Fate's Fools Box Set

by Bell, Ophelia

  “Only if you’ve got a bass guitar for this guy,” Rohan pointed at Keagan. “If so, we’ve got ourselves a band.”

  The three of them headed out the door, chatting about gear and music while Maddie and I fell into step a few paces behind.

  “You’ll stay for a while, won’t you?”

  “I think we should,” I said. “Being able to keep an eye on the creatures might help me understand them more. And the music seems to help the ones who’ve been bitten.”

  Not to mention the general happiness pervading the day had everyone’s energy merged in a way that amplified the power here. If the hounds really did soak up love, and if that kept them docile, this was the best place for all of us.

  “Good,” Maddie said with a relieved, though exhausted smile. She looked sad, her aura shimmering in a gray-blue haze that made me impulsively stop and hug her. She let out a soft “oh” and accepted my embrace.

  When I released her, she said, “Thank you. I needed that.”

  “There’s an after-effect,” I commented. “Of the bites, I mean. I saw it in Susannah yesterday, and you and Bodhi are both suffering from it now. There are scars on your souls. I want to find out how to make those go away. I wish Susannah could tell me what she did.”

  Maddie heaved a sigh as I followed her through the kitchen filled with partiers, then out to a narrow grassy yard where a multitude of children played. Inside the house, I heard the familiar sounds of musical instruments being tuned and someone goofing around on the piano. Maddie smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  “I’ve been alone a long time,” she said, finally coming to a stop at a stone bench beneath a blossoming tree. “But it wasn’t until yesterday that I ever truly felt lonely. It’s the kind of loneliness that leaves a cold, dark ache that being around one’s friends doesn’t ease.”

  “You and Bodhi’s father didn’t work out?” I asked, perplexed by how transient human relationships seemed to be.

  Maddie pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “Bodhi’s dad was here and gone in a blink. We thought we were in love at the time, but I learned as quick as I could say ‘I’m pregnant’ that it was all a lie. That’s how my dad was too. Neither Mom nor I ever expected we’d find real love, besides the love we have for Bodhi.

  “And I never really felt the need for it, either. Not until now. Now it’s like a piece of my soul got cut out, and I don’t think I’ll get it back unless I find someone. Do you understand?”

  I swallowed and started to nod, then shook my head and sat down beside her. “I don’t know. And I know it sounds ridiculous, but I wish I did understand. Because that would mean I had a soul to lose to someone.”

  “I can’t imagine what that must be like.” She gripped my hand and squeezed. “Well, we have the music to shore us up in the meantime. Maybe one of those boys you brought with you will help you forget what you’re missing for a while. I saw the pretty golden boy in there look at you like you were the sun in the sky.

  “I admit, I kind of hoped you’d show up and take away Bodhi’s loneliness. He’s worse off than I am. I thought you two shared a spark yesterday, but if you already have a man, I won’t encourage Bodhi to get between you.”

  I didn’t want to complicate the conversation by explaining what Rohan and I were to each other, though I honestly wasn’t quite sure myself. I knew what I wanted us to be, but I also knew I wanted that with Ozzie, despite his avoidance. I had once wanted it with Llyr too, but that had backfired.

  My experience with Bodhi so far had been a sweet, though brief connection through the song we’d shared in his grandmother’s hospital room. If I were honest with myself, he was better off not falling for me anyway.

  “He’ll find someone, I promise,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze. “Shall we go in and add our voices to that ruckus? I think it’ll keep the loneliness at bay if we sing for a while.”

  23

  Llyr

  I was an ass for storming out of there as butt-hurt as Ozzie had been when he’d left our meeting earlier that day, but I had to admit I understood exactly where he was coming from. Deva didn’t understand what she was dealing with. Granted, neither did any of us—we couldn’t even see the damn creatures—but she was being too reckless for my tastes.

