Page 17 of Calling Chaos (Demon Bound #3)

16

Cooper

S eventeen-year-old Cooper sighed as he locked the apartment door behind him, turning to find his dad exactly where Cooper had left him—slumped over on the couch.

Napping? Passed out? But no, his dad opened one eye to peer out at him blearily. “ Umnitsa ,” he said, the word slurred with either sleep or booze or both. “Back so soon?”

Cooper repressed another sigh. “It’s been hours, Pop.”

“Has it?” His dad sat up, kicking over the bottle at his feet with the effort. It was empty, at least, so no vodka spilled on the carpet this time.

“I thought you were going to get groceries.” Cooper didn’t know why he said it. Chastising his dad never worked—it only ever made him more maudlin.

“Was I?” When Cooper didn’t take the bait, his dad tilted his head, a sad smile playing at his lips. “You look so much like your mother when you get disappointed in me like that. She made that exact same face when I forgot the milk.”

There was nothing to say to that, so Cooper kicked off his shoes before coming to sit beside his dad on the couch, ignoring the sharp smell of vodka as his dad threw an arm around him.

“How was it?”

“Fine.” Cooper shrugged. “An errand.”

Cooper had been delivering a package to Sergei. He hadn’t known what was in it—hadn’t wanted to know—but his knowledge of its contents wasn’t required to complete the task.

He wasn’t exactly lying to his father. It hadn’t quite been fine , but it hadn’t been awful either. Sergei just fucking hated Cooper for some reason. Probably because Cooper was so scared of him, or maybe because of his youth. Either way, he always referred to Cooper as “that drunk’s son,” making his men laugh by mimicking Cooper’s father’s swaying walk.

He was an asshole, basically, but there was nothing Cooper could do about it. Not if he didn’t want to end up bleeding out in some alley.

His dad let out a gusty breath, leaning his cheek against the top of Cooper’s head. “This was supposed to be a fresh start, a new country. But we ended up right back here, mixed up with gangsters. Just like home.” He chuckled, but it was a sad sound. “At least we have a nice apartment now, yes?”

“Yeah,” Cooper agreed dully.

The truth was Cooper missed the shithole he’d grown up in. At least there, no one had cared what they did. No one had cared that his dad was a mess, that he smelled like liquor or swayed when he walked, or forgot his keys and phone and had to yell at Cooper to let him in the door. Their neighbors had all had their own issues to deal with. Some of the moms had even made them plates of food when they’d had extra, dropping them off and not accepting a word of thanks for it, just reminding them to return the dishes when they were done.

But here, in their richer digs, people noticed. They cared, and not in a good way. Cooper had become aware now, every time he and his dad left the apartment. Aware of the looks they were given. Aware of the judgmental murmurs between neighbors.

He’d started to become anxious leaving the apartment, hypervigilant in a way that couldn’t be healthy.

What if one of them got sick of his dad making a mess of things, and tried to get him arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct? Would someone come and take Cooper away? He still had a year until he turned eighteen. Or what if enough people complained to Dimitri, and he decided that Cooper and his father weren’t worth the trouble and finally put them down like dogs?

“Should’ve protected you better, huh? Should’ve—should’ve done it differently.”

As his dad lurched off the couch, shuffling to the bathroom, Cooper let the anger run through him.

His dad had been doing that a lot lately—going on about his failures in protecting Cooper. All the ways he’d let him down. But he never actually did anything differently, did he?

After Cooper had signed on with Dimitri, his dad had been horrified. But he hadn’t decided to suddenly pull himself together. He’d gone on a two-week bender instead. Left Cooper alone and frightened as he entered a world he’d never wanted to be in.

So Cooper let the anger run through him—let it burn in his veins just for one blissful moment—and then he let it all go.

