Jack Frost, page 8
“Where did you go?” Charlie looked up at him with tear-stained cheeks. “We were worried about you.”
“I… I…”
“Speechless?” Ava stood a few feet away, her arms crossed over her ribs and a smirk on her lovely face. “I bet that’s a first for you.”
“One among many firsts your family seems to be spurring,” Jack said.
“You haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” Charlie asked.
Ava nodded toward the store, that mysterious smile still in place. “Come on. I know how to help him with that.”
Charlie took Jack’s hand in both of his, hugging it to his chest. Walking was a little awkward, but Jack couldn’t bring himself to pull away. He didn’t want to.
“I told Mom all about you,” Charlie said. “About my letter and how I found you.”
“What letter?” Jack asked, genuinely confused.
Charlie paused briefly. “You don’t know about the letter?” He laughed and started pulling Jack toward the store again. “That just makes it better. See, I know all about,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “fairytales.” He continued in a louder voice. “We put away all the salt and the hammer, since it might have iron in it. We weren’t sure what else might have made you have to leave, so you have to tell us so we can make things safe for you. Oh, and we made a bunch of eggs. Deas sióg like eggs, right?”
“Another first,” Jack murmured.
He didn’t even mind Charlie calling him a pretty fairy. He was too overwhelmed at the thought of Ava and Charlie taking action to make their home more welcoming to him. What stories had Charlie shared with Ava, though? Even if they saw Jack as a servant, it was a kinder gesture than most would bother with.
Once they were inside, Ava led them upstairs to the little kitchen. She leaned against the counter, hands in the pockets of her jeans. Charlie looked up at Jack. The boy’s brow was furrowed, and he was chewing on his lower lip.
“What?” Jack asked.
“I need to go get something to show you, but I don’t want you to leave again.” Charlie’s eyes glittered with what Jack feared might be more tears. “Promise me you’ll stay. Fairies have to keep their promises.”
Most would try to twist it. Jack would teach Charlie about that later. For now, he was too moved to do more than nod and say, “I promise.”
Charlie beamed, then ran down the hall toward his bedroom. Jack wasn’t sure how long he would be. He was sure that Ava would want to speak with him. He took a deep breath, then let his power flow from him, a thin layer of frost coating the floor, ceiling, and walls. Ava shuddered slightly, then looked all around.
“You did that thing again,” she said. “Like with the cocoa.”
“It wasn’t about the cocoa. It was about you not getting hurt.”
Her eyes widened slightly, then she smiled and nodded. After a pause, she said, “You need to take better care of Charlie. Your leaving hurt him.”
“I’m…” Jack’s throat felt tight. He coughed lightly, then said, “I’m sorry.”
“It hurt me, too.” A guarded vulnerability entered her features. She gestured around the room. “I can handle all of this. But you leaving us—leaving me… That’s something I don’t want to go through.”
He thought about making a snarky comment about ‘a good elf being hard to find,’ but this moment was too important for sarcasm.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because I care about you, you dumbass. Charlie does, too.”
“He wants his dad back.”
She pressed her lips into a line and glared at him as if he was an idiot. Jack held perfectly still as she crossed the room to him, then slid her arms around his waist. How could she not be afraid of him? What did she expect?
She smiled at him and said, “Start things up again.”
“Well, if you insist.”
He captured her lips in a kiss. She stiffened in surprise, but then melted into his embrace, tightening her hold on him. What he’d intended as a quick retort turned into a desperate need to be closer to her. His heart ached with it, his body on fire with a desire that transcended the physical. When she pulled back, they were both breathless.
“Save that for later,” she said. “You need to see this.”
Jack scowled, but released his hold on time, letting his power drop into the earth to be neutralized. A moment later, Charlie came running into the room. He slid to a stop near them, staring at the worn green and white tile floor.
“Whoa, you made the floor slippery again,” he said, laughing.
“No running in the house,” Ava said.