  It was my job to rein her in. To protect her. That was what Neph had drilled into me before allowing me to begin my search. I had already endured his punishment and Nikhil’s wrath for daring to touch their daughter, who they believed was innocent and impressionable. But when I’d tasted her sweet nectar, I’d had a glimpse of the depths of her knowledge that not even our blood link gave me.

  As a satyr, I was tied to the water, and any fluid that contained water held power for me. Deva’s arousal had told me more about her than she would have been able to convey with mere words. It may have been her song that bound me to her, but her flavor had already set me on the path of no return.

  It was her generous nature that did me in. She had no soul to offer a lover, so she made up for it with kindness, love, and a boundless need to protect, but not smother. I wondered if she got those traits from her mothers, because her dads were mostly overbearing asses. People often gave what they most craved in return, and in Deva, I saw a woman so desperate for true love she opened her heart without thinking.

  That was why it hurt so much to see a different side of her. Pettiness didn’t look good on her, and I’d been rash to just turn and leave, but it stung because her reaction was not unwarranted. I’d been unfair—I’d been a complete ass to her mere moments after having my dick inside her—and therefore, I deserved her mistrust. I’d have to work to redeem myself.

  But as I started to drift back to Ozzie’s house, I stopped, my molecules hovering in the air in the Dylans’ upstairs bathroom where I’d retreated to. I couldn’t just leave, not when it was my duty to protect her, even if I was protecting her from herself.

  I let myself float on the air current flowing through the open window. It carried me back out into the hallway and down the stairwell, where I lingered above the crowd like a ghost, observing while Deva and Maddie sang with the guys providing accompaniment.

  I’d had the pleasure of hearing Fate’s Fools perform a few times in the past year. I regularly gravitated to their music like their songs were anthems for my captivity. I’d been lucky enough to hear both iterations of the band, and I could admit, at least inwardly, that I liked the variety Rohan and Keagan lent to the sound.

  Fate’s Fools was traditionally a turul band, but had unofficially become the poets laureate of all the higher races, and so it made sense for the band to be a mix. All they were missing was a nymphaea member and they’d perfectly represent all four races.

  Something about watching Deva make music with the others made me regret my tantrum even more. Her voice held the entire party captive. Even Maddie had stopped singing and dragged out a pair of conga drums to fill in the percussive void left by Ozzie’s absence.

  Deva was in her element, glowing with absolute delight at being able to exercise her power in a way that mattered. She had come into her own in my arms in a pool in the center of the Haven three weeks ago, sleek curves naked and on display, when she took command of her pleasure—and mine—to complete the ritual that would protect us all.

  But that moment was not the pinnacle of her power, and she knew that. Her awakening was only just beginning, and I didn’t care whether she never spoke to me again, so long as I got to see her bloom.

  But Gaia save me, I still wanted her, and I hoped that once she found what she needed with the others, she would still have room for me. Because watching her in the midst of the three men, I could see pieces of their shared futures. The four of them would not be parted long again after tonight. Whether that meant she’d choose them all for mates, or simply as partners in her quest, I couldn’t tell.

  All I knew was they couldn’t keep their eyes off her any more than I could.

  I didn’t need to be here—not w
ith the three of them so intently focused on her—but I couldn’t leave just yet.

  I waited for a pause in the revelry when they broke for drinks, then lingered outside the downstairs bathroom, coalescing into my human form in the shadows. When Keagan opened the door and saw me propped against the wall with my hands in my pockets, he smirked and crossed his arms.

  “Thought your ass was long gone by now. Where the fuck have you been hiding all night? Or did you just come slinking back to apologize for acting like a little pussy?”

  I narrowed my eyes, curious as to whether he had a death wish. He wasn’t the biggest ursa I’d faced—Cade Windchaser held that honor—but he was far from the smallest, and in his semi-drunken state looked like he might actually want to pick a fight just to blow off steam. I shook my head and chuckled.

  “I’m here for her. That’s all. But I don’t think my talents are best used on her at the moment.”

