Page 50 of Fool's Bargain

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I didn’t counton Fate literally teleporting us to Deva’s house a moment later.

A chorus of surprised curses greeted us, all the faces wide-eyed with shock before melting into amusement as they took us in.

Deva sat in the midst of her men, mouth agape and her hair tied up with an enormous red bow. She wore a bulky sweater on which was embroidered a goofy-looking dragon wearing a Santa hat and carrying a gift.

“Zar...” Bodhi said in a choked voice. He was in an equally ridiculous sweater and Santa hat. He eyed me for a second before averting his gaze. “Ah, this might’ve been a fun gift when we were together, but it’s a little inappropriate now, don’t you think?”

My entire body heated with mortification. While the drift itself left me feeling clean, with the scent of sex only a dim memory, all five of us were still buck naked.

“Jesus!” I shot a glare at Fate, who had appeared at my side in a flowing robe crafted of luminescent threads that floated around it in a cloud. “You could’ve taken us home to get dressed first!”

“Time is of the essence,” it said, then belatedly frowned as it took in the startled people whose home we had just invaded. “Apologies.” It stepped beyond the ring of Deva and her mates to stand beside an enormous evergreen that reached clear to the vaulted ceiling above. What appeared to be feathered wings perched at the top but were definitely not angelic, based on their color.

“I’ve got you guys,” Rohan said, hopping up with a gleeful grin. “Time for some Christmas spirit!” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them, giving us all a once-over and taking his time about it before letting loose a lungful of shimmering golden smoke.

We’d landed in the center of a spacious living room in a large, open-plan house atop high bluffs that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. The view revealed we were somewhere in Malibu, and this was clearly Deva’s home, where she’d just been in the middle of celebrating Christmas morning with her mates. The smoke surrounded us, clouding the view for a few seconds as it draped around my shoulders and slid down my body like soft silk, tightening and growing more solid as it went.

Deva and her other mates were all standing by the time Rohan finished his conjuring magic, something I was seriously in awe of, at least until I caught sight of the monstrosities he’d created for all of us to wear. As if the hideous sweaters weren’t enough, Theo, Dorian, and Kyril were all in tight green leggings and green booties with toes that coiled into curling points at the tips. My and Ione’s legs were covered in candy-cane-striped tights and matching red booties with curling toes.

“That’s better,” Rohan said.

“The fuck it is!” I shot back, horrified until I heard the laughter. They wereallin similar garb. When my gaze landed on our supernatural escort, my ire dissolved completely.

Fate stood beside the Christmas tree, its placid expression replaced by stark shock that put my own to shame. Atop the glowing purple robes, it now wore a crown of holly and a heavy green velvet robe trimmed in white fur.

“Father Christmas has arrived,” Bodhi said. “Though I’m not sure if I want the kinds of gifts this guy brings.”

“I’m so sorry for the interruption,” I said. “When Fate said we were coming here, I didn’t think it meantnow.”

Bodhi’s expression softened when he looked at me. “Zar, I tried to get you to come to family holiday get-togethers for two years. You don’t have to apologize for finally doing it, even if I’m not the reason you came. Besides, if those four are really with you, that kind of makes us family now.”

“She is notwiththem,” Fate said, apparently over its new costume and ready to get down to business. I bristled at the interference.

“Can younotruin this beautiful day by trying to destroy my life just yet? It’s my first family Christmas. Let me enjoy it. You should too because I’m willing to bet that you’re as bad as I am and have never even tried to spend quality time with the people who love you.”

Fate scowled at me, then shot a look at Deva, its expression shifting to something more like pride and awe and hope, which looked completely incongruous given its otherwise haughty demeanor.

Deva gave the creature a warm smile. “You are more than welcome to stay,nagyszeru.”

Fate looked bewildered for a second, its gaze darting between Ozzie, who stood at Deva’s side, and Deva herself. “Where did you come up with that name?”

“Wearefamily,” Deva said. “But you are not quite grandmother nor grandfather—you’re both to me. Ozzie helped me find the word that seemed most appropriate.”

“What does it mean?” I asked.

“Grand one, effectively,” Ozzie said with a small shrug. “Simple.”

Fate’s eyebrows scrunched together and I got the sense it had been struck speechless for the first time in its life, however long that was. Deva held her hands out and the series of little bells sewn to her sleeves jingled.

“Come sit with us. The hounds would love to see you.”

Fate followed mutely, but rather than sit on the sofa where Deva indicated, its gaze fixed on a point to the side, eyes lighting up with joy. It crouched and reached out both hands as if beckoning to a pet. I saw nothing in front of it until its hand arced through the air in front of it and a hound’s contours shimmered into being. I gasped.

“I forgot they’re invisible to everyone else most of the time,” Bodhi said.

I just watched as Fate sat cross-legged amid a cascade of green velvet and fur with four shimmering beasts falling over themselves in excitement to see it. Its threats to take two of my lovers away made no sense in the presence of such compassion and love.

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