Her head nodded once. There, that should do it.
But the woman didn’t disappear, nor did she look amused. Instead, she stood perfectly still, with a scrutinizing gaze that chilled Jericha to her core.
“You’ve already seen the dragon?”
She stared into the goddess’s beautiful face. Her features were perfection personified.
“I had a hallucination that involved a blue dragon, if that’s what you mean.”
“Oh, for goddess’ sake! You’re not concussed child; you’re a Frost. You are the daughter of Jack Frost, are you not?”
Jericha’s confused brain had apparently conjured a stunning beauty, complete with an ancient power that thundered soundlessly around her. Even though Jericha assumed the woman berating her wasn’t real, she still had an intimidating effect on her.
She looked at her feet, while stifling a nervous laugh.
“My last name is Frost. But I don’t understand why that matters.”
Skadi moved in closer and said, “It matters a great deal, dear.” She tossed a mane of blonde hair over her shoulder, with a thin brow arched high. “You’re not losing your mind, Jericha. The world is full of mystery, and you’re a part of it, in a big way.”
Every sense in Jericha’s body warned her to run.
“So you’re telling me that everything I’ve seen, and all of the stuff that’s happened tonight…. It’s all real?” She shook her head in protest. “I can’t believe that. I won’t. No way.”
Out of nowhere, wind swooshed past her face.
Skadi disappeared and reappeared, standing face to face with her, as she said, “Yes, way.”
She then pinched the meaty part of Jericha’s arm.
“Ow! What the hell?” Jericha hissed.
Skadi smiled widely, asking, “Isn’t that how you humans prove to yourselves that something is real? Did I do it wrong?” She reached for Jericha’s arm once more. “Let me try again.”
Jericha cursed, as she yanked her arm back.
“Keep those daggers to yourself, lady.”
Skadi rolled her eyes at Jericha.
“Stop being such a girl.”
For a second, Jericha thought about pinching the evil witch back, to show her just how much it had hurt, but instinctively, she knew better. The stranger was deadly to her. It was the same principle as avoiding ramming her own head into a wall. Instead, she rubbed at the sensitive spot on her arm and scowled.
The goddess held out a hand, as she said, “Come, I need to show you something.”
Jericha tried to move away from the woman, but quickly realized that she was frozen in place.
“Let me go.”
Skadi shook her head.
“I’m not going to do that.”
Feeling true terror for the first time, Jericha stared blankly and said, “What do you want from me?”
There was a feral, resolute, look about the goddess that reminded Jericha of a wolf, sizing up its prey.
Even though she was afraid of the answer, she had to ask, “Are you going to kill me?”
The question stirred something that resembled compassion within the woman’s features.
“No, child. I’m here to help, not harm you. However, I do need you to listen to me.”
All of a sudden, Jericha was able to move again. The relief she felt was instant. Relishing the fact that she was mobile, she brushed a hand through her hair and then shook her arms out.
Not in the mood to resist again, Jericha said, “I’m listening.”
Skadi’s smile rose higher on one side, making the goddess look devious.
“You’re the half-breed bastard child of Jack Frost. Oh, and that dragon you saw … he’s your mate.”
Jericha stood in silence. She’d been teased all her life about her last name being Frost. It didn’t help matters that she lived in a town where the holidays were considered a staple of the small community. The town council went as far as to keep a 20-foot lit Christmas tree up all year round, smack-dab in the middle of town square.
She closed her eyes, breathing through an odd tingling sensation that stabbed at her gums.
“Do you honestly think I’m going to believe that?”
That wasn’t the answer Skadi had been looking for. In a flash, the goddess was behind her, placing her hands on each side of Jericha’s head.
“I gave you a chance to listen. Besides, I have a date to get ready for, so be still. This will only hurt for a second.”
Jericha’s eyes widened, as she yelled, “No! Get off me! I don’t want to….”
But it was too late. Skadi’s fingers clenched around Jericha’s skull, magically forcing images into her mind’s eye. The goddess muttered something that Jericha couldn’t decipher, and before she could try to fight her way free, she was once again frozen in place.
Chapter Four
Winter Haven, 1833
***
Booms ricocheted across the town of Winter Haven, shaking the snow from tree branches and off the rooftops of the marketplaces that lined the square.
Bang! Bang!
Jack Frost jumped at the sound, up to the roof of his bookstore, as he watched, waiting for the cold ones to appear. He knew for certain they would come, in search of fresh blood to drink.
The sounds he heard came from the townspeople, their rifles and cannons no match for the bloodthirsty Rimes that skittered down the rocky terrain of the mountains, like rats, in horrific droves.
Their attack, at first, resembled a snowslide because of the monsters’ white hair and skin, attributes that all Rimes shared. Jack also had those features.
Something dastardly and wicked was about to embark upon Jack’s sleepy little hamlet, which he had created for the sole purpose of protecting the source of all things mystical—the Nexus. It was connected to all energy. It branched out to envelope the world of magic and its users, grounding them to the earthen plain.
Jack closed his eyes and inhaled, focusing on the bouquet of smells that was unique to his township.
