way that was maybe exciting or maybe terrible, Chaos hadn’t decided yet.
The front door opened again, and the regular mobsters started coming in, all of them nodding respectfully at Ivan, looking in surprise at Alexei, and in general avoiding their table warily, congregating on the other side of the restaurant instead. There were only a few tracksuits, but thereweresome chunky gold rings on pinky fingers Chaos wouldn’t mind stealing, just to see how they’d look on Cooper’s elegant digits.
He’d be sure to wipe the blood off first.
Eventually their party stood, getting ready to gather at the front area so the meeting could begin, and Chaos glanced to the side and found that Jay had sidled up to him at some point.
“Are you a demon?” the little vampire asked, his voice bright but quiet enough that none of the humans around them could hear.
Chaos pointed at his chest. “Who, me?” he asked innocently as Cooper walked ahead.
Jay narrowed his gray eyes, but a smile played at his lips, like he was in on the joke. “You are, aren’t you?” he pressed. “And do you have a tail?”
“What do you think?”
Jay bent backward to look at Chaos’s rear, then nodded once, decisively. “I’d like to see it, please. Nix already promised to show me his.”
Chaos cocked his head, pretending to consider. “Nix is nicer than I am though.”
Jay’s smile fell the tiniest bit. But he didn’t argue or try to order Chaos around, so Chaos leaned in, murmuring, “If you look over during the big reveal, you’ll see it.Andmy wings.”
“Ohhh.” Jay’s eyes lit up with delight. “Kai has wings too.” He nibbled on his lower lip. “His are a little scary though.”
Chaos shrugged. “Mine are cute. That’s what Nix says, at least.” Should Chaos ask Cooper to confirm? Probably yes. Chaos would like to hear it from Cooper’s lips, that he was cute. That his wings were fetching.
Jay grinned at him. “And ifyoulook over, you can see my fangs.”
Psh. Fangs were boring, but Chaos did kind of like the idea of this little guy being a bloodthirsty monster underneath the cute packaging, so he nodded anyway. “Deal.”
They all gathered in the big, open area at the front of the restaurant, facing the men. Cooper and Chaos were on the far left, next to Sascha and Kai, with Ivan and Nix in the middle. Alexei and Jay were on the other side with Wolfe and Eric. They were like a panel of judges on some reality talent show, except without the podiums or cameras or fame or general sense of entertainment.
