Frosted Torment (Marked Mortals Saga #1)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

O nce we arrived in Whitefish, another car waited for us. We switched into the new ride-share for another drive through the mountains to Saint Mary. This time, I couldn’t fight the urge to close my eyes.

When I woke up with a bump in the road. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was, but a gentle hand touched my leg.

“You’re okay,” Lex’s voice affirmed, steady and warm, wrapping around me like a familiar blanket.

The faint rumble of tires on the road matched the rhythm of my anxious heartbeat, each bump we hit a reminder that we were still moving forward.

“Are we almost there?” My voice cracked as I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion clawing at the edges of my consciousness.

He stared out the window, his profile illuminated by the soft glow of the interior car lights. Shadows danced across chiseled features .

“We’re coming up the road to the gate now,” Lex stated quietly.

The tension in his shoulders seemed to disappear as the familiar landscape unfolded around us.

I let a sliver of hope creep into my voice. “Did we pass Saint Mary’s?”

“Yeah.” His voice was low and distant.

I thought about our exchange earlier in the day, and I took a deep breath. Biting my lip, I looked at him and said, “I’m sorry about before. You’re not a jerk.”

Leaning back against the seat with a relaxed smile, he responded, “No need to apologize.”

“But I do. I overheard you the other night telling Jossy I wasn’t the one.” I sat up straighter and turned to him, clenching my hands together. “I thought you were saying I wasn’t good enough for you. With everything that happened back there at the wreck by the church, I lost it.”

He shifted and pinned his slate eyes on me. My breath hitched at his sudden closeness. I pulled back, but his hand, rough with calluses, clasped mine.

It was the first time he had willingly touched me, and I let him. My emotions churned like a cyclone in my belly, but the flutters I expected didn’t come. Odd. Exhaustion must have dampened my reaction, but I wasn’t completely sure.

Lex’s eyes sparkled as assurance claimed his face. “You’re more than good enough for anyone, Noa.”

The words I’d longed to hear spilled from his lips, yet I still felt inadequate. “Except I’m mortal. A human.”

“We can choose a human, but you were an assignment to us at first. None of us will cross the line of duty.” His gaze flicked to Ivy, one brow quirked. “No matter how much one of us might want to.”

I sucked in a breath. “She loves me.”

“Yes,” he murmured. “Hopelessly.”

“Damn,” I exhaled and turned to watch her sleep.

Lex swallowed and leaned close to me. “She’ll kill me if she finds out I told you.”

I drew my fingers across my lips in a zipping motion, then smiled. “What did you tell me?” I asked with a shrug.

My heart surged at the sentiment of Ivy’s devotion, then turned heavy with the weight of what she masked so well. Surprise and confusion about her feelings for me made me rethink our entire relationship. She knew I was only attracted to men, but it didn’t excuse my self-absorption and inability to pick up on my best friend’s clues.

In that moment, I decided to banish whatever thoughts I had about Lex to the recesses of my mind. He’d never betray his sister. I didn’t think he had a sliver of romantic feelings for me, but his duty wouldn’t allow it. If I couldn’t return what Ivy felt for me, I’d never hurt my best friend to date her brother.

“How much further?” I asked, my voice carrying a hint of melancholy.

Lex held onto the grab handle and sighed, “A few minutes.”

Apprehension pumped through me as I replayed the day’s events in my head. I somehow created a portal to keep us alive after a Lurker demon tried to kidnap me, and fallen angels were my best friends. A spasm shot through my neck, recalling the demon’s skin melting from her bones.

Lex pointed to the bracelet on my wrist. “That’s new,” he commented .

“It was my mom’s.” I ran my fingertip over the etchings, a smile crossing my face. “It’s hideous, isn’t it?”

“No. It looks unique. Like you.” He nodded and turned to look back out the window.

My pulse quickened. A gnawing reminder of the countless moments I had spent dissecting his every move, every glance, and every fleeting smile.

No. I needed to ground myself, to tether my thoughts to reality and not let them drift into the tumultuous sea of memories. He had occupied too much space there for far too long. He wasn’t worth losing my friendship with Ivy—our bond was stronger.

Much stronger, I told myself.

As if sensing my turmoil, Ivy opened her eyes and raised her head, her gaze scanning our surroundings with intensity.

“Everything okay?” I asked, my voice laced with concern that only heightened my sense of entrapment.

“Yeah.” Her hand found my leg to offer reassurance. “I’m ready to get inside the protection of the gates.”

“Why are we safe in there, but not out here?” I pressed, glancing back and forth between her and Lex.

“It’s warded from demons. We use a hint of divine power and the help of one family from the Blackfeet Nation,” she explained, her tone imbued with devotion.

My curiosity sparked, and I couldn’t help but ask, “How did that happen?”

