Chapter One
A Muffin in Winter
I loved balls in my face. Just not when they came from Frosty the freaking Snowman.
“That’s it!” I ducked behind the nearest tree to dodge another snowball. “Your muffin privileges are revoked!”
A deep laugh answered me. Snow crunched under Maddox’s boots as he stalked closer. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
“No.”
“You’re giving away your position, muffin lord.”
“I was gone for three whole weeks, and this is how you treat me?” I inched around the tree trunk to evade him. “Rude.”
“That’s a lot of time to make up for,” Maddox responded in that low, teasing tone I secretly loved. “And remember, you started it.”
After breakfast, I’d seen the wintery day and got excited. Snow was rare for me, having grown up in the south where we usually only saw a few flurries. I’d then made the mistake of grabbing just a tiny bit and flicking it at Maddox. And thus, the battle began.
“Captain Ice needs to go away and bring back Captain Smolder.” I peeked around the tree to get a location on my sexy stalker. “I like him better. He treated me amazing last night.”
As soon as I’d returned from my trip to Exalos, Maddox and Briar had pulled me into their arms and showered me with love and kisses. Then, they’d dragged my twink ass into the cottage, up the stairs, and to our bed where they’d taken turns ravagingme in the best of ways for the rest of the night. The bite marks and hickeys on my neck were proof of that ravaging, and I wore them with pride.
How quickly everything changed. Doted on and fucked one day and being a target for snowballs by the following morning.
“Then you should learn to behave,” Maddox said, his voice a lot closer than before.
Too close.
I pushed from the tree and dashed toward another. The wooded area behind the cottage was perfect for hiding. Too bad I didn’t have a stealthy bone in my body. Maddox no doubt knew my location and was merely toying with me by dragging out the hunt. And I liked it. Damn him.
The crunch of snow stopped, and everything got quiet.
I pressed my lips together to keep from making a sound. My heart thrashed, exhilarated by the thrill of being stalked by one of the hottest men to ever grace this earth—in both this world and the one I’d come from before being whisked away like the main protagonist in an isekai anime.
Movement came from the branch above me, and I shrieked.
“Gods, you’re so noisy. Get up here.” Rowan snatched my arm and lifted me up into the tree.
“Unhand him, thief,” Maddox snarled as he rounded the trunk. “That muffin is mine.”
“Well, now he’s mine. If you want him back, come fetch him.” Rowan shifted me onto his back and climbed higher to escape the knight captain and his arsenal of snowballs.
Maddox scooped up some snow and packed it between his hands before sending it hurling toward us, barely missing the front of Rowan’s head. Looked like his target had shifted from me to the newest member of our family.
Family.
The word settled over my chest like a warm, fuzzy blanket.
Things were still tense with Rowan. Lake had come to trust him more during the weeks we’d been gone, but Maddox and Briar didn’t know him at all. But hopefully, that would change.
Briar sat on the back porch, smiling as he sipped from a steaming cup of tea. His third cup since breakfast, though it was a lighter brew now instead of the black tea he preferred with his morning toast and jam. Lake sat on the step below his, and my heart swelled when noticing how close they sat, with him resting against Briar’s leg. When Briar lifted a hand to Lake’s head and patted once, Lake’s poofy tail swished.
During our stay in Exalos, Lake said he’d missed Briar’s head pats. And now, he radiated happiness at finally having those pats again.
“You’re such a sap.” Rowan snorted. “Cryin’ like a wee babe.”
“I’m not crying.” I wiped the totally-not-real-at-all tear from my eye. “We’re super high up in a tree right now. You should be watching where you’re going instead of teasing me.”
