Page 95 of Storm of Summer (Wild Haven 3)

RHYS

Zara and I clean up, waste more time making out, and then finally head back out to the dance.

“Aren’t we missing everything?” Zara asks when I’m on the verge of getting her naked again.

“Well, half the point of prom is to get laid, so, no, not really.”

“What? That’s not true. Is it?”

“You’re right. I’m sure it’s way more than half.”

“Wait, did you concoct this entire elaborate prom scheme in order to have sex with me?” Zara jokes as we lock up the bar. “Not sure if you noticed, but you didn’t have to have the entire town throw a party just to get some.”

The way she says “get some” tells me it’s one of Ruby’s terms. She’s been trying to teach Zara all the slang she’s missed out on, even some horrible made-up shit that only Ruby would say. Zara rolls her eyes at most of it, but occasionally some “Ruby” works its way into her vocabulary.

I swing Zara around, capturing her in my arms and pressing her against the brick of my bar. “That was just a bonus. Seeing you smiling, laughing, having a good time, that’s what I care about more than anything else.” I press a kiss to her mouth, fast and hard, and Zara sighs up at me dreamily when I pull back.

That’s fucking right.

The crowd is way rowdier then when we snuck away earlier. Alcohol is flowing freely, and inhibitions are slowly disappearing. The music is loud and upbeat and tons of people are dancing. The vibe in the air is fun and uninhibited.

“Wow. I think you’re right. I know this isn’t a normal prom, but it looks like a lot of people are going to have sex tonight.”

I follow her gaze and spot Ruby and Ezra dancing. Well, dancing might be a bit tame for what they’re doing. Ruby’s back is to Ezra’s chest, her arm up over her head and his hands are on her hips. Grinding is too benign of a word.

“Are they drunk? Should we intervene? I don’t know if it would be for Ezra or Ruby’s sake. I’m a little scared about what the aftermath of that could be.” Zara points at the two of them.

“I wouldn't get in the middle of that if you paid me. No. Just, no. We’re going to pretend we didn’t see a thing. They’re only dancing, and I’m going to wipe that from my memory.”

Zara looks at me with wide eyes. “I’ll follow your lead. How much time do we have left?”

The party ends at midnight, but we need to be in the clearing in the Fae Woods by then.

“We should probably start gathering everyone up. Let’s find Archer and have him go get Ezra and Ruby.”

Zara makes a snorting sound that reminds me way too much of Ruby. I grab her hand, and we work our way through the crowd to find our friends. Lena and Archer are the easiest to find, besides Ruby and Ezra. One nod at Lena and she knows it’s time. I send Archer after Ruby and he glares at me as if he’s already anticipating something bad happening. I don’t stick around, pulling Zara behind me as we take off to find Miri and Davis.

I’m a little surprised to find the two of them dancing as well. Miri giving Davis a dreamy look as he smiles down at her. Smiles. I didn’t know his face was capable of making that expression. As soon as he sees me, it turns into a scowl. That’s more like it.

“Is it time?”

“It’s time.”

Zara and I don’t wait around for the others, knowing they’ll be close behind. It doesn’t take long to get to the clearing in the Fae Woods by ATV. There’s a natural circle of trees, deep in the woods, where the only thing that grows is lush grass and some flowers that litter the expanse. They also line the edge of the clearing, creating a natural perimeter of blooming flora.

A charred ten by ten circle mars the grass. We figured out that when Zara came through the veil, it left a mark on this spot. Even though it’s been months, no grass has grown there. It looks like the damage is permanent.

Zara shivers as we get out of my ATV, and I pull her into my side and kiss her temple. I grab a lantern out of the back of my vehicle, keeping her hand tucked in mine. Only a few minutes pass before the rest of our friends show up.

“Obviously, being extremely short would suck more. You could never reach things up high without getting out a ladder. You couldn’t ride on roller coasters. You’d never find clothing that fits from a store.” Ruby is gesturing wildly with her hands.

“Extremely tall people have the same issues, except for needing a ladder. And imagine always having to hunch over when you’re inside someone’s house. You can’t sit in rows of seating comfortably because your legs are too long. And you’d never have a blanket that can cover both your feet and your shoulders.” Ezra snarls back at her.

What the fuck are they arguing about now? And how in the hell did this one get started? Last we saw of them, they looked pretty damn friendly with each other.

“There’s no way a king-sized blanket wouldn’t cover both ends, even if you were eight feet tall.” Ruby throws her head back in exasperation and the part of her dress covering her chest dips a little too low. Ezra’s eyes zero in on the slipping fabric. He looks like he’s going to start yelling at her about her clothes. Oh, this is going to be a fucking disaster.

“Ruby,” Zara calls out for her sister, obviously seeing the signs of impending doom as much as I am.

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