Betrothed To Jack Frost Box Set

by Alex Gedgaudas

  Jack tilted his frosted white head to watch Elle with an almost curious look on his handsomely pale face. He didn’t seem to understand why she was suddenly so emotional after detailing all the strange things that happened in the course of one day.

  “Honestly?” said Jack finally, his tone low.

  Elle ran a hand through her dark curls, feeling incredibly nervous. “If you would, please.”

  He did not blink as he answered. “My original plan was to kill you. Taking your life would be killing two birds with one stone. You would have a merciful death while I would be free and clear of having a fire princess as my bride,” he said, speaking in a nonchalant matter. A playful smile crossed his pale lips as he took in Elle’s terrified look. He gently rolled his muscled shoulders. “However, the more time we spend together, the more intrigued I am to keep you breathing.”

  Elle didn’t know whether she should be relieved or horribly confused. He changed his mind on a whim so often one could develop whiplash. Elle buried her face into her hands as she tried to rationalize all the craziness that happened in just one day. However, she believed what Jack had just admitted. There was something lingering in the back of her mind that was leaving Elle extremely frightened.

  “If you’re not the one trying to kill me, who is it in your family that wants me to die?” asked Elle quietly, daring to remove her hands from her face to look back at him. She shouldn’t have looked away. Her pale fiancé had vanished.

  Chapter 5

  Days passed. Soon, almost two weeks had gone by, and Elle didn’t see Jack. It felt as though he was avoiding her after his bold statement. But according to King Boreas, Jack was away on business. Winter storms were always needed in some realm around the world, and Jack was just the person to supply a hearty snow front. Elle would not go as far as to say she missed Jack, but a strong part of her had hoped she would see him around sooner rather than later.

  This afternoon, Elle was trying hard not to fall asleep during yet another boring lesson. She glanced across the landscape, not able to fight the boredom creeping in. As the weeks passed, she was growing more accustomed to her daily schedule. Wake up. Be dressed in glorious sparkly Greek attire by castle keepers. Eat breakfast with individuals who hated her. Attend courtesy lessons. Attend history lessons regarding members of the royal family. Lunch. More lessons, and then more lessons, before dinner with the same individuals who hated her. After that, a bath and finally bedtime.

  Hopefully tonight bed came without Elle’s courtesy advisor sparing her yet another lengthy lecture in mannerisms that were expected by royalty. Today in particular, that list for Elle seemed more daunting than usual. She was bored and in desperate need of entertainment that did not include learning names of Jack’s relatives or proper seating etiquette. Elle and her mannerisms teacher were outside today. The sun was shining, although snow and frost still littered the glorious landscape of King Boreas’s palace. Madam Hoorish, her instructor, was only outside with her lessons today given the ballroom was being decorated for an event Boreas and Oritya were hosting that evening.

  Madam Hoorish had beady eyes that held no care, along with a pointed nose that she seemed to hold high in disapproval of everything Elle said or did.

  “Are you paying attention?” the elfish woman sharply demanded. Elle groaned. She couldn’t understand why it was necessary for her to learn the multiple middle names of Boreas’s grandparents. Was that really a make-it-or-break-it moment? Elle doubted it.

  “Now if you turn to page seventy-four of the diaries, you shall see the name you missed is Zephyrus,” Madam Hoorish chastised, her beady eyes narrowing even further than before.

  It was stewing in her own thoughts for a long while that caused Elle to momentarily glance toward the large landscape. Her eyes widened as she saw someone familiar. Jack was back. He was walking around the grounds all by himself. The young man was dressed humanly for once; a simple grey t-shirt clung to his muscled chest while regular blue jeans covered his legs. He wore no jacket, but then again, he was the immortal god of frost. He didn’t exactly need one in the bitter cold. Even though he looked utterly human, there was nothing particularly simple or normal about Jack Frost; he looked irregularly beautiful even dressed as a human male. Elle watched as he made his way over to a nearby pond, where he was looking rather bored himself.

