41 - Haven
HAVEN
The storm didn’t ease — it just… settled in.
Snow piled high up against the house, pressing against the windows like it decided we were never leaving.
And if I had my way? We just might not.
By all accounts, we should’ve stayed inside.
We didn’t.
“This is a terrible idea,” I said, already halfway down the porch steps.
“You came out here first,” Sebastian called after me.
“That doesn’t make it a good idea.”
Ares dropped into the snow beside me, boots sinking deep.
“Move.”
“Excuse me—”
He scooped snow with both hands and launched it straight at me. It hit me square in the chest.
Cold exploded through my shirt, where it had found its way down the front of my jacket. I gasped, looking down at myself, then back up at him.
“Oh,” I said.
That was all the warning he got.
I bent, grabbed a handful of snow, and fired it right back at his face.
Direct hit.
Sebastian lost it behind me.
“Oh, this is happening,” he said, already moving.
“No— don’t—” I started.
Too late.
He joined in immediately, grabbing snow and throwing it. Not at Ares—
But at me.
“What the hell?” I shouted.
“Collateral damage,” he said.
I spun toward him, already reaching for more snow, when another snowball hit me across the shoulder.
I turned.
Grayson stood at the edge of the porch, brushing his hands together like this was all completely reasonable.
“You too?” I demanded.
“Team sport,” he said.
“That’s not how this works!”
“Feels like it is.”
I lunged for more snow. Missed.
Because Ares caught me.
One arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me clean off the ground like I weighed nothing.
“Put me down—”
He didn’t. He just turned and walked straight into the drift…
And dropped me in it.
I disappeared. Completely gone.
For half a second there was nothing but cold and white and shock—
Then I exploded out the back of it, gasping, hair plastered to my face. My eyes locked on him.
“Oh, you’re dead,” I said.
He smiled.
Actually smiled.
That should’ve been my first warning.
I charged him. Didn’t even bother with snow this time, just tackled him.
We went down together, crashing into the drift, snow flying everywhere. Sebastian was laughing so hard he doubled over.
“Holy shit—”
I pushed up first, breath coming fast, snow clinging everywhere — my legs, my arms, my shirt.
Down my shirt…
I glanced down. My jacket was open. And I was soaked, the fabric clinging.
Not leaving much to the imagination.
“Don’t,” I snapped automatically, even though no one had said anything yet.
Too late.
Sebastian noticed immediately.
“Well that’s—”
“Don’t,” I repeated.
Ares stood up slowly in front of me, snow sliding off him. His eyes weren’t laughing anymore.
That was the second warning.
I felt it immediately — my breath catching in my throat, my body reacting before I could stop it.
“Okay,” I said, taking a small step back. “We should probably go inside before—”
Sebastian hit me again with another snowball. I yelped.
“You are unbelievable—”
And with that, I slipped. One second I was upright. The next, the snow gave out from under me and I went down hard—
Straight into Ares.
He caught me again. Too late to stop it. Just enough to control it.
I landed against him, chest to chest, both of us still for a second too long. My hands braced against his. His hands were on my hips.
Everything… paused.
The storm howled around us, wind whipping snow sideways. But inside that moment—
Nothing moved.
Then everything did.
Our lips crashed together — hard, sudden, inevitable. We kissed full on, mouths moving, tongues dancing as we clutched each other.
And all of it — in full view of the others.
“Get a room,” Sebastian laughed.
“I have a room,” I answered, breaking the kiss. “You guys just keep inviting yourselves into it.”
“You got a problem with that?” asked Grayson.
I paused for a moment and shook my head.
“Not even a little bit.”
A pair of strong hands lifted me up, extracting me from Ares. A moment later, all new lips were being pressed against mine.
Sebastian.
He kissed me so hard he stole my breath away. Not that I had much breath to being with.
Holy shit.
I felt warm and fuzzy inside. Flashes of last night came back; swelteringly hot memories of being sandwiched between them. Ares. Sebastian. Taking me from both ends. Trading off on me… until—
Grayson.
In the shower. Beneath the swirling steam. Up against the tile, with my legs scissored around him and our bodies pressed together so tightly it felt like our souls had become one.
I returned to reality, where Sebastian had just broken our kiss. I had just enough time to take half a breath before Grayson was turning my head his way, and planting his gorgeous lips on mine.
Fuck.
I kissed him fervently, eagerly, as his hands roamed my snow-covered body. It wasn’t enough to have one of them. I had to have all three.
Greedy, Haven.
Yes. Maybe.
But if that’s what it took—
“Hey,” I heard Ares say. “Look at the sky.”
Tilting our heads, we tried. Whatever was left of the sky had been obliterated by all new clouds.
All new dark clouds.
“We should go inside,” Ares urged. “Storm’s coming back.”
Sebastian’s mouth dropped open.
“Storms… come back?”
“This one does,” Ares grunted, and headed for the porch.
We moved fast after that. Back up the steps, through the door, dragging cold air in with us before it slammed shut behind us.
The house felt warm. Cozy.
Like it was welcoming us home.
I stood in the entryway for a while, dripping onto the floor, pushing wet hair back from my face as I looked at the three of them.
They were all looking at me, too. Not the way they had before.
Not joking. Not sarcastic. Not casual.
They looked aware.
All of them.
“Okay…” I said, trying — failing — to sound normal. “To be clear: that was supposed to be normal.”
Sebastian shook his head with a sigh.
“Yeah?”
Ares stepped closer.
“Was it?”
I didn’t answer. Because no part of me believed that normal even existed anymore.
Not after last night.
Not after the kitchen.
Not after this.
Containment? Gone. Completely.
Grayson’s phone buzzed on the table behind him. Once. Twice. Then again.
No one moved at first. We were all still too close. Too aware. Too caught in whatever this had become.
The phone buzzed again. Grayson exhaled and glanced down, like he already knew who it was going be.
I saw the change immediately.
Not dramatic.
Just enough.
“… It’s Mercer.”