Jossy answered from the front seat, his voice low and contemplative as he continued to stare out the windshield. “When we fell here, it was on their land. After we gained their trust, they let us buy that piece of it. ”

“But it was Vincent who orchestrated it all.” A glimmer of admiration flickered across Jossy’s face.

“Is that all it took?” I asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“No, but it helped.” Lex laughed, shaking his head. “We come from the stars. The Blackfeet Nation is a spiritual people and believes in a higher power, too. Earth needs protection, and the same goes for the rest of the universe.”

Listening to Lex’s words made me feel strange—the idea that something so vast and profound entwined with human existence humbled me.

Jossy drummed his fingers on the dashboard. “We don’t know why your family was chosen to hold these secrets, Noa,” he began. “But, if the wrong hands got your hidden knowledge—angel, demon, or human—we’re all screwed.”

Ivy leaned closer, urgency threading her tone. “Believe it or not, we aren’t invincible, either.”

“So, what’s the secret formula for the wards? A spell or something?” I inquired, and a hush fell over the car.

A grim expression crossed Lex’s face. “That’s a story for another time.”

“If we’re killed,” added Ivy. “We go the same way that Lurker did. Except our bones and wings stay behind. Feathers and all.”

My face contorted at the gruesome thought. “Why is that?”

“It’s something to do with our transition to this plane and the chemical makeup of our bodies when we become human,” Lex added. “Our skeletal system is almost indestructible.” He paused, searching my face. “How much do you know about volcanoes? ”

I nodded and managed a smile. “The basics. I haven’t done a science report since high school.”

“The easiest way to put it,” he said, and his eyes brightened when he spoke, “is that we’re composed of diabase rock. It’s like magma that doesn’t come to the surface. The liquid crystallizes underground and becomes strong and durable.”

“We still have the powers given to us in the Veil.” Ivy joined in on the science lesson. “Our wings are what contain the power and control it.”

Ivy turned to face the window, then raised her shirt for me to look at her back. Two thick black veins, at least an inch wide, emerged, running parallel to her spine. I recoiled from the sight, landing in Lex’s lap when they started to pulsate.

“Jesus!” I covered my mouth with my hands.

Ivy chuckled as hers retreated back into her body and sealed beneath the surface of her skin. “That’s where we store them. Our wings are in there too, so we can use both if needed.”

I massaged my temples, trying to process the information as I readjusted myself in the backseat. “Okay, so your bones are something more science fiction. What happens if someone finds what’s left behind?”

Ivy exhaled a deep sigh as she situated herself back in the seat. “There are protocols in place. We emit angelic energy like yours so higher-level angels can find us.”

My brain pressed against my skull and slumped against the backseat of the car, yearning for the comfort of my lumpy couch and rundown apartment. The events of the day had left me drained and wanting to escape reality. I’d give anything to put on some Tom Petty and forget any of this happened .

I glanced over at Lex and caught him staring at me. I grabbed my chest when a flicker of fog moved across his pupils.

“That freaks me out.” I pulled out my vape and took a deep inhale.

He leaned close to me, flashing his luminous smile, then elongated each word. “It’s. Supposed. To.”

I pushed at his chest, shaking my head as I exhaled a ring of fruit-flavored smoke in his face. “Uh-uh. Not today and not now.”

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Lex drew closer and snatched my vape from me. He flung his head against the headrest. “I can dial it down, but it takes effort. Now that you know, it’s easier to just… be.”

I held out my hand, palm up. “Can I have my vape back, please?”

“No.” He adamantly shook his head. “It’s clouding your judgment, and you need a clear head.”

“I’ll get another one then,” I huffed, leaning back in my seat and staring out the window as we drove up the road.

“Go ahead and try,” Lex confirmed as he slapped his palm with my vape. “I’ll take that one too.”

I breathed out through my nose in frustration as I gave him a dirty look. Then I turned away and looked out of Ivy’s window into the darkness.

“I like you better when you don’t talk so much,” I grumbled back at him.

He leaned in close to my ear, making the hairs on my neck stand at attention. “Best intervention I’ve ever done. You’ll thank me later.”

I elbowed him in the stomach and smiled. As much as I wanted to believe him, I still had more to learn about my family. Vaping helped keep me at peace and relaxed. And if I was carrying around insurmountable power that I didn’t know how to access or use, then I needed to remain calm.

“You’re not playing fair,” I protested.

Lex’s mouth curled into a wicked grin. “Never forget, Noa. As a fallen angel, nothing about us is fair.”

Fog crept over the ground as we turned onto the narrow driveway, and the driver came to a stop. The headlights illuminated a sturdy wooden gate, and when the driver put the car in park, I stepped out in awe at what stood before me. As the car drove off, Jossy walked up and leaned on my shoulder.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” His sparkling eyes grew wide at the carvings on each side of the gate.