Jack Frost: Court of the Springtime Fae, #1

By Cassandra Chandler

Can a cold-bound Fae warm his heart to their little family?

 

Jack Frost has always been alone. Skirting the lines between the Courts of the Fae gives him the freedom he craves, but keeps him from having a home. That is, until a little boy's Christmas wish brings them together. Charlie's concern for Jack melts the edges of his frozen heart, but when Jack meets the boy's mother, it lights a fire in him like nothing he's ever felt before—a fire he'll do anything to protect.

 

Ava Salgado only wants what's best for her son, Charlie. Moving to Crystal Hollow, away from her inattentive ex and the bustle of the big city, has given them a new community and a fresh start. When one of her new best friends brings in a huge client, she thinks this is a chance to bring in more business to her flower shop and provide Charlie with some much-needed stability. Ava's sense of balance is thrown when her son brings home a gorgeous man who seems in need of shelter and quickly finds his way into her heart. When Jack finishes what seemed an impossible task for her, she has to wonder who he really is and why he's helping her.

 

Jack can tell that Ava is being tested by powerful members of the Court of the Springtime Fae. What he doesn't know is why. The more he  unravels the mystery, the more he grows to care about Ava and Charlie. Will he be able to protect them from the will of the Springtime Court? Or will he lose his chance at the warmth of a loving family?

 

Main Content: Approximately 24,300 words, 112 (5.5 x 8.5) pages

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassandra Chandler
• Release date: Mar 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9781945702068

Cassandra Chandler

USA Today Bestselling author Cassandra Chandler uses her vivid imagination to make the world more interesting, spawning the ideas she turns into her evocative Science Fiction Romances and enthralling Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Romances. Fast-paced and funny, lighthearted or tinged with shadow, her stories will introduce you to characters you'll fall in love with and worlds you long to explore.

Book preview

Jack Frost

Court of the Springtime Fae

Book One

Cassandra Chandler

Copyright Page

You are a good person! You know that stealing is wrong. Remember, eBooks can’t be shared or given away. It’s against copyright law. So don’t download books you haven’t paid for or upload books in ways other people can access for free. That would be stealing.

And you’re better than that.

This book is pure fiction. All characters, places, names, and events are products of the author’s imagination or used solely in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to any people, places, things, or events that have ever existed or will ever exist is entirely coincidental.

Jack Frost

Court of the Springtime Fae, Book One

Copyright © 2024 by Cassandra Chandler

ISBN: 978-1-945702-06-8

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used, transmitted, or reproduced in any manner or form without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews.

First eBook edition: March 2024

cassandra-chandler.com

P.O. Box 91

Mission, Kansas 66201

Can a cold-bound Fae warm his heart to their little family?

Jack Frost has always been alone. Skirting the lines between the Courts of the Fae gives him the freedom he craves, but keeps him from having a home. That is, until a little boy’s Christmas wish brings them together. Charlie’s concern for Jack melts the edges of his frozen heart, but when Jack meets the boy’s mother, it lights a fire in him like nothing he’s ever felt before—a fire he’ll do anything to protect.

Ava Salgado only wants what’s best for her son, Charlie. Moving to Crystal Hollow, away from her inattentive ex and the bustle of the big city, has given them a new community and a fresh start. When one of her new best friends brings in a huge client, she thinks this is a chance to bring in more business to her flower shop and provide Charlie with some much-needed stability. Ava’s sense of balance is thrown when her son brings home a gorgeous man who seems in need of shelter and quickly finds his way into her heart. When Jack finishes what seemed an impossible task for her, she has to wonder who he really is and why he’s helping her.

Jack can tell that Ava is being tested by powerful members of the Court of the Springtime Fae. What he doesn’t know is why. The more he unravels the mystery, the more he grows to care about Ava and Charlie. Will he be able to protect them from the will of the Springtime Court? Or will he lose his chance at the warmth of a loving family?

Dedication

For all the members of my found family. My life is so much fuller from your presence.

Don’t miss out on any of the magic.

