A s a goddess, Fate had many abilities. So, she could’ve scoured the entire realm where her angels lived without leaving the comfort of her palace, but Fate hadn’t visited in many millennia. Or at least that was her excuse if any of her sisters asked why she was teleporting to the white-and-golden home of the angels. Since she refused to face any punishments, she kept herself cloaked and used her powers to ensure she encountered none of the all-male race she’d created as her first project as a goddess.

Rage filled her as she walked the quiet cobblestone streets. She’d opted to time her inspection while most angels were tucked into their beds. Angels were as fierce and deadly as Death’s sentinels, which meant some were assigned to guard their realm despite never encountering any people but their own. They lacked dagger expertise, but they were intense men who loved to train. Fate had stolen Death’s idea of dedicated warriors but chose swords and bows for them to excel at.

Or at least most of them did. A precious few had somehow broken the mold and built libraries, and they had one they rarely left. She supposed much of the problem was her inexperience at creating. The other angels didn’t understand those poor men, but it couldn’t be helped. Angels were immortal. Fate had insisted upon that as she had wanted none of her men to wind up in the ebirlloba . Foolish young goddess that she was, Fate had believed ending up in Death’s realm was somehow a bad thing.

Thankfully, Fate had thought of more than just death during her crafting of them. They had large white wings that allowed them to fly but were also handily hidden if they liked. What Fate enjoyed most was the way the fiercest warriors left off their shirts to allow them to unfurl their wings at a moment’s notice. Their wings added another level of balance, and they’d taught themselves nimble acrobatics as they finessed their fighting skills. Fate appreciated that they accentuated their broad shoulders and delicious muscles with form-fitting pants. They were truly a dazzling race, and she often patted herself on the back for their creation.

Which was why it pissed her off that some goddess had dared travel to the angelic realm. How dare anyone interfere with the grandest race among all goddesses? Although their mother had insisted Fate provide a weakness for her angels, she’d kept the secret of their frailty to herself. If someone should figure it out, it could alter everything. Or the fierce angels would destroy the person who’d unlocked the mystery.

In any event, Fate would not allow it.

The angels bothered no one in their realm. No one had any right to barge onto their land and create havoc. Closing her eyes, Fate allowed her senses to flow outward. If another goddess was nearby, she’d find them. Angels had no sorcery. It was their realm with the magic—crops could not fail, the sun shone every day, nothing deteriorated, and they could create anything with a wish. Fate had added a sliver of her own essence to act as the power source. A trace of anyone else would easily stand out.

Fate bared her teeth as her soul picked up the essence of another goddess. Why didn’t she recognize it? The trail was weak, but Fate followed it past the opulent castle where the first two angels created ruled over their people. They were a mated couple, completely devoted to each other. It was their kindness toward each other that bled into their decisions as leaders. They never questioned the way new angels appeared. To them, it was the divine realm providing for them.

Since the angels were a race of all gay men, Fate herself added to the population, and the angelic rulers embraced every recent addition as their brethren. Some of them they even forged tight bonds with and called brother. It was a delightful system, and Fate was proud of the angelic rulers. She’d picked well.

Beyond the castle, Fate traipsed past a few shops on the bright main road. She kept walking and was surprised to find herself nearing the edge of the realm. A slightly overgrown path led her to a quaint library with a modest house next door. It was the home of the librarians. They kept the main library in the castle stocked with books but preferred to function out of a quieter space when answering any questions the other angels sought them out for.

The buildings were locked, but that was no barrier for Fate. She teleported into the library and sighed with relief. Someone had been there, but her essence was faded. Had the goddess been there so short a time that she had deftly disguised herself? It was so odd that Fate didn’t recognize the visitor. That was bothersome. She would’ve preferred retribution, but at least her departure meant that the angels were safe. Fate shimmered to her room at the palace she called home. Like the realm she’d left, it was designed in gold and white—a few of Fate’s favorite colors.