His dad was sick. It was an illness. That was what they’d said in health class, what all the online forums agreed on. Maybe without Cooper to care for him, his father would hit some sort of rock bottom, some new low that would force him to seek help. But Cooper couldn’t bear it, to think of his dad out on the street, all alone. And he wasn’t convinced it would happen at all. There was a deep, overwhelming sorrow in his father, ever since the death of Cooper’s mom. Nothing Cooper did could touch that sorrow. Only vodka seemed to help.

Who was Cooper to take that from him? He’d only turned seventeen last month. He might have graduated from high school early, thanks to skipping a grade, but what did he know about fixing something like that?

And he didn’t want to lose his father. The only person left who really loved him.

The man in question shuffled back out of the bathroom, scratching at his chest. It looked like he’d splashed some water on his face. He still looked like crap, his nose red and splotchy and the bags under his eyes bigger than ever. He needed some real sleep, not just naps caught on the couch. Maybe if Cooper got some food in him, he’d go to bed for real.

Cooper would stay up, maybe work on coding. He was getting pretty good with computers, courtesy of hardly ever leaving the house. What did he need to leave for, anyway? He was done with school, and he didn’t have any friends to speak of. Before, he’d had neighborhood kids he’d been friendly with, but when Cooper and his father had moved, those relationships had fizzled.

It was just him and his father, for better or for worse.

His dad wiped a hand over his face before approaching the couch. He did look a little more alert. Maybe he hadn’t had as much to drink as Cooper had thought. “Should we watch something together, umnitsa ? One of your mysteries?”

It was something they’d done together since Cooper was a preteen. They would watch a murder mystery, and Cooper would try to figure out the culprit before the big reveal. His dad would clap and cheer whenever he succeeded, like he’d won a game show instead of guessed at some subpar plot point.

Cooper leaned his head back against the couch with a sigh. “Sure, Pop. And I’ll order some food, yeah?”

“Sure,” his dad agreed, not sounding like he cared either way. He shot Cooper a wink. “Who needs groceries, huh?”

He sat down, ruffled Cooper’s hair, then slumped back and reached for the remote. “So good to me, umnitsa . I love you so much.”

The words sounded heavy. Like the love he had for Cooper was painful to him. Maybe it was. Maybe that was why it could never be enough.

There was nothing to say except “I love you too, Pop. So much.”

So what if his father couldn’t protect him or care for him the way other parents did for their children? They’d managed just fine so far. They’d keep managing, just the two of them.

What other choice was there?

Cooper was woken up by the need to pee.

He grabbed his glasses and hurried to the bathroom before Chaos could see that his eyes were wet.

Fuck, it had been a long time since he’d dreamed about his dad. It was like a knife to the chest—his feelings about his father might have been complicated, but he still missed him. Every day. So damn much.

He took a quick shower while he was in there, washing off the sweat that coated him, leftover from the meeting and by sleeping with too many blankets.

When he came out into the bedroom, his glasses back on and a towel wrapped around his middle, Chaos was sitting cross-legged on the bed, kind of bouncing in place, looking almost maniacally happy.

Cooper couldn’t help smiling at him. “You look cheerful. Is it because you’re all full from the meeting?”

Chaos gave him a smug look, waving his finger in the air, his tail swishing wildly. “You’ll always need me to be your friend. That’s what you said.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Cooper’s cheeks warmed. He’d been loopy as hell when they’d been talking before, and he was a little embarrassed by the admission now. He wasn’t sure why—it wasn’t like Chaos had cared about Cooper’s lack of social life before now. He shifted on his feet, running his hand through his wet hair. “But I won’t stand in the way either,” he reassured Chaos. “When you find your bondmate, I mean. Just—just so you know.” Cooper cleared his throat. Why was this so hard to say? “And I should be thanking you too. For helping me realize.”

Chaos had paused his bouncing midway through Cooper’s little speech, and now he cocked his head, his tail in an arc behind him. “Realize what?”

“You’ve made me realize… Well, I guess that I don’t want to be alone. That I need to—to look beyond casual hookups. To find someone who’s both lover and friend. I—I like that, with you. I want to find that again.”

