Oxford tilts his head at my words, somehow managing to look both offended and pleased.
“That makes it three against two,” Gabe points out.
“Oxford counts as half a player,” Everett decides. “He can’t throw snowballs, just block.”
“That’s generous of you,” I tell Oxford, who gives me a look that clearly says he considers himself worth at least two human players.
“Teams settled, then!” Everett declares, his eyes lighting up with competitive fire. “You have five minutes to prepare your defenses before battle commences.”
“May the odds be ever in your favor,” Finn calls dramatically as he and Gabe head toward a cluster of trees on the far side of the clearing.
“Roger that,” Gabe says, already backing away, towing Finn by the sleeve.
“This is outrageous,” Finn protests. “I demand hot chocolate compensation for emotional damages!”
“Stop whining and start strategizing,” Gabe tells him, their voices fading as they disappear around the side of the cabin.
“Ready?” Everett asks, eyes twinkling.
“Ready,” I confirm, before turning to Oxford. “How about you, Fortress?”
Oxford blinks once, which I choose to interpret as enthusiastic agreement.
Everett turns to me with a sparkle in his eye that makes my heart flutter. “Let’s strategize.” He gestures for me to follow him behind a large snow-covered pine tree, our temporary headquarters.
Oxford trails behind us, his hooves making soft crunching sounds in the snow. He seems almost excited about participating in our snow battle.
“So what’s the plan, Captain Pine?” I ask, crouching beside Everett. His scent—pine and peppermint—washes over me, making my omega instincts purr with satisfaction.
“First, we need a stockpile.” Everett immediately starts gathering snow, his large hands working quickly to form perfect spheres. “Gabe’s got a killer aim, but he tends to overthink his strategy. Finn’s sneaky—he’ll try to distract us while Gabe goes for the kill shot.”
I kneel beside him, our shoulders brushing as I start forming my own snowballs. My first attempt crumbles pathetically in my hands.
“Like this,” Everett murmurs, his hands covering mine. He guides my movements, showing me how to pack the snow just right. His touch sends tingles up my arms, and I have to concentrate extra hard on the snowball and not on how good his hands feel against mine.
“Pack it firm, but not too tight,” he instructs, his breath warm against my ear. “You want it to hold together in flight but break on impact.”
“You’ve clearly thought about this a lot,” I tease, trying another snowball. This one holds together perfectly.
“Pine family snow wars are legendary,” he says with a grin. “Charlie and I have been ambushing each other since we could walk.”
“I bet you always won.”
“Actually, Charlie’s ruthless. She once hid in a snowdrift for two hours just to get the perfect shot at me.”
I laugh, then quickly clap a hand over my mouth when I realize how loud I’m being.
Everett’s eyes crinkle with amusement. He leans in close, putting a finger to his lips. “Shhh,” he whispers, his face inches from mine. “They’ll hear us.”
“Sorry,” I whisper back, fighting another giggle. “I’m not very stealthy.”
“You’re doing fine,” he assures me, his eyes never leaving mine. For a moment, we just stare at each other, and I swear the temperature rises despite being surrounded by snow.
Oxford lets out a soft huff, breaking our moment. He positions himself at the edge of our hiding spot, his head swiveling like a periscope as he scans for the enemy.
“Oxford’s taking his role very seriously,” I whisper.
“He takes everything seriously,” Everett whispers back, returning to snowball production. “Except apparently his loyalty to me. He’s definitely on Team Melody now.”
