15. Violet
Chapter fifteen
Violet
I find Jack in his study, maps of Earth spread across his desk. Crystalline markers dot various locations, but my eyes fix on the cluster over Salida. My heart clenches at the sight.
His shoulders tense at my entrance.
“The storm systems are spreading.” I push through the doorway without knocking. “And I think know why.”
Jack’s head snaps up, frost crackling along his jawline. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Your father’s journal explains everything.” I brandish the leather-bound book. “The warming in your realm, the storms on Earth—it’s all connected to what he did to you.”
“Before you tell me to leave—” I slam the journal on his desk. “Read this.”
He glances at the cover, his face draining of color. “Where did you find this?”
“Forbidden section of the library. Turns out your dad was an even bigger asshole than we thought.” I tap the journal. “He magically froze your heart, Jack. Everything you believe about mates, about showing emotion—it’s all based on his fucked-up manipulation.”
“I told you to drop this.” Ice spreads from his fingers across the maps.
“Did you fucking hear me? He magically froze your heart, Jack. Made you believe emotion would destroy your power, when really—”
“Enough.” His voice drops to a dangerous whisper.
“No, not enough. Gabriel is—”
Jack’s fingers hover over the journal, frost spreading from his touch. “You had no right—”
“And that’s not all. Gabriel—”
“Don’t.” Ice crystals form in the air around us. “Whatever game you’re playing—”
“It’s not a game!” I lean forward, bracing my hands on his desk. “Your father—”
Jack slams his hands on the desk, sending papers flying. The temperature plummets until my breath comes out in white puffs. “You dare speak of my father? After breaking into private sections of my library? After violating my trust?”
Shit. “I didn’t break in. The door was—”
“Get rid of that journal.” His eyes flash arctic blue. “Now. ”
“Gabriel—” I try to tell Jack about Gabriel in this moment of silence, but my throat locks up. My tongue freezes in place, refusing to form the words. What the fuck?
I try again, but it’s like invisible hands are chopping off my voice.
Then it hits me—the bargain. That smug bastard Gabriel made me swear not to tell anyone about our deal. Fae magic binds my tongue, keeping his secrets locked inside my head whether I like it or not.
Fucking fantastic.
“Look, your father’s the one who—” Jack’s hand slams his desk, cutting off my words. My heart pounds against my ribs as his massive form looms over me.
“ Silence! ” Power rolls off him in waves, frost coating the walls. “You know nothing of my family, my realm, or me.”
My chest aches. “I know you’re scared. I know you’re alone. And I know everything you believe about mates is based on lies.”
Jack stalks around the desk, towering over me. His skin takes on that ethereal blue glow that signals his barely contained power. “Leave. Before I do something we’ll both regret.”
Tears freeze on my cheeks. “Jack, please—”
I gasp as my gaze drops to the swirling portal next to Jack’s desk. Through the shimmering surface, I catch glimpses of my hometown—the familiar streets now covered in a thick blanket of unseasonable snow.
But something’s wrong. The magic ripples, focusing on the hospital where Alana works. My best friend’s face flashes across the portal’s surface, her features twisted in pain as frost creeps up the hospital walls.
“Fuck.” My heart hammers against my ribs. “That’s why you’ve been watching. The ice—it’s spreading there, isn’t it? And Alana...” My voice cracks. The person I love most in the world is right in the path of this supernatural disaster.
I lean closer to the portal, my fingers hovering just above its surface. The magic pulses, showing me more—corridors filling with ice, patients being evacuated, and Alana trying to help while clearly suffering from the cold herself.
“You knew.” I whirl to face Jack, fury and fear warring in my chest. “You knew she was in danger and you didn’t tell me?”
The temperature plummets. Jack rises slowly, his eyes blazing with otherworldly power. “Get out.”
“Jack, please—”
“ Get. Out.”
“Guards!” His voice booms through the castle. Two frost giants materialize in the doorway. I back away from Jack, clutching the journal to my chest.
“Escort Miss Jones to her chambers. She is not to leave until summoned.”
“Fine.” My voice cracks. “Stay trapped in your father’s prison. See if I care.”
But I do care. And as the guards lead me away, leaving Jack alone with his maps and his isolation, I’ve never felt more helpless.
I pace back and forth in my room, the journal clutched tightly in my hands. The image of Alana, suffering in that hospital won’t leave my mind. I can’t just stay here, not when she needs me. But leaving means defying Jack, maybe even hurting him. My chest aches at the thought.
Damn it, Violet. You can’t have it both ways.
I sink onto the bed, tracing the journal’s worn cover. Jack’s father did this to him, to his kingdom. All because he feared emotion, feared love. And now, Jack’s pushing me away for the same reason. He thinks he’s protecting his realm, but he’s really just trapping himself in his father’s icy prison.
And if I leave, I’m just confirming his fears.
But Alana... She’s been there for me through everything. When my parents died, when I doubted my career, when I just needed someone to laugh with. She’s my rock, my comfort, my chosen family. And she’s in trouble.
