Chapter 22

        Ice was standing in the kitchen cleaning the counter when Snow came up beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He tensed up and pulled away. “Do not do that.”

        “Have you forgotten who I am? I shall do whatever I wish to you whenever I wish to and I wish to feel your belly.”

        Ice sat on the counter. He frowned there was something different about her scent, something he couldn’t quite put a name on. “What do you want, Snow?”

        “You,” she said simply.

        “Me,” he repeated.

        “Yes, you. Here. Now. On this counter.”

        He slid off the countertop. “No.”

        “That was an order. Do not make me compel you.”

        He looked away, but nodded. He swiftly removed his clothing and waited for her to position herself on the countertop. The sex was over quickly enough. When it was over, she sat up and smiled at him. “There that was not horrible, was it?”

        “No.”

        She lightly brushed her hand over his belly. “I am glad we got that straight.”     

        A month later she told Ice that she was carrying his baby. He was not pleased. The rest of the pregnancies passed smoothly enough. Ice and Aaron became even closer. Onyx was a ghost in the house. Any attempt to engage him in conversation was met with mumbling and Onyx excused himself as quickly as possible. Onyx waited on Snow hand and foot even when his growing belly made it awkward. Ice couldn’t forgive Snow for what she had done.

The prospect of bearing a child only to lose it to a monster like Snow meant Ice spent several nights crying himself to sleep in Aaron’s arms.