“I love it so much. More than anything! I mean, besides you guys, of course.”
“I know,” Rohan said, giving me an adoring smile. “Now we will leave you to enjoy the solitude for a little while and go take care of all the little things we’ve neglected this afternoon. I’ve got your back, babe.”
With that, he shooed the others out and closed the door behind him, leaving me to enjoy my perfect bathroom in peace. All was right with the world as long as I had the five of them.
* * *
When I finally left thesanctuary of my bathroom—mybathroom—I worried the world had turned upside down. Rohan had broadcast a soft whisper that they were ready to serve Christmas dinner and I couldn’t justify hiding out any longer, but the second I opened the door, I knew something wasn’t right.
First, the light had changed rather drastically from a warm golden of early afternoon winter light, to a grayer, starker shade, and when I looked out the open doors, I was confused by the layer of snow covering the patio. I stepped out into chilly air and made my way to the group standing near our outdoor dining table. They all stared up at a cloudy sky that had been crystal clear mere minutes earlier. The air was thick with nymphaea magic, gathering the moisture and reshaping it into dainty, feathery snowflakes that floated around us from above.
I cast a look toward Llyr, who merely smiled and shrugged, nodding toward the other side of the pool. “My brothers haven’t been this happy in ages. Let them have their fun.”
Delighted laughter met my ears from the five new guests who now danced around the pool in complete abandon. Zarya was at the center of her four mates. Their hands were linked and all of them were singing “White Christmas” at the top of their lungs, right along with the stereo.
Bodhi met me halfway, hooking his arm around me and pausing to watch the spectacle. “She’s earned it too,” he said moving us both toward the table. “And I have a feeling as long as she’s with them, all her Christmases really will be white if she wants.”
“It does make it feel more magical out here, doesn’t it? What next, ice skating on the swimming pool?”
“Please don’t encourage them,” Llyr said, pulling out a chair for me at the head of the table. “It’ll take too much effort to thaw and I really love my morning swims.”
I stood at the end of the table, surveying the spread and waiting. Sophia and Susannah came through the doors with two huge platters in hand. One held an enormous bird, the other a huge ham. Gus and Maddie followed with more dishes, then Callie and Pete, until the table was filled with delicious-smelling food and surrounded by many of the people I loved most. Only one guest was missing from the collection. The guys had set an extra place for Fate at my side, yet Fate had disappeared.
Zarya and her mates completed their giddy dancing circuit around the pool, red-cheeked and laughing, and we all sat. I didn’t want to make everyone wait, but at the same time, I really wanted Fate to feel welcome enough to return. The rest of the group watched me expectantly. Ozzie stood at the other end of the long table that now seated ten to a side. He held a carving knife and a fork with the steaming turkey poised in front of him, waiting to be sliced up and served.
“Fate’s not so big a fool it’d pass up this spread, is it?” Pete asked.
Sophia huffed. “It’ll be back, but we shouldn’t wait. We really don’t owe Fate any more courtesy than it’s shown any of us.”
Ozzie still looked at me for direction, and just as I was about to nod for him to start slicing and kick off the passing of dishes, a shimmering shape appeared in the snowy haze across the pool.
I held up my hand. A few people grumbled at the fresh delay but most turned to look as I pushed my chair back and went to greet Fate. It was still dressed in the green Father Christmas robe Rohan had conjured, complete with the holly leaf crown, but now it held in its arms a bundle of some sort.
“You didn’t really need to bring me a gift, you know,” I said with amusement as I approached. Then half the bundle moved and I stopped short a few feet away. A second later all four of my hounds rushed up, tails wagging and their warbles on overdrive. The other half of the bundle Fate held moved and I stared, unsure if I could believe my eyes.
Darting a glance to Fate’s face, I was astounded to see the happy look had returned with a vengeance. It took a step toward me and held out both hands, each one containing a purple ball of magical fluff. Each one unfurled enough to reveal a small purple face with oversized, blinking eyes.
“And here I thought we were overdoing it with the bathroom,” Ozzie commented with a soft chuckle from somewhere behind me.
“Oh my god, they areprecious,” Callie said.
The little creatures blinked and stared around, their eyes latching on to me finally as they both rose upon stubby little feet and stretched like small cats. At my feet the other hounds went berserk, warbling and bouncing.
“Did you... bring me puppies?” I managed to blurt in halting syllables.
Fate beamed. “Of course I did. You will need more if you are going to help me get even with Chaos and the Diviner for their ridiculous prank. They divert three of mine, I’m stealingsixof theirs. Six targets will require six hounds, and you are going to help me.”