  Elle’s memory instantly went back to the strange moment the last time they had seen each other. It inspired her to abandon her lessons and quietly slip away from her instructor. If she really had to listen to one more rousing lecture regarding middle names, Elle was going to scream. Seeing Jack was a simple but brilliant way to escape her lessons. If Boreas lectured her for running away from her studies, Elle could simply say she went off to converse with her husband-to-be. The king couldn’t fault her for that. In fact, that would probably be something that Boreas enjoyed hearing.

  By the time Elle was finally nearing the pond, she frowned, finding he was no longer there. His footprints had trailed toward the pond, standing directly beside it. Elle cautiously went to peer over the water, wondering where on earth he could have possibly gone. “Letter…”

  Elle shivered as she glanced toward the pond where she heard her nickname being called. Going against her better judgment, she leaned forward, trying to get a good look at the not-quite-frozen lake. Hands shoved her forward before immediately pulling her back and not allowing her to fall in.

  Elle released a startled yelp as Jack released her shoulders and stepped aside. She scowled and resisted smacking him upside the head. “What’s the matter with you?”

  Jack simply rolled his shoulders. “That’s what you deserve for following someone. Curiosity killed the cat, you know. Or,” he raised his eyebrows, “in your case, kitten, since you fight like one.”

  Elle frowned as she glanced toward the very deep-looking lake that led to the rushing river a mere hundred feet away. “I thought you fell in.”

  Jack nearly laughed. His pale nose crinkled as he looked to be resisting a grin. “Yes, I’m certain you would have deemed that such a tragedy. In case no one has already made you aware, young one, immortals cannot die by drowning.” He smirked. With that, Jack easily skipped a stone in his hand across the cool lake surface, causing it to soar across the top of the water with ease. No words were spoken as Elle watched him skip a few more smooth stones across the cold pond. “Why are you here?” he finally asked.

  “I thought it was unfair you get to have fun while I’m stuck learning about your grandparents’ middle names,” Elle answered honestly.

  Jack released a smooth laugh that was actually nice to hear. “Be thankful you have not been alive a couple hundred years, then. If you have managed to wiggle out of learning aristocratic English and visiting official ‘thinking’ spots of past royals thus far, you’re doing quite well for yourself.”

  Elle cringed at the very thought. “That seems as fun as it sounds.”

  “I agree.”

  That was that. Jack continued skipping stones, barely aware Elle was silently watching him. Eventually, she decided she wanted to try. It was only after she plucked up a stone out of the somewhat melted snow did she realize she didn’t actually know how to skip stones. She never learned how.

  “Something the matter?”

  Elle bit her inner cheek, unsure how to answer Jack. “No.”

  “Your heartbeat is quickening its pace, you liar.”

  She gently laughed. “You’ll make fun of me if I tell you, and then we’ll get into another fight.”

  “I can have my surprising moments, Elle,” Jack offered quietly.

  Hearing the way he spoke her name caused her to shiver. He said it so perfectly, so concisely, he could actually make something as simple as Elle’s name sound beautiful. She shook off the thought. Elle wasn’t supposed to find him charming or beautiful; he was the bad guy. One who was simply talented at blurring the lines between the two. Seeing that Jack was now watching her with a raised brow made her
blush.

  “I don’t know how to skip rocks,” she admitted lamely.

  “The great Matthew Darrow never taught you to skip stones?” He sounded mildly surprised.

  “I was actually never allowed to go by open water,” admitted Elle, watching the pond with wonder. “My dad loved the ocean, but he really only walked on the sand. He would freak out if I ever dared to step even a foot in.”

  It was amazing as she recalled past memories with her father how much she had never noticed during her time with him. Then again, there were many things Elle had never noticed, such as why she never realized she had never been burned by the sun or a hot object in all her years. Never before had she burned a hand grabbing a hot bowl from the microwave or been scalded from shower water.

  “He probably figured that certain water deities or even a relative of Poseidon would sense your presence,” answered Jack quietly, his grey eyes scanning the very large pond that eventually led to a small river. After that, the riverbed went all the way over to an overflowing waterfall. Elle released a harsh laugh at her own expense, shaking her dark head as she thought. “What is it you find humorous?”

  “All my time with my dad when he was still around, I was absolutely sheltered, and I just never knew it.” Her shoulders slumped.