“Yeah.” Jack plastered what he hoped was a comically fake frown on his face.
Charlie laughed again, and Jack smiled. The boy held up a piece of paper, then ran to the table and set it down, spreading it out and holding it flat with his hands.
“I fixed it.” He beamed up at Jack.
Jack gave Ava a questioning look, but she just cast an encouraging smile at him. She held his hand as he walked to the table to see what had Charlie so excited. It was the family portrait he had done for school the previous day.
A pang rippled through Jack’s heart. He turned away, unable to look at what he wanted so much but would never have. Ava squeezed his hand reassuringly. She nodded at the picture.
“Look closer,” she said.
Jack sighed, then turned to Charlie’s art. The stick figures were… still stick figures. The kid should draw better by now. Jack would have to help him with that. The tree was more fleshed out, covered in lights and ornaments. There were three stockings hanging by what looked like the kitchen stove instead of a fireplace. Jack peered more closely at them and saw the initials ‘C,’ ‘A’, and ‘J.’
“Very homey,” Jack said, leaning back. “I bet Jim loved it.”
Ava laughed and shook her head. “Charlie didn’t show it to him. Jack, look closer. You’re missing it.”
“Wait, maybe I need to make them bigger.” Charlie pulled a pen from his back pocket and started scribbling on the stick-figure guy’s head. Jack peered over his shoulder.
The figure had little lines on the side of his head that the others lacked. Ava’s had hair, but Charlie’s head was just a circle with a few strands of hair on top. As Jack watched, Charlie filled out the lines on the side of the man’s head, making them bigger and longer. They kind of stuck out a little as well.
“There.” Charlie capped the pen and stepped back, a huge smile on his face. “I didn’t know you had pointy ears before, so I didn’t draw them that way. But I fixed it as soon as I saw what you really look like.”
“Wait, that’s…” Jack looked at Ava, his mouth suddenly dry.
“‘J’ for ‘Jack,’” she said, with an even bigger smile.
He looked back at the drawing, every simple nuance taking on a much greater meaning. Jack’s heart pounded in his chest. Warmth suffused him, stronger than any he’d ever felt before. He reached toward the picture, but stopped when he saw that his skin was glowing. Not silver, but gold.
“Whoa, that is so cool.” Charlie grabbed Jack’s hand with his little fingers, turning it over so he could see the light that gleamed across Jack’s palm.
Ava held his other hand, her smile somehow filled with both mischief and care. “Have you figured it out yet?”
“Figured what out?” His mind was reeling.
“About our family,” Charlie said.
“Our family isn’t just Charlie and me,” Ava said. “Not since you walked through that door. It’s you, too. You’re our family.”
Jack felt almost as though he’d been knocked off his feet. If they hadn’t been holding on to him, he might have toppled over. Before he could say anything, Charlie nodded at the picture again.
“It’s what I wished for at Christmas,” he said. “I sent a letter to Santa asking for… Well, I’m not sure exactly what I was asking for. I told him that. I just knew that something was missing. Something that could make things even better for Mom and me. I wasn’t sure what, but there was a treasure map under the tree with a time and date on it—yesterday morning. I followed the map, and it led me straight to you.”
“Kris did this…” Jack murmured.
“Kris?” Ava said.
“Kris Kringle!” Charlie started jumping up and down, still clinging to Jack’s hand. “Oh wow, Mom! He knows Santa! Can you introduce me?”
Jack smiled down at him. “Next time I see ‘Santa,’ I’ll set it up. That guy and I… I have some things to say to him.”
Ava leaned in and wrapped her arms around Jack’s waist as he draped an arm over her shoulders, then freed his hand to pull Charlie into their hug.
“What kind of things?” she asked.
He looked at the two precious people in his arms and said, “Thank you.”
“The books I read told me that fairies never say ‘thank you,’” Charlie said.
“Well, those fairies were never blessed with anything as amazing as you two,” Jack said.