“Fuck.” I slam my palm against the window. Through the frosted glass, I watch snow pile up in drifts against the castle walls.
She’d do it for me. The thought hits hard. Alana’s always been there - through med school applications, failed relationships, endless night shifts.
I stand up, resolve hardening in my gut. I have to go back. Not just for Alana, but for me. To prove to myself, and maybe to Jack, that love isn’t something to fear. That it’s worth fighting for, worth taking risks for.
But how? Jack’s not going to just let me waltz out of here. I’ll need a plan, a way to sneak back to Earth without him stopping me .
A soft knock at my door interrupts my thoughts. I tuck the journal under my pillow just as Cora slips inside, her eyes wide with concern.
“Violet, are you alright? I heard about what happened with Jack.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just... trying to figure some things out.”
Cora sets down the tray, her crystalline features softening. “The king has forbidden any attempts to send you back.”
“I know.” I sink onto my bed, clutching a pillow. “But Alana... she’s the only person who’s never given up on me. Even when I pushed everyone else away after my dad died.” Tears freeze on my cheeks. “I can’t abandon her now.”
“And what of our realm? Of Jack?”
“I don’t know.” The weight of both worlds settles on my shoulders. “But I do know that if Alana dies because I chose to stay here solving magical politics instead of saving her, I’ll never forgive myself.”
She sits down next to me, her gaze searching. “You’re thinking of leaving?”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak.
Cora takes my hand, squeezing it gently. “I know you care about your friend. And I know Jack’s... difficult. But Violet, you’re meant to be here. With him. You’re changing things, changing him.”
Tears sting my eyes. “You wouldn’t say that if you saw how he was today. But Alana needs me, Cora. And Jack... he’s so scared of what we could be. He’s so scared of loving me.”
She smiles sadly. “And you fear not loving him enough to stay.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Because she’s right. I’m terrified that if I stay, I’ll lose Alana. But if I go, I’ll lose Jack. And despite everything, I do care about him. More than I want to admit.
Cora shifts beside me. “Sometimes the hardest choices aren’t between right and wrong.”
“They’re between two rights.” I wipe my eyes. “Or in this case, two wrongs. Either I abandon someone I love, or I abandon an entire realm that needs help.”
“And what about Jack?”
My chest aches at the thought of leaving him trapped in his father’s lies, manipulated by his own brother. “He made his choice.” But even as I say it, I know it’s not that simple. The mate bond pulses between us and I feel the frosty pull on my heart, a constant reminder of what could be.
Leaving means giving up on fixing things with Jack. On helping his realm. Understanding whatever this mate bond really means.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what I have to do. “Cora, I need your help. I need to get back to Earth, just for a little while. At least until I know Alana’s safe.”
She studies me for a long moment, then nods. “Alright. But Violet, promise me something.”
“What?”
“Promise me you’ll come back. That you won’t give up on him, on this realm. Promise me you’ll fight for what you both deserve.”
I clench my fists, drawing strength from Cora’s faith in me. “I promise. But first, I need to try one more time with Jack. He needs to understand what his father and Gabriel have done.”
Rising from the bed, I grab the journal and head for the door. Cora catches my arm.
“He’s in a dangerous mood, Violet.”
“When isn’t he?” My lips quirk into a half-smile. “Besides, I’m pretty dangerous myself when someone I care about is in trouble.”
The corridors feel colder than usual as I make my way back to Jack’s study, frost crunching under my boots. The guards block my path, but I lift my chin.
“Move, or I’ll start singing Christmas carols. And trust me, neither Jack nor you want to hear my rendition of ‘Jingle Bells.’”
They exchange glances, probably remembering my earlier threats to melt the castle. The taller one steps aside.
I push open the heavy doors without knocking. Jack stands at the window, his broad shoulders rigid with tension. The portal still swirls next to his desk, showing glimpses of the hospital.
“I told you to stay in your chambers.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve never been great at following shitty orders.” I approach his desk, setting the journal down. “You’re watching her suffer. Why?”
He doesn’t turn around. “The magic is beyond my control.”
“Bullshit.” I slam my hand on his desk. “Your father’s journal explains everything.”
Ice crackles across the windows. “You know nothing of my father. ”
“I know he feared love so much he magically frosted your heart. And I know you’re letting his lies destroy not just us, but your entire realm.”
Jack whirls around, his eyes blazing arctic blue. “Get out.”
“No.” I plant my feet. “You’re so scared of feeling something that you’d rather watch an innocent people die than admit you might be wrong about us.”
“Wrong about what?” His voice drops dangerously low. “About the prophecy that says you’ll destroy everything I’ve built? About the warmth that’s already melting my realm?”
“Wrong about love being weakness.” I step closer, refusing to back down. “Your father was wrong. Gabriel is wrong. And you’re wrong.”
The temperature plummets, but I keep going.
“Look at that portal, Jack. Really look. That ice? It’s spreading because you’re fighting the mate bond, not because of it. You’re so determined to be cold and alone that you’re freezing everything you touch.”