He’d been drawn to that place with such incredible power. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been the only supernatural creature lured there, but he was the first and had wasted no time in staking his claim.
He took a moment to languish in the comforting smells of warm yeast and burning wood stoves from the baker’s shop across the square. There was a pungent odor of manure, wafting from the stables on the far side of town. And with dismay, he caught the scent of gunpowder, as it hijacked the sweet smell of snow that usually rode the winds. His town was under siege, and it broke his heart.
Amped with indignant energy, he jumped from one rooftop to the next, until he reached the building closest to the onslaught of monsters. He landed nimbly on the dressmaker’s shop.
Soon after, he heard a male voice. It was nearby, behind him, in the alleyway. It sounded like a weak moan or cry. Curious, he popped his head over the roofline and watched, as a man was turned into a midnight snack. Lips the color of a clear sky were molded around a lean townsman’s wrist. As feedings went, that was a gentle one… calmer than a Rime usually bestowed upon its prey.
With a tender hand, the predator repositioned, so she could easily strike at his neck. As her sharp fangs slid through his flesh, the man’s eyes drifted closed. The Rime caught his body, before it collapsed to the ground, and threw him over her shoulder. Instead of leaving the corpse in the alley, to be found, grieved over, and given a proper burial, she was taking him with her. That meant she planned on awakening him to the cold.
Deep in thought, Jack blinked a couple times, before jumping off the roof, to land in front of the female Rime.
“You’re not welcome in my town, cold one.”
Seemingly unfazed, the creature slowly turned and stared at him from underneath sweeping white lashes.
She knew who he was—they all did.
“You are just like us, Frost. Cold to the touch, with a warm heart that needs the aid of blood to keep it beating. Why do you refuse your kin
their right to try and live? Are you truly that selfish?”
It was true. Jack needed to drink blood to survive. But unlike the Rime, he didn’t feel the need to torture and kill the humans that he took his nourishment from.
Jack Frost bared his fangs, as he smiled.
“You are a bane to humans, a plague of the worst kind. That’s where we differ, my so-called cousin.”
White hair flapping against the wind, the Rime thought a moment and then said, “Very well. I’ll travel back to the mountain.”
She turned to walk away.
“Leave the human.”
A vision of Jack’s mother came to his mind, as he peered at the back of the creature’s head. Her hair fell in straight swaths down her back, reminding him a little of the woman who bore him. His father, the previous Frost of Winter, had fallen hard for her. Her name was Shaiva, and she also happened to be a full-blooded Rime. And when it came time for Dravick to pass on the spirit of winter to their child, he had no choice but to give the powerful gifts to Jack Frost, his hybrid heir.
He knew what would come next, so he tore across the slush and stopped in front of her.
A warm fog rose from the open wound at the man’s neck. Fresh blood was smeared across the creature’s cheek, filling the dimple there, as she smiled up at Jack.
“This human is in the process of becoming. He’s my Kindred.”
As Jack looked down at her victim, a pang of compassion twined around his heart. Once the becoming took hold, there was nothing anyone could do to reverse it. The man would become a bloodthirsty monster.
“Is this why your nest has descended upon my town, to gather more Kindred?”
She gave him a mocking tilt of the head.
“Yes. And your people don’t stand a chance against us.”
Roar!
Jack looked to the sky, with a wide smile.
“The mountains may be teaming with Rime, but the sky is ablaze with dragon!” He pulled a knife from his leather belt, impending battle loosening his shoulders. “It will be interesting to see who ends this night with the greater numbers.”
The human made a grumbling sound, as the Rime laid him in the snow up to his waist, and his head thumped against the back of the building.
She let out a hiss that reminded Jack of a cobra and said, “It’s your funeral.”
Clawed hands came flying at Jack, cutting through the flesh of his left forearm. With swift reflexes, he leapt over his enemy, landing light on his feet behind her. Dipping down, he gripped the knife and lunged forward, at her back. The Rime dodged his efforts and swung a fist that rammed him in the side of the face.
With a curse, he ditched the knife and sprang at her once more. That time, when he landed, his fist went deep within her chest. His fingers tightened around her heart, which was warm and squishy from a fresh feed. At his mercy, the rage drained from the Rime’s features. If he applied any more pressure, she would die, and she knew it.
Submitting completely, the Rime said, “Spare me.”
That creature was the cause of many tragic deaths. She needed to be executed. And he would be the one to do it.
He distanced himself from the look of fear that blossomed in her eyes and squeezed. With a firm tug, he pulled the organ free from the chest cavity. His fingers sprang open, and the gooey blob plopped to the ground, with steam rising, as it sank into the snow. In the next moment, the Rime’s lifeless body landed next to its dismembered heart.
Something pulled the string to his rage taut inside of him, with the need to protect his town. That Rime, plus many more, would end up the byproduct of that.
As Jack landed on the roof of his bookstore, he heard the ferocious roars of the dragon. He narrowed his eyes at a group of advancing Rimes and waited for the perfect moment to strike. And with the blue backdrop of dragon wings filling the night sky, he was confident he knew how that battle would end.
He was right.