Eager to share her findings with her sisters, Fate slipped off her cloak and shook the wrinkles out of her gown. She left her space and walked swiftly to the portal that separated life from death. This portal took her directly into Death’s castle, and it’d grown into a comfortable second sanctuary. Fate even admitted to herself that the macabre gothic castle was beautiful. Her sister had excellent taste.

With a smile, Fate let her steps grow lighter as she wandered to a viewing room. It didn’t surprise her to find that it wasn’t empty.

“Fate, what have you been up to?” Death asked. She was sprawled on a chaise with Eternity. The pair were once again the best of friends, and Fate was grateful for it. Friendships among goddesses were a rare beast.

“I went to the angelic realm, but I was too late. Whatever goddess traveled there is long gone.”

“I wonder how anyone survived that bright place,” Death replied with a roll of her dark eyes.

Bristling at the criticism of her creation, Fate dropped into a gray damask chair and frowned. “I think it’s beautiful. Anyway, I didn’t recognize the essence of the goddess. It was odd, but they barely stepped foot in the realm, so perhaps that’s why.”

“Death doesn’t like anything that doesn’t absorb the light around it,” Life mused from a nearby couch. “If they didn’t stay long, that makes sense. At least they didn’t leave behind any mess for you to clean up.”

“All I will say on the matter of Fate’s design choices is that there is something to be said for subtlety, and the angels have none of it,” Death remarked.

“Complain all you want; I’ll keep enjoying the gorgeous angels,” Eternity mused.

“Why would you bother watching them?” Life asked. “None have died. We haven’t even figured out how they can die. You don’t have to worry about them, so why check in on them?”

“Hello, sister, because they’re hot,” Fate replied.

“So are plenty of other populations,” Life muttered.

“And we don’t have to burn our eyes looking at them,” Death added.

“Oh look, Life and Death are in accord,” Fate cried out dramatically as she raised the back of her hand to her forehead. “Surely this is a sign that the very fabric of everything magical is about to combust into fiery flames.”

“She is annoying,” Death said to Life.

“Where is everyone else?” Fate asked, ignoring her sister.

“I believe Mayhem and Chaos are in a guest room, putting together plans for us to consider,” Death answered. To keep the pair from spreading the news of their carefully crafted twisted realm, the goddesses had decided to keep them entertained at Death’s castle. The last thing any of them wanted was for any of their sisters to bully their way into getting involved in the still-frozen project. A couple had finally been selected to be matched up next, but with so much going on with Folly, they didn’t want to be distracted and miss anything, so the realm thick with copies of the entire extended D’Vaire family remained locked in stasis.

“Plans for what?” Fate asked.

“To learn more about Folly,” Death replied.

“Who thought that pair would be the best to come up with alternatives?” Fate inquired, her red brows drawing together in concern and shock.

“They assigned themselves to the task,” Life said. “We figured it was best if we didn’t argue. They are out of our hair for a bit, which is a nice respite.”

Eternity shrugged. “We might also get lucky and they will land upon an idea with merit.”

“As for Courage and Justice, they are practicing with their weapons,” Death said.

“Of course they are,” Fate muttered. “Silly of me to even inquire about those two; they love their weapons.”

“Does anyone ever wonder what it is they’re actually preparing for with their weapons?” Life asked. “How will they ever face actual combat?”

“My angels train daily. So do Death’s sentinels. Maybe it is their nature and they don’t require threats,” Fate said.

“But it would be nice if one of them would chop Folly in half,” Death drawled. “We really must figure out a way to drain that excess magic out of Folly so we can kill her in truth. But first, we must find somewhere for her to dwell besides in my ebirlloba . She is not welcome here.”

“Having the honor of killing her is nearly enough to have me pick up a weapon,” Fate remarked. “And I thought we agreed she should be a punching bag for our warrior-inclined sisters.”

