“It’s true. Right now, this particular lamp is empty. I was going to use it to—” Lucifer coughed, cutting himself off. “Never mind that. I think we can learn a lot if we study it since it’s one of the oldest relics in existence. Perhaps you can get some ideas for your app from what we learn.”
“An app that grants wishes like a genie lamp?” Devon shimmied in her seat. “That would be amazing!”
“A limited number of wishes,” Felix warned. “Genie lamps can cause dangerous repercussions if they aren’t used properly. Magical wishes have the power to alter fate, and people get greedy. So, we have to be very careful. We don’t want wishes starting to turn on people.”
“Right, I’ve seen horror movies about that.” Devon conjured her tablet into her hands and started making notes. “Limiting the number of wishes makes sense to cut down on the chance of things getting screwed up.”
“Don’t they usually say three wishes?” Braxton asked.
Devon nodded thoughtfully. “A lot of the stories use three, so there must be a reason for that. Even if it’s not perfect, three wishes should be enough to give people a chance to find their true mates. After that, whatever happens is up to them.”
“That’s a good idea. But before you become the next Cupid, eat something,” Braxton urged.
Obliging him, Devon set down her tablet and picked up her fork. “I’m curious, is Cupid real?”
“He was, but he was such an annoying prick, someone offed him a long time ago,” Lucifer explained before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.
“It was kind of deserved,” Seraphina admitted with a shrug. “He liked to deliberately hook people up with friends of their fated mate before finally bringing the mates together. He liked to cause bitterness and resentment and destroy friendships while lapping up praise for being a celebrated matchmaker.”
Devon scrunched her nose in disgust. “That’s just mean.”
Seraphina nodded. “It really is. That’s probably why he hasn’t been replaced, and the Gods of Fate have taken over most of his duties.”
Felix raised his glass in a silent toast. “But with your new app, you will be lightening our workload a lot. That is something we will all be grateful for.”
“Let’s hope it works,” Devon said with a laugh. “I was thinking maybe we should contact Seneca to see if she’d be interested in joining the project. I know she is basically a dark god now that she’s mated to Killian, but she still has her old witch powers of exceptional luck.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. Adding a touch of luck wouldn’t hurt. That might help ensure the wishes don’t backfire,” Felix commented.
“So, we just need to figure out a way to merge the genie magic with a matchmaking spell and a little luck,” Devon surmised.
“Easy,” Braxton said breezily.
“That is definitely not the word I would use to describe it,” Felix countered.
“It might sound ambitious, but we’ve figured out how to do the impossible before,” Devon pointed out. “If we can make this work, it could change a lot of lives…one wish at a time.”
Chapter One
Mystic, Colorado, Trifecta University…
Starla Vale lovedbeing a college student.
That might have sounded like an odd statement coming from a fairy, but it was true.
For as long as she could remember, Starla had been captivated by the idea of visiting the other realms. The notion of experiencing life amongst other supernaturals had always thrilled her, but what really interested her were tales of the Human Realm. She thought humans were fascinating, creative creatures, which made attending Trifecta University her ultimate goal after embracing her new identity.
Transitioning from a pixie to a fairy might have been an easy decision for her, but it wasn’t exactly a simple process. It demanded courage, perseverance, and a willingness to leave behind everything she had ever known. Even so, it was a dream she’d nurtured since childhood. She always longed for the opportunity to interact with the other magical races as an equal. Remaining a miniature pixie would have kept her confined and overlooked, but becoming a fairy opened doors to possibilities she had only dreamed about.
Unfortunately, the rest of her family had shunned that idea. They had always been purists who didn’t believe in the mixing of races or venturing outside of their own realm. It was an archaic way of thinking, but there were a lot of pixies within the Fairy Realm who still held fast to the old ways.
Because of that, her family actually cut ties with her once she became a fairy. Since they vowed never to acknowledge her again, she had left home without a backward glance. Theirdecision had hurt her, but it hadn’t been surprising. They had never been very close anyway.
Both of her parents had always been too busy with their jobs at the Supernatural Prison to focus on much of anything else. Their work schedules were demanding, requiring them to put in long hours. She was often left alone overnight, which meant that family dinners and shared moments were rare in her household. Because of that, Starla felt like she was just another obligation on their never-ending to-do list, rather than a cherished daughter.
Even though her parents weren’t true mates, there were plenty of pixie families who still managed to develop close, loving relationships without a fated pairing. In fact, she had witnessed many of her friends’ families celebrate traditions together, support one another through challenges, and cultivate a warm, nurturing environment at home, even though they weren’t true mates. Witnessing that only made Starla more aware of what she was missing, and it often left her longing for a sense of belonging that she never had with her own family.
Her transition into becoming a fairy had been rough, but it definitely wasn’t as difficult as it could have been. It normally took decades of cultivation to go through the transformation from a pixie to a fairy successfully, but Starla had always been talented when it came to using magic. She had been told that she was one of the youngest converts on record. That really didn’t matter much to her, though. She was just excited it was over and done with.
