Page 41 of Frost
“I’ll lose my memory of ever being Jack Frost.” His body shudders as he exhales a sharp breath. “I’ll forget my mother and Págos. The faces of all those I’ve met throughout the years will fade; the Spartan who called me his little snow sprite and the old woman who was so kind and fed me when I was hungry. I’ll forget the feeling of the wind whipping in my air, the joy of painting the land in winter. Everything that makes me who I am, Luka, will be gone.” When his eyes meet mine, they’re wet with tears. “I’ll even forget you.”
It’s hard to breathe. With each word he says, a weight presses down heavier and heavier on my chest. “You won’t remember me or any of our time together?”
When Jack shakes his head, the tears in the corner of his eyes fall free, turning to ice before chipping away. “You won’t remember me either.”
“That’s impossible,” I say, slipping an arm around his waist and pulling him to me. I bury my face in his soft hair. “I could never forget you.”
“You’d have no choice,” he whispers. “Every memory of me will be taken from your mind. You’ll remember getting lost when you were little, but not how you found your way back. You’ll remember being at the cabin over this past month, but you’ll think you spent the whole trip alone. Jack Frost will be nothing more than a fairy tale. For both of us.”
“That’s not fair,” I say, sounding like a goddamn child. But my heart’s breaking.
The only way to have a mortal life with Jack is to forget him? How would we ever find our way back to each other without the memories that brought us together in the first place? And for him to forget his mom, Págos, and everything that makes him who he is… The price is too high.
A sad laugh leaves him as he presses his face to my neck. “Nothing in life is fair, little light. The universe doesn’t give without taking something in return. That’s the way things are.”
“Well, it’s bullshit.” I hold him tighter.
“Indeed. It is.” Jack runs a hand up and down my back. “Now you see why I’ve never taken the goddess up on her offer. Losing my memories will make me lose myself. A mortal life isn’t worth the price if I can’t remember the reason I wanted to be mortal to begin with.”
“It’s a catch-22,” I say. “A no-win situation.”
“Precisely.” Jack glides his lips along my jaw. “I want a life with you, Luka. A mortal life. But choosing it will mean forgetting this moment right now. Forgetting the way you taste, the way you smell… the sexy rasp of your voice late at night when you’re fighting sleep. And there’s no guarantee I’ll ever find you again without those memories. It’s a gamble.”
I breathe him in, the backs of my eyes stinging as his woodsy scent surrounds me. I’d like to believe that love conquers all, but real life doesn’t always work that way.
“Let’s go back to the cabin,” I whisper.
I want to spend the rest of the night wrapped in his arms.
As if knowing my intentions, Jack stands and whistles for Págos. The horse trots over, and Jack helps me on his back before sliding on behind me. Págos lifts us into the air, rising high above the treetops. Jack holds me the entire ride back. When we reach the cabin, he helps me down before walking around and petting the horse’s muzzle.
“Thank you, old friend,” Jack says.
Págos gently bumps their heads together before taking flight again.
Jack walks over and slides his hand to my ass, giving it a nice squeeze. “Get inside so I can take your clothes off.”
“As tempting as that is, do you mind if I take a hot bath first?” I ask as we walk inside. “I can’t feel my body.”
“Only if I can watch.”
“Even better. I’ll let you join me.”
“How generous of you,” Jack answers with a smirk.
My bathtub isn’t nearly as awesome as the warm pool in his cave, but after I run the water and we get inside, it doesn’t matter. He sits in front of me in the hot water, and I kiss his shoulder blade.
“I have a request.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask before kissing his other shoulder blade, then his nape. “What’s up?”
“You told me once that you like both in regard to sex. Giving and receiving.”
“I remember.” My cock hardens. I know exactly where he’s going with this, and I amsofucking ready. “You said you like both too.”
“I do,” Jack responds, leaning back against me and sticking his hand behind him. He grips my hardening erection. “As much as I love having you inside me, I thought we might try the other way tonight.”
“Yes,” I squeak, then clear my throat. “I mean, yeah. I’d like that.”
