“You have no idea what a truly gifted creature you are, Ms. Rainsong,” he said. “She sounds perfect, so please let me pass so I can meet her in the flesh.”
I blinked at him and opened my mouth to speak, but couldn’t decide what to say. Turning back to look over my shoulder, I stared in the direction of the music coming from within the Diviner’s lair. It couldn’t be her, could it?
“I have the power to make you step aside, but would rather not use it,” Chaos said. “I am in your debt for this, chimera. And this gift is worth more than a simple favor in return. Tell me what you wish of me, and if it’s within my power, I will grant it.”
I jerked back around to stare at him. “Anything?” I asked, my heart pounding. “Can you find Ozzie for me?”
He frowned. “Your West Wind lover? I cannot find what isn’t lost, and he isn’t.”
“Yes he is!” I said, then realized too late that I’d asked for the wrong thing. I had another obligation to fulfill first. But he’d said more than a simple favor, so maybe I could ask for both. I plowed forward with my first request.
“We haven’t been able to find him using Llyr’s blood link or my hounds. If you can help us, I have to ask. But there’s something else I need your help with too.”
The singing grew louder and Chaos pursed his lips, glancing at the waterfall. With an impatient look, he shook his head. “Like I said, your turul isn’t lost. He’s hiding. I lack the power to break the spell he’s concealed by unless he asks for it to be broken.”
“Can you tell me where he is?”
“No,” he said, letting out an exasperated sigh. “But you have already begged a favor from the ones who can help you. Let them find him.”
“The Winds,” I said.
“Yes. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a date I don’t want to be late for. I’d invite you all to the wedding, but you may not survive it. Come find me later. You know where I live.”
With that, he leaned forward, gave me a peck on the cheek, and whispered, “Thanks again, chimera.” Then he dove through the waterfall and was gone.
“That’s one brave motherfucker,” Kyril said. “What the hell would he want with the Diviner?”
“I have a feeling she’s his mate,” I said, still dazed by the encounter, not to mention a little disappointed. I turned to Llyr and looked up into his eyes, struggling to swallow the tight ball of frustration and hurt in my throat. “Why would he hide?”
“I don’t know, but I promise we’ll do everything we can to find him. We’ll deal with Chaos when he’s in the frame of mind to help us with your other promise. Now is clearly not the time for that.”
He hooked an arm around me and hugged me to him, then glanced at the others. “Let’s head back to the palace. Zephyrus’ brothers should be here by now. They’re the ones we need to speak to if we’re going to find Ozzie.
* * *
My mind churned, conjuring all manner of possibilities for why Ozzie might have hidden behind a spell, but I couldn’t come up with anything that made sense. Fate had admitted it had sent him away, but couldn’t say where he’d gone. Once the curse was broken, Fate had lost the ability to track the turul and control their lives.
But before we’d left Fate’s presence, it had at least divulged one detail: Ozzie had been sent to the place that held his most bitter memories, just so Fate could torture him a little more for good measure. But if he’d been forced to endure more torture, why would he hide instead of asking for help?
None of it made any sense, and I was sick to my stomach by the time we made it to the palace again. The music, wine, and food surrounding me only irritated me further. I wanted to get out of here and find him.
The grand hall was empty, and we had to interrupt an orgy at the fountain outside to find out that the members of the Quorum had headed down to the beach for the bonfires. They’d said something about burning an effigy of Meri to celebrate her death and that the dragons in attendance would be setting the fires at sunset, which would be within the hour.
“We’ll drift,” Llyr said, nodding to his fellow Thiasoi. The three of them grabbed hold of my other mates, and a moment later, we appeared on the shore where we’d initially arrived. Down the beach, an enormous, elaborate wooden figure was being erected with the aid of dragons and turul lowering pieces of wood from the air.
I broke into a jog when I spied the men I needed to talk to. Aella was perched on one of their shoulders, and she saw me before her three lovers did. She waved and smiled, but her smile faded when I came closer and she tapped on the head of the big man beneath her. Boreas turned and nodded at me as his two brothers came to meet me.