Now Chaos was not only not bouncing, but he was holding himself with that unnatural, predatory stillness that Cooper still found so eerie. “You wish to mate with other humans?” he asked, his voice deadly soft.

“I mean—” Cooper suddenly wished he was wearing real clothes. Why was he having this conversation in his fucking towel? “Isn’t that—aren’t you going to find another human? Someone to bond with?”

Cooper yelped as Chaos went from frozen on the bed to standing mere inches away from him in a flash.

“ You are my human,” Chaos hissed, literal flames dancing in his eyes. “I found you, fair and square. I’m being patient and gentle and tricky as a fox to keep you close, but if that’s not working, I can be much—” He looked around the room, as if trying to find an answer there, then settled his gaze back on Cooper. “Much scarier about it.”

“I—I don’t understand.” Had Cooper hit his head at the restaurant? What was happening right now? Why was Chaos so pissed off?

Chaos pressed a taloned finger to Cooper’s chest. It maybe should have frightened Cooper, now that he knew what those talons could do, but he was too confused by the turn this conversation had taken. He’d been so sure they were on the same page.

“ We are bonding,” Chaos declared, haughty as anything. “You and I. No other humans. Not for you, not for me.”

“We are?” Cooper asked. He didn’t add the obvious question: Since fucking when ?

Chaos nodded decisively, his talon digging into Cooper’s skin. “Yes. We are.”

Cooper tightened his towel, which had begun to slip. “Do I get a say?”

Chaos’s lips turned down into a pathetic pout. “No.”

Cooper almost laughed. What right did Chaos have to be pouting right now? Kai had been right—he was such a brat sometimes. “You’d force me into it?”

Chaos growled, releasing Cooper so he could throw his hands into the air. “Who said anything about forcing? But if you refuse, you—you’d be choosing wrong ! And you shouldn’t be allowed to choose wrong. It’s very frustrating.” He began pacing in front of Cooper, tossing him belligerent looks with every turn of his heel. “Why are you being so frustrating ?”

Cooper had a better question. “Why do you even want me?”

“Because,” Chaos said and left it at that. When Cooper raised his brows at him—was that really it?—he let out a heavy breath, as if Cooper was being ridiculous. “You want reasons?”

Cooper nodded.

Chaos huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he told Cooper grudgingly, “I’m tolerated by some. Feared by many. But no one…cares for me, not like you do. You care about my feelings and making sure I get to do the things I want to do. You care about my friendship. And I do the same for you, don’t I? I think about how to please you, how to make you happy. I’ve never done that before.” He frowned down at Cooper’s bedroom floor. “I should hate it,” he muttered. “I wanted freedom, and instead I’m tied to you. But I find I don’t mind being grounded, if I’m grounded with you, Cooper.”

“Oh.” It was a strange sort of confession, but then, Chaos was strange. Cooper pushed his glasses up his nose. “That’s kind of romantic, actually.”

“Yes.” Chaos preened, dropping his arms. “I’m very romantic. I’ve shown you, haven’t I? How I can be so sweet and so gentle.” He drifted closer to Cooper, his intensity ratcheting up with every inch he closed between them. “I can be everything you need. So you needn’t worry any longer, Cooper. Not with me here.”

Cooper was finding it hard to blink, staring into Chaos’s fire-filled eyes.

Was Chaos really trying to convince Cooper to keep him? That was almost funny. It should have been the other way around. It should have been Cooper on his knees, trying to show Chaos he was good enough, interesting enough, brave enough to be a demon’s mate.

Holy shit. Cooper’s stomach bottomed out with the realization. Chaos wants to keep me.

