Twisted Karma Read online

  Fate said nothing. She was right. Karma had crippled him in more ways than one. He couldn’t See or control the Future. He’d never feared anything before. Karma’s curse had been for him to earn his deity status back. He had no idea how long it’d take – or how long the worlds would survive. The deities abided by three bonds: mates-blood-fate. The true meaning of the trifecta was debatable, but it was universally accepted all three had to exist.

  And right now, the deity Fate did not exist. The humanized version of him did, but he possessed no power over the Future.

  “That is my true balancing,” he whispered, frustrated. “Being sidelined while the world barrels towards disaster and those I love are caught in the middle.”

  “There are no such things as coincidences,” Deidre teased. “Weren’t you the one who taught me that?”

  “I want to believe that. Sometimes I think humans are far braver than any of us deities have ever been or could possibly be,” he mused. “How can you wake up not knowing if you live or die-dead that day? Or if the people you care about will see the sunset?”

  “It is difficult,” Deidre agreed. “They are rewarded for it by being able to experience the world in a way a deity can’t.”

  “It’s still madness,” he said. “They feel hunger, thirst, and fatigue. They feel pain so deep, it takes their breath away and consumes them.”

  “They feel love, too. I understood affection as a goddess but not love.”

  “I don’t know the tradeoff is worth it,” he replied wryly. “Not if I spend my life in misery.”

  “You know that’s not true. You’d give up everything for the woman you love.”

  Fate nodded, throat tight and chest feeling as if it were being squeezed in a vice. He had underestimated the strength of a mating bond and what it meant to be torn away from his mate. He’d lived half an eternity, but no amount of time had seemed as long as the weeks stretching between when he’d last seen Stephanie and this moment.

  “You’ll see her again,” Deidre reassured him. “Gabe is working on convincing everyone with a contract on you to reconsider. They just need to be forcefully reminded killing Fate is going to disrupt the balance among the worlds. He owes you his life as well as mine. You saved the Underworld. That’s why the trees wave at you.”

  “I’ve never been one to turn down a favor and very rarely grant one. I’d grant a million for five minutes with my mate,” he admitted.

  “That’s another reason you’re better off down here. Gabe’s down to the last few contracts. Once he has those cleared up, you can leave,” she said.

  “Is Wynn one of those?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll be down here until my power returns, and I can negotiate with him,” Fate said. “It’s payback for you and I murdering him.” And for claiming his daughter. Fate kept this to himself. He suspected this had been the greater of his two crimes. Wynn had planned to torture him originally in the hopes Fate coughed up a favor to free himself. Wynn’s mind had changed to murder upon learning the identity of Stephanie’s mate. It was a warning to stay away, which Fate never would.

  “We both know that had to be done,” she said firmly. “Of all the things I regret, murdering Wynn isn’t one of them.”

  “We didn’t stop him, because someone made a deal to bring him back.” He lifted his eyebrows at her.

  “It’s part of the game. You know that,” Deidre replied with a smile. “You’ve betrayed me a great many times as well. Besides, you will never convince me you didn’t See this coming in some form.”

  Fate had witnessed this chain-of-event and feared it for as long as his sister had existed. In what ways he could, he’d tried to prevent it. But as he’d learned about his own mate, it was impossible to prevent mates from finding one another. The deity code was as much a vague set of laws as it was a warning to anyone who attempted to interfere in the three bonds.

  Not even Fate could prevent pre-ordained mates from meeting.

  “He’s weaker again but no less ambitious,” he said. “Neither of us is in a position to stop him, if his madness returns.”

  “But someone else is.” Deidre’s gaze was steady. “Or dare I say, there are two people who can?”

  Fate was silent, agitated by the reminder.

  “Stephanie has a good shot,” Deidre continued. “So does your sister.”

  “I played my hand too openly, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah. You’ve never done anything for anyone else’s benefits but yours. Except when you exiled your sister to my dungeon and again when you all but declared war on Wynn long before your mate was in the picture.”

