Chapter Twenty-Two

Harley

Keeping his cool, that became impossible when they'd been unable to get Cosmo to rouse after finding him in a pile of feathers and bird intestines. He'd taken precedence over everything else and the trip back to the house had become a blur. Exhausted himself, they'd carried Cosmo through the club, not bothering to go around back despite being filthy and naked.

Rocco had stood open mouthed along with several others of the club patrons at the sight of them. Nomad dropped the bag of eyes on the bar and growled, "Get in contact with Bree and Gabai, they need to come, now. "

This got Rocco quickly coming out of his stupor and grabbing for the phone on the back wall.

Otis stalked over, his eyes narrowed on them. "What happened to Cosmo?"

"He's blacked out, fainted most like,"—even saying it Harley hoped like hell he was telling the truth—"from exhaustion. We had a run in with some owls." He looked to the bar counter, which Nomad was now standing behind, grabbing cans of fizzy drinks loaded with sugar. The gory bag sat where he'd left it. "Someone needs to check the bag's contents for cameras."

Bash, who'd come through the door, and now rushing towards them, shoved folks out of his way, snarling. "What did you do!"

"It's too long to fucking explain. We need to look after our mate."

"It's a bit fucking late for that," Bash stated harshly, glaring at Harley while jostling them to get closer to Cosmo.

He hissed while Nomad leaped over the bar counter, cans flying to crash into Bash, throwing him against the table behind him, knocking it over while he grabbed for Bash' throat. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, so get the fuck out of my mate's face."

Instant silence fell as every person inside the club stared at them. "Listen up. An owl attacked Nomad, poisoning him. Cosmo had hunted owls before and figured they were hiding something. They were. The evidence is in that bag. In the damn process, Cosmo had to shift several times during our attack. He's fucking exhausted and injured. Now we need to get the fuck out of here and take care of him. Anyone else wanna have a go?" Harley's cat glared out at those staring.

A hushed silence followed. "Good, now someone open the fucking doors for us."

There was a rush and a clatter of seats scratching over wood while they got all the help they needed. Harley took no satisfaction from it, he was still too concerned at how Cosmo was showing no signs of waking up.

"Do you want me to bring up food," Rocco asked as he hovered in the doorway, fiddling with what looked like a coin he held.

"Yeah, steak and vegetables, anything that's sweet on the menu today. And lots of it. We all need to feed."

Rocco nodded and slipped out the door, closing it, but Harley was already heading for the shower, hearing the lid of a can pop open and fizz behind him. "It's loaded with sugar," Nomad muttered, coming around the side of Harley when he stopped in the middle of the bathroom, Nomad's features taut with worry.

"Cosmo, come on, cutie, open those eyes for us. We have something sweet for you to drink."

He stirred for a brief second, then nothing.

"Sit on the edge of the bathtub and lift his head, I'll part his lips and feed him the drink."

Doing as he was told, and so glad to be seated, if only perching his ass on the edge of the tub, he barely registered it was freezing under his ass cheeks. He used his arm to cradle Cosmo's head against his shoulder, so he was in a more upright position, and met Nomad's gaze. "Okay, let's try."

Nomad crouched down, so he was more level with Cosmo, pressed a finger to his chin to part his lips, and placed the can against them. Harley shifted his shoulder back to tilt Cosmo's head when his tongue peeked out to touch the rim. "That's it, cutie. Drink for Daddy," he encouraged.

After what felt like an eternity, Cosmo's Adam's apple bobbed as he took the first swallow. He made a keening noise, then he was gulping the drink down. His eyes remained shut, but Harley didn't care.

He grinned at Nomad with relief .

Nomad

The boy had given him a second fright and when he was healed, he was going to have a red ass for days for it. Even with that, he smiled giddily at Harley, his relief going bone deep. Soul deep at surviving.

At them all coming out alive, it was enough, but they were done. Cosmo had said he wanted out of the life for a while. For Nomad, it would be forever. He would do his damn best to make that happen once they'd dealt with the remaining threat. Then they would all be done with this life.

Yes. It's time. I'm too fucking old for this shit.

You aren't old. Or we aren't, because if we are, then how the hell are we going to keep up with our boy? His reply to Harley held amusement and a little anxiety when Cosmo was so much younger than them.

Daddy…

Yes, sweet boy.

I like my Daddies… old.

His laughter boomed out and echoed off the bathroom walls. "You really are looking for a spanking."

Cosmo didn't reply, but his lips curved at the bloody edges around the can he started to slurp eagerly at.

Three cans later, Nomad felt satisfied to stop and start the shower. He switched it on, listening out for Rocco returning with food when he encouraged Harley to move into the shower when he refused to let go of Cosmo.