  Jack brought himself closer. He smiled wistfully as he brandished a positively smooth stone from his pocket. “Skipping rocks is a skill that requires mastery of speed, spin, and angle.” He nodded seriously. “Which means you specifically will probably fail at it.”

  Elle scoffed. “Thanks for the encouraging words.” It was when Jack offered her a smooth stone to hold that she shook her head. “I think I’ll pass.”

  “I didn’t quite peg you as a quitter, Letter.”

  His stepping even closer prompted Elle to immediately step back. Even though he had not tried to kill her in a long time, she still felt hesitant around him, especially after what transpired between them the night they shared a kiss. Elle was attracted to Jack, but she didn’t necessarily trust him. The immortal seemed just as cautious as Elle, not wanting to be too close to her. Jack held out the pale hand that was holding his flat and smooth rock. “Take it,” he said gently. “Your lesson for the day is learning how to accurately skip a stone.”

  Elle raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Is this the part where you drown me in the lake and claim it was my own stupidity of trusting you that caused it?”

  “Personally I’d like to think I could come up with a more original way to kill you, Evangeline,” said Jack, smirking.

  He was joking. Still, Elle cautiously reached for the stone he held. As she did, Jack used a single pale finger to gently caress the top of her fingers. His cold touch caused her to backstep nervously. Jack did not seem offended by this action in the slightest.

  “It’s been weird not seeing you around,” said Elle, attempting to skip her stone in the water yet failing miserably.

  “Again,” said Jack, ignoring her failure and her remark. Elle grabbed another smooth stone from the pile he had left on the ground. Jack waited until Elle again attempted—poorly—at skipping the stone before speaking. It sunk to the bottom of the lake after a quick ploosh. “I needed time away from my father’s kingdom.”

  “And away from me?” guessed Elle, failing yet again as she attempted to skip the stone.

  “Your throw was too forceful; try a more graceful approach,” said Jack, ignoring her question. Elle took in a sharp breath as Jack suddenly stepped behind her. He delicately took a hold of her right hand to lean back as his other hand moved to position her stomach to facing the way he wanted. Meanwhile, Elle said and did nothing as she felt the same strange butterfly-like sensation coursing through her belly as she did when they first kissed. “Now lean back, and angle your arm just like this,” Jack instructed gently. Elle inhaled and exhaled a soft breath before leaning her arm the exact way he was telling her. By the time she released the exact throw that was not too hard nor too soft, the rock easily skipped across the lake as if this was something Elle had always known how to do.

  She released a happy squeal and a jubilant clap. “I did it!” She smiled at Jack. “I actually did it!”

  “You did,” he agreed. “Let’s see if you can repeat the action.”

  And so she did. Over and over to make up near a dozen times Elle repeated the exact motions of skipping the stone. After a while, she was skipping stones the way Jack had showed her without needing his help. “Thank you so much for this.” She smiled.

  A small moment was shared. Jack looked pleased by her happiness before his smile quickly evaporated. He took a step back before nodding quickly. Silence. Elle proceeded to work on her newfound skill as Jack watched. “Yes, I needed time away from you as well,” said Jack, finally answering her earlier question. For once, Elle felt that this hate between them was slowly thawing. It was only when he spoke again did Elle take back that single thought. “I find it suffocating when I’m around you for too long,” said Jack, unblinking. With that, he vanished on the spot, leaving Elle not quite knowing what to feel anymore.

  Chapter 6

  “He’s insane,” said Elle, pacing the length of the large walk-in closet. “He’s completely insane. One minute he wants me dead; the next minute he’s starting to like me; now, I suffocate him!”

  The day passed by slowly. While Elle spent the rest of her day in lessons, Jack got to escape to the comforts of his job. He was apparently away on some sort of business involving making it snow in the right places for “February sweeps.” Elle wasn’t too sure what that meant. She barely heard Khione speak at lunch before Oritya had started complaining about something incredibly minor regarding Elle’s hair, causing her to tune out.

  Elle was surprised for even a moment she had ever entertained the idea it was anyone other than Oritya who wanted her dead. The queen hated Elle with a passion. Oritya hated her dark hair that “clashed” with the glorious blondes that had previously held the throne. The queen even despised Elle’s American accent.