  Keagan leaned against the doorjamb and lifted one dark eyebrow. “Your talents, huh? You looking for an alternate outlet since Deva won’t give you the time of day after the shit you pulled? I’ve got an idea for you right here.” Dropping his hand, he gripped his crotch and squeezed. “Satyrs are as fluid as they come, and I’m at loose ends what with Deva hogging Rohan for herself and all. Come back in here and let’s see if we can put your talents to use.”

  I blinked at him and inhaled a calming breath. It didn’t take a taste of his essence to figure out he was jealous, but I was half tempted anyway just to see what I could learn. What the hell? Why not get to know him a little better since I was trusting him with Deva for the night?

  All it took was a look. When my powers took effect, Keagan’s gaze was glued to mine, hypnotized by the eddies within. Then with the preternatural grace and swiftness imbued in my race, I pushed him back into the bathroom and pressed against the counter in the span of a breath.

  “Not what I meant, but you’ve intrigued me,” I said, grabbing his jaw in both hands and pressing my mouth to his.

  He grunted at the invasion of my tongue, but didn’t protest. Instead he let out an almost pitiful whimper before hooking an arm around my shoulders and tilting his head to return the kiss. There was such desperation in it I could literally taste it beyond the flavor of hoppy beer and salted corn chips.

  Sadly, all I needed was that taste; it told me everything I needed to know, and I didn’t want to linger here when there were more constructive things I could be doing to help Deva’s cause.

  I pushed back and patted Keagan on the shoulder. “I have to run. I need you to make sure she’s taken care of tonight. Kept safe.”

  He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and blinked at me. “Why the fuck don’t you ask Ro? Or Bodhi? She’s got him wrapped around her little finger too. I’m the last person you should ask, because apparently I’m the only one of you fucks who doesn’t think the sun rises and sets out of that girl’s snatch.”

  Snorting, I shook my head. “You believe what you will, Keagan Sundance. You’re as much hers as any of us, whether you like it or not. But you’re the only one who won’t get distracted by her, at least not yet. Your time will come. Until then, just watch her, even if it hurts.”

  “It doesn’t . . .” He paused and grimaced at the lie he was about to tell, then said, “Fuck you, just fucking go. She’ll be safe enough as long as I’m here.”

  “Good. Maybe switch to water.”

  I kissed him again, more slowly this time while I infused his cells with a dose of moisture to combat the alcohol. Then I began the drift once more, hovering in the shadowy room for a moment longer before finding the River’s currents.

  Keagan let out a frustrated groan and threw his head back, staring at the ceiling. At length he took a deep breath and stood, steadier now than he’d been a few minutes ago, and headed back to the party.

  With a mere thought, I shot back to Ozzie’s house, intent on unearthing whatever secrets I could. I was dead-set on finding out what the bastard had done to her.

  24

  Deva

  The music proved to be a balm for all of us. Bodhi played piano as adeptly as he played guitar. Rohan’s loaned instrument was a sweet-sounding acoustic guitar he gently picked while crooning ballad after ballad to the enthralled crowd.

  Keagan accompanied them with a bass guitar Maddie handed him, urging him to be gentle with her. Keagan smirked and winked, replying, “You just listen to me while I make her purr,” earning him a blush and a scoff from Maddie.

  Maddie and I took turns joining in, and we sang until our voices were hoarse and the neighbors complained about the noise.

  By then we’d just ended yet another set of energetic songs, sweaty and elated. Rohan was in good spirits as he and Keagan jumped straight into another, quieter song, soaking up the adoration of the Dylans’ extended family and friends.

  I excused myself to look for a fresh cold drink and found the kitchen. The atmosphere was so filled with love and happiness, it was the closest thing I’d felt to home since I’d arrived in the human world.

  In fact, it was better, because somehow it felt like it was all mine. I knew that was ridiculous, but now that I was beyond the walls of that hospital, the sheer possibilities out here in the human world seemed endless, and I wanted so much to experience all I could.

  “Want to see something amazing?” Bodhi asked, popping the cap off a bottle of beer and handing it to me.

