The Seduction of Jac Frost (by Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 107

Looking Glass

Quiet whisperings made Jacqueline’s ears strain to hear

what was being spoken around her as she surfaced. Happy

glee–filled sounds filtered back to her, and she slowly opened her eyes to find herself back the garden of the Queen

Mother.

“Good morning my child.”

The lilting voice made her head turn excitedly with the desire to rush to her for the embrace she knew would make her feel

better overwhelming her, but she felt drained of energy as

she lay in the soft grass.

Her mother knelt next to her and gently stroked the hair off her face. “You used a lot of your energy.”

“I wanted to protect Bar’s privacy from the town he loves so

much.”

“Is that so?”

“I knew there were onlookers and I knew I would be forced to

give a display to that stubborn king. How is Bar? I worry

for

him 2

11:30

0.34

+34 Bonus

13

< Looking Glass

“He worries for you. There are no other thoughts in his head

aside from worrying about you. You are here and Jack has

explained to him he’s seen you in this state before and you will come around shortly.”

“Why did you bring me here?” she lifted up on her elbows to

look around.

“To check on you,” the frown of confusion marred the perfect

features. “I wanted to see you and make certain you are assured of your place, your strength and the love which surrounds you. You doubt it still after the issues with Jacinta and your parents and the way King Oberon views you as a weapon instead of a being. You are feeling small next to the demands you are facing and so,” she shrugged, “I thought a little love from your mother might help.”

Jacqueline sat up completely and fell into her embrace. “It helps. Oh, it helps so much,” she whispered against her shoulder. “Why must it be so hard?”

“It will not always be hard Jacqueline, but I warned you this would not be an easy path to begin. You need to dig for the grit which you developed growing up in New York. Do not discount the strengths you already possessed far beyond

2/12

11:30

< Looking Glass

+34 Bonus

magic. Now, there was more to hiding the world from your scene with Oberon and Bjorn. Tell me what I already know.” There was teasing in her voice.

“I wanted to hurt them,” Jacqueline admitted. “All I could think of was to protect Bar at all costs and it included ripping their smug heads from their necks.”

“You didn’t.”

“No because it would hurt my mate. He loves his family deeply. He is being used by them, and it hurts him to know

they put a price tag on his value. He is such a brilliant man,

and they see him as a threat or an asset depending on the day.”

“I know and it enrages me,” Jacqueline said furiously. “I wanted them to pay for their cruelty. Why can they not simply love him?” She made a face, “Wilder and Rafferty have caused so much trouble for their parents over the years, and did you see Fawn today? She was right there at their sides. knowing they might need her. She loves them in spite of their foolishness. Yet Bar who never gave a lick of real trouble to his father until his brother murdered his mate, accidentally or

not, and his father demands Bar falls back to his heel like a

dog.” 3/12

11:30

< Looking Glass

“This is all true.”

6

-34 Bonus

“Fawn is a good mother.”

“She is a good example for you to follow back in your own world. She is not perfect, but her love is. She makes mistakes but when she does, she accepts them, accounts for them, talks to her partner who will also step in. Later you will see the love Hugh has in a different way and the example your partners have for what a man who is a good mate and

husband should be.”

“They learned well. They showed up today for Bar, feeling

his tension and needing to be there to comfort him and be

strong for him. They embraced being in such a relationship so easily. I am incredibly proud of them.”

“I am too. I placed you both with a good family to show you

how love can be.”

She realized her mother meant Bar and she smiled at the

inclusion, “I appreciate this.”

“But why did I place you with Jack and Winika?”

4/12

11:30

+34 Bonus

< Looking Glass

“To show me how a bad family can be?” she asked with her

nose scrunched.

“No! Think child,” her mother laughed at the question.

“To teach me that love isn’t perfect and it’s flawed and I

cannot let my heart be hard and angry all the time and eventually I need to learn forgiveness even though right now

I want to decimate them all.”

Her mother’s tender kiss to her forehead made her melt, “you

are wise beyond your years.”

“I’m not ready to forgive because I don’t think they are truly

sorry.”

“I understand this. They cannot demand your forgiveness. They must earn it.”

“Jack was there for me today in a way I can never express enough gratitude over. He was incredible.” She looked at her mother and sighed, “he had great parents growing up. He experienced a good balance of tough love and overindulgence, and it works. How did they get it so wrong with Jacinta?”

5/12

11:30

+34 Bonus

< Looking Glass

“Have you checked on her since she was removed?”

“No. I had better things to do.” Her mother’s smile held a hint of wildness Jacqueline was unprepared for. “What is happening?” She scampered to the pool and leaned over it, “what did you do?”

“Far better than horse shit on shoes,” the being was glowing as she waved her hand over the pond to display Jacinta and Jacqueline immediately gasped. “Isn’t it lovely? The little creature thought she was going to get away with it. She actually believed your parents would find a way to convince you to let her go. She has sniffed far too much nail varnish in her lifetime, in my opinion.”

Jacqueline giggled at the comment and leaned closer to the pool. “Why is she naked?”

