The Seduction of Jac Frost (by Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 102

A Brother’s Counsel

Jacqueline looked at Jack as the temple doors closed and he held his arms out to her and uncaring they were with surrounded by priestesses who revered her as the daughter of the creator. She crossed the water and jumped into his arms. His love immediately caused her tears to flow.

“Why does it hurt, Jack? It shouldn’t hurt. I knew this was how it was going to play out.”

“Because there was always a chance, Jac and despite not wanting to hope, putting your heart out there, letting the men in your life crack through those walls, has made it impossible not to feel the sting.”

“Why does Winika love her more than me?”

“I don’t necessarily think she does. I think she felt more along the lines of guilt for even considering Jacinta could possibly

do such terrible things than considering that she was choosing one over the other. However, she is wrong. I talked

to my wife this morning for a long time about everything and one thing she said to me about her own upbringing was that they were held accountable. My mother’s family,” he wrapped his arm over her shoulder and encouraged to sit on

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a banquette next to him, “are some of the softest hearted

people in the world. They are all about love and gentleness and being kind to one another. In their community though because everyone is so much alike, it is rare for true disobedience. Think,” he grinned at her, “one of those California commune things television likes to create. No violence or harshness to be seen. Then she met Dad who

comes from the frozen north where we are all business and

brutality. Jacinta needed a much firmer hand which Dad could have delivered but I believe my mother thought his austere ways and upbringing were too harsh for a little girl. Jacinta never received the same treatment and training I did.

Mom wanted to believe she was more like mom’s side of the

family. Frankly, I think she’s part demon. I question whether

someone impersonated my dad to trick my mother to make

Jacinta.”

Jaqueline giggled at his words. “I hate to tell you, but you share DNA on all sides.”

He was quiet, “I don’t feel her at all anymore.”

“I’m sorry Jack.”

“I’m angry about it but not at you. She did this, all of it. In our chats last night, Aspen really told me everything Jacinta has 2/11

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done in much more detail. She never wanted to ruin my

relationship with my sister and so simply avoided the interactions with her and let it go. However, she also told me that my mother’s family’s way of dealing with unruly

behavior with kisses and coddling is not going to fly with her.

She knows I am soft and I’ll probably be duplicating some

of my mother’s mistakes in hating to see my child hurting

but as Aspen said to me in the early hours of this morning,

sometimes showing you love your child is making sure they

don’t turn into murderous psychopaths and to keep them on the straight and narrow using discipline and accountability.”

“You guys never got into trouble growing up?”

“As an example,” Jack gave a laugh, “Dad handled my discipline. If I screwed up, I was made to train harder with the soldiers, run until I puked from whatever transgression I’d

committed. Dad was fair but strict. Jacinta though would bat

those blue eyes at all of us, and we’d feel sorry for her. She

once stole a bracelet because she wanted it and the girl who owned it didn’t want to sell it to her. She was made to give

it back, but she sobbed so hard about needing to return it because it was the only one in the world and she thought she deserved it, my mother had one made for her.”

“You’re joking.”

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“Nope. Aspen told me her mother would have blackened her backside with bruises for stealing such a priceless item. It was an ancient heirloom which was passed down from mother to daughter in a fae clan and Jacinta took it. My mother had it remade for Jacinta. It sits in a jewelry box and was never worn but it’s a testament to very shitty childrearing that I never once considered until lately. I was as guilty as my parents in giving her what she wanted. She could walk into my room, point at any of my possessions and say she wanted it and I’d hand it over. When Aspen came along she wasn’t able to manipulate me as well because what was mine also became Aspen’s and I barred her from our more private living spaces where our joined belongings were kept. She didn’t like Aspen because Aspen was put above her in my heart and Aspen got my love and my

trinkets.”

“Your sister is a menace.”

“She’s your sister too.” Jack nudged her with his hip on the bench.

“I’ll never call her sister,” Jacqueline made a face.

“I’ll remind you what you just said to me. We share DNA.”

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“But no bond.” The Queen Mother broke it. “It can only ever

be restored by Jacinta. If she ever wants to feel that bond

again, she needs to do the work to restore it, and it won’t be

easy. Winika and King Jack can pray until they are blue in the face to restore the bond with her, but it all lies in Jacinta’s hands.”

“Where it should.” Jack sighed absentmindedly rubbing his chest. “It’s a hollow feeling but that bond was so far muted

it’s not as painful as I thought it would be. I feel our bond,

the one you and I share, very easily now. It shines bright

like a warm sun on a cloudless day, and it makes me so very happy. You must know, I need you to understand, I do not blame you for any of this. You are the victim in all of it.

All of this lies in Jacinta’s behavior and the Frost family’s

enablement of her behavior. You are innocent.”