“We’ve not had time to search for Ozzie yet,” Eurus said. “It’s been less than a day since we were admitted into the Quorum. It seemed prudent to participate in the festivities before asking for favors.”
“They’ll help you now, though, won’t you?” Aella said, gripping Boreas by the forehead and forcing him to tilt his head back to look up at her. “What do you need to do?”
“We need our brother, and we need a Dionarch,” Boreas said, “both of whom are nearby.” He raised his thick arms and grabbed Aella around the waist, lifting her off his shoulders and setting her down in the sand beside him. “Stay here, my love. We will return shortly.”
The three men jogged toward a gazebo in the shade of the forest. I shaded my eyes to follow their path. Neph and Nyx were seated within, holding court. The rest of the beach was covered with gauzy tents and pillow-strewn carpets, as well as a multitude of fire pits filled with roasting meat and tables upon tables of sweets and fruit and other treats.
As with the rest of the Haven, orgies continued around us. My primal soul responded to the scent of sex and food and music, but the bigger ache was for Ozzie, and now that I’d completed my quest to find Chaos’ mate, I didn’t think I could stand waiting any longer to find him.
I wished I’d followed the Winds, but a moment later, a small group approached and all four Thiasoi, including Llyr, dropped to their knees beside me.
“Who is that?” Aella whispered, nodding toward the enormous horned god approaching us along with three burly ursa men and a beautiful brown-haired woman.
“My aunt Numa and her mates,” I said.
“I meant the big guy. He’s even bigger than my boys. Impressive.”
“Oh, that’s just Dionysus,” I said, waving dismissively. I hoped like hell they’d come bearing good news.
Dionysus stopped and gestured for the men to rise, then looked at me. “Both Nyx and Neph are creating a temporal tunnel for the Winds to seek your missing mate. If he’s out there, they will find him soon. In the meantime, please join us for the lighting of the fires.”
At Llyr’s urging, I fell into step behind the god. Aella slipped her hand into mine and squeezed.
“They will find him,” she said as we were led to a canopy-covered rug on a sand dune overlooking the wooden effigy. We sat, and several nymphs brought us filled goblets and plates of food, which my mates eagerly accepted.
Bodhi settled beside me and held a chocolate in front of my face. “You aren’t done with these yet, angel. I can tell you’re hanging on by a thread already. Eat and let our friends do their thing.” He tilted his head to indicate the gazebo.
Within the shadows, all I could see was a shimmering blue sphere that both Nyx and Neph stood at the very edge of, hands held wide. A cloud of swirling magic and lightning crackled within, like they’d somehow captured the hurricane from the day before.
As I watched, Neph looked up and caught my eye. He gave me a slight nod and a smile. I smiled back and mouthed a “thank you” to him. Then he returned his attention to the spell he and Nyx were in the midst of, and I turned my attention back toward the ocean.
I nodded to Bodhi and opened my mouth, allowing him to begin feeding me, too overcome with worry to manage it myself.
The waiting was the worst part, but Aella never left my side, and when the drag
ons flew overhead breathing fire down on the wooden statue, Bodhi asked for an instrument. Aella requested one of her own, and the two began to play. Before long, I was caught up in the revelry, singing with Aella and my mates as nymphs, dragons, turul, and ursa danced around the bonfire.
* * *
I woke to a soft nudge some time later, unaware until that moment I’d even fallen asleep, and opened my eyes to see Aella hovering over me. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, looking around at the slumbering bodies strewn in the red glow of the embers just down the beach.
“What happened?” I asked. “Did they find him?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “They found someone, but they need you to come.”
My mates weren’t among the sleeping bodies, I realized, so I let Aella lead me toward the gazebo where several figures stood in the lantern light. Some of the men were arguing, Llyr’s deep, rumbling voice volleying with another. The second voice made me break into a run up the dune toward the gazebo.
