Fated: Karma Series, Book Three Read Online Free

that no one even made a run for Harold’s office.
    The truth was, Harold was merely a scapegoat for the real problem. We were all alarmed at the turn of events lately and the state of the humans. There wasn’t a day that went by when someone wasn’t walking in and saying, “You’re not going to believe what they did now,” and it took a lot to surprise this group.
    So when Cupid walked in slowly, palms raised, and said, “I won’t do anything, I swear. I just want to know what’s going. Those mortals are getting weirder by the minute,” no one ran. We put aside the past.
    He was nervous, like the rest of us, and no one had the heart to exclude him. Plus, right now we needed the numbers. I turned to Fate. “We’ve got to let him stay.”
    “Agreed.”
    Luck came and stood beside me. “Cupid’s right. It’s getting real strange. I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years on the job.” There was a lot of grunting and agreeing noises after her statement.
    Santa stepped forward and addressed the group. “I just stopped by to let you all know that Mrs. Claus and I have decided to head up to the North Pole for an extended leave. Things are getting too rough around here, and I’m worried for the safety of Mrs. Claus and the elves. We’ll seal up the entrance until things calm down.”
    Santa was leaving? It felt like first grade all over again when I found out from my classmate, Susie Wilkins, that he was made up. All the grief that girl had caused me. I should track her down right now and give her a piece of my mind for spreading such lies.
    It wouldn’t change anything though, as Santa made his goodbyes and his elves handed out candy canes as they left. As I watched his departure, the only thing that repeated over and over in my head was, what if things never did calm down? Screw everything else, what if Santa never came back?
    “How am I getting good cookies now?” Luck asked. “I can’t go back to store-bought. All of this because of that angry guy?”
    Everyone in the office knew Malokin, or Angry Guy, as Luck called him. After Kitty and the hotel incident, Harold’s determined lack of cooperation, and things getting strange and violent, everyone in the know had sat down and decided there was no more hiding. Malokin was a threat to all of us. Everyone deserved to know what was out there.
    Luck took a seat on my table beside us, a pout in full bloom. “I don’t like that angry man.”
    “None of us—” A loud crashing sound, coming from behind Harold’s closed door, interrupted me. The high-pitched sound of his screaming came next. He was plenty loud but I still couldn’t make out what he was saying. There were no other voices. I’d left him in his office alone not more than fifteen minutes ago.
    Maybe he was on the phone? Or—the more interesting possibility—maybe someone had come through the retirement door, the one that had an inch gap underneath that glowed funny light. I’d never seen or heard of anyone using it.
    My eyes scanned the rest of the group, and they, like me, couldn’t stop staring. The only one not paying attention was Fate. He was looking at his phone.
    “What are you doing?” I tried to look over and see what was on the screen.
    “Nothing,” he said as he tilted his phone away from me.
    “Are you playing a game?”
    “Maybe.”
    “Aren’t you concerned?”
    “No.”
    He certainly didn’t seem it.
    The sound of a door slamming echoed through the office, but Harold’s door hadn’t budged, nor any other in view.
    Instead of moving closer, I perched on the table, nudging Luck over slightly. “Maybe we should go in?” I asked but no one was moving forward or doing anything other than making themselves comfortable as they watched Harold’s office for signs of life.
    “It’s fine,” Fate said, distracted, as he sat on the table next to me, squeezing us both over a bit.
    “What if something really bad is happening in there?” I turned around and