I love him, Cooper thought.I love that demon menace, and I might never get to tell him.
He allowed himself a moment—one moment to let the sorrow fill him—and then he let it go.
This whole stupid kidnapping had clearly been in the works for some time. RedRabbit had approached him months ago, before Cooper had even started looking into Sergei’s finances. So this all would have gone down no matter what. But at least Cooper had gotten to meet Chaos first. He’d gotten to remember what it felt like to care for someone and have that care returned. He’d had his small, contained life blown up, if only for a little while.
Cooper still didn’t know what drew Chaos to him, but he was grateful for it, whatever it was. And if Cooper died, Chaos would at least get summoned again. Cooper knew Nix and Kai would make sure of it. And hopefully they’d find another summoner who’d allow Chaos to be who he was. Maybe even someone who was a better match than Cooper.
His heart clenched painfully at the thought. Fuck, that hurt. He wished he could rub at his chest to ease it, but his arms were still tied down.
He missed his friend.
The door behind him opened again, and Cooper pushed the pain away. He needed to focus on the anger now. He wanted to be more than his usual scared, trembling self. He wanted to be brave for Chaos. Cooper owed it to him to keep himself alive for as long as possible. Even if Chaos couldn’t find him, he could at least stay in the human realm as long as Cooper was living and still in need of a friend.
Because Cooper would always need Chaos—that wouldn’t change just because he was under some madman’s thumb.
Red circled around, one thin brow arched over his glasses. “Well?”
Time was up. Cooper cleared his throat. “I’d like to live.”
Red’s lip curled in satisfaction. “Then you won’t do anything stupid, will you?”
“You’re going to hold me hostage by syringe all the way to the airport?”
“I have some hired muscle coming, and a private plane waiting. Money leads to such convenience, doesn’t it?”
Cooper scoffed. “Money’s empty.”
“Peopleare empty,” Red hissed. “They’re common, and they’re disappointing. Hard data? Cold cash?Thoseare reliable.” He leaned in, his hands gripping the armrests of Cooper’s chair. The scent of menthol crept into Cooper’s nose again, and he had to hold back a sneeze. “You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Sergei told me your sob story. People have let you down your whole life.”
It wasn’t a very convincing supervillain speech, in Cooper’s humble opinion. His life had certainly had its lows but no more than any other person’s. It didn’t mean there was no good in the world. It didn’t mean people and connections and love weren’t worth it.
But he wasn’t going to waste his breath on this guy. He would have shrugged if he could have managed it. “People have disappointed me, maybe,” he conceded. “But demons? Never.”
Because even if Chaos wasn’t going to find him in time, Cooper knew in his bones that his demon would try. And that? That was enough.
Red looked at him in confusion and then cocked his head. Some sort of door or window or something had slammed overhead. The sound was muffled, like maybe they were underground. A basement, perhaps.
“My muscle,” Red murmured. Then he frowned as something slammed again. “I’ll have to teach them how to be more discreet.”
And then there was a garbled scream, louder than the muffled slamming. Closer.
Cooper grinned, the relief so sweet it was almost painful. He knew a certain creature who could invoke that kind of terror.
Red seemed to realize at the same moment that his hired muscle might have come with company. He swiped a hand out, grabbing a syringe from the medical tray. And then he was behind Cooper, his arm around Cooper’s clavicle. He rocked Cooper’s chair, turning them both to face the door, and Cooper felt the sharp pinch of a needle poking at his skin.
The door flew off its hinges. Smoke filled the room.
And then there was Chaos, his feathered wings spread wide, fire racing along his arms, his horns, his tail. There was blood on his clothes. Cooper’s clothes, actually, since Chaos was still wearing his hoodie.
“Puppy,” Chaos greeted lowly, though his eyes were locked on Red. “I’m sorry it took me so long. You were right. I got a little lost.”
In contrast to his cool tone, Chaos’s flames were flaring out in bursts, lighting up his eyes and even his hair. Almost like he couldn’t control them.
Cooper winced as the needle jabbed deeper into his skin.
“I don’t know what or who the fuck you are,” Red said, sounding about a thousand times calmer than Cooper would have been in his position. “But don’t come any closer, or this goes right into his veins and he dies.”
The scent of harsh campfire smoke filled the room, thick enough to choke them, but it wasn’t visible in the air anymore. They still had a clear line of sight to Chaos, his flames flickering in and out as he held himself perfectly still. “I’ll stay right here.”
