Frosted Torment (Marked Mortals Saga #1)

Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

E very muscle in my body tensed as we braced for an attack, my heart pounding in my chest. Dust Bunny nibbled at my finger, and I breathed a sigh of relief right before she puked in my hand.

“Come on!” I groaned, then shook off my hand.

I bent down to wipe it on the ground, and Vallen didn’t move. He scanned the crowd, searching for an ally.

“Stand down!” Jossy’s voice rang above them all as he walked through the middle of everyone huddled around us. Once he saw me, a flash of relief washed across his face.

I tucked Dust Bunny under one arm, then flung myself at my friend, wrapping the other around him. He held onto me so fiercely that I thought I would burst, but I didn’t care.

Then, behind him walked Dawson, Nevaeh, and Nakoma. Vallen released me, and I searched the faces until I landed on the one I was most excited to see.

“Welcome back,” Ena smiled and hugged me. Releasing me, her eyes filled with concern as she stood paralyzed, looking at the skeletal form Vallen held.

“Noa?” Jossy swallowed hard. “Who is he holding?”

Vallen stepped toward us and held out Ivy’s remains. “I’m sorry for this, brother.”

“It’s Ivy,” I sighed and closed my eyes while stroking Dust Bunny’s head.

Everyone sighed in relief, which shredded me up inside because they didn’t seem to care that she was missing her wings. All they saw was her betrayal, but it wasn’t the time to discuss it. Vallen handed Ivy’s remains to two other angels as Jossy doled out instructions to take her to the Valley of the Fallen.

“Wait,” Ena stopped us and smiled. “We thought Lex was with you.”

A lump formed in my throat as I realized I had to break the news about Lex. “Can we go inside Baz’s tent to talk, please?” I asked.

Dawson held open the flap of Baz’s tent, his face drawn with concern. Ena, Jossy, Nevaeh, and Nakoma walked in ahead of us, their steps heavy with anticipation. Vallen and I followed after Dawson. My chest tightened as I glanced at Ena, who clung tightly to her grandmother.

Once we gathered inside, Dawson looked down at me, a small but genuine smile crossing his lips. “Glad you’re safe, Noa.”

I guess my portaling skills are improving,” I said with a choppy laugh that did little to hide my discomfort.

Vallen glanced down at me, and his lips twitched. “You did well. ”

My breath caught, and I blinked rapidly. “Was that... a compliment?”

“You’re embracing your responsibility. That’s all.” He lifted his head and watched everyone’s faces as they studied him.

“That was a compliment,” I whispered into Dust Bunny’s ear, tracing her soft fur with my thumb before planting a gentle kiss on her head.

Ena stepped closer, her eyes wide with anxiety. “Excuse me?” she asked urgently. “I’m trying to reach out to Lex on the radio, but I’m not getting a response. Is he doing something to help us?”

The last time I was in Baz’s tent, my guardian angel and I forged our signati bond somehow as we slept. I felt sick now, unable to hear his voice in my head. A pair of boots sat next to the bed and all his things were still in their place.

I almost crumpled at the sight of them, but what was worse, I had to tell everyone that Lex didn’t make it back with us because Vincent killed him. I looked around and noticed Father O’Neil wasn’t there.

“Where’s the priest?” I asked with a nervous hitch in my throat, wishing he was available for support.

“He’s up at the bunkhouse with a few of the other angels,” Nakoma said. He planted a soft kiss on Jossy’s lips, then squeezed his shoulder as he turned back to me, his dark eyes dancing. “It’s good to see you, Noa, but I should get back to O’Neil.”

“Nakoma, wait,” I urged, and my eyes met Ena’s, full of agony for her. “It’s about Lex.”

Ena’s grip slackened, and the walkie-talkie slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor as her lips began to quiver. I thrust Dust Bunny into Vallen’s arms and sprinted toward Ena, my heart pounding as I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her shaky breaths against my chest.

“I’m so sorry, Ena,” I sobbed, my voice trembling along with hers as her arms fell limp at her sides.

