Fate's Fools Box Set

by Bell, Ophelia

When Keagan finally broke in with the song again and the other two started playing, Deva took a second to catch her breath, her gaze fixed on mine. “I do see you,” she said. “Not him. Not when the music is playing.”

  Before I could respond, she’d slipped away, trotting to the front of the stage again where she hooked an arm around Keagan’s neck and laid a passionate kiss on him, then bestowing the same on the other two. She moved back to the center, stealing the spotlight from Keagan, who happily shrank back while throwing a cocky glance my way.

  The kisses felt like a claiming, a public marking to tell the crowd we were hers, and though I still didn’t have a true mark, it shattered whatever lingering disappointment I felt about being kept at arm’s length for so long.

  We played on for another hour before Deva announced we were taking a break and that anyone who wanted could join us at the bar. Keagan shot me a worried glance, but she was off the stage before we could warn her to be careful. Not that she’d be harmed—the crowd clearly loved her—but the rest of us had all been to at least a few concerts, and we weren’t strangers to how enthusiastic fans could be.

  By the time the four of us made it to her, she’d already been mobbed by the crowd, but she was laughing as she fended off adoring embraces and questions coming at her from all sides. I stepped in front, pushing people back as gently, yet insistently as I could and assuring them they could all meet her if they were patient.

  “It’s all right!” she said, slipping in front of me again and embracing a wide-eyed young woman holding out a worn T-shirt and a marker for Deva to sign it with. She gave the autograph and moved on, finally reaching the bar, where she climbed up onto the barstool and hopped onto her feet high above the crowd.

  “Everyone! I’ve only got two hands and I promise we are here all night, even if the storm blows out before then. I promise to talk personally to each and every one of you, but the best way to catch my attention is wait until I’m back up there.” She pointed at the stage, then slipped back down to sit on the barstool, beaming at Pete as he set a tall glass of ice water in front of her.

  The crowd jostled again, but eased back as the stereo kicked on, more Fate’s Fools music spilling through the speakers.

  I finally relaxed and started to move to the empty stool between Deva and Nadia when a lanky, black-haired man with glinting blue eyes shoved in front of me. My first thought was Deva’s welfare and I moved to slip around him, but he let out a snarl and grabbed my collar before I could.

  “You ruined my life, you son of a bitch!” he yelled as he swung his fist at my face.

  18

  Deva

  The unexpected smack of flesh on flesh made me turn just in time to see a strange man throw a punch at Llyr’s face. Llyr dodged him easily, the man’s fist connecting with his palm instead, and before the man could swing again, Keagan had his arms twisted behind his back and his face smashed into the bar about an inch from Nadia’s drink.

  “Think twice before trying that again, asshole,” Keagan said. “Care to explain yourself?”

  “He knows what he fucking did,” the man said. “As if Fate didn’t already hate us as a race, now the one thing we had going for us is gone.”

  Nadia’s mouth dropped open, but she didn’t move. Her brows lifted and she tilted her head, smiling. “Well, hello there,” she said, offering her hand to him. “I’m Nadia.”

  The man twisted his head beneath Keagan’s grip, grunting and blinking up at her. As if blown away by a strong wind, the wild red rage in his aura cleared, replaced by the easy purple of curiosity tinged with carnal interest. His body relaxed as well and he took her hand, pulling it to his lips and kissing her knuckles, his cheek still flush against the bar.

  “Neal Estes. And what a lovely creature you are.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” Nadia said, reaching out and nudging Keagan’s shoulder. “Let him up.”

  “Not until he shares why he just threw a punch at Llyr.”

  I cursed, hoping nobody heard the slip, but the murmurs of the onlookers told me I had no such luck.

  “Llyr?” Neal asked, twisting his head beneath Keagan’s hand to look at Llyr, who stood there affecting Ozzie’s trademark scowl. “You mean Ozzie, right?” He glanced at Nadia again, who shrugged.

  “Shh,” Nadia said, winking at him.

  “I think that bird’s flown the coop,” Pete said, shaking his head.