  “I’m not surprised you figured it out. Does the big guy know?” he asked.

  “Not to my knowledge. It’s your secret, not mine. I always planned to use it against you,” Deidre said. “I’m not in that position anymore and even if I were, I’m human. I’d pity you.”

  “And then destroy me.”

  She laughed. “Probably. But it’s too easy now. Not worth my time.”

  Fate met her gaze. He’d never tell her, but he liked her better as a human than as a goddess. She’d been one of his greatest opponents, and he’d always respected her mind. Now, he respected her, not just her ability to outsmart him.

  “Look at us,” he murmured. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

  “Speak for yourself. I’d rather be a human than a goddess any day.”

  They stood in comfortable quiet, staring at the trees that hated to be watched.

  “I won’t stay here much longer,” Fate said. “Gabe has another week, then I’m gone. I won’t let my mate and sister face what’s coming alone.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” she promised. “There’s too much at stake for us not to and for you to leave now. Some part of you knows this.”

  When he wasn’t diligent about pruning and focusing his thoughts, Fate’s mind obsessed about his mate, to the single night they’d shared, and every interaction they’d ever had. Stephanie was brave, good and strong, the kind of person the Immortals desperately needed in their ranks, the kind of person who could prevent the society from crumbling. Asking her to take her place where she belonged, however, was easier said than done. She was completely alone, and he couldn’t help feeling responsible for abandoning her to the Immortals and deities who wouldn’t shy away from taking advantage of her.

  It was one of the rare times Fate didn’t begrudge Deidre for the plan that resurrected Wynn. Stephanie’s continued existence, and only defense, came in the form of the ruthless Ancient, whose mind rivaled Fate’s. Wynn couldn’t See the Future, but he could predict and manipulate people with precision that made Fate admire him, as much as he didn’t want to.

  Wynn was not an Immortal to cross. Fate’s hope was that enough of Wynn’s influence and power remained during this life to ward off anyone who threatened Stephanie. Wynn had always been devoted to his family in his own twisted way. He’d protected behind the scenes and tormented them openly.

  The contrast was one Fate never noticed, until he became human and found his mate. In the short time he’d known Stephanie, he’d learned more about family and love than he had in the many millennia before Stephanie.

  Even if Wynn protected his sons and daughter, he was also their greatest nightmare. That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be, Fate had recently begun to understand. He wasn’t entirely sure what a functional family looked like. These things were new to him, and he hadn’t had time to learn and explore before being ripped away from his mate.

  But he suspected there was a great deal more to love and partnership waiting for him to discover. He wanted that piece of his life more than he’d ever wanted anything. His only real concern: the impact of his duty on his mate. She’d seemed to understand when he explained the boundaries of what he could share with her. It wouldn’t be a problem until something bad or unexpected happened to those she cared about, at which point she might blame or resent him for harboring his secrets
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  The balance between his duty and mate would take time and adjusting. If he never made it out of the Underworld, or Wynn succeeded in his plan, none of that would matter.

  “She’s safe, isn’t she?” he asked Deidre.

  “Yeah, she is,” Past-Death confirmed. “She’s smart, and she has Wynn. She’ll get through this better than you.”

  “That’s all I care about.”

  “Gabe’s watching over Karma, as you requested. Things are interesting in that regard.”

  “Meaning what?” Fate pressed.

  “She’s a force to be reckoned with.”

  “She’s gone mad, hasn’t she?”

  “She’s always been mad. It runs in your family,” Deidre replied. “She’s a little worse than usual. But, maybe Wynn can help there, too.”

  “A man as independent as he is won’t want to be chained down by a mate.”

  “It’s not a choice. You know that.”