“Lex?” Jossy shook his head slowly as if trying to clear a fog. “Where is he, Noa?”

As I guided Ena to sit on Baz’s bed, Vallen replied, “Vincent... Vincent killed him.”

I grabbed a tissue from the small bedside table and handed it to Ena. My hands were shaking as I spoke softly, “He ambushed us during our escape from the cave... they threw him back inside.”

Ena doubled over, clutching her stomach with such force that it seemed she might tear herself apart. Her wails pierced the air. “No! Please!”

“I’m so sorry,” I begged as my voice cracked under the weight of guilt that felt like an anchor around my neck.

“We’ll gather a team to retrieve Lex’s body when it’s safe,” Nakoma said softly, gripping Jossy’s hand tightly, planting them both in reality.

“I’m still in shock,” I murmured, my mind reeling and vision blurring slightly as I stroked Ena’s back.

Nevaeh walked out of the tent, but quickly returned with a burlap sack. Uncertain of how she felt, I knew she loved Lex. We all did, but the look on her face was one of fury. She pointed at Vallen to secure Dust Bunny in the bag for safekeeping, then handed me the sack. With an air hole up top for her to breathe, it gave me time to find a crate for her later .

“We finish this now,” Nevaeh stated as she grabbed Dawson’s arm and left the tent.

Ena’s breath trembled as she sat next to me, her eyes full of curiosity. “Can you... tell us what happened out there?”

I tucked my hair behind my ears and sat Dust Bunny behind me, then stared at my fingers for what seemed like an eternity. “The three of us found Vallen,” my breath caught when I thought about Baz, and I hesitated. “The bracelet helped, but once we were out of the cave, all hell broke loose,” I revealed sadly. “I’m guessing it was the same for you.”

Jossy nodded as he took a seat across from me and rubbed one hand down his face. “We had maybe a two-minute warning from the wolves. We tried to reach you, but couldn’t get through.”

“The cave prevented communication to the outside,” Vallen added as his gaze fell on me. “It was warded by angelic runes.”

“That demon burned our house down and took over our land,” Nevaeh announced as she strode back into the tent, her voice laced with anger. “They can stand on it now.”

My head turned toward Vallen. “Do you think it’s because your essence no longer feeds the tree?” I asked.

He nodded with a sigh and confirmed, “Just another reason Vincent wanted to find the bracelet and kill me.” Then he added, “No one knows how many angels he’s turned for this fight, but the portal is closed. They’re free to wander the grounds.”

My brows furrowed at Vallen, and I asked, “What does that mean for the ceremony and getting the secrets back to the Veil?”

Vallen glanced at the ground, then back at me. “Whatever Vincent told you was all lies,” he sighed. “I’m the portal for the secrets to return.”

“Oh,” I said, my eyes wide. “That’s what you meant by us going together.”

“You want to do that, Noa?” Jossy interjected as he leaned against the table in the middle of the room. “You’re just going to let him take the secrets and die?”

“We have to stop them, Jossy,” I demanded. I prayed my anger would finally get through to him. “Ivy was beaten into oblivion and tossed into my bathtub like trash.” I tucked my knees up under my arms and pulled at my hair. “You saw her skeleton, but you didn’t see her before she died. That fucker sawed off her wings!”

Jossy’s jaw twitched, and a storm began to rage in the depths of his blue eyes. “Vincent is closer to becoming a demon and not just a dark fallen one,” Jossy admitted, his tone sounding as though he regretted following Vincent for so long.

Vallen arched a brow and reminded us, “He and Maros will come for Noa and that bracelet. They’re not done, and they’re gathering their forces as we speak.”

I pointed a finger at Vallen as my eyes flashed to his. “That’s right,” I said, my eyes wide. “You and Vincent mentioned something about the bracelet needing the essence of an angel and someone from my ancestral line.”

Ena chimed in before Vallen could respond. “We found some interesting information about that,” she offered.