Jacqueline leaned her head on his shoulder, “thank you, brother. Can I say though? I am so very grateful she dumped

me into the New York City foster system because I cannot

imagine the horror of a fae I would have become living in this household. The baby princess with everyone at their beck and call, save Jacinta? I know my personality. I would have egged her on and mocked her for not getting all the

attention. She would have killed me for sure but if I survived

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I’d have been a holy terror. My own mates might have rejected me.”

He laughed. “Possibly but I doubt it. I feel they would spoil

you equally as bad. Speaking of mates. I see you were

claimed. How does it feel?”

“The five of us are connected in such a powerful way.”

“Five? Did someone else pop out of the woodwork?” Jack was

aghast.

“Orson. Bar’s grizzly.”

“Oh, I didn’t even think of that. Did you have to take bear

dick?”

She shoved his chest as he laughed loudly at her expression.

“What a horrible thing to ask!”

“It’s a very valid question. I know my wife is going to ask me. Does he put you on all fours and –”

“Jack!” she screamed at him and covered his mouth with her palm. “Rude.”

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“It’s what big brother’s do. They tease their little sisters to

make them blush and flustered. Now when you go back to

your mates you’ll be thinking of that big furry beast over you, growling, all hot breath and snarling as he bites the back of

your neck and puts cubs in you.”

“What is wrong with you?” she stared at him incredulously.

“I swiped one of your books off your nightstand and I’ve been reading it to Aspen as a bedtime story. I wish I had a beast to let loose on my wife. I think she’d like it.”

“I think you’re beastly enough for her.” Jacqueline grumbled rubbing her palms over her cheeks wishing they would cool down. She sighed, “speaking of my beast and Bar, we have a

problem I may need your help with. It was part of why I came

here today. To talk to you after dealing with all of that,” she

waved at the space where Jacinta had been.

“What is going on?” he was immediately serious with

concern.

“Bar’s family is arriving later today to the town. The familial bond between Bar and his father remains. He felt Bar’s frustration, tension, and sadness when I first didn’t recognize

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the bond between us and Bar’s feelings grew exponentially when I was gone from the town. He felt his son was in pain, possibly in danger and Bar did not reach out to him. Part of it is worry but another part is that he feels his son should be coming to him and he is angry this feud as it were going on too long.”

“I see.”

“No, you don’t.” She laughed at Jack’s words. “You and King Jack are very close and even despite this situation, you would still go to him for guidance if you were you were truly hurting.”

“Perhaps. He is blind where his children are concerned but he does have a view of the world I appreciate.”

“Exactly. Bar and his father are from what I can gather very similar in personality and behavior. Stubborn, strong–willed, and single–minded. When the mind is made up, it’s made up.”

“I’ve met his family more than once. The very first time I

met them, I assumed Bar was the older brother and crown

prince.”

“His brother doesn’t measure up.” Jacqueline said with a 8/11

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knowing sigh. “The Crown Prince has been jealous of Bar his entire life because Bar is bigger, stronger, smarter, and

overall, a better creature and then when Bar found his mate

first, it caused him to snap. Since Bar was first in everything

but the crown, the bratty prince decided to mess with Bar’s

mate’s fertility and in the end caused her to die. He does feel

great remorse for his role in the situation and for the loss of

his brother’s mate, but the crown prince has enjoyed Bar’s absence. There has been nobody in the background making

him look weaker without any effort at all. Bar is the better

brother and without him around the crown prince looks

good.”

Jack was quiet a moment before he gently asked, “he killed

Bar’s first mate?”

“By mistake. He forced the mate’s sister who was the royal

nurse to swap out fertility medication for a form of birth control. The sister was so frightened of the prince that she Bar’s mate a dose far too strong and it interacted terribly with some natural remedies a local healer prescribed to boost fertility. If she’d been taking the fertility meds she thought she was, then there would have been no interaction. Instead, it was too drugs doing opposite things, tons of hormones involved and she went a bit crazy and it caused a tumor. She believed the tumor was a baby and when they 9/11

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excised it, she couldn’t be rationalized with and ended up falling down some stairs and bleeding out.”

“I’d have ripped his throat out.” Jack growled furiously.

“It was all a bad series of oversights and misjudgments. Bar knows his brother feels terrible. There was true remorse but as Bar said, watching his brother cry his guilty tears sat wrong with him and he left. He wasn’t allowed to mourn because it made the brother feel bad. His father gave him an itinerary dictating his day and Bar just left.”

“I’d have killed that little puke and taken his crown. What do you need from me? Are we going to kill him on Bar’s

behalf?“”

“Jack!” she giggled at his vehemence. “I appreciate your sentiment and your support of my mate, but it is much more complex.”

“Why?”

“They don’t know Bar has a second mate and moreover, he has a full team of mates. The men are as bonded to him as I am.” At his curious wicked grin she corrected, “not physically but emotionally. They feel one another like through a mate 10/11

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bond or a very strong brotherly bond. Bar’s brother is going to feel even smaller when he realizes Bar has a mate and two other men who love him more than the brother ever could.”

“What you’re saying is, we’re in for another jealousy showdown.”