Page 51 of Jilted By Jack Frost

“No.” She holds up a hand, stopping my attempt to help. “I need to do this properly.”

Violet takes a deep breath, then slides from the bed to kneel before me. The crown I gave her catches the light, sending rainbow prisms dancing across her face. My throat tightens at the sight.

“Jack Frost, I pledge myself to you and this realm.” Her voice rings with conviction. “Not because of prophecy or fate, but because I choose to. Because I’ve seen your heart beneath all that ice, and it’s more beautiful than any sculpture in your garden.”

This impossible woman.Even wronged, she finds ways to humble me.

“I believe in you.” She presses her palm against my chest, right over my thundering heart. “In us. And I swear, by whatever power brought me here, I will never let anyone make you doubt yourself again.”

Magic surges between us at her words, pure and powerful. Ice crystals form in the air, catching light like stars, and beneath her touch, my skin glows with that same opalescent light from the first time she touched my sculptures.

“Violet...” My voice breakson her name.

She rises up from her knees, bringing her face level with mine.

“I’m not finished. Your brother was wrong about everything. You’re not weak for feeling. You’re strongest when you let yourself feel everything.”

The truth of her words resonates through my entire being. I cup her face in my hands, marveling at how she leans into my icy touch without hesitation.

“How did I ever think you would destroy my kingdom?” The words come out rough with emotion. “You’ve already made it more magnificent than I ever could alone.”

Her hands slide up my chest, fingers tracing the frost patterns racing across my skin. “I love you, Jack. Not the Winter King, not Jack Frost. Just you.”

My heart stops. Her words echo in my mind as I study every detail of her face, searching for any hint of deception. The raw honesty in her expression steals my breath. My voice comes out rough with need.

“Say it again.”

She smiles up at me, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair from my eyes.

“I love you, Jack Frost. I love the winter in your heart and the warmth you bring to mine.”

My heart pounds against my ribs. Centuries of isolation crack and fall away like ice in spring.

“I love you too, Violet. You’ve melted every wall I built. Made me feel things I thought died long ago.” I press my forehead to hers, breathing in her warmth. “You are my heart, my home, my everything.”

“Then stop fighting this—fighting us.” Her lips brush against mine as she speaks. “Let yourself have this happiness. Let yourself have me.”

I pull her closer, my magic wrapping around us both in swirls of frost and starlight.

“I’m done fighting. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Forever.”

Her eyes shine with unshed tears, but her smile could melt glaciers. “That’s what happens when you let love in, my mate.”

Chapter twenty-two

Violet

The bright winter moonlight filters through the icy dome above, casting rainbow and shadows across the gathered crowd. My heart thunders against my ribs as I fidget with the delicate silver chains adorning my white gown. The dress itself seems spun from freshly fallen snow, intricate frost patterns woven throughout the fabric.

How did I end up here? A month ago, I was just a nurse in Colorado.

The great hall stretches before me, filled with winter fae in their finest attire. Their ethereal beauty makes me feel small and plain. Yet the warmth in their eyes as they bow tells me I’ve been accepted as their future lady.

Winter sprites dance through the air, their crystalline wings catching the light like prisms. Massive yeti lumberby in surprisingly elegant robes of white and silver. Ice nymphs glide across the floor, their skin sparkling like fresh snow. Even the goblin delegation, despite their warty appearances, wear suits of frost-covered velvet that put my elegant dress to shame.

I spot what must be a snow phoenix perched in the rafters, its white and blue flames casting shifting shadows across the gathered crowd. Each creature radiates magic and power in a way that reminds me just how much I didn’t feel like I belonged in this world of immortal winter beings.

“Stop fussing.” Cora adjusts my crown of white roses and crystal snowflakes. “You look perfect.”

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