“She is serving the all–female temple and clothing in this place is earned.”

“Earned? Why is clothing earned?”

“She must learn to be grateful for the skin she is in.”

“They took away all her jewelry and her pretty clothes and 6/12

11:30

.34 Bonus

< Looking Glass

her hair, why did they cut her hair off?”

“To her shoulders. It is a symbol of her vanity and needed to go. Your priestess from this temple wasn’t messing around. Took all of her make–up, removed her fake nails and now without any powers at all she cannot be anything except

a normal unremarkable fae. She needs to learn how to be

appreciative that I gave her life in a body which was already perfect. Adornment is unnecessary.”

“Her ego is out of this world. I cannot imagine she is liking this very much at all.”

“She has cried and yelled and sulked. I believe we are close

to the crying thing again.”

“And Winika and Jack?”

She waited with bated breath as the scene changed to

where Winika sobbed uncontrollably on a chair while Jack paced furiously in front of her. The Queen Mother waved her hand, and Jacqueline could hear as if she were in the room.

“You knew! Winika, your heart knew all this time Jacinta stole our child, and you hid it behind a spell of your own making! How the hell am I supposed to trust you? You are my wife 7/12

11:30

C

+34 Bonus

< Looking Glass

and the person who stole our infant from under our noses sat

at our dining room table, cuddled up with us in the evenings

to watch movies and she even came with me when I went on missions to seek out leads on Jacqueline’s appearance and yet, you said nothing!”

“I didn’t want to think it was true! Jack,” she wiped her hands

over her face as she tried to quell her tears, “I thought it was me. I thought I was projecting the blame onto her.”

“She tried to kill her again. This morning you talked me into

believing that it looked worse than it was, but it was worse than I even imagined. I almost let her go. She would have killed Jacqueline.”

“I didn’t want to be the parent who accused her child of such horrendous things.” Winika wailed. “I’m sorry. I’m very sorry. I know better now. Whatever you deem fit for Jacinta I will never argue. I didn’t realize how sick she’d become.”

“What I deem fit? Oh, what I deem fit is not going to happen.

Jacqueline had her whisked away to a temple. I want her

in a dungeon, and I want a whip on her hide! She stole my daughter. She lied. She cheated. She manipulated and then if that wasn’t enough, she tried to kill her again last night and then doubled down on it today!” He gave an impatient 8/12

11:30

00 BB

+34 Bonus

< Looking Glass

screech into the air, his fists flailing furiously before storming

for the door.

“Where are you going?” Winika cried after him.

“I need space and I need to think.” He slammed out of the

door.

Jacqueline watched as Winika curled into a ball and sobbed her heart out. “I want to believe her but I’m too angry.”

“As you should be. What she pulled today is inexcusable and she will suffer the consequences of her own actions.”

“She loves Jacinta very much.”

“Yes.”

“She chose her over me.”

“I don’t believe she realized she was making a choice. I think she was hoping to sweep everything under the rug, and everyone would eventually get over it.”

“Yeah, not happening. Where are my mates?” Jacqueline

watched as the scene unfolded of her mates and her brother

9/12

11:30

< Looking Glass

+34 Bonus

standing around the bed she was laid upon with Fawn wringing out cool cloths to put on her head. It was Fawn she couldn’t stop looking at, “I want to be like her. I don’t know if I have such compassion in my heart for anyone. She barely

knows me and look how she tends to me.”

“You have the ability to be incredibly loving and

compassionate, Jacqueline. You will see. You are new to all of

this. Give yourself time.”

“Okay.” She took one last breath, “show me the bear king and his cub. I want to return to my body with up–to–date

information.”

The pond reflected the two men in the throne room of what Jacqueline knew without ever being there, the castle where Bar grew up. Oberon paced as Bjorn glared at his father’s

back.

“She is the true child of our creator. The power she wields

is incredible. Imagine the child she will have with Bar someday.”

“She might not ever have his child. She does have two other mates. I imagine the war waging amongst sperm to meet egg is quite the battle,” Bjorn drawled sarcastically ignoring 10/12

11:30

&

+34 Bonus

< Looking Glass

his father’s growl.

“We are the superior species.”

“The fae are strong and you know it.”

“We need to get rid of the twins.”

“I will have no part in it.” Bjorn said suddenly. “My brother

hates me as it is. The daughter of the Queen Mother, as she

called it, holds his hand and gives him whatever he wants. She has armies at her disposal we cannot dream of. I have already ruined his life once. I will not entertain these plots. You heard her today. Until I truly atone for what I have done, I will never have a mate, and the line will end with me.”

“Where are you going?” Oberon didn’t seem to hear a word of what his son had said. “We need to discuss this!”

“I have offerings to make in the temple. Plot on your own and leave me out of it. If you mess it up good enough, your throne

will be mine sooner rather than later.” Bjorn stomped away.

Jacqueline looked to her mother curiously, “I was not expecting this.”

11/12

11:30

張

+34 Bonus

< Looking Glass

“In this life, Jacqueline, you should always expect the

unexpected.”