  “Absolutely!” I was so infused with excitement I didn’t want the night to end, even though I knew it couldn’t last forever.

  “C’mon.” He tilted his head as he opened a second beer, then led me up a set of narrow steps from the kitchen to the upper floors. We wound through the hallways of their family home until we came to a dark room, which Bodhi slipped into, beckoning for me to follow. It was pitch-black inside, and even though I had excellent night vision, I could hardly see a thing.

  I smacked into his back and nearly dropped my beer, but grabbed it just in time.

  “Sorry.” His breath rushed over my head and he moved, reaching around me. I stiffened at his closeness, blood rushing both north and south all at once. He smelled like salt and sage, and I had the strangest urge to taste him.

  There was a clicking sound, and then Bodhi cursed. “Light must’ve burnt out. That’s all right. We want it dark anyway.”

  “W-We do?” I stammered.

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice a gruff rumble as his hand found my hip. Below us, Rohan’s melodic voice mingled with Keagan’s in a duet that suited the two of them perfectly, but when Bodhi’s breath gusted across my cheek, all I could hear was my own pulse pounding in my ears.

  “Deva, I—” He swallowed, then raised a hand to my cheek, caressing me. “I promise I didn’t bring you up here for anything dirty. Hell, this isn’t why I brought you up here at all, but it’s easier to say this in the dark. I’m not trying to steal someone else’s girl. I just—I’m dying to fucking kiss you.”

  “Then kiss me,” I breathed, gripping the back of his head with my free hand and pulling him down until our lips met.

  Bodhi moaned and wrapped his arms around me, the cold, dewy glass of his beer bottle pressing against my arm as he deepened the kiss. He tasted of sweet malt and flowers, his tongue a bolt of cool velvet teasing between my lips. My entire body lit on fire, and I almost protested when he pulled away barely a moment later.

  “Goddamn,” he muttered. “Why can’t you be single?”

  “I’m not taken, if that’s what you mean.” I reached into the darkness, seeking him. He’d moved away, and I heard a soft curse followed by a crash. Impulsively I drew a measure of power through my limbs and produced a tiny orb of silver light. “Is this better?”

  He blinked back at me from a crouched position where he was pawing around to find a lamp he’d knocked down. “Wow, that’s pretty slick,” he said, staring at the light hovering above my palm.

  “It’s not much.” I shrugged, sure he didn’t grasp at
all how very unimpressive this little display of power really was compared to what I should be able to do.

  “Reminds me of why I really brought you up here.” He grinned, then righted the lamp and moved toward a set of heavy curtains on the far side of what I realized was a bedroom, though it looked disused with boxes stacked in one corner and sheets covering most of the furniture.

  He pushed the curtains aside, letting in the glow from the street through a pair of French doors. When he opened them, the music from below floated up, making me giddy with the memory of the last time I’d heard it—sang it.

  Bodhi stepped out onto a small balcony and leaned against the rail, looking down with his head bobbing slightly to the rhythm. He glanced back at me and smiled.

  “They’re playing our song.”

  “It’s their song, actually,” I said. When he frowned at me, I backtracked. “I only meant since they’re part of Fate’s Fools. It can be ours too. It is ours too.”

  I smiled and joined him, drawn by the memory of the two of us singing together the day before. My sense of melancholy was only enhanced by the recent revelation that the song had been written by my own father, probably inspired by the love he shared with Belah and their other two mates.

  “Are you crying?” Bodhi asked, his confusion replaced with concern as he reached for me.

  “I just . . . really love that song.”

  He pulled me into his arms. I rested between his legs, our hips flush against one another’s with his hands at my waist.

  “It’s beautiful, like you,” he said, brushing an errant tear from my cheek. His face was draped in shadow, but the glow of his aura illuminated him enough for me to see a dark flicker in his eyes.

  I stroked his cheek, grazing my fingertips over the soft stubble lining his jaw. For a split-second the light in his eyes overtook the darkness, but I knew it wouldn’t last—not while his soul carried those scars.