Page 19 of Jilted By Jack Frost

But I clear my throat, shake my head, and force myself to focus. “So, you were in Salida then?”

“I was wherever it is you came from. I don’t memorize all your made up names of carbon copies of the same cities and towns. I used my magic to try to pull you back to a familiar place and landed in a hospital full of people wearing those ugly clothes you first arrived in.”

“They’rescrubs,” I reply, frowning. “They’re not meant to get your dick hard.”

Jack shakes his head, distaste written all over his features. “If you’re done interrogating me, I’m—”

“No,” I cut in. “Not yet. If you were at the hospital, does that mean you saw my friend Alana? Was she okay?” Guilt seeps into my bones. I’ve been so busy trying to get home that I’ve hardly thought about how worried Alana must be.

“I wouldn’t have known her if I met her,” he says, shrugging. “The whole town was chaos, however. I’m not sure any of them would have identified as ‘okay.’”

Fuck. A cold pit forms in my stomach that has nothing to do with Jack’s magic. The image of Alana trying to handle a hospital full of emergencies without me hits like a physical blow.

“Take me back.” My voice comes out stronger than I expect. “Right now.”

“Did you miss the part where I said that did not work?” Jack runs his fingers through his messy white hair. “Your mortal form seems unable to handle the transition.”

I push up from my chair, slamming my hands on the desk. “I don’t care if it makes me puke my guts out. My best friend is dealing with a crisis alone because I was stupid enough to walk into your magical blizzard.”

“It’s not just about vomiting. If I any try harder, you coulddie.”

“Then figure out another way! You’re supposed to be this all-powerful winter king, aren’t you?” My voice cracks. “There has to be something.”

Jack’s expression hardens. “Your friend is one person. My entire realm is at stake.”

“She’s not just one person to me.” The tears building in my eyes make me even angrier. “Alana’s been there for me through everything. When my dad died, when I almost quit nursing school, every single time I needed someone.”

“And now she needs me,” I add quietly. “I can’t just sit here in your fancy castle reading books while she’s struggling.”

Jack turns away, his shoulders rigid. “The warming of my realm seems to be connected to the winter weather in yours. If we don’t solve that first—“

“Then help me solve it faster!” I grab one of the ancient books and wave it at his back. I’m very tempted to chuck it at his head. “Stop avoiding me and actually work with me. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner I can go make sure my friend is okay.”

He remains silent, but I catch the slight drop in his shoulders.Finally, a crack in his icy armor.

Chapter ten

Jack

The library’s silence weighs heavy, and Violet’s earlier words about Alana echo in my mind. I close the tome before me with a decisive thud.

“Perhaps we should take a break from the research.” The words in the air between us before I fully consider them.What am I doing?“A change of scenery might help us think more clearly.”

Violet’s head snaps up, her soft green eyes narrowing with suspicion. “You want to take a break? You?”

“Is that so difficult to believe?”

“Considering you’ve been treating these books like they hold the secrets to the universe? Yes.”

I stand, adjusting my jacket. “The kingdom holds more than just this library. There are places...”Places I’vewanted to show you.I cut off that thought quickly. “Places that might spark different ideas about the warming.”

“Fine.” She stretches, and I force my gaze away from the sliver of skin exposed at her waist. “Lead the way, Your Frostiness.”

We walk through the crystalline corridors, and I guide her toward the eastern gates. The guards bow as we pass, their armor glinting in the light of the twin moons.

“Holy shit.” Violet stops dead in her tracks as we enter the Winter Gardens, the dress Cora selected swirling around her feet.

Ice flowers bloom in impossible formations, their petals catching and refracting moonlight in rainbow patterns across the snow.

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