Nomad didn't think too hard on the reasons why. He'd seen the mess that Harley had created before, this was a first for Cosmo. Harley—who was keeping those thoughts closed off—would not like it if he lost it in front of Cosmo, who was the one to bring him out of the red haze of fury.

The reason for it was Cosmo, whether their mate understood that was yet to be seen, and really none of them were ready for that conversation.

He washed them both, taking his time to soap off what clung to skin, hair and nails until he was satisfied enough to wash himself while Harley moved out of the shower wearily. His feet dragging.

Nomad kept watch as Harley grabbed towels and tucked one over Cosmo, who looked like a little cherub now that he was blood free and his curls were glowing in the overhead light.

Harley made very little effort to swipe at the bits he could reach as he perched back on the edge of the tub.

"Go lay him on the bed."

Harley shook his head. "I'm not ready to let go yet."

Nomad swallowed back the sigh full of resignation. Finished, he turned off the shower, grabbed the last towel, and gave his body some customary swipes before he helped Harley finish drying.

Back in the bedroom he helped them both to settle in the middle of the bed, Harley leaning against the headboard, Cosmo sat in his lap, head resting on his shoulder.

Nomad had no more than two seconds after slipping on an old pair of black sweats before there was a pounding on the door.

"I'll deal with them, rest. Unless it's Rocco then I'll be back."

He was three steps from the door when it opened, and Gabai's head appeared around the doorframe. "Sorry, after what's in the bag downstairs, I didn't wanna wait to see if you're okay."

Asher hovered at Gabai side holding the macabre bag of goodies.

"We're alive." He lifted an arm that weight ten times heavier than normal, the exhaustion hitting. "Come in. "

He walked back to the couch as Gabai looked about. "The others are in the bedroom. Cosmo fainted from exhaustion," he explained when Gabai's dark brows drew together.

Gabai took an armchair and Asher parked his ass cheek on the arm placing the bag at his booted foot. "Wanna tell me what you found?"

Cosmo

Nuzzling his Daddy's neck, Cosmo sighed and clung a little tighter to be certain Daddy Harley's cat had really given him back to them. He'd scented the change in his mate as they'd been retrieving the eyes, but he'd gotten too exhausted to reach out any further. Now though, he lapped his pink tongue over damn, deliciously scented skin, and lapped hungrily. His stomach rumbled, and while the sticky sweet fizzy drinks had helped clear his mind a little, he craved meat. His little black footed kitty paced anxious figure eights, squirming inside of him as it longed to go hunt if no one was going to feed him.

Daddy stroked his curls and Cosmo's kitty settled down a little, even as it chuffed, deciding to be satisfied with their continued licking of their Daddy, if only for a little while. He could hear Daddy Nomad with Gabai and Asher in the living room, but the conversation about the contents of the bag, which once would have held his complete and undivided attention, no longer held any interest for him.

In that moment, and with stunning clarity, Cosmo realized he was done.

Done with the lifestyle.

Done with hunting other creatures.

Done with killing unless his life or the lives of his mates were in danger.

Done .

Done.

Done.

He longed to return to the playroom downstairs so he could color and watch movies with the other littles, but more than that, he longed to help his Daddies create a playroom of their own. One with ledges for sunning themselves, where he could sprawl in his kitty form stretched along Daddy Harley's much longer cat, while Daddy Nomad read to them.

He'd never been a fan of many toys, but he'd lost several special stuffies in his house when it burned down, and all of his coloring books, art supplies and merger collection of movies.

Oliver and Company was his favorite, and he loved Moana and Onward, Robin Hood too. All of them would need replacing, though he wasn't sure how when DVDs were difficult to get ahold of unless you were lucky enough to happen upon a title at a thrift store, the way he had. His two pillow pets had come from lucky thrifting too, along with his fluffy dragon backpack.

Sighing, Cosmo tried not to let his mates pick up on the shift in his mood. It wasn't that things couldn't be replaced, he knew they could be, it was just that he craved a few soft little comforts right now so he could sink back into his little space and not have to think about what could have gone wrong or if there were other mutants like the one the owls had been guarding in their tree.

Would it come for them, if it existed?

Would what was left of the owls seek vengeance?

Had they just entered into a cycle that wouldn't allow them the escape they craved from the life they'd lead and the killing they been embroiled in?

His laps became nips. Insistent little pleas for his Daddy to distract him .

Then a nip pierced skin, and the heady scent of his Daddy's blood reached Cosmo's nose and every thought, fear and question fled as he hummed and let out a long, low sigh, tongue lazily lapping at the spot until the wound had closed.