Life laughed. “We did. Hopefully that will work. And it’s nearly enough to grab a sword, but not quite. I have no wish to sweat in the lists with Justice and Courage.”

“Ick. Can you imagine? They take things far too seriously. I want a pretty, sparkly sword,” Fate commented, imagining the beautiful weapon she’d craft if her sisters wouldn’t insist she learn how to properly use it.

“It is frustrating that we have no other choice than to sit here and wait for Folly or one of her cohorts to make the next move,” Eternity complained.

Fate nodded. “It is reminiscent of our frustrated task force on Earth. With no other clues given to them, they must await more pain and hurt. As do we.”

“At least we saved them on parade day,” Death said. “Can you imagine how life would’ve changed for the Council if we hadn’t intervened?”

“I don’t want to think about it,” Life replied with a shake of her head.

“I’m also grateful that our sisters understood the tragedy we prevented and handed us the lightest of sentences,” Fate commented.

“It helps that Folly has angered everyone with any moral integrity,” Death growled. “With so many against her, few were willing to hold us accountable for going to Earth and confronting her.”

“I wish I knew where she was,” Eternity fumed. “I’d break whatever rules stood in my way to have another chance to stop her.”

“She won’t get away again,” Life remarked. “No one will allow it. We would trap her in the Tier’llomen permanently before we’d put her in a prison she can escape.”

The Tier’llomen was constructed by their mother to settle disputes and decide punishments for rule-breaking goddesses. It randomly selected ten goddesses and plucked them immediately to attend to the issue. No goddess would visit there willingly as nearly everyone had stepped out of line at least once and had faced punishment.

“The problem is how long it took us to find her the first time,” Fate said. “And I fear her power continues to grow thanks to her vile decision to siphon from others. There is no way to know how long it’ll be until we encounter her again. What havoc will she create until then? We are helpless, and I hate it.”

“All we can do is remain vigilant,” Death stated. “We must protect our realms and planets to the best of our abilities until she makes her next move.”

“And trust no one else but those closest to us because we don’t know how many she has recruited to her cause,” Eternity added.

Fate decided she’d keep a far closer eye on the angelic realm and Earth to ensure Folly didn’t hurt any of her creations or those of her dear sisters. It reminded her not to set aside the notion of bringing an angel to Earth to prove they weren’t evil, as some of the extended D’Vaire clan had joked during a previous holiday celebration. Perhaps if she united an angel with someone in Council, it would build a bridge to allow both populations to defend each other.

Of course, the problem with that was that it was impossible to travel in and out of the angelic realm. It would be difficult enough to explain to her sisters that a single angel had made it off the realm, let alone to suddenly have a virtual highway between the two places. But Fate was intelligent. She’d think of something. First, she had to figure out if there was anyone on Earth who’d match up perfectly with an angel.

Their worlds were so vastly different that she wasn’t even sure if it was an option. Or maybe not every Earth population the goddesses had created were so dissimilar to the angels. Fate had to remind herself that her race was modeled after one full of gay male warriors. Maybe the right candidate was already patiently waiting for an angel and that was why he remained single.

Fate grinned. But could she do that? What consequences would she face, and would they be worth it? Fate needed to give that aspect the most amount of thought before she did anything. While she wasn’t given to rashness, she’d made her fair share of mistakes in the past.

Not that she was willing to admit that aloud to her sisters. But no one was perfect, and matebonds had failed. She closed her eyes, and disappointment filled her as the loveless couples who were already bound filled her mind. She supposed another question she needed to pose to herself—and perhaps her closest sisters—was if it was worth finding a way to break any of those bonds.

Fate scooted down in her chair and wondered if a goddess’s work was ever done. Certainly not hers. The weight of billions of lonely souls tugged at her daily. Fate couldn’t worry about all these contemplative scenarios. She had couples to match. Ones that could be completed without breaking rules.

But sometimes bending a rule was entirely too much fun to be ignored.