ICE COLD

“I didn’t see anything,” I replied tiredly. “I’ve been dealing with too much already.”

Silence settled briefly between us while the cold night breeze brushed against my skin and our footsteps echoed softly along the quiet street before Ivy finally spoke again, her voice noticeably lower this time.

“They found him frozen. Completely frozen. The next morning after he came to the restaurant, they found his body covered in ice like he’d been trapped inside a freezer or something. Nobody understands how it even happened.”

A faint chill crept slowly through my chest while I turned toward her fully. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Does it look like I’m joking?” Ivy shot back immediately. “Even the police couldn’t explain it.”

I fell silent after that while fragments of recent events flashed through my mind one after another too quickly for me to properly process them.

The attacks, the blood, the fear, and Jace.

“You really don’t look okay,” Ivy said more quietly while studying my face carefully now. “What’s been happening to you?”

I exhaled slowly and dragged a hand through my hair. “I’ll be fine.”

“Selene,” Ivy pressed softly, concern filling her voice while her brows pulled together tightly.

“It’s complicated.”

“Complicated how?” she asked immediately.

I hesitated briefly before answering.

“I’ve been hunted.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Ivy stopped walking completely while disbelief flooded her face almost instantly.

“What do you mean hunted?” she asked quickly. “Selene, what are you talking about?”

“I don’t know who they are,” I admitted honestly while looking ahead again. “But they almost killed me. And jace...”

The color slowly drained from Ivy’s face while she stared at me like she was trying to figure out whether I was serious or not.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?”

“Because I barely understand any of it myself,” I answered tiredly. “Everything has been happening too fast.”

Ivy remained silent for a moment, but the concern in her eyes only deepened.

“And where does Jace fit into all this?” she finally asked carefully.

I swallowed faintly before answering. “He’s been protecting us the whole time.”

Ivy blinked repeatedly. “Wait… Jace? Our boss?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. We’re even going to his house tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened almost immediately. “His actual house?”

I gave a small shrug. “Yeah.”

“Selene, you barely know this man,” Ivy rushed out while trying hard to keep her voice calm. “And now you’re going to his house after telling me people are trying to kill you? Don’t you think this sounds insane?”

I stayed quiet briefly before finally speaking again. “I trust him.”

The certainty in my own voice surprised even me.

Ivy stared at me carefully after that, almost like she was trying to understand something she couldn’t fully see yet.

“There’s something else about Jace,” I said quietly after a moment.

Her attention sharpened instantly. “What?”

I hesitated because part of me knew I should not have been saying any of this, but exhaustion had already begun clouding my judgment long ago.

“Jace is a—”