  “Fuck.” Keagan gave me an apologetic look and released Neal’s head, yanking him back up by the shirt collar and brushing off his shoulders.

  Neal rubbed his jaw and turned, staring at Llyr with narrowed eyes.

  The circle of fans around us were all murmuring in confusion.

  “Don’t tell Milo!” Nadia called out to the group, then waved a hand at Llyr. “Might as well show them now. We’re all friends here.”

  With a heavy sigh, Llyr let his features flow back into his own shape, his body growing in size, his skin tone deepening, and his tawny hair turning to the shining black cascade I knew was as soft as silk. My heart fluttered at the sight, though I missed seeing Ozzie. Looking at Llyr always gave me comfort despite any confusion his blood-meld with Ozzie caused, though at the moment, almost none of that confusion remained.

  “By the fucking Winds,” Neal said. “Trust that I know better than to pick a fight with a satyr. You guys are supposed to be extinct.”

  “The last of us were prisoners of the Ultiori, but we’re free now,” Llyr said. “But my story isn’t on the table. What’s your issue with Ozzie West?”

  “My issue?” Neal asked, glancing around at us with his mouth open. “Half the turul race has an issue with him for breaking the curse. We’re fucking lost.”

  He glanced at Nadia, his gaze lingering on her, and for a moment he actually did seem to get lost. She smiled back, lifting her glass to him and taking a flirty sip of her drink.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Boots sidling up beside them between the legs of observers, his tail wagging and his gaze darting back and forth between the pair. Curious, I shifted my focus to see through the hound’s eyes, but could glean no more than a sense of self-satisfaction, as if its intentions had come to fruition.

  “Clever pup,” I whispered, earning me a look from Rohan, who turned his gaze in the same direction. He laughed.

  “So you’re saying you liked being cursed?” Keagan asked. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  With some effort, Neal tore his gaze away from Nadia. “Yeah, because at least there was a goddamn guarantee. Now we have nothing.”

  “You have a fucking choice,” Keagan said.

  “What if we don’t want a choice?” someone new called out from the crowd. We collectively turned to see a woman with almond-shaped eyes and long, dark hair push her way through, an irritated expression on her face. I shifted my sight to look at her soul, which was distinctly not bloodline. She was a turul. “Ozzie fucked up our tie to our Ones. How do we find our mates now?”

  Keagan stared at her. “You get to pick who you want. How fucking hard is that?”

  “Hard for those of us who counted on simply knowing,” Neal said, though his argument lacked the emphasis his friend’s had. He seemed far more interested in Nadia than the discussion at hand, and I was fairly certain it was partially thanks to my hound somehow orchestrating this little meeting between them.

  The turul woman started to add to the argument, but I held up a hand, stalling her. “Listen, it wasn’t Ozzie’s fault. I’m the one responsible. In fact, something happened when the curse was broken. Fate sent Ozzie somewhere, and we don’t know where.” I took a deep breath to steady myself. “I think he’s being punished for what I did, and I’m sure if he could be here to answer for it, he would be. But he isn’t. So whatever fight you were hoping for, it’s mine, not his.”

  “It’s ours,” Bodhi interjected, stepping up alongside me and staring at the crowd in challenge. “We were all there the moment the curse was broken. The
entire band had a part in it.”

  Everyone murmured with interest except for the turul woman, who looked confused, then resigned. Her shoulders fell and she shook her head. “I don’t know how to go on without having that goal. For the last three centuries, finding my One was all that kept me going.”

  “Well, now you can take your pick,” Bodhi said, waving at the room. Several attractive men murmured their agreement and the woman frowned. “Hell, take five,” Bodhi added. The reaction was a little less enthusiastic from the men, but the turul woman’s eyes brightened.

  Mentally, I projected a new desire to the hounds to go crazy with the match-ups in the room tonight where they could. They seemed to have done well by Nadia, who was already the sole focus of Neal’s attention, her hand resting atop his as they chatted and laughed.

  “Is that even possible?” the turul woman asked. “I want to know it’s real. How do I know it’s meant to be?”

