Page 68 of Jack Frost
She turns, and my breath stops for a minute because her big blue eyes are so exactly like Jack's. "But Mom, it's so hot!"
"It's freezing cold outside, and normal human kids wear coats." I hold out the offending garment, and she slips her arms into the sleeves. "Remember, human aspect only. No vanishing or spirals."
"I know, I know."
"Remind your brother."
"Yeah, yeah." She flounces away into the snowy backyard.
"Oh god, the attitude," I mutter.
"And she's only eight." Jack's low voice at my ear sends a tingle of delight along my spine. "Go easy on her. She's doing really well keeping our secret."
"I know, but if Karyl and Sarah ever found out—"
"They haven't so far, and this is our second Christmas with them."
"It's so damn stressful this time, though. Staying two nights, being in the house all together—especially with Alex. You think a six-year-old is going to remember to stay in human aspect when he opens his gifts?" I groan, pressing my face to Jack's shoulder.
"It's fine, Emery. He did okay last year, and if something happens, we'll deal with it. Do you honestly think Karyl would betray you if she knew? Or Sarah?"
My mouth twists. "No, but it would blow their minds. Wreck their reality."
"And?"
"And we've talked about this, Jack. They might let something slip to a neighbor, a relative—"
"We can't keep the kids isolated. They need to have friends, and Karyl's kids are the best."
"Yeah, they are." I smile, thinking of the little humans running around the yard with my kids.
Mykids. Two words I thought I'd never say, because procreation between humans and elemental gods wasn't possible. Turns out that procreation between two frost elementals is definitely possible, though somewhat different from human processes. When my belly began swelling a year and a half after my transformation, Jack and I were both shocked. Meryl arrived only six months later, which apparently is full-term for our kind. The birth was a lot quicker and tidier than human births, which was a good thing because Jack had to help me through it.
Meryl was a cosmic shift, a lightning bolt to the life I was growing used to. Jack was instantly enamored, and my resistance melted within a few days, yielding to a love so deep that I couldn't imagine not having wanted her.
And then, a couple years after that, we had Alex. My darling Alex, with eyes so pale blue they're nearly white, and a heart as big as Antarctica.
Karyl bustles up to us, carrying three steaming mugs. "Cocoa?"
The thought of pouring hot liquid down my throat is revolting. "Um, wow, that's so thoughtful!" I accept the two mugs, setting them down on the hallway table. "I'll just let these cool off a bit."
Karyl cocks her head, smirking. "Uh-huh. Okay. This from the girl who used to burn her tongue all the time because she couldn't stand her tea or coffee getting cold."
"Tastes change," I murmur.
"Right. The kids getting along okay?"
"Yeah, they're having a blast."
Karyl is still watching me more closely than I'd like. "And there's another example of tastes changing. Because I remember you insisting over and over that you'd never have kids. That you wouldn't want to bring helpless children into an overpopulated, dangerous, messed-up old world like this one."
"Yes, but—these kids are different." I watch Meryl dancing past the back door with Karyl's daughter Darla, and my heart throbs with pleasure. "These kids have the power to change the world."
"Yes, they do." I can feel Karyl's eyes on me.
Jack's grip on my hand tightens.
"They have power," Karyl repeats, her tone unmistakable.