“Ozzie!” I yelled, breathless when I reached the steps. I bounded up them, pushing past Rohan and Keagan, only dimly aware of their shocked and weary expressions.
Keagan grabbed me by the arms and held me back. “Not so fast, princess. We’ve got some shit to figure out.”
“Bullshit!” I said, wrenching out of his grasp and turning toward the figure who stood scowling at the group from the other side of the gazebo.
“Ozzie! I know what you did for me. It wasn’t your fault. I remember everything!” Tears streamed down my face as I threw myself at him, only to have him catch me by the shoulders and hold me at arm’s length.
“Honey, like I said a dozen times to these assholes already, I don’t know who the fuck any of you are, I don’t know what Fate’s Fools is, and I’ve never in my life met a girl named Deva Rainsong, much less pledged my love to her. There’s no such thing as goddamned soul mates, and if there were, I’m pretty sure mine wouldn’t be any of you.”
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Nobody’s Fool
Fate’s Fools Book Five
Trigger Warning
Dear Reader,
This novel depicts scenes of graphic sexual assault and violence. Discretion is advised.
1
Ozzie
Being sucked into an alternate reality might have ruined my mood, if I hadn’t already been in a foul one to start with. Hell, the last couple years of my life had been one extended bad mood, so it wasn’t like it could have gotten worse. But now I was just confused, so really, that was an improvement.
As I stared around at the collection of frowning, accusatory faces, I got the distinct impression I’d done something wrong. Except I didn’t know these people, so what the fuck could I have ever done to them?
We were at an impasse, and the enormous satyr staring me down wasn’t about to budge. I was half irritated by the way they’d caged me in, half astounded by this man’s very existence. Satyrs had been extinct for thousands of years, save for one deposed Dionarch.
Yet four of the angry, half-naked men surrounding me were satyrs. Another had the over-muscled bearded bearing of an ursa, and another the clean, smooth-skinned grace and golden eyes that could only belong to a dragon.
Something really fucking weird was happening, and it had only started with that sudden vertigo, followed by me hurtling through what felt like a fucking hurricane and landing here.
Wherever here was.
I was inside what looked like a gazebo, and it was night. Somewhere nearby, the ocean purred and a pleasant breeze wafted through, carrying the scent of smoke, salt, wine, and sex.
I considered fighting my way past the wall of bodies, but almost all the men were bigger than me. Even the woman among them didn’t exactly look like a weak link. She looked like a nymph, and a very judgy one at that.
Somewhere out in the darkness, I heard my name and snapped my head toward the sound. The big satyr trying to convince me we were friends turned too, face blanching.
“Ozzie!”
It was a woman, her voice accompanied by footsteps rushing toward me from down the beach. The big ursa cursed, breaking ranks in time to grab her as she tried to push through.
“Not so fast, princess. We’ve got some shit to figure out,” he said, shooting a glance at me.
“Bullshit!” she snapped. She tore herself out of his grip, but the pause had given me the chance to take in her wild beauty. She didn’t look like a nymph, but she was dressed like one in a gauzy blue sarong that contrasted with her smooth, brown skin. Her black hair was a wild mess, and her eyes . . . Holy fuck, I’d never seen eyes like hers among all the higher races.
Her multi-colored irises flashed with inner fire at the ursa, then turned to me, instantly welling with tears.
“Ozzie! I know what you did for me. It wasn’t your fault. I remember everything!”
I fucking wished I had the answers these people seemed to want from me, because seeing this woman cry broke my shriveled heart. But before she could throw herself into my arms, I caught her. Better she not get her hopes up.
I held her shoulders tightly and rallied for the truth. “Honey, like I said a dozen times already to these assholes, I don’t know who the fuck any of you are, I don’t know what Fate’s Fools is, and I’ve never in my life met a girl named Deva Rainsong, much less pledged my love to her. There’s no such thing as goddamned soul mates, and if there were, I’m pretty sure mine wouldn’t be any of you.”
