Page 59 of Dark of Winter (Wild Haven 1)

Miri

Ithink my nipples are going to break off. It’s fucking freezing out. I’m starting to regret agreeing to help Lena out in the beer booth for the Polar Plunge. Although if forced, I might have to admit that it’s been fun. The island is packed this weekend. Tons of tourists are in for the plunge and festival that’s going on all weekend. As far as I can tell it’s a mixture of getting day drunk in the middle of the street while buying artisanal honey and found art while eating delicious pastries from the booths that are set up. I’m kicking myself for not making up some batches of my product for this event. If I would have known how huge this was, I would have taken some time last week to stockpile products and cobbled together a tent to sell my stuff. Oh well, next time.

According to Lena, the town has a ton of festivals. Beyond events like this one, they also like to celebrate all kinds of pagan—or maybe Fae?—holidays. There’s a Samhain, Beltane, and Litha festival, and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

Lena and I are manning the booth for Paul’s Tavern while Rhys has been running back and forth between the bar and the beach where we’ve set up. He’s going to do the Plunge, but he’s been getting everything ready before he leaves us to hold down the fort for a while. According to Lena, anyone who does the plunge gets a free drink of choice and the booth stays open until the sun goes down, which in February is pretty early. After that there’s always a giant bonfire that gets lit and people party until they stumble home in the early morning hours.

I’m already dreaming about standing an inch away from the fire, warming myself until my eyebrows are singed. The beach is filling up with pockets of people getting ready to do the plunge. There’s a separate group of people who are obviously here to spectate, sitting in their camp chairs already nursing a drink. It’s overcast today, but the sun is desperately trying to peek out and I’m hoping it succeeds because standing by the water, with the frigid breeze blowing in, is making me consider doing some of my own day drinking to stay warm. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like for the crazy assholes who are going to jump in the ocean.

“Here, throw these in your boots and in your gloves.” I jump and spin around as Rhys comes into the booth, holding out some hand and foot warmers. “You’re a newbie. I figured you wouldn’t be prepared.”

“Thanks.” I gratefully take the little packets. Lena and I wave him off and shout out words of encouragement, or quips about how insane they all are in my case, as he jogs down closer to the water.

I sit on a cooler and tug off my boots. They’re insulated and fuzzy inside, but my feet are still freezing. Moving around my entire life and spending the last half a dozen years in the south has thinned out my blood I guess, because I am wimp when it comes to this weather.

I shake the little pouch to activate it and get it warming, then hurry to put my boots back on.

“Totally not impressed with my ability to withstand the cold.” I tuck the other warmers into the palms of my fingerless gloves. I reasoned that pouring beer with gloves on was only going to leave me with wet hands and fuzz in people’s drinks, so I opted for a pair where I can flip back the mittens and leave my finger free. It’s not totally cutting it, but it’s better than leaving my hands exposed.

“Give it a season and you’ll be out here in shorts in this weather, like a native,” Ezra says as he pops into the tent with Ruby a step behind. Ezra’s helping us out for the first shift and Ruby is one of the nut jobs who’ll be running into the water.

I snort, giving him an incredulous look. “I highly doubt that.”

“It’s not natives who run around in next to no clothes in this weather, it’s just guys with low self-esteem who have to run shirtless even when it’s twenty degrees out.” Ruby rolls her eyes and snorts.

“You been watching me run around the island, Cube?” Ezra leans a hip against the table that will hold all the beer after the plunge.

“Not on purpose, Ezzie.” Ruby snips back with her own nickname. It’s apparent that neither of them particularly like the other’s pet name for them. “But it’s kind of hard not to notice when you seem allergic to wearing a shirt anywhere.”

Ezra sweeps a hand down his torso. “Oh? What’s this?” He mock gasps. “Looks like a shirt to me.”

“Oh, my God.” Ruby turns her back to Ezra, ignoring him and working to pull her violet hair up in a high ponytail.

Lena catches my eye and makes a dramatic face directed at Ezra, and Ruby and I chuckle. The crowd is growing large and rowdy, and I’m sort of amazed by the turnout.

“You don’t want to go jump in freezing water?” I smile at Ezra, thinking my question is innocent enough and instantly regret it when something dark shifts behind his eyes. There’s a flash of fear or something more malignant that’s there one second and gone the next. And I swear, for one flicker of a breath, the shape of his irises changed. I blink and turn back to look at the crowd, shaking off the odd feeling.

“Naw, I leave it to these crazies.” He shifts to look at all the people gathering on the beach, shoving his hands in the pocket of his vest. Despite what Ruby said about him always being shirtless, I’ve only ever seen him with clothes on. Although right now he only has a long sleeve t-shirt on with a vest over the top. It doesn’t look warm enough to me, but he seems just fine.

I follow his gaze and spot Archer, Davis, and Rhys grouped together. All of them are in shorts, although they still have coats or sweatshirts on. Someone blows a whistle and a large number of the people on the beach drop towels, coats, sweatshirts as they line up near the water’s edge. They bounce and hop around to keep warm, but Davis doesn’t look at all cold as he stretches his neck side to side and shakes out his arms. I wonder if Ezra has magic that keeps him warm like Davis. Not sure why I didn’t get that talent from the well.

My gaze locks on Davis and I bite my lip as he shucks his sweatshirt first, quickly followed by his pants. My thighs clench at the sight of his powerful, sculpted muscles. Watching him undress is a spiritual experience. I swear to God, time slows down, and he moves in slow motion. Davis’s tattoos, that look like runes or glyphs or whatever, are inked all over his torso, shoulders, and back. From here I can just make out the other scars that litter his body that he wears like a badge of honor. A symbol of his survival and coming out stronger. My heart does some embarrassing pitter-patter, but I don’t care.

Davis steps in front of Rhys and Archer and I nearly pout that he’s momentarily out of view. Rhys is already down to his shorts, hopping up and down as he pretends to throw punches at Davis. Archer’s last to get ready for the water, and when he unzips his coat and tosses it to the ground, I audibly gasp. Holy Mary, mother of God, he’s hiding a pretty big secret under his suits.

He’s covered in ink. His upper body, front and back, his arms all the way down to his cuffs. Almost every inch is tattooed. I so did not see that coming. He’s as cut as the other two and I wonder if they have some crazy workout routine because damn. All these muscles are intense.

Archer is firmly in friend territory, more like a brother than anything, but I have eyes and they might bug out a little.

“Holy shit,” I mumble, and Ezra laughs beside me.

“Archer always surprises the ladies with what he’s hiding under the suit.”

“He keeps that shit locked down tight. I would not have imagined any of that.” I laugh when Ezra tries to wipe pretend drool from my mouth, and I slap his hand away. “So not interested that way. Just did not expect that.” I wave my hand in Archer’s direction.

I peek at Lena over my shoulder. She’s opening up a box of glasses, but her gaze is laser focused on Archer as he stretches his arms overhead. The girl has got it bad. Not like I’m one to talk. Just the sight of Davis has me weak in the knees.

Ruby shucks her coat and sweats, leaving them on top of a box that has extra glasses. She’s wearing a neon green and blue bikini that can only be staying on by magic, it’s so freaking small.

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