  “Your magic still works, doesn’t it?” I asked. “I was never on Fate’s radar, yet my music still spoke to these men and they answered me when I sang. Just have faith in your magic, and if you need a little help, I’ll be back up on stage in a little bit to add my own to the mix.”

  And to make sure the hounds had a sufficient push with Agnes. If I could end the night with the entire room filled with mated souls, I’d know it was worth it.

  She seemed a little uncertain until an attractive man with short brown hair and glasses said, “Can I buy you a drink?” Several others clamored with the same offer. Flustered, she nodded, and a moment later was seated at a table surrounded by male members of the bloodline. One of the hounds sat dutifully nearby as if chaperoning the date.

  “No wonder Fate was worried you’d take over,” Llyr said. “This could be your true calling.”

  “I still don’t really know what I’m doing,” I said. “I just know I want them all to be happy. The hounds seem to be pretty good at sniffing out the matches.” I just wished they were as good at finding the one love I was missing.

  Llyr touched my arm gently. “We’ll find him.”

  I took his hand and squeezed. “We have to. I’m not sure I can do this without him. Not long-term. This room is only a small piece of the bloodline. There are millions out there, and more being born every day. I’m going to need true turul power to protect them all.”

  As if in answer, lightning flashed beyond the high, narrow windows of the club and a crack of thunder rumbled overhead. The crowd hushed, and the clang of a door being slammed open echoed in the silence followed by a wet, chilly wind tearing through the room.

  Heads turned, and my skin prickled with anticipation as I looked toward the club’s entrance. One of the bouncers pushed the door shut behind the figure who’d entered wearing a bright yellow slicker with water still dripping off. The person shook off a disfigured umbrella and dropped the misshapen object to the floor in disgust, then pushed back the hood of their raincoat.

  A collective, anticlimactic sigh replaced the wind as Callie’s face came into view, looking startled by all the attention. My own pulse took a little longer to settle back to normal when a deep, rumbling curse rose from the bar.

  “Fucking beautiful,” Pete said. He seemed frozen in place, oblivious to the customers trying to catch his attention to order drinks. One of the waitresses slipped behind the bar to take over, shaking her head at the big man. His attention remained on Callie, who shrugged out of her raincoat, nodding and shooting a lovely smile at the man who took the wet garment before she made her way down the steps and toward the bar.

  Rohan waved her over, and her eyes lit up when she saw him. I watched Pete for a moment, amused at the way his head swiveled, following her passage through the crowd. It seemed I would keep my promise to both him and Nadia, and in a matter of hours, rather than days.

  When she reached us I stood, offering her my seat after hugging her.

  “Did I miss the show?” she asked. “I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier. Getting across town in this mess was a nightmare. Did you know they called an evacuation? The weather service has no idea what the hell is going on out there. This storm wasn’t even on the radar yesterday.”

  “No, we’re here for the long haul. Planning to play all night,” I said, forcing a bright tone despite my apprehension about what she might know having just made her way through all that weather. “When you were out there, did you get any sense of the magic flying around? It isn’t just me, is it?”

  My expectant tone caught her attention and she fixed her gaze on me, studying me for a moment. “You’re hoping it’s related to him, aren’t you?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Deva, but no. It’s definitely strong magic—too strong to belong to any normal turul. If I had to guess, there’s something bigger going on out there that I don’t think we want to get tangled up in. It’s safer on the ground right now.”

  “Stronger than Ozzie West?” Neal asked, picking up on our conversation. “That’d take one of the four Winds. But I heard Ozzie spent time in the realm of the gods last year. You don’t go there without coming out stronger.”

  Callie settled on the barstool, graciously thanking Pete for the aromatic cocktail he’d set in front of her without her even asking for it. The bartender looked flustered, yet pleased by her gratitude and seemed to hang on her every word, though she was speaking to me.

  “Not Ozzie West. And if I had to guess, it’s all four Winds out there right now having a knock-down, drag-out fight with each other. It’s that crazy.”

  She wrapped her lips around the end of the straw in her drink and sucked. Across the bar, Pete seemed in a state of suspended animation, waiting for her verdict, though she hadn’t yet been introduced to him.