And the moment he was done thanking Kris, Jack was going to ask about immortality for Ava and Charlie—when they were ready. He knew it was within the King of the Yuletide Fae’s power to grant that wish, and there was nothing Jack wanted more than to spend eternity with them both. Even if it meant finally pledging himself to one of the Courts of the Fae. He leaned down and kissed the top of Charlie’s head.
Through the kitchen window, the sun struck a branch of the tree that stood outside. Moisture darkened the bark as the last of winter’s ice melted. Brushing against the glass, three beautiful pink blossoms basked in the warm spring light.
Kris had told Jack to give spring a chance. Did he know something about what Finn was up to in Crystal Hollow? Or was it a more general statement about opening his heart to this?
Jack still wasn’t sure what that meant, but if it was this warm feeling that seemed to fill every inch of his body, he was all for it. He pulled Ava and Charlie in closer. Their warmth soaked into him and, for the first time, it felt as if Jack had his own to return. Appreciation and care and… And love. He had a family, and he would take care of them with everything he had. As long as he held this love for them in his heart, Jack knew he would never be cold again.
Epilogue
Edges of green were finally poking out of the buds on the trees in the park. Beneath them, crocuses made their way through the earth. Finn stood under the largest tree in Crystal Creek park, his eyes closed and his arms loose at his sides. He lifted the palm of his left hand toward the sky and held his right above the earth, parallel to the ground. He drew in the sun’s energy as its rays struck his skin. Power swelled in his chest, pooling in his heart.
Something was different. He didn’t know exactly what, but he felt it deep within himself. The warmth of the waning-winter sun coursed through him, adding to an energy that was already there. One he hadn’t noticed and even now didn’t recognize. His heartbeat picked up, his skin rising in goose flesh. The energy flooded him, causing his head to spin. Whatever was building in him, he couldn’t contain it.
He directed the energy through his body, along his right arm and down into the earth. The circuit complete, a rush of feeling blasted through him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his breath quickened. Light emanated from his skin where his pale blue suit didn’t cover it, reflecting off the last of the snow on the ground and catching in the vestiges of ice still coating a few branches.
As he watched, the buds burst open, tender leaves unfolding before his eyes. Sprouts of green grass forced their way through the snow. The crocuses bloomed, their deep purple and vibrant yellow brightening the area around him. More flowers followed, spreading out from around Finn’s feet until he was surrounded with spring blooms.
This was his purpose. Bringing forth the plants of the new season. He had been a conduit for spring for millennia, but had experienced nothing like the rush of power flowing through him in that moment. Where had it come from?
An image appeared in his mind’s eye. Soft blue eyes in a rounded face surrounded by honey-gold hair. A laugh that sent a pleasant frisson down his spine. Hayden’s smile almost made him forget his duties.
Almost.
He brought his focus back to the moment, back to the vital task he was performing. Winter was nearing its end, and the Wheel of the Year would turn in only two days, marking the beginning of spring. The Oak King would step in for the Holly King, bringing light, warmth, and growth to the mortal realm—as long as everything remained in balance. But the balance had already been thrown off, enough to affect the Faerie Realms.
This energy suffusing him… was it a result of that imbalance? Had he somehow gained a new power, as had the members of the Court of the Yuletide Fae, as nature attempted to balance itself? Or was it something else?
The Yuletide Fae of winter had increased their own power when they bonded with mortal mates. Finn had thought it a coincidence, but he had to wonder… He had been spending a great deal of time among mortals at the command of his king—the Oak King. Was that enough to alter Finn?
He ceased drawing on the sun’s energy and let it flow through himself into the ground. Even Jack Frost would be hard-pressed to deter this much progress toward spring. Unless he, too, had increased his power by joining with a mortal family.
Finn needed to understand what was going on. He needed to explore more of this energy. And he suspected that, at least for him, Hayden was at the center of it. He turned, and in a swirl of spring petals, vanished from the park.
