Watching him is nearly hypnotic, and it becomes increasingly more-so as the threads of icy, crystalline magicslowly bleed into reality. It is fascinating. It is like watching panes of frost fashioning from nothing and then sliding away in fast-time, shifting through the air too quickly to follow with the eye. I catch no more than the smallest glimpse and impression of them before they scatter into the unknown like dozens of intricate paper-cuttings cast into an ever-flowing wind. On all sides of me, frost runs freely up the trees like streams of ice, even as it also flows outward in continuous waves reaching unseen destinations. This is Jak’s true magic, beyond his little tricks for securing his prey. And his magic ripples the air with fragments of painted ice rolling forward on hidden currents.
Suddenly, he goes still. His arms and hands go still, and wings freeze in arcs around him as his head tips slowly as if... listening. There is something so unnaturally predatory about that stillness that my heart leaps within my chest as I choke back the fearful gasp... but not enough. His head turns in my direction, his eyes blazing with icy light. A smile stretches across his face that is something a bit closer to a snarl. There is nothing of the male I know within that smile or within the eyes locked onto me and following my every movement. My hand clutches instinctively above my heart, and his gaze focuses there. His smile widens, his ears twitching as if he can hear the way my heart has suddenly sped up into a frantic pace.
Run, fool, run, I scream inwardly.
The thought is barely formed in my mind when he acts. His wings stretch to their widest span, and they snap, propelling him powerfully through the air as he leaps toward me, those same currents of frost and magic whirling around him. I choke on my scream and stumble so that I fall back even as he drops on me. His weight isn’t even on me when I hit the snow, but he lands with his feet planted at either side of my hips so that all he has to do is shift his stance and he lowers himself into a crouch over me. I stare at him fearfully, my eyes fastening on thathorrifying smile on his face. His smile inches wider, becoming more maniacal and dangerous as he slowly leans in closer, his eyes blazing with an unholy flame of living ice. I can see it twisting like a cold inferno within his gaze, hungry to consume everything as the distance between us rapidly closes.
His nose is only inches from my own when the wind blows and the bells on his sash jingle merrily with it. He freezes once more at the sound and his smile slips as his eyes blink rapidly, the burning light slowly fading from them. His eyes drift shut, and a tremor runs through him. I can barely breathe as I stare up into his face, wondering what side of the monster I will see next, but when his eyes open again, it is Jak looking back at me through them.
The corner of his mouth hitches, and he pecks the tip of my nose with a light kiss that sends an electric current through my body, straight to my toes. Moreover, my nose is stinging sharply from the unexpected iciness of his lips. Jack Frost nipping at my nose indeed!
“Good morning, precious. You should not be out here. It is dangerous.”
I stare at him in disbelief, uncertain if I will even be able to unglue my tongue from the roof of my mouth to form a coherent reply. I have a million questions running through my mind, but I cannot seem to settle on just one. I do not even know where to begin, so I am entirely caught by surprise by what comes from my mouth.
“What the fuck was that, Jak?”
His eyebrows fly up and he gives me a mischievous smile as he straightens and extends his hand to me, helping me back to my feet with one effortless tug. I have lost my hat, and I impatiently swipe my hair out of my face to glower at him as he bends over to pluck my hat from the snow and brush it off before returning it to me with a sheepish look.
“That... is hard to explain,” he replies apologetically.
“Try. It looked like you were about to eat me!” I snap, only to become further infuriated by his mirthful chuckle.
“Do you truly imagine that I could refrain from harming you if I lacked all control over myself?” he teases as he sets to brushing the snow off me.
I consider shoving away his hands so that he understands just how annoyed I am, but his words hook me and I frown at him curiously.
“Wait, you were aware of everything the whole time?” I demand and I give him a sharp shove, toppling the unsuspecting demon over and directly onto his ass in the snow.
Snow kicks up as he hits it, but it is the surprised look on his face as he stares at me with his eyes wide and his mouth gaping that makes me lose my composure as a giggle escapes me, and then another until I am shaking with laughter rising from my belly.
“You are such an ass,” I scold as I offer my hand to help him up.
The smile he gives me in return is one of mild embarrassment, and despite his strength, I am shocked at how light he is. I have no problem helping him to his feet, and I begin brushing the snow off him as he resumes brushing the powder off me. I know he doesn’t feel the cold the way I do, but it just feels a bit absurd for him to brush snow off all my layers when he is out here in nothing more than a pair of trousers and boots.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I continue with my complaint, but I glance around, suddenly uneasy. “If that was just you fucking around then what do you mean by it is dangerous?”
He shrugs gamely enough, but his smile fades, his expression growing solemn. “This place is not a normal forest. It is a liminal place that is connected across realms. Anything can enter, andit is far too easy to lose your way and end up someplace else unexpectedly.”
“Like dropping me by my car?” I playfully challenge, my eyebrows rising tauntingly. But he does not smile like I expect him to.
“Like in the territory of a far less friendly demon,” he gravely replies.
Okay. Memo me, don’t come out in the woods alone. Let’s avoid actually getting eaten by a demon with a taste for actual human flesh and not just excess energies of merriment. I squint at him, trying to gage just how much he is fucking with me. “Is that why you turned up the killer demon persona?”
A hint of a smile returns as his lips twitch, but he shakes his head as his attention returns to brushing the snow off me. “Although I did not intend to frighten you, and never would have hurt you, when I am in the grip of my magic it does present something of an... unfiltered... view of my nature,” he admits. “I did not even realize that you interpreted this part of me as an actual threat to be afraid of, rather than the playfulness I was feeling at that moment, until I was crouched over you.” He meets my eyes remorsefully. “I apologize, Shawna.”
Okay then. I nod in acknowledgment as my gaze shifts away from him toward the heavily frosted trees. They are painted with such dazzling patterns, far more intricate than anything I have seen on a tree in my own world. And yet it gives the forest a supernatural character that makes my blood cool considerably with my unease.
“This is all very beautiful, Jak,” I murmur.
He reluctantly tears his gaze from me to follow the direction of my gaze and nods. Lifting his hand, he stirs his claws in weaving patterns in the air between us, and my breath catches as I watch the magic draw together and weave into intricate form. I watch in awed silence as it spins and condenses, curlingaround itself and slowly growing larger with every new, intricate layer. Although it is no bigger than a marble, it is glorious. The sunlight catches within the tiny structures, refracting in numerous prisms, as he finishes weaving a perfect sphere of delicately carved and patterned ice floating in the air inches from his cupped palm. It glows with pale pinks, blues, and lavenders, the lights dancing and twisting hypnotically. His eyes lift to meet mine, and he smiles. Taking my hand in his free one, he passes the sphere to me, and I gape at it in wonder. It doesn’t even feel cold. No colder than a gemstone, anyway.
“Jak, it’s beautiful,” I murmur.
“It is yours,” he quietly replies. “Keep it. The magic is self-sustaining. It will never melt no matter how heated it gets. It will be the perfect piece of me and my magic to keep with you always.”
Okay, that’s one hell of an apology. I nod and close my fingers around it, and the musical hum of its magic fills me, brightening my spirit without even trying.