Chapter Five
Present Day
***
Jericha had never struck a person before, but as she roused from the trance Skadi had held her in, she had a mighty urge to do just that.
With her fists clenched into knots at her sides, she stared at the maddening woman for an awkward moment.
“You didn’t need to force that on me.”
Clearly, Jericha’s angered state showed, because the goddess’s eyes shone red, as she said, “You used up all my patience. Besides, you needed to understand your birthright.”
Jericha’s lips curled up, to show her front teeth. Unbeknownst to her, she had a new set of fangs that gleamed in the overhead light.
Skadi held out her hand, palm facing Jericha. Upon its surface, instead of flesh, was a sheet of mirrored glass. And in the reflection, Jericha caught a glimpse of her fangs. At first, they were tiny, sharp, and white, but then they elongated to about a half inch. Her eyes shocked wide at the sight of them.
Panic surged.
“What in the hell?” She poked a nervous finger at one of the sharp points and quickly pulled back a bloody tip. Her brows lifted. “Oh. My. God.”
Okay. This is really happening. Don’t panic. Pull yourself together.
Jericha swiped her tongue across her front teeth, just to be sure the pointy ones were still there.
Damn.
Then came the logical question.
“Why do I have fangs?”
“Those things,” she said, pointing at Jericha’s new attachments, “are one of the reasons I had to show you the past. You are, in part, Rime.”
Jericha sucked in a harsh breath.
“Don’t you dare tell me I’m one of those bloodthirsty monsters! I am human!”
It was as if she awoke inside a dark and twisted fairytale.
“Sweetie, you’ve never been just human. And especially after the blast you received from your father, you never will be. In due course, anything left over from your human self will disappear, and in its place, attributes innate to your sub-species and the powers you are to inherit from your father will fully awaken inside of you.”
Jericha didn’t want to believe any of that. But there was just too much proof to back up Skadi’s story for Jericha not to recognize the truth. She had fangs and super-human speed. That much was obvious. But she wondered what other attributes she would acquire over time. And the fact that a part of her could be anything like the monster in her flashback…. Well, that just frightened the crap out of her.
On the verge of acceptance, Jericha asked, “What exactly can I expect from all of this? Can I still live a normal life?”
Skadi walked over to the refrigerator and pulled the door open.
“Let’s do a little test.”
Skadi grabbed a can of soda from off the shelf and shut the door. When she turned back around, Jericha was already standing a foot away from her.
Jericha looked down at her legs in wonder.
“Man, I’m really fast. All I did was think about joining you in the kitchen, and whoosh! I was just there, or here… or whatever.”
Skadi laughed.
“You’ll need to learn how to control that if you plan on going out in public.”
“So this is for real. Wow.”
“Now, for that test....”
“You can be real bossy, you know.”
“Yes, I do know. Here,” she said, handing the can over to Jericha. “Drink this.”
Jericha shrugged and grabbed the can.
“Okay, but it seems pretty useless to me. I’ve drunk a thousand cans of soda in my life.”
She opened her mouth, took a drink, and immediately regretted it. Pain traveled down her throat like molten lava. In violent bursts, she hacked up what she thought was the soda she’d just swallowed, but it wasn’t the brown beverage that spattered across the linoleum. It was blood. Jericha blinked, with her hand clasped around her throat. The pain wasn’t subsiding. It only intensified, with each mouthful of air she tried not to swallow.
S
kadi rushed to the sink and came back with a cup full of water.
“Drink this. It should help.”
With her fingers almost useless, Jericha pawed at the glass, but finally, she was able to grab it and tip some of its contents into her mouth. With sudden relief, the pain dissipated. It was still there, but it was bearable.
“Along with your fangs, the part of you that is Rime has fully surfaced.”
“So one of the side effects of being one of those things is that I can’t drink soda?”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but you can’t drink or eat anything other than blood.”
I can only drink blood? No more burgers, cookies…? She gasped. No more fresh baked bread?
No way. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. But then she felt a hard pang of hunger at the center of her stomach, at the mere thought of blood… and she knew what Skadi had said was true.
“No one ever believes this could happen to them. Trust me.” The goddess tossed the can of soda in the sink and straightened her leather skirt above her knees. “Gotta go, fang girl. It’s time for my date.”
“Terrific. My life is ruined, and you’re just going to leave me with a ton of unanswered questions.”
“Like?”
“Well, like, how do you know all this stuff? About me?”
A knowing smile came over Skadi, as she said, “I am the Queen of the Dead—also known as the cold ones, vampires, as well as Rime.” She watched Jericha from under her long lashes. “I am obligated to greet all the newly risen.”
Jericha caught her breath.
“Risen? But I never died.”
“Semantics.” She reached down the front of her shirt and pulled a black embossed card from her bra. “Here. If you get hungry, this is a safe place for you to grab some food.”
Jericha licked her lips, as she eyed the card like it was actual blood.
“Come on. Take it.”
A bit relieved, Jericha reached out and took the business card. She hadn’t a clue how she was going to cope with all the new changes in her life, but at least she’d never have to drink from a human being in order to survive. She let her gaze linger on the card that read: Dan the Butcher.
Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More Page 76