—
Thank you so much for reading Jack Frost! When he showed up in the Court of the Yuletide Fae trilogy, I knew he needed his own story. Plus, I wanted to spend more time with him! Stories with “found families” are my favorite. Ava and Charlie turned out to be the perfect match for Jack, and I love their family so much. You’ll get to see more of Jack and Ava in the next book of the Court of the Springtime Fae trilogy, Prince Charming! Read on for a sneak peek…
Prince Charming
Court of the Springtime Fae
Book Two
His duty is to bring spring to the land, but his heart longs for more…
As a powerful lord of the Court of the Springtime Fae, Finn Darragh’s job is to renew the land and bring forth the colors of spring. At the Feast of Ostara, his liege, the Oak King, will mark the turning of the Wheel of the Year and welcome the sun’s light. But this year, the Oak King has a new demand—a mortal woman must coordinate the feast within the mortal realm, and Finn has no idea why.
Hayden Beal has just landed the biggest client of her career as an event planner. With the help of her two best friends, Ava and her flower shop and Emma with her catering business, she’s sure they can handle any task set before them. Even better, her contact for the event, Finn Darragh, is the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. Hayden is used to putting her heart into her work, but the more they work together, the more she realizes that her heart is yearning for him. He just might be her Prince Charming, if she can only satisfy the demands of his boss.
The Oak King’s interest in the mortal woman has Finn on edge, especially when he realizes it’s an interest he shares. Can they navigate the tests set by the Oak King and hold on to each other? Or will they lose their chance at a once-in-a-lifetime fairytale love?
Chapter One
Finn Darragh stood in the middle of Crystal Creek park, surveying his work. Wild violets punctuated the green blades of fresh growth covering the ground. Crocuses, daffodils, tulips and a riot of other spring flowers flourished nearby, adding their vibrant yellows, glowing purples, and bright oranges to the landscape. The trees above were still absorbing his magic, but their buds had opened, pale leaves uncurling to catch the last of the winter’s sun.
He had fed energy into the largest nexus in Crystal Hollow that was dominated by plantlife. From here, the magic would spread through the ley lines, helping other plants and trees to blossom. Spring was drawing near, and as Lord of Renewed Boughs, it was up to Finn to awaken the plants in the region. His job would be a hell of a lot easier if Jack Frost and the Lord of Endless Snow, otherwise known as the Krampus, hadn’t taken up permanent residence in the small town. The plants had barely been responding to Finn’s magic at all until this morning. What had changed?
Everything depended on the plants coming back in spring. All life in the mortal realms, as well as those of the Faerie kingdoms. Finn wasn’t the only being working to boost spring’s natural progression, but for this region, his work was absolutely vital. The wintery Fae of the Yuletide Court had become much more powerful recently, and their increased magic was affecting all the realms. The balance of nature itself had been thrown off, and it was up to Finn and the Court of the Springtime Fae to restore it.
He adjusted the ring that the Oak King had given Finn to entrust him with the ability to renew the growth of plantlife. He was doing his best to fulfill his role, but the magic the Oak King had granted Finn hadn’t been enough to counter that of Frost and Snow. Not until this morning. Something else was at work here—a new power rising within him that he didn’t understand, but was certain he must embrace. He was desperate.
And he wasn’t the only one…
The hair on the back of Finn’s neck rose. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, steeling his composure. He knew what he was about to face. Turning, he forced a smile, keeping his posture relaxed.
The Lord of Awakening Beasts stood behind him, hunched over and with his hands curled like claws at his sides. He was shirtless, as always, showing off both his muscles and the tattoos that had been given to them by the Oak King. Finn’s back bore an image of a cherry tree, one branch spreading over his left shoulder and sweeping across his chest. The tree would bloom as spring progressed. It had been barren for far too long this year. Beast’s markings spread from his back over his right shoulder, images of a stag leaping through a dormant forest, a robin in flight, and—at the moment—a sleeping hare above his heart, surrounded by the roots of the forest’s trees to represent its winter den.
