Chill 25

<Nisha>

When my eyes opened the next morning the first thing I saw was Jack, sitting slumped uncomfortably in a chair across from my bed.

Blinking blearily, taking a few moments to fully wake up and digest this sight, I covered my mouth to smother a yawn.

Though I had been attempting to be quiet, Jack jerked in the chair in a manner similar to if I had set off a firecracker. "Eugh?!"

Sighing, I shook my head in exhaustion. "Jack...what are you doing in my room?"

He looked around as if lost for a few seconds, before his bright blue eyes filled with tears. "Nisha, I had a horrible nightmare! I wanted to come in and cuddle with you until I felt better, but you looked so peaceful sleeping. I settled for second best and dragged a chair in here to sleep on," he explained, rubbing his sore neck.

Staring at Jack in disbelief, I couldn't find any words.

"So, um...I know it's still really early, b-but...can I please hug you again?"

Like a terrified child expecting punishment for acting out, Jack couldn't look me in the eyes as he peeked at me from behind his messy, blonde hair.

Exasperation and annoyed amusement fought a war inside my heart. After a full minute, staring in silence at the increasingly downcast Jack, I eventually gave in.

Sighing heavily, I patted the side of my bed and held out my arms. "A, alright," I muttered darkly. "But you can't make this too much of a habit, Jack. I need time to gather my thoughts and find out my feelings about you. Deal?"

Face twisted in pain, shedding some of the earlier threatened tears, Jack sniffled in an unsatisfied manner. "I hate it, but I understand. Deal, jhenmu," he promised, rising to his feet.

I braced myself as his chilly arms came around my chest, pulling me close, his face burying deep into the curve of my neck and shoulder. I patted his back briefly before rubbing it in soothing circles.

Quietly, Jack began to sob, his voice thick with tears. "Nisha, I, I," he hiccuped, squeezing me gently in an attempt to comfort himself.

"I killed a man last night. I don't regret it either, but I'm so scared. I don't want to lie to you, which is why I'm telling you. But I'm *terrified*! I'm not human, jhenmu, and it's killing me that I have to keep reminding you of that. Humans are always scared of monsters!"

I grew still, my stomach twisting in horror. "K, killed…?" I repeated faintly, while my emotions did a violent nosedive down, before starting to weakly rise back up. "Jack...was it Calvin?"

His hold on me grew tight, painful for two seconds before he realized and shifted me in his arms. Even then, he was careful to make sure that I'd have to fight to get him away from me.

...Jack really hadn't been lying when he'd told me that I was the only thing that mattered to him — though I hadn't doubted him anyway.

"Yes," he admitted around a hissed whisper that made my throat dry in fear. "He'll never touch you or any other woman again. D, do you understand, Nisha? *This* is one of the aspects of the world you'd be agreeing to live in if you come back with me. It's beautiful, fantastical, and magical. But it's also ruthless, cruel, and inhuman. This isn't the first time I've killed someone before, though it is the first time in this life. My world doesn't abide by the moral code humans have."

I leaned back, though Jack's hold meant that it was only enough to look him in the eyes. I stared up at him, mystified. "W, why are you telling me all of this, Jack? Wouldn't it be better if you kept things secret until after you had me in your clutches, unable to escape?"

A slow, inhuman smile lifted his lips as his bright blue eyes grew cold. "Jhenmu, you have *no idea* how much I want to do just that. If possible I'd keep you in a perfectly safe bubble, making sure nothing scary or evil could even get close."

His left hand rose to cup my cheek as I shivered at the cold contact of his skin. His finger tenderly played over my cheek, brushing away tears I'd not realized were falling.

"But I'm so incredibly possessive and jealous that I don't want only a caged-bird of Nisha Caldwell. I want you, *yourself*, to choose to be by my side. Though," his face twisted in regret, "now that I've revealed just how inhuman I am, I'm sure that won't happen. Even so, Nana reminded me that anything less than this would eat away at whatever happiness I do find with Bubbled Nisha."

His lips lowered down to kiss my forehead, his cold breath blowing away the last vestiges of sleep that had clung to my mind.