I shook my head and took her hand. “You don’t have to do this right now,” I assured her.

She blew her nose, stood up, and threw away her tissue, then pointed to a bag on the table in Baz’s tent where the food once was. “I want to show you,” Ena sighed as she washed her hands and dried them.

She pulled on a pair of white gloves and opened the bag. When she removed the book, I expected it to be ancient like some of the ones Father O’Neil was looking at back at Dawson’s, but it was a fairly new leather journal.

“I’m going to make some tea,” Nevaeh announced, then walked back toward the opening. “Dawson and I will devise a strategy.”

I nodded as I stood to join Ena at the table. For a moment, the memory of us looking for the cherry tree seeped in, and I smiled.

“I need to do this. For Lex,” she said, then turned to the pages she wanted me to see.

“That’s Vincent’s,” Vallen gasped, and his eyes widened. “Wait, let me do this.”

“According to this paragraph right here,” Ena started, ignoring Vallen and pointing to a sentence on the page, “the bracelet was made for a woman using a nail from the crucifixion.”

I nodded. “I know. Vallen spilled his guts. Figuratively speaking of course. Because apparently he can’t be harmed.” I flashed him a quick, sharp smile. “Although I tried.”

Vallen cleared his throat. “You weren’t doing it right.”

“She was John the Apostle’s wife and your ancestor,” Jossy interjected. “Her name was Elizabeth.”

“I don’t understand,” I confirmed as I looked at Vallen curiously.

“John was Jesus’ cousin, Noa,” Ena explained, and goosebumps peppered my skin. “He followed him even after the crucifixion.”

“Maros is the incarnation of Domition,” Vallen interjected and all our eyes landed on him. “A Roman emperor who tried to kill John, but due to divine intervention, he couldn’t, so John was banished to the island of Patmos.”

Ena nodded, then continued, “Think about the inscription on the bracelet. If blood forgives, that represents Jesus, and the line remaining is John’s.” She lifted her head with a smile. “That’s you.”

“What about the one who stayed?” I questioned with furrowed brows.

“That is in reference to Domition failing to kill John,” Vallen professed to us. “It’s why I always knew where this bracelet was so I could use it, but Vincent and Maros used it against me and sealed me in the cave.”

“But that’s not the best part, Noa,” Nakoma’s voice cut in as Ena turned the page.

A huge smile broke across Ena’s face and she sighed. “The only way it could have fused to your bones like it has,” she paused. “Is because you’re part angel.”

My heart pounded, my thoughts a chaotic mess as I struggled to process what she was saying. The tent fell into a hushed silence around me, but inside, my mind was a raging storm. Could this really be true? I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that I might have angelic blood flowing through my veins, but the undeniable evidence on my wrist begged to differ.

My mind was a jumbled mess, unable to form coherent words as I stammered out, “Are you absolutely certain? How could this even be possible? ”

“It comes from one of your parents,” Ena replied, her gaze sympathetic. “And since we know your mom is a descendant of John, it has to be your dad.”

I stumbled backward and fell onto the bed, shocked as my gaze darted between Ena and Vallen. Her confession sent shockwaves through me.

“You knew,” I accused Vallen as a fresh wave of fury crashed through me.

As the weight of her words settled on my shoulders, I realized that my identity – and my role in this now – was far more complex than I could have ever imagined.

I leaped to my feet and charged toward Vallen with furious steps. “You’ve known since before I was born. That’s why you took my soul,” I hissed, poking at his chest.

His eyes pierced into me, filled with a torment that mirrored my own. “If you would’ve kept your soul, you would’ve died,” he threatened. “It wasn’t just about the secrets. I took your soul to save you from becoming what we search and kill, Noa. Nephilim are a human and angel hybrid disgrace, but you, an Elioud, are an abomination in the universe.”

I shuddered and closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing thoughts. This was all too much to take in at once – my connection to John, a devout follower of Jesus, the secrets raging in me that could turn the tide of any universe, and I was part angel.

It meant I could live.