The knowledge felt like free-falling. It wasn’t a sensation Cooper normally liked. But unlike Cooper’s father, or his cousins, or his past failed attempt at romance, Chaos could actually catch him, couldn’t he? Chaos might not have been the most stable being, but he was strong. He’d just sliced a man in half a few hours ago. And yes, that maybe should have made Cooper hesitate more instead of less, but…maybe Cooper had been around violent men too long after all. All it seemed to tell him was that, for once in his life, someone could back up what they were putting down.

Someone would catch him before he hit the ground.

They might be a strange pair in other people’s eyes, but what did it matter what the rest of the world thought? Chaos was beyond this world. Above it. Better and stronger and weirder than anything else in it.

And he’d chosen Cooper.

“Okay,” Cooper breathed. He felt…free, all of a sudden. Weightless. “Okay. We’ll bond. You and me.”

“Really?” The flames in Chaos’s eyes went out in an instant, replaced by a soft golden gleam. He grabbed Cooper’s shoulders tightly. “No take backs,” he said quickly. “We bond. You and I.” His lips twitched into a sly smile. “I’ll need to get the Book from Ivan, of course.”

“I can ask,” Cooper offered.

“No.” Chaos grinned widely now. “I want to steal it from him. It’ll be hilarious.”

The idea of stealing anything from Ivan was terrifying, but Cooper kept his mouth shut. This was what a future with Chaos would be like—a little terror with the comfort of his presence.

Cooper would take it. He’d take all of it. He still wasn’t sure why Chaos would possibly want him so badly. Weren’t there other humans that could care for him the way Cooper did? But he wasn’t going to argue. He didn’t want Chaos to leave him for someone else. Not ever.

“What does it all entail?” he asked instead of arguing over things like petty theft. “Like, how do we do it?”

“First, we get the Book.” Chaos started stroking his fingers lightly down Cooper’s bare arms. “There’s a passage at the end—a sacred vow. I take a little nip of blood from you, you take a little nip of blood from me.” He ran his tongue over his sharp teeth. “And then we consummate.”

“Oh.” Cooper choked on a breath. “Sounds simple enough.”

“So simple,” Chaos agreed, his hands trailing down to Cooper’s wrists, stroking his pulse points. “So easy. But maybe—” He stepped closer, close enough for his shirt to brush against Cooper’s bare chest. “Maybe we should still practice.”

“Biting each other?” Cooper asked, his brain going a little fuzzy with the warmth of Chaos’s touch.

Chaos grinned, flashing his fangs. “If you like. But I meant we should practice consummating.”

“We’ve done it before.” Quite thoroughly, if Cooper remembered correctly. Which he definitely did.

“Not enough,” Chaos insisted. He pulled at Cooper’s arms until Cooper was pressed fully against him, rubbing his nose along Cooper’s neck and shoulder, his wily fingers dipping under Cooper’s towel. “Don’t you want to, puppy? Don’t you want to practice with me?”

As if he couldn’t feel Cooper’s hard dick tenting his towel. As if Cooper had ever said no to more “practice.”

“Hey,” Cooper said suddenly.

Chaos’s wandering fingers paused against Cooper’s skin.

“Was all that ‘practice’ talk just a way of getting into my pants?”

“Yes,” Chaos told him gleefully, throwing his head back in a throaty laugh. “Wasn’t that clever of me?” He beamed at Cooper. “I’ve wanted to keep you from the start.”

“Shouldn’t you have told me that?” Cooper asked, wondering if he should be angry for the deception. He didn’t feel like getting angry though. He felt like spreading his legs and getting Chaos inside him. To be wanted like that was kind of…heady. More warmth pooled in his belly at the thought of it.

“I’m telling you now,” Chaos said, as cocky as if he were reading Cooper’s thoughts. “Because you like me. Because I’m lover and friend both. And a gentle, skilled bed partner. And handsome. And my wings and tail are adorable. You think so, right?” he asked suddenly, the tail in question wrapping around Cooper’s thigh.

“They are pretty cute,” Cooper admitted.

