The Seduction of Jac Frost (by Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 44

No Clue Part II

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“Okay, then!” Jacqueline bit out a surprised laugh. “Let’s move on to a different topic. How are we going to prove Jacinta kidnapped me and got rid of me so she could have mummy and daddy to herself?”

“Now there’s a question.”

“You should have seen her in here,” Bar commented as

he lifted a stack of books from a box and looked at them

carefully before putting them on the shelf. “She might be

able to fake it with fae but I’m an animal driven by instinct. I know when someone is putting danger in my vicinity. That woman is dangerous. My first thought was to protect

Jacqueline from her. My skin was itching with the need to shift and push her behind me.”

“It makes no sense,” Rafferty said quietly. “Why would she? She has nothing to gain.”

“Except being the only girl in the family and getting all of her parents‘ love.”

“But it backfired,” Wilder agreed with his brother, “if that

re the case because all it did, to send you away, was 190:55

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create a void which she couldn’t fill. Your parents and Jack have spent twenty–five years desperately searching for you. If anything, she was left on her own even more and when she wasn’t alone she was stuck with Winika whispering to flowers like a crazy person.”

“She is a crazy person,” Jacqueline muttered. “Writhing all over me like a ferret and then on the plane earlier wrapping herself around my legs like a kid on Santa.”

“She is terrified she’s going to lose you again. Imagine losing a child,” Wilder said softly. “If there is any of them you can try to feel an ounce of empathy for, try for her. Her child literally was birthed of her womb and while she was delivering

placenta, her baby which was supposed to be getting cleaned up in the next room was stolen away. She’d not even had the chance to hold you in her arms, Jacqueline. You were birthed and whisked away to be weighed and quickly checked over and poof, you vanished. I was there that night. I can still to this day, hear her screams and wails as within fifteen minutes of your birth you were gone.”

“Me too,” Rafferty said solemnly, “it haunted my dreams for years. I’ve never heard anything like that. She was broken in that moment; Jacqueline and she stayed that way. Each time you move out of her view, it is a reliving of that moment all 2/6

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over again. The king, the prince, the princess, I will back you a thousand times on how to deal with them but with her, it’s different, Jacqueline because her heartbreak was different.”

She felt a smidge of guilt, “I’ll try to be nicer to her, but she needs to stop throwing herself at me like a blanket smothering a fire.”

“You have great analogies,” Bar commented from where he stacked things. “Question. What if part of Winika’s guilt is because she suspects her own child?”

“What?”

“Mothers know. My mother can take one look at me within minutes of being in my company after not seeing me for decades and know what my mood is. She is with Jacinta day in and out. What if she originally felt she was complicit and the guilt for blaming her child has caused her to overlook

the wickedness of Jacinta. Now however, putting the two of you in the same space, Winika’s acting crazier than usual because she wants to keep Jacqueline safe and to be able to always find her but she’s also needing to protect her from her daughter but is too ashamed to admit she suspects Jacinta

did it.”

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“Why are you so smart?” Rafferty asked Bar.

“I told you. I read. A lot. This bookstore has nearly as many

books as my personal cabin. Who needs real people when

I can immerse myself in history, sciences, and a lot of

mom–porn?”

Wilder nodded, “it makes sense though.” At Bar’s raised

eyebrow, “not the mom–porn, you beast, but the theory you’ve come up with. It explains why Winika is panicking and wanting to cover you with her scent. She’s seeing the threat so close to you, but she feels guilt admitting it.”

“It would be like Mom thinking I killed you without proof.”

“That would be plausible though.” Wilder laughed at Rafferty. “I am the superior son, and you’ve wanted to get rid of me for years and now you’d get our Jacqueline to yourself.”

Rafferty shoved Wilder, “I couldn’t kill you, asshole. I love you. I mean I don’t like you half the time, but I do love you and I’m actually looking forward to our life spent together with our mate.” He sighed, “how do we expose Jacinta while protecting Jacqueline and possibly Winika?”

“Do you think she’d hurt Winika?”

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“Maybe not physically but she might spiritually or

emotionally.” Rafferty sighed loudly. “Winika’s mental health is fragile and precarious. All it would take is one shove from

the precipice of sanity by Jacinta and she could be lost.”

“Which is a problem in itself,” Wilder said as he pondered

the situation. “If Jacqueline bonds with her and Jacinta gets

jealous she could do something stupid.”

“I would like to hope Jack would protect his mate.” Rafferty offered with a sigh. “I think there is more risk to Winika with Jacqueline’s continued rejection than of Jacinta at this time.”

“I agree. Jacinta is focused on Jacqueline,” Bar commented. “She didn’t leave the lounge where her mother was longing for Jacqueline to chase Jack down. She came down here to nettle Jacqueline, to watch her, to make sure she was miserable. All she cares about is making sure Jacqueline knows she’s unwelcome, inferior and to reiterate she doesn’t

fit in.”

“She’s such a bitch.”

“Agreed.” Bar nodded. “So, what’s the plan boys? How are you going to expose her, keep Jacqueline and her mother

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safe and not cause a war within the fairy realm by accusing

the royal family of hurting one of their own?”

Wilder and Rafferty exchanged long looks and shook their heads. “We don’t have a fucking clue.””