  “Then I’d like to see him try to manage her. All his maneuvering with deities won’t matter when faced with Karma,” Fate said, smiling. He hated the idea of Wynn being Karma’s mate, but he also suspected there were only two people in any world capable of handling his fiery sister. He was one, and the other was Wynn, assuming the Ancient stepped up to the plate. “He hasn’t had the advantage of being fully human, either. He won’t feel towards his mate the way we do towards ours.”

  “He’s more human than he’s ever been,” Deidre countered. “You’re too worried to see what’s in front of you. Wynn has lost most of his power. He’s vulnerable and has been throughout this life. I think he’s on the edge and needs a push to be the person we’ve always wanted him to become.”

  “Or a tornado, which is what my sister is.”

  “That’ll do, too.”

  “I hate this,” Fate said with a scowl. “I hate knowing she might be the only person who can stop what he’s doing, and I hate that I’m useless to help her.”

  “You’ll have to trust her. Maybe that’s your lesson in all this. You need to learn to have faith in people again.”

  Fate considered the idea. With the ability to predict the Future, he hadn’t needed faith when he could interfere at will. He’d been content to let Karma do what she wanted and manipulate chains-of-events to ensure she didn’t cause permanent damage, and he planned to prevent any harm or sadness from ever befalling Stephanie.

  “Maybe,” he said at last, unconvinced.

  Concerned about the only two women in any world he cared about, Fate sank into his thoughts. They were forced to fend for themselves, and he was forced to stand on the sidelines and watch.

  There was no safety net for the only two people who mattered, and no solace for the one deity who should have been able to help them.

  Seven

  The scent of the sea, and soothing sound of waves kissing the beach, reached Karma before she completely left the place-between-places. Her gaze was immediately arrested by the full moon hovering above the dark ocean.

  Three forms sat on the beach with glasses of wine: her brother’s mate, Death, and the queen of Hell.

  Karma sat down between Deidre and Stephanie. No one was surprised to see her, and she accepted the glass of wine handed to her.

  “You’re not on house arrest?” she asked Stephanie.

  “I was granted permission to leave, as long as my bodyguards came, too,” Stephanie lifted her chin to two separate figures lurking farther up the beach.

  Karma twisted to see the demon Trayern and guardian angel, Mithra. Mithra slumped and dozed. Trayern was lying on his back, tossing a dagger into the sky, catching it and then throwing it into the air again.

  Whenever she saw a demon, Karma had to fight the urge to tackle him and balance him.

  “How’re you holding up?” Stephanie asked her. The skin beneath her eyes was tight and lined with darkness. She appeared distraught but tried to smile.

  Karma found herself too fascinated by Stephanie’s eyes, the hue of which she’d inherited from Wynn.

  “I found her sleeping in my prison,” Gabriel answered when Karma was distracted.

  “I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Karma replied. She didn’t expect the looks they gave her. She and her brother had never called any single place home. It was different for her. “It’s not a bad thing.”

  “He has a few places around the world,” Deidre said. “Why don’t you rest there?”

  “They remind me of him and how I can’t help him,” Karma replied. “I feel safe in my cell.”

  Death snorted.

  “Is he okay?” she asked Deidre.

  “He’s alive,” the queen of Hell replied. “You shouldn’t worry about him being killed. He’s part of the deity code. No one knows what would happen if he died.”

  “There are worse fates than death,” Gabriel pointed out. “An eternity in –”

  Stephanie nudged him, and he stopped.

  Karma stared at him, stricken.

  “He’s alive,” Deidre said again. “Focus on that, okay?”

  Karma nodded and sipped her wine. The others began talking with the comfort of friends.

  The monthly meeting of humans consisted of a demon, a deity, and a woman who was half-deity, half-Immortal. They came from different places, circumstances and times but managed to find friendship and harmony among the three of them. Better yet, they treated Karma as if she truly fit in, though she knew she didn’t.