“I knew you’d agree.” Chaos backed Cooper up to the bed and pressed him down onto his back, whisking the towel off him in the process. His own clothes disappeared in a flash as he knelt between Cooper’s legs. “I’m going to breed you now, puppy,” he purred. “To practice. For later.”

“Okay,” Cooper agreed easily, his cock heavy and full against his hip.

Chaos began kissing along Cooper’s inner thighs, nibbling gently, managing not to break the skin even with his fangs. Teasing, in his way.

Cooper spread his legs wider, willing to let Chaos tend to him however he wanted.

And then Chaos’s hands were in Cooper’s hair, stroking gently. Except…

Except Chaos was down between Cooper’s legs.

Cooper jolted. “What the fuck?” But the hands in his hair tightened their hold, and he couldn’t lift his head to look properly.

Chaos rose from his kneeling position, looming over Cooper with a sly smile. “Puppy,” he crooned. “Did I ever tell you one of my special powers? How I can duplicate my form?”

“Um. No.” Cooper tried to calm his breaths as he tried to understand what Chaos was saying. “Is that— Are those your hands in my hair?” Maybe that was why it had taken him a moment to react in the first place—the touch had been familiar.

“Yes.” Chaos grinned at him, his hands running up Cooper’s sides. “So smart, my delectable little summoner. And I’m clever too, aren’t I? You’re intrigued by group sex, but you’re shy, and also I would slice out the organs of any human who dared to touch you. But you don’t need other humans to try it,” he said with the air of someone imparting a delightful surprise. “You have me.”

And then Cooper was being tugged into a kiss. Not by the Chaos looming over him, but by the Chaos above him, the one with his hands in Cooper’s hair. An exact duplicate. He kissed the same too, eager and aggressive, his tongue claiming Cooper’s mouth like he had a right to it.

Cooper moaned into it, the fear that had gripped him when he’d thought a stranger was in his room melting into a desire so hot he thought he might combust. This was weird and kind of scary.

And Cooper was definitely broken inside, because he fucking loved it.

The other Chaos giggled, his hands sliding from Cooper’s sides to his belly, to his hips, and then a hot mouth was engulfing Cooper’s cock.

Cooper gasped into the duplicate Chaos’s mouth. “Oh my God.”

“Yes,” the Chaos at his head crooned, releasing Cooper’s lips to gaze down at him. He looked just the same, his eyes yellow and gleaming. “I will be your lover and friend and family and god and anything else you need.”

That was an insane thing to say, and Cooper should definitely tell him that, but then out of nowhere there was a third Chaos lying at his side, grinning at Cooper before sucking Cooper’s nipple into his mouth.

Cooper barely had time to process that before there was a lubed finger at his hole, and then the Chaos at his side was grabbing Cooper’s cock, stroking as he sucked and bit at Cooper’s nipple. Cooper’s mouth was claimed again, the kiss kind of upside down and sloppy but no less devastating for it.

He could hardly breathe. Hardly think. There were more fingers inside him, stretching and crooking and making him see stars. There were hands everywhere. Three pairs? More than three? He couldn’t open his eyes to see, too lost in sensation.

It was so much. Too much. Perfectly, horribly, wonderfully too much.

“Chaos,” Cooper warned in the spare second the Chaos at his lips allowed him to breathe. Cooper’s back was arched so high he couldn’t lift his head from the mattress. “Gonna come.”

“Yes,” all three Chaoses crooned at once. “Come for us, puppy.”

The hand on his cock started stroking faster, twisting around the head of his cock with every pass. Cooper’s balls tightened, his muscles spasmed, and then he was coming with a hoarse yell, shaking and shivering and maybe crying too. There were murmurings of praise, from one or maybe all the Chaoses, and then three pairs of hands were turning Cooper over, rolling him onto his belly.

The one at Cooper’s head started stroking his hair again as someone’s cock pressed into him. Cooper keened, his overworked body opening at Chaos’s insistence.

“That’s it, puppy. Let me in.”

As if Cooper had ever been capable of anything else.