  Ever since Elle had revealed to Hermes that it was Oritya’s pet lion who tried to eat her, either he or Apollo would attempt to escort her wherever she went so she wasn’t alone. When they were working their godly duties, the responsibility was passed on to Hera. Apparently, it was very well known to every god and deity in existence not to mess with the Queen of the Gods. According to Hermes—and every mythology book Elle had ever read—Hera had a rather nasty temper that no one wanted to face. Thankfully, her being Elle’s godmother meant the temperamental goddess would not allow anyone from Winter’s Kingdom to touch Elle without unspeakable harm coming to them. To what variety this unspeakable harm was, Elle wasn’t too sure. According to Hermes, it came along the lines of either gutting someone and hanging them on the edge of a cliff for birds to feast on or hanging someone by the toes in Hera’s personal dungeon.

  Elle wanted to believe this wasn’t actually something the goddess was capable of, but no one looked at Elle with a cold look while Hera was prancing around with her in Winter’s Kingdom. People either politely acknowledged Elle and her godmother or they made a brisk walk away with fear behind their eyes.

  Unfortunately for Elle, Boreas and his queen wanted her prepared for a dinner party with a few close friends.

  It was Elle’s fifth time of complaining about Jack that evening that caused Hera to merely cast her a confused glance. She brought out a beautiful blood-red gown from Elle’s closet. The goddess strutted around in her paper-thin golden heels. Once she brought out the dress, Hera went back in for more supplies. “Some would consider your verbal sparring with him foreplay, darling,” said the goddess, as if saying such a comment provided Elle comfort. “You two are making progress.”

  Elle had to work to keep a straight face. “Progress? He’s insane!”

  “You miss him!” Hera gushed, holding a smile on her red-stained lips as she scanned her closet for shoes and matching jewelry. Again, Elle had to work on not strangling her ow
n curled brown locks out of annoyance.

  “You’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?”

  Hera sighed. “I am, darling, I am. I just feel your worry is for naught. Jack says he’s intrigued by you. Honestly, if Frost wanted you dead, you would be,” she explained simply. “There is a reason a vast majority of gods and deities fear him. As for that night he attempted to stab you with the dagger, I do not believe for a moment that Jack wished to genuinely take your life.”

  “No…he was just pretending to stab me,” muttered Elle crossly.

  Hera sniffed. “Did he look the part? Possibly. But very rarely does Jack Frost not accomplish something he genuinely sets his mind to. If he had wanted you dead, you would not be here today.”

  Elle crossed her arms as she sent Hera a scowl. It seemed no one with the exception of Hermes and Apollo were anti-Jack. Being the goddess of marriage, Hera supported the arranged marriage fully. The goddess brushed Elle’s cross look off. “You are lucky you will one day hold immortality. Holding your face such as that when you are mortal causes wrinkles.”

  “How does no one have a problem that I’m marrying a psychotic jerk with a serious case of frostbite?” Elle groaned, gently tapping her head against a random pillar.

  Hera chuckled. “It’s simple, really. Jack has gotten under your skin. You two were written in the stars a very long time ago. Whether you like the idea of Jack as a husband or not, there is no running from fate!”

  Fate. Fate. Fate.

  Elle closed her eyes and attempted to drown out her words. Fate. That one simple word was easily used by these people to brush away any and all worry. Elle barely paid attention to the blood-red gown Hera handed her to change into, along with a pair of diamond-studded pumps. It was identical to the dress she had worn previously, but this one was tighter and showed off more of Elle’s curves. The red gown simply fell to her knees while the back of the dress flowed well behind her in an elegant manner. One of Hera’s longtime friends—or one of the people who was so very afraid of Hera’s temper they did not turn her down—came in to assist with Elle’s makeup. Once again, Elle looked unrecognizable as her hair cascaded in long, soft curls down her left side. Her eyes were made up with striking koi blacks and smoky colors to enhance her deep brown orbs. Elle was thankful that Hera allowed her to choose what type of lipstick coated her lips. Instead of a fire-hydrant red, Hera let her use a soft nude one that glossed her naturally red lips instead of magnifying them. Hera next decorated Elle’s ears with maroon gem raindrop earrings. She left her neck bare of jewels.