Page 15 of Frost
His laugh rings out again, this time deeper and fuller. “I enjoy berries, yes, but I eat real food just like anyone else.”
“I thought immortals didn’t have to eat to survive.”
“Gods don’t,” he explains. “They eat for enjoyment rather than necessity, and there’s usually a healthy heap of ambrosia to go along with it.”
“Ambrosia,” I say, mulling the word over. “Nectar of the gods.”
“Precisely.” He smiles. “It would make a human like yourself sick. Maybe even kill you. But it’s a delicacy for immortals. With me being a demigod, though, I have to eat to live. And I certainly don’t survive on twigs.”
I laugh and step closer to him, unable to stay away. He steps forward too, until we’re up against each other, chest to chest. Heart to heart.
Can he feel mine beating faster?
“I still can’t believe you’re real,” I whisper, gliding the back of my fingers across his warm cheek.
He changes suddenly, becomes distant. He pulls from my arms and goes over to the stove, checking the pot before stirring the meat. I don’t have to tell him what to add. He sees the ingredients on the counter and begins to add them: kidney beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Things got too intimate, and he retreated.
I rest my hip against the counter and watch him work.
He’s unpredictable… and uncatchable. Just like how winter fades and makes way for spring, will Jack eventually leave too?
Chapter Five
“Thank you for sharing your meal with me,” Jack says, sitting across from me at the table. He still looks out of place in the cabin, though less so now than before. He’s becoming a normal part of my world, even though it’s only been a few days.
“Well, you kind of invited yourself.” I scoop up some chili with a spoon and toss him a grin. “But you’re welcome.”
He returns my smile, and then we eat in silence. The crackling of the fire adds background noise, as does the soothing jazz playing on my phone, turned down low.
“Have you figured out your novel yet?” he asks.
“Yep. I’ve given Jack a love interest.” I cringe a bit. “Saying that to you is weird. Because he’s based on you but not reallyyou.”
“Who does me, but not me, fall for?”
I lightly laugh, enjoying how he teases me so effortlessly. “Um. The son of Hades.”
His blue eyes widen. “Now there’s a thought. He’s quite handsome, you know. Though much too sinister for my liking.”
Now it’smyturn to gape. “You actually know him?”
“Of course I do.” Jack leans back and kicks his legs up on the table, obviously not ever learning proper dining etiquette. Then again, he spends most of his time in the wild, away from everyone. Manners aren’t something he’s ever reallyhadto learn. “He’s short-tempered and takes too much pleasure in the suffering of others. Very unlike his father.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. “Hades is supposed to be evil, right?”
“Depends on who you ask.” Jack lifts his bowl off the table and continues to eat, reclined in his chair. “Many say he’s evil, but really, he often helps those who seek it. His son, on the other hand, is wicked to his core. Quite interesting that you paired me with him in your novel.”
“He’s not all bad in my book. And Jack will help him see things differently.”
“Then will they ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after?” Jack smirks, as if the idea is absurd.
“I don’t know yet. But it will end happy, yes. I’m writing these books for teenagers, and being a teen is crappy enough. I want to show that good triumphs over evil and that true love is possible, no matter your sexuality.”
“Have you ever been in love, Luka?” Jack’s feet wiggle as he takes another big bite. I usually hate feet, but his are kind of cute. Every part of him is, from his toes to the tips of his pointed elf-like ears.
“No. What about you?”
“Never.”
