Page 41 of Jilted By Jack Frost

“Damn right you should have.” She grins. “But I’ll forgive you if you tell me there was at least a hot guy involved in your mysterious disappearance.”

An image of Jack in his true form flashes through my mind—tall, otherworldly, beautiful, and absolutely terrifying.

“You could say that.”

Chapter eighteen

Jack

Ipace my office, unable to focus on anything except her absence. The space feels colder without Violet here, though that should be impossible.

I am Winter incarnate. Cold is what I am.

No. I will not think of her.

My fingers trace over the ancient tome she found, its weathered pages holding secrets about 1816—the Year Without a Summer.

Images flash through my mind of that devastating time, when my father’s madness consumed him like frost spreading across glass. His obsession with expanding winter’s reach threatened to freeze the entire world.

I had no choice but to confront him, to wrest control of both throne and kingdom from his icy grip.

To fight him, my winter magic had burst forth wild and untamed, like a blizzard trapped in my veins. I struggled to contain it, to shape it with purpose rather than letting it rampage.

Combined with the winter my father had already spread across the realms, the weight of responsibility crushed down on my shoulders.Those first days of rule testedme as I fought to control the magic that raged inside me, desperate to keep it from taking over my mind.

Bringing proper winter back, with its delicate balance of snow and stillness, nearly broke me. But failure would have meant the deaths of millions. So I persevered, learned control, became worthy of my crown through bitter determination.

Some nights, I still hear his ravings in my dreams. The way he spoke of eternal winter, of freezing every living thing... it haunts me still.

I slam the book shut and stride to the window. Beyond the glass, snow falls heavier than usual, the flakes larger and more aggressive. Like my thoughts, refusing to be contained.

My body burns with need, remembering how Violet’s lips felt against mine, how perfectly she fit in my arms. The memory of her warmth, her softness, sends desire coursing through me. Even now, I can almost taste her, feel her pressed against me.

Fuck.

I put my palm against the window, frost spreading from my fingers across the glass. My cock hardens painfully as I imagine pushing her up against this very window, hiking up her dress, spreading her thighs...

This is exactly what I feared—losing control, letting emotion rule over duty. But knowing the danger doesn’t stop me from wanting her. From imagining all the ways I could take her, mark her, make her mine completely.

Mine.The word echoes in my mind, primal and possessive. The temperature in the room plummets as my control slips further.

I need to master these urges before they master me. Before I become like my father, whose unchecked passion nearly destroyed both realms.

But gods help me, all I can think about is Violet’s body against mine, her breath hot on my neck, her hands on my skin.

The sound of cracking glass jolts me back to reality. I remove my hand from the window, watching the spiderweb of fractures spread across its surface. My reflection stares back at me—eyes glowing an ethereal blue, skin taking on that darker shade that betrays my slipping control.

Get it together.

I turn away from the window and force myself to sit at my desk. The tome lies there, mocking me with its secrets. Gabriel’s explanation about the prophecy doesn’t align with what Violet found. Why would he lie? What did he know? More importantly, why did I believe him so readily?

“My Lord?” A servant’s voice carries through the door. “The eastern border reports are ready for your review.”

“Leave them.” My voice comes out rougher than intended, and frost creeps across my desk.

Focus on work. Duty. The realm.

But the reports blur before my eyes, each word morphing into thoughts of her. The way she challenged me in the library. How she refused to back down when I tried to intimidate her. The soft gasp she made when I kissed her...

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