The only sound was the quiet breaths we shared as the two of us fell into thought. After some time, I wasn't exactly sure how much, Jack pulled away and firmly wrapped me in my comforter.

"You're so zoned out, you didn't even notice how cold you'd gotten. Seriously, jhenmu, you need to speak up! I don't notice the cold at all, so it's harder for me to know when I'm making you ill or hurting you."

His handsome face was twisted in pain and guilt as he searched for a second blanket to throw over me. "You getting sick could cause problems for our boys. I know you like to be scatterbrained and moody in the mornings, but even so, you've got to help me here, love."

Pulling the edges of my comforter closer with my frozen fingers, I shivered in silence, watching Jack.

'It feels like I've returned to my childhood again. Jack was always taking care of me, even then. He's bipolar, crazy, and unpredictable. But he's also incredibly gentle and attentive, or at least he always was with me.'

A slow warmth in my heart helped push back some of the chills, summoning a tiny smile to my lips.

Jack paused in tucking the second blanket around me, his blue eyes wide with an emotion I couldn't quite place. We stared at each other in silence for several heartbeats, his hands shaking at my shoulders.

"Jhenmu, if you look at me like that, how am I supposed to act like a gentleman? Do you even realize how kissable your lips are, smiling like that?" Voice low and husky, Jack's bright blue eyes began to darken into a midnight shade around the edges.

Startled by his words and sudden change, I jerked back slightly, breaking the spell of anticipation hanging over us.

Jack's hands at my shoulders clenched into fists and his expression stiffened. "Love, I think I should go. I'll see you downstairs for breakfast in a few minutes. Knowing Nana, she'll have it nearly done by now."

Watching him leave my room without protest, I waited until I could no longer hear his footsteps in the hallway before releasing the breath I'd been holding.

My mind and emotions were so tangled.

Part of me viewed Jack as a friend and a brother-like figure.

Another part of me saw him as an aggressive stalker that refused to go away.

Yet another was stunned by the level of attraction that had just been firing off between Jack and me moments before.

Knowing and seeing him as a slightly older boy for years, it appeared I was having some trouble coming to terms with my new reality.

Jack was a young man.

Not just that, he was a *hot* young man!

I sucked in a sharp breath, remembering the look in his eyes.

"Oh…" I whispered weakly in the privacy of my bedroom. "It's been a year since I last felt turned on. That was...that was weird."

I glanced down at my pregnant belly, breathing in and out slowly. "I think it would be best if I wait until after breakfast and a shower to start thinking too deeply."

Throwing aside the blankets, now that my body felt warm enough to move around, I slid off my bed. Gathering my things, I quickly went through my morning routine, before heading downstairs to eat breakfast with my family.

Jack was already digging into his biscuits and gravy, shooting me an awkward glance as I came down the stairs. Nana smiled warmly in welcome, placing a plate of food in front of my spot at the table while I fetched a cup of milk to drink.

"Good morning, Snowflake," Grace greeted me, handing over a fork and spoon.

"Hey, Nana. Sleep okay?" I asked, yawning.

She nodded, glancing over at the third wheel, before smiling back at me hesitantly. "I slept well, knowing that the bastard's dead."

I frowned, glowering at Jack, before staring at Nana. "So you know too? A, and you're okay with it?!"

Nana nodded again, her expression calm. "Yes. I've lived close to half of my life in the Other Realm, Nisha. Most of my adult life was spent there, except for this past decade living with you. To me, something like that bastard dying is quite normal. I welcome it, honestly. If I were a bit more ruthless, I would have stabbed him myself. My family is the most important thing to me, Snowflake. He...that man, he hurt you. He *abandoned* you. You and my great-grandsons. I won't ever forgive him for that, even if he is dead."

I blinked, staring at Nana in shock. "Nana?" I whispered weakly.

'Is this really my sweet grandmother, who carries out every single bug that makes its way into the house? The one who's always picking up injured animals, nursing them back to health, before finding a home for them? Really...is this my Nana?'

Jack cleared his throat, breaking apart the tense atmosphere that had fallen over the kitchen. "For now we should focus on breakfast. Your eggs will get cold, which would be a real tragedy, you two. We can talk more later," he muttered the last of that in a subdued voice.