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Chapter One

Sun gleamed blindingly from the boughs of the surrounding trees, catching and reflecting every ray of light. Ice perfectly encased the buds that were just getting ready to open along with their branches, and the few early flowers had a fine sheen of frost on their colorful petals.

Jack Frost sighed, a deep smile pulling on his cheeks. His work for the morning was done. He had transformed the park into a crystalline wonderland—and had probably pissed off at least one member of the Court of the Springtime Fae.

Bonus.

He stretched his long arms along the back of the bench where he sat and surveyed his work. It was so good to love one’s job. Spring hadn’t quite arrived, so technically, this was still the time of the Yuletide Court. Everyone assumed he was a member, but he skirted the edge between winter and spring. The Winter Queen was certain of his allegiance to her, though Jack occasionally did jobs for the Oak King. It had been a while since he’d interacted with the King of the Warmer Court.

With Ostara—or the Spring Equinox, as most mortals called it—right around the corner, he had a feeling the Oak King would make an appearance soon. This between time, when winter was just fading as spring arrived, was Jack’s opportunity to shine.

‘Literally,’ he thought, as he smiled at the sunlight catching and refracting in the ice he had formed on the thin branches of the nearest tree.

The flowers had been pretty before. Now they were magical. The buds weren’t so close to sprouting that his visit would cause any actual damage. The area he’d chosen was large enough that he could spread his power out instead of focusing it in one small space.

For a few blessed hours, he could enjoy the warm satisfaction of a job well done. Or rather, the satisfaction of being warm after he used his powers. His smile hardened, mimicking the ice on the trees above.

How long would he have before the cold built within him again, making his skin so frigid that the surrounding air would turn to fog? Would it be days this time? Hours? After all these eons, he still could never predict it. He would just have to find another area to coat with frost. Something higher, perhaps. A building that his powers wouldn’t harm.

Or he could call in his favor…

No, he wasn’t ready for anything that extreme. Besides, he hadn’t worked out how to word it so that when he asked the King of the Yuletide Kingdom to pay up, the favor would manifest precisely as Jack wanted it. King Kringle might have started out as a mortal, but he had been a fairy for centuries now. Some of their trickery had to have found their way into his heart.

‘To experience lasting warmth without losing my powers.’

It was much easier to imagine immediately after expending the energy that had filled him with freezing cold. Jack closed his eyes and tilted his face to the near-spring sun, relishing its warmth. Until it vanished as a shadow fell over him.

Jack looked up to see a young boy staring at him from just the right spot to block out Jack’s morning sunbath. Tufts of unruly brown hair stuck out from underneath a knitted blue hat with a pattern that he could only describe as ‘white blobs.’ Were those supposed to be snowflakes? He wore a similarly awkward scarf around his neck, along with a bulky coat. His thick gloves held a sheet of paper. He blinked his dark cyan eyes a few times, probably to clear his eyelashes of the frost that still lingered near Jack.

What? Jack said.

Why are you dressed like that?

Jack glanced down at his midnight blue button-up shirt with the top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows tucked into faded jeans that brushed against shiny black boots with very good treads. He was usually walking on ice, after all. No hat covered the even more unruly black hair that stuck out in short waves all over his head, and no scarf disguised the chiseled lines of his jaw or chin.

He looked back at the boy. What’s wrong with being dressed like this?

Mister, you’re going to freeze out here.

Jack scoffed and shook his head.

Don’t you have a place to go? the boy asked.

A tendril of cold wound around Jack’s stomach, his chest flooding with the feel of ice. It was so soon after using his powers. Too soon. This boy was affecting him somehow.

Go away. Jack scowled at him. The boy shifted his weight uneasily and glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to Jack. Does that ugly hat muffle your hearing? I said go away.

My Auntie made this hat, and it’s not ugly. It’s… The boy struggled as if trying to remember something. It’s heartfelt.

Jack scoffed again, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His breath came out in little puffs of fog—but just his breath. At least he was warm enough to still enjoy that.

The boy looked down at the paper in his gloved hands and sighed, then clumsily folded it and tucked it into one of his pockets. He turned back to Jack and said, Mister, you need to get inside.

Jack narrowed