  Callie’s brows drew together and she hummed in appreciation, the orange, fruity-looking concoction flowing up the clear straw into her mouth. “Sweet Mother, this is amazing!” she said, finally looking straight at Pete. “You, sir, are a culinary genius. Can I have this recipe?”

  Pete beamed at her and the pair fell into conversation, forgetting about the rest of us. I turned back to Llyr and the other guys, gesturing for them to follow me. We retreated backstage, my stomach churning with the question on my mind.

  “Do you think they’d know how to find him?”

  “I don’t think they’re in the right frame of mind for us to ask, considering what it sounds like out there right now. And nobody but Ozzie or one of the Norths would have the power to endure trying to ask them, either,” Rohan said.

  “I can do it,” Llyr said, earning a shocked look from the other guys.

  “No!” I said. “You just heard what he said. It’s too dangerous!”

  “Yes, I heard what he said. But I’m blood-melded to Ozzie, which means I have his power. Let me do this for you, Deva.”

  “This is crazy,” I said. “We can wait until the storm dies and find them afterward. Zephyrus knows me. He’ll help if he can.”

  “You want to wait until Callie’s magic wears off and you’re too overcome by the fever again to function?” Llyr scoffed. “I’ll make them fucking listen. Whatever it is they’re fighting about can wait.”

  “Let me go with you,” someone said from behind us. I glanced up to see Neal with Nadia beside him, their hands entwined. She looked worried, but impressed. “I’m not as strong as Ozzie—er, Llyr—but together, the pair of us have a better chance getting through to them.”

  “Does someone want to explain exactly what these guys are talking about doing? Who exactly is out there?” Nadia asked.

  “Yeah, I’m kind of curious too,” Bodhi said. “What are you guys diving into?”

  “The Four Winds,” Rohan said, “who are effectively gods to all us lowly higher races. I wouldn’t fuck with them any more than I’d challenge the Mother Dragon herself. As elemental powers go, they can tear you to pieces.”

  “They’re demigods,” I said. “Sons of Fate. But Rohan’s right. Don’t do this for my sake.”

  “
This might be our only chance at grabbing the attention of all four at once,” Llyr said. “The Winds hear everything. There is no secret that escapes their ears. But tracking them down individually, much less getting them in a room together, is too difficult and dangerous to make it worthwhile. And yes, Zephyrus knows you and is easy to find, now that he’s mated to your aunt, but he is only one of the four—one quarter of the power we’d be able to tap into, compared to getting all four to agree to help.”

  “I’m with Deva,” Keagan said. “After seeing Neal’s response to the whole curse-breaking thing, who’s to say we didn’t piss them off somehow too? Maybe that’s why they’re out there wailing around this club.”

  “If they wanted in badly enough, they could get in,” Llyr said. “I think something else has them at odds.”

  “They’re known to butt heads. Our race’s origins are just a little dysfunctional, in case you missed that history lesson,” Neal said. “Ever since Ouranos . . . ” He grimaced and shrugged, looking embarrassed.

  “We just need a few minutes to catch their attention,” Llyr said. “Distract them long enough to plead our case.”

  “I’m going out there with you,” I said, earning a soft curse from Keagan. “What?” I shot him a look. “I’m not letting him go alone. I have power I can use to protect him, if needed.”

  “You don’t have the power to control the wind, especially not the Winds,” Keagan said.

  When I crossed my arms and stared him down, he narrowed his eyes. “Fucking hell, Deva, fine. Then I’m going too.”

  “Then we’re all going,” Bodhi said, “Because fuck if I’m letting you guys out of my sight with that shit happening outside.”

  “You don’t have to come,” I said to Nadia.

  “The fuck I don’t! I just met this guy, and now I have a chance to see him work his magic. I’m not missing that.”

  Neal cast a crooked smile her way. “There are safer ways to experience that, you know.”

  Nadia shrugged. “And I expect the full experience later. You’re not leaving my sight until it happens, though, got it? I need to know if this soul mate thing is real.”