It’s ridiculous, but my stomach flips like I’m hearing that for the first time. I try to cover it with a quiet, “Careful, Ravencourt. You’re getting dangerously close to being sweet.”
That earns me the smallest, almost shy smile. The kind I’ve never seen him wear before.
“I can go back to the possessive asshole, if you prefer.”
“No, this is good right now.” I laugh.
Jace stands up, extending his hand to me, and I take it, letting him pull me up. He pulls me close against him.
Jace’s gaze lingers on me, like he’s memorizing this exact second. “You really have no idea, do you?” he says quietly.
“About what?”
“How you look.”
“Right now?” I shift my weight.
“All the time.” His thumb traces lightly over my cheek, and there’s a kind of adoration in his voice that makes butterflies explode in my belly. “Sometimes I don’t think I even deserve to look at you. Not when I know what I’ve done. I’ll never do anything good enough to have been rewarded with the honor of meeting someone like you, Ashthorne.”
The words knock the breath right out of me. I think my brain short-circuits from the lack of oxygen. I can’t think of anything to say, so I don’t—I just watch him, the way the light catches in his eyes, the faint curl of his breath in the cold.
Snowflakes settle in his hair, catching the glow of the market lights, and I realize this is one of those moments people write songs about—the kind that lingers long after the season ends.
“Promise me something.” His forehead rests against mine, I examine the freckle by his mouth.
“What?”
“Give me a real chance. I admit, this is… uncharted territory. I don’t know how to do this.” The admission is rushed, stripped of his usual composure. Like if he didn’t say it right then, he’d lose the nerve.
I swallow hard. “I’m scared.”
“I know. So am I.” He whispers.
“I can’t…” I close my eyes, taking a shaky breath. “I can’t let someone in just to lose them. Not again.”
He cradles my face in his hands, it’s firm but gentle. I look up into his eyes.
“Nothing will happen to me.” His voice is resolute.
“You can’t promise that.” I feel the familiar burn in my eyes.
“Yes, I can. Death would have to fight like hell to take me. There's no way I’m dying before I get to have you. I’ve told you, you’re mine, and nothing will keep you from me.”
A frustrated laugh slips before I can stop it. “God, do you realize how insane you sound? You’re talking like you have any control over life and death, but you don’t. No one does.”
His mouth tilts, just barely. “I’d doanythingto remainherewithyou. ”
We stay like that for another long moment. No rush, no expectations. Until the cold finally pushes in enough that I shiver. He notices immediately, pulling back and standing, offering me his hand.
“Come on. Let’s get you warm before you turn into one of these fancy ice sculptures.”
The SUV pulls upto Ashthorne Hall, tires crunching over the gravel. The air inside feels warmer than it should. My fingers are still tangled in Jace’s until the driver opens the door.
We walk the quiet hallway together, our steps muffled by the thick carpet. He stops outside my room, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he says, and there’s that half-smile of his—the rare one that sneaks past my guard every time.
“Goodnight, Jace.”
