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I’d feel bad, except he’s laughing and smiling. So, I throw the snowball at him …
And it hits him right in the face.
Everyone freezes. Even me.
“Okay, that was like the perfect aim ever,” Hunter says, breaking the silence.
We all laugh, and then a snowball fight breaks out.
We’re running around like lunatics when Zay wanders out onto the porch. He doesn’t join us. He just stands there and watches with his arms crossed. But he has this strange look on his face, like he’s trying to figure something out. Or maybe it’s like he’s trying to put a puzzle together. What that puzzle is, though, I’m not sure. And I don’t really care, either. All I care about is that this moment is perfect.
But I should’ve known better. Known better than to feel okay with a storm going on. Known better than to think perfection could completely exist without someone trying to destroy it. I’m reminded, though, when I’m running toward the driveway to hide from Jax and Hunter, who are chasing after me with snowballs in their hands.
When I duck behind Zay’s car, I reach down to grab some snow to make a snowball, but I slam to a halt when I spot footsteps in the snow. I wouldn’t think much of it except the footprints clearly go to the back of the car then turn around. And trailing along with them are a few droplets of what looks like red, but I’m trying to convince myself it’s wine or something.
“She’s back here,” Hunter says over the sound of footsteps crunching toward me. He runs to the side of me, smiling, but his smile fades when he notes my expression. “What’s wrong?”
I point at the snow, and his expression plummets.
Jax runs up then with a snowball in his hand. “What’re you guys …?” He drops the snowball as his gaze falls to the footsteps and red droplet that may or may not be blood.
“Is that blood?” Jax asks in horror.
“What’re you guys looking at?” Zay is approaching us now.
Hunter nods at the trail of footprints and questionable blood.
Zay pauses when he reaches us then continues forward, following the path. Hunter takes off after him, and I do, too. Jax grabs a hold of my hand, though. I think he’s trying to stop me, but then he walks with me, holding my hand. When I look at him, he offers me a smile. I smile back, but I’m so damn perplexed.
“Is everything okay with you and Hunter?”
He nods, brushing snowflakes out of his hair with his free hand. “Yeah. For now, I think we are.”
“Oh.” I bite down on my bottom lip, wanting to ask him so many questions. Like, is it okay for him to be holding my hand? Can we still kiss? Is Hunter still going to touch me?
I don’t get the opportunity to, though, as we discover what the trail of footprints and blood leads to.
A raven.
A dead raven with a knife stabbed through it. And painted in blood in the snow are the words …
“Consider this the start of my retaliation,” Hunter reads the words aloud. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Hunter glances and me and Jax, and both of us shrug, but Jax latches onto my hand tightly. I know why, too. I didn’t miss the hidden message, the fact that a raven is dead and my name just happens to be Ravenlee.
Dread webs in my stomach. Who the hell did this?
Hunter looks at Zay, who’s been oddly quiet. “Do you have any idea what this is about?”
He doesn’t say anything right away, skimming his finger along the cuts on his hands as he stares off at the end of the road. “I did something tonight. Something I thought might help us figure out who threw Raven off the bridge.”
Hunter’s face turns cold, his fingers clenching at his sides. “What the fuck did you do?”
He rubs his lips together and says some very ominous words. “Well, I think I may have unintentionally started a war.”
