Frosted Torment (Marked Mortals Saga #1)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

J ossy stood and brushed dirt from his pants. He tried in vain to straighten his wrinkled jacket, but he couldn’t, so he took it off and laid it across his arm.

“Let me do this.” His tone was more than annoyed.

Lex scraped patterns in the gravel with his boots as Jossy struggled to find the right words. He folded his arms with a smirk.

“Come on, brother, don’t keep us waiting,” Lex chided. “We’re all eager to hear how you’re going to spin this.”

Jossy shut his eyes and released a heavy exhale. “Must you always create drama, Lex?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but we’re in the middle of a demon ambush and, if you don’t spit it out, one of us will. We have no more time to waste,” Lex reminded his brother. “But it’s better if it comes from you. At least you can get clemency from Vincent and the Church.”

My eyes darted between them as they argued, but Ivy gripped my hand with reassurance. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “This is nothing. You should see them when they bust out their wings.”

I cocked my head to the side with furrowed brows. “Wings?”

She covered her mouth with a sly smile and raised brows. “Oops.”

“What the hell, Ivy?” Jossy said through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched.

She planted her foot and crossed her arms. “I told you before, I’m done waiting.”

A rumbling growl vibrated in Lex’s chest. “Does free will mean nothing to you anymore, little sister?”

“I’m expediting this so we can proceed.” She gestured to me with one hand. “Noa still has the choice to unravel it herself and decide.”

I retreated from Ivy and tugged at my hair in frustration. “You said I slaughtered a Baneful, which was also a demon.” I pointed at Ivy, and she nodded, a delighted grin spreading across her face. “You also said Jossy and Lex have wings.”

“Yes.” An ecstatic smile lit up her face, and she winked. “As do I.”

I could feel a lump form in my throat as I nodded. “Go on, Jossy.”

Jossy’s piercing blue eyes met mine as he studied my expression before he spoke again. “Right.” He closed his eyes and regrouped his thoughts. “If you connect the pieces, I wouldn’t need to ask for forgiveness from our superiors. We’re not supposed to interfere with free will.” He shot furious glares at Ivy. “Some of us take the punishment no matter what. ”

A smug look crossed her face. “I’m better off for it, brother. And stronger.”

I finally voiced the question that had been nagging at me. “Are you the good guys?” I asked.

“As good as it gets for our kind,” offered Lex.

Somewhere deep down I knew. It was always there, but I refused to acknowledge it because of our friendship. And now, facing it head-on was terrifying. They were wonderful, smart, and unbearably beautiful. They showed me endless love and welcomed me into their world and family as one of their own.

“The thing is, Noa,” Lex continued, his voice steady. “When we first met you, we weren’t certain you were the one we were looking for. Then, after your mom’s death, we couldn’t track you anymore.”

“Track me?” I echoed, disbelief twisting my features. The very notion peppered my skin with goosebumps. I scanned the area for unseen eyes lurking in the shadows.

“Humans put off an energy like a locator beacon,” he explained, jerking his thumb toward his sister. “Yours vanished nine years ago. It wasn’t until Ivy here,” —he gestured with exaggerated air quotes— “sped things up on your birthday.”

“That demon sensed me.” I scratched my head as I shook it and pulled a leaf from the tangled strands.

Jossy made a steeple of his fingers and added, “Your psychic reading flipped the switch. We sensed you leaving the apartment last night and followed you.”

My eyelids twitched at the intrusion of my privacy. “That’s... disturbingly intrusive,” I managed.

“We’re supernatural beings,” Ivy interjected, tapping her foot with an edge of annoyance .

“I get it. Powers. Wings. You’re angels,” I said without hesitation.

“And we fell on purpose,” added Lex, his expression hardening as he spoke.

My eyes widened in shock. “Why would you do that?”

Lex raked his hands through his hair, fingers tangling in the tousled strands. “For you.”

“Me?” I whispered. The weight of what I had stumbled into pressed down on me. “But I thought fallen angels were demons?”

“Demons are different.” Ivy’s voice cut through the thick fog of confusion enveloping me. She leaned forward, her eyes fierce. “They’re pure evil souls of humans who never believed in the afterlife. They did horrendous things and died wanting to do even more. Once they realize there is a hell, they get their chance.”

“Like that bird creature?” I asked, recalling the grotesque image seared into my memory.

“Mhmm,” she nodded, her expression grave. “And sometimes they’re gifted a human form if they were evil enough when alive.”

Lex turned back toward Jossy. “We should focus. You realize that was a Lurker, right?”

Jossy pivoted on one heel, his voice growing louder with each word. “Yes, I know it was a Lurker!” The frustration radiating off him was almost tangible.

“We can’t rely on your wards indefinitely, brother,” Lex shot back. He paced the confines of the road. “The longer we stay here arguing, the more vulnerable we are to another attack. ”

I let out a hollow laugh, the sound brittle in the heavy blanket of silence. “Why is this happening?”

Jossy paused and turned to me. His expression softened as he realized how lost I felt amid their revelations. “Noa,” he began, “you’ve been part of something for much longer than you know. Your mother’s death wasn’t an accident—it was part of something bigger.”

Lex stepped closer to me, his eyes earnest now. “You have powers that you don’t know or understand. And those powers have drawn attention—both good and bad.” He glanced at Ivy before continuing, “We’re not here because of your energy; we’re here because you matter.”

A lump formed in my throat as their words sank in like stones dropped into still water.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked softly, vulnerability creeping back into my voice. My hands trembled, and I felt pressure build in my head as the beating of my heart grew louder in my ears. “I don’t have any powers.”

Jossy stepped forward again, and this time, his presence felt protective. “You have plenty of power.” He lifted my chin to his eyes with one hand, then placed a finger against the side of my head with two gentle taps. “Because of that, our kind wants to get their hands on you. Your existence could tip the balance between good and evil—and that’s why we need to keep you safe.”

My world tilted, and I was certain I wouldn’t recover. “Can we stop them?” I pleaded as my shoulders tensed.

Jossy hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. “We believe we can. ”

“Reassuring,” I bit back as I dragged my hands down my face.

“Do you trust me?” Jossy asked and held out his hand.

Doubts swirled within me, but I gave in and placed my hand in his. “If you promise to be honest with me,” I told him.

His expression softened, and he released me. “As much as I can. Some of this they’d have my wings for if I explained it all.”

“Then who can?” I sighed, a weight anchoring my shoulders as I let out a breath that felt heavier than the air around us.

Jossy’s voice broke the quiet. “An older and more powerful angel, Vincent.”

There was a hint of reverence in his tone, a tangible respect that made me glance at him sideways. Did Vincent embody the same noble characteristics as Jossy? I folded my hands in prayer, pressing them against my lips.

I watched how still everything had become. Even the wind and trees followed the angels’ lead. It seemed as though each blade of grass stood at attention, waiting for an order.

The world outside our cocoon faded into an eerie hush; I couldn’t hear a single car in the distance. It was nothing but dead silence—a silence so profound it felt like an entity in itself.

Jossy moved toward me. I leaned back by instinct, shaking my head to ward off both his offer and the ominous truth hanging over us. But then I met his wide blue eyes brimming with sincerity.

His brow arched in playful challenge. “Come on, Noa,” he urged. “We don’t bite.”

With a groan that spoke volumes of my hesitation—yet also my need for answers—I placed my hand in his and relented.