She blinked up at me, open-mouthed. Then she pulled away and closed her eyes. Sniffling, she nodded, and when she looked at me again, some of the fire had gone out of her gaze.
I winced; hurting this woman seemed like the worst offense I could have committed—worse than the bruises I’d left on my captors from the few punches I’d managed to land on them earlier.
They didn’t want to hurt me, but here I was hurting her without even meaning to. I took a half step toward her.
“I’m sorry . . . If you guys could explain things, maybe this would all make a little more sense.”
She shook her head, sinking back against the big satyr, who had stepped close and wrapped his arms around her.
“He doesn’t even remember me,” she whispered.
“The Maestro doesn’t remember any of us,” the satyr said, “but he’s back, and we can work with that.”
I gritted my teeth. “Hate to burst your bubble, but I’m not back from anywhere. You guys have basically kidnapped me from my perfectly normal life, and I hope you’ve got a good fucking explanation. Who’s going to start?”
“Your life was a lie,” the judgy nymph said. “We’ve retrieved you from a prison crafted by Fate and your own bitter memories.”
“Is that so?” I sneered around a smirk. “I’ll admit to preferring to lie to myself most days just to get out of bed, but that life was as real as rain. Fate’s just a goddamn construct, and my bitter memories are all I have.”
“Fate’s the bitter one,” the new girl said—Deva, I guessed. My gaze fell on her again. She’d stopped crying and now stared at me warily from the satyr’s arms. “It must have wanted to torture you for what you did, so it sent you away. But I don’t understand why it would have made you forget.”
I couldn’t help but let my eyes drift down her curves again. She was magnetic, but then so was the man who held her. Something told me that I should know these two, even if none of the others rang any bells for me.
The other woman spoke up again. “You are Ozzie West, are you not? Grandson of Sophia North, cousin to Lukas, Iszak, and Evie?”
“Yeah, that’s me,” I said. They were mostly right; I was cousins to the Norths, but Evie North had been dead for more than five decades.
I tore my eyes away from Deva to cast a cautious glance toward the nymph, but avoided meeting her gaze. She wore a silken gown the color of the deepest ocean. Despite her sexy curves, she was a little scary, honestly, with two more big satyrs flanking her.
Nymphs could sl
ip into your bed at night and steal your minds if you weren’t careful, and you definitely never looked directly into their eyes. Sure, they’d fuck your brains out first, but you’d never be the same again.
She didn’t look malicious, though, nor did she possess that glint of mania I’d seen in the eyes of the nymphs I’d come into contact with. They were all insane—a generally accepted fact among the higher races. Nymphs were crazy, dragons were bootlickers, ursa were recluses, and turul were filthy beggars . . . mostly. Some of us still tried to hang onto our honor and our music, but we had very little to live for outside of our creative talent and our liquor.
“Are you also the Ozzie West who hosted a demigod a year ago in order to help the higher races win the war in the Haven?”
My brows shot up. “No . . . I’d remember that.”
The woman frowned and turned toward one of the men on the sidelines. He was lanky with dark hair and a graying goatee, and he’d been staring at me the entire time.
My skin itched from all the onlookers, and I wished they’d just let me go or send me back, but the truth was this was the most excitement I’d had in ages. And anyway, my life wasn’t so great that I was in a hurry to get back to it.
“Either he’s learned how to hide his lies, or he really has no memory of it,” the man said.
“And who the fuck are you?” I snapped. I was ready for some fucking answers instead of them all talking around me.
“I’m the demigod you hosted,” he said. “You’re my namesake, Ozzie West. I’m Zephyrus, the West Wind.”
He stepped closer, his sky-blue eyes an eerie mirror of my own.
“I call bullshit,” I said. “The Winds have no real power. They don’t even have bodies, thanks to Ouranos’ curse.”
“You mean Fate’s curse,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
Fate's Fools Box Set Page 101