  As she listened, Karma couldn’t help but stare at Stephanie. Rather, at Stephanie’s eyes. The beautiful hue was otherworldly. Wynn hypnotized her with his direct look and somehow managed to connect with her on a level she didn’t know was possible. A single look … and she felt as if they were all that existed in any world. She calmed, knowing he was there. His source of strength baffled her as much as the connection, but she felt both too clearly for her to doubt them.

  The mating bond she hadn’t understood when it consumed Fate was starting to make sense. She’d interacted with Wynn less than ten minutes total in her entire life and couldn’t stop hoping she saw him again soon.

  With some reluctance, Karma silently admitted Wynn had been right. She didn’t want to inadvertently hurt someone like Stephanie. But she wasn’t going to sit around doing nothing, either. Perhaps the lesson was to be stingy with her favors, because refusing to give any out had prevented her from finding anyone willing to help her. If she were careful, she could then use a favor or two as tools to help him.

  When am I ever careful? She wasn’t oblivious to her lack of self-control. Perhaps this knowledge as well had prevented her from using favors. She’d almost destroyed the worlds by dealing with Darkyn.

  “What does it mean to have a mate?” she asked when a lull fell among the friends.

  Deidre smiled, displaying her tiny fangs. Death’s features warmed. Stephanie’s eyes dropped to her wine.

  “The best way it’s been explained to me is that it’s an unbreakable bond. It starts out as physical. You will only want him, only be satisfied by him, and he will only want you and only be satisfied by you,” Deidre explained.

  “It brings you together. You have to find a way to make the rest work out,” Gabriel added.

  “It’s permanent,” Karma mused. “Complete infatuation beyond explanation, even if it’s the worst possible time and person and you’ve only met him twice. It’s nothing like the movies I’ve been watching. True love can’t really exist, if two people who hate each other are forced together. They definitely aren’t going to work it out in two hours.”

  All three of her companions exchanged looks before turning their gazes towards her.

  “Have you found your mate?” Stephanie asked.

  “Unfortunately,” Karma replied.

  “Human, Immortal or deity?” Deidre asked, leaning forward in interest. “Or demon?”

  Karma hesitated. “Will you all promise not to tell anyone, and promise not to use this information in your duties?” she asked.
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  “Smart,” Death said. “We must know him.”

  “You do.”

  “I promise,” Deidre said.

  “Me, too,” Stephanie stated.

  “Ditto,” Gabriel said. “This is a politics-free zone. Friends only.”

  Karma drew a breath. “It’s Wynn.”

  Stephanie choked on her wine. Deidre’s mouth dropped open, and Gabriel appeared frozen in place, too surprised to move.

  Their shock confirmed what Karma had already suspected: she’d been assigned the short straw with her mate.

  After a coughing fit, Stephanie was the first to react. She began to laugh quietly at first and then hysterically, to the point she dropped onto her back.

  “I wasn’t expecting that,” Deidre said finally.

  “There’s perfect irony in it,” Gabriel said. “The ultimate politician checkmated by Karma.”

  “But she can’t judge him. He’s safe from paying for his misdeeds,” Deidre mused.

  “Lucky bastard.”

  Karma frowned, discouraged by their reactions.

  Stephanie straightened when she was under control again. She wiped her eyes and grinned. “I really needed that,” she said. “That makes you your brother’s step mother-in-law. You’re my step-mother!”

  Karma scowled. “But I can stay away. The bond won’t form.”

  “You missed the part about it not being a choice. The bond has already formed,” Death reminded her. “I rarely dealt with Wynn before his death many, many years ago. His reputation, however, was as fierce as any deity’s. I don’t think all his power, cunning and influence can save him, and you can’t kill him. You’re definitely fucked.”

  “Gabe,” Deidre chided him. “I thought my world was ending when I discovered I was mated to Darkyn. Both of you are going to find a way to make it work, no matter how different you are. You don’t have a choice, and when you accept that, it makes everything easier.”

  “I’d love that chance,” Stephanie whispered, gaze haunted.