A person’s head appeared, hair snowy blonde and spiky. Jack’s face revealed next as he calmly walked up the same way Fintan had. Peering over the edge, I gawked at the icy stairs Jack had conjured, leading down so far that I couldn’t tell where they started.
Jack brushed snow from his shoulders, shaking some of it from his hair and beard. “Do you often gallop at full speed in the woods during a blizzard?”
“No, because the Cove doesn’t normally get blizzards. Is that your doing?” Pressing my cheek to Fintan’s head, I glared at Jack, already blaming him.
Jack smirked and flung his hand back and forth like a maestro, making the snowflakes nearest to him follow the pattern. My gaze couldn’t help but follow the motions. It mesmerized me for a spell. “It’s more like the winter elements reacting to my presence here—to theirking.”
“King?” I whispered, eyes widening, the declaration jarring me from my haze.
Jack crossed his arms, his biceps tightening against his shirt sleeves. “So, you’re a faerie, hm?” He nudged his chin at the wings I’d forgotten were still fluttering at my back.
Zipping my spine straight, my wings flapped erratically before I made them disappear. “You weren’t supposed to see them.” I hid my ears with my hair and crouched behind Fintan.
“Why not?” Jack leaned to the side to see me.
Yearning to change the subject and fast, I continued to stroke a hand over my stag’s fur because it was the only thing grounding me. “You said you’re a king. A king of what? Of where?”
“Do you always answer questions with questions without an answer?” Jack lifted his brows, his gaze briefly scanning my hair.
“Your question is far too personal for the short time I’ve known you. Mine is not. You being a king is assumedly public knowledge, is it not?” I’d felt the compulsion to scratch the tip of my ear as I usually did as a nervous twitch, but held back.
“And there’s another question.” Jack chuckled and took a few steps closer. “I’mthewinter king.”
“There’s only one? I didn’t realize such a thing existed, and I live in a magical town filled with the impossible.” A tiny smile crested my lips.
“Very true.” Jack approached Fintan, opening his palm and letting him come to his hand before petting his muzzle. The sight made my core tingle. Fintan never warmed up toanyonethat quickly. “You live in a place where orcs and gargoyles roamwithout care, and yet you still feel the need to hide your petite, pointedears.”
If my cheeks were capable of flushing, they’d have turned a billion shades of crimson. Sucking in a breath, I ignored him and stroked Fintan’s fur more aggressively. “What—what were you doing in the woods? I don’t see many people out here.”
“I think you can agree that out here feels quite a lot better than some sweltering sweat box.” Jack tilted his head and crouched to catch my gaze. “You didn’t—you didn’t think I wasfollowingyou, did you?”
Rubbing one of Fintan’s velvety ears between my thumb and forefinger, I gave a one-shouldered shrug. “It crossed my mind.”
Jack scoffed, inching closer to me. “Don’t flatter yourself, faerie. I was already here and heard you screeching.” He gestured to Fintan with that tattooed arm, and I gulped down a lump forming in my throat. “You’re welcome, by the way, for saving your animal.”
Guilt punched at my gut now, and I dropped my gaze to the snow dusting my boots. I’d gotten so into my own head, I’d let my usual thankful demeanor slip away. This was Fintan. My stag could’ve very well been gone were it not for Jack.
After poking my forefingers together, I combed hair away from my ears, exposing them. “Thank you.” The words came out so low that a wind gust carried them away.
“What was that?” Jack asked, cupping a hand near his ear.
Forcing my hands at my sides, I balled them into fists, and my wings flared out on their own. “Thank you. I appreciate you saving Fintan. Not sure what I’d do without him.”
Jack shoved a hand into his pocket and scratched the back of his head with the other. His eyes focused on the tips of my ears. “You’re welcome. I uh—I know how that feels. Having an animal companion, I mean.”
We grew silent for a beat, only the sound of Fintan munching on grass echoing around us.
“Did we just have a—” I gestured between us. “—a moment there?”
Jack shook his head and sidestepped to a tree. “I’d call it more of a momentary truce.”
“Momentary? Are you back to hating me?” Crouching, I gathered snow in my palm and sighed from its coolness against my skin.
“Hate is such a strong word. I never said I hated you.” Jack’s lips curled downward into a surprising frown.
Rising, I continued to play with the snow, switching it from one hand to the other. “You haven’t exactly been warm to me.”
Jack carved a hand through his hair and walked his fingers up the tree’s trunk, giving it glistening, tiny icicles in its path. “I’m the living antithesis of anything warm, Sylvie. I’d say I’mfrustratedby you.”
