Page 49 of Cold Foot King

“You’re in deep trouble,” King said.

Katrina stooped, scooped snow again, and then threw the loose powder at him as he closed the small distance between them. King picked her up and spun her around, and she caught a snowball against her back. Reed had thrown it.

“Did you just use me as a human shield?” she shrieked, laughing from her soul outward as she kicked her legs to escape from his grip.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, another snowball came sailing through the air, and she ducked it neatly. Another zinged across her cheek. Okay! It was on now!

She ran for the snow machines and hid around the corner to buy herself some time to make snowballs. In the clearing, all hell had broken loose in the best way. There was yelling and screaming and teasing and laughing. Lots of laughing. Even Wreck and Timber were playing, and she was pretty sure she saw the human guides across the clearing making snowballs too.

Raynah came bolting around the corner and hit her with a snowball.

“Damn girl, same team!” she said, pointing to her pile of snowballs.

“Oh yeah!” Raynah crowed as she slid to her knees and double-fisted snowballs.

They threw theirs out at anyone who was close, and then ran low into the clearing, where the battle was migrating toward the tents set up near the tree line. A snowball came whizzing through the air, and Katrina did an aerial to avoid it, landed it, and only slipped on the ice a little. These boots were good!

“Okay, that was hot,” one of the shifters called out, right before he was pelted in the face with a snowball.

She laughed. No time to explain she’d been in gymnastics when she was younger. That stretch and sailing through the air had felt so good!

She ran and tested her muscles, leapt into the air, and did a front flip to avoid another. Breathless with exuberance, she switched directions and bolted for King. She dipped and scooped snow as she went, but she knew how fast she was. The humans would only see her as a blur. King, however, was tracking her progress just fine. Time slowed as he pulled back an arm to pelt her with a snowball, but she pushed off her leg hard and went down to her knees, slid through the snow, and right through his legs. As he twisted around, she was doing the same, and released her snowball right against his back.

His booming laugh was everything. God, she loved that sound.

“You’ve got some tricks up your sleeve, don’t you, Kat?” he asked, packing his snowball. He ducked one that had been sailing at him from behind easily. His eyes were glowing bright, molten gold, and his smile was equal parts wicked and hot. Whoo, she really liked him.

Behind him, one of the shifters was sneaking up on him. He put his finger to his lips so she wouldn’t expose him.

Just that glance at him tipped King off though. He ducked low and launched himself backward, chucking his snowball, and it exploded against the other guy, who looked shocked as hell. She couldn’t stop laughing as she watched the guys after that.

Raynah came and plopped down beside her, cradling her belly protectively, a big grin on her face and her cheeks flushed with pleasure.

“I don’t even remember the last time I felt this…” Katrina couldn’t find the word.

“Free? Happy?” Raynah guessed.

“Yeah.”

“Me too.” She pulled the pocketknife from her pocket and turned it over and over in her grasp.

A few of the boys had moved off into the trees and were using the forest as cover for their snowball battle, so they were safe over here. Timber meandered over to them. “Let’s go grab our bags, and I’ll show you where your tents are.”

“Hey dipshits,” Wreck called out. “Do any of you know how to cook?”

King had been standing at the tree line, watching the others, arms crossed, but angled his body toward Wreck and lifted his hand in a two fingered-wave. “I can.”

“Pick one more and come on.”

“Reed,” King called. “Can you cook?”

“I cook well enough,” the soft-spoken man said as he ambled out of the woods and toward where Wreck was making a fire.

“Cash! You and the others go haul the coolers and gear,” Wreck called out.

“Yep,” Cash answered, and the snowball throwing halted. The boys filtered out of the woods, smiles lingering on their lips as they talked quietly and headed for the snow machines.

The next hour was consumed with organizing camp. Katrina had so many awed moments as she would pause and see the others working under the northern lights. Was it the same for them? Were they taking stock of these moments? She hoped so. This was a once-in-a-lifetime night, and a far cry from the windowless cells of Cold Foot Prison.

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