Page 41 of Frosted Torment

Lex tapped me on the shoulder as if trying to ground me in this bizarre reality. “He can’t exactly answer you, Noa.”

I lowered my gaze and turned back to Lex, pretending to seek clarity. “Good point.” I faked a smile and folded my arms across my chest. “How do you know he’s mine? Did he come with papers, or did Angels ‘R Us drop him off with an adoption certificate?”

Baz lowered his snout and released a low growl against my neck. It sent goosebumps racing down my arms.“That was unnecessary,”he told me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and said,“After dealing with everything thrown at me for the last couple of days, that was me being nice.”

“Baz told us before he transformed,” Lex stated with an annoyed shake of his head. He leaned past me and eyed Baz with an analytical gaze. “Trust me, we know he shouldn’t be here,” Lex said to Baz. “SinceNoa’sstill alive.”

Baz growled, stood up, and circled Lex, ready for a challenge. He blew out an oversized breath in Lex’s face before sitting next to me again.

“Alright, brother,” Lex conceded with his palms facing out. “But you know I’m right. It’s bad enough other guardian angels have fallen for the Drake women, but now that Noa is the last one, it could put you both in jeopardy.”

“Isn’t it better he’s with me here?” I implored, wanting to cling to this newfound connection despite the danger it might stir up in our lives.

“We don’t know,” Lex replied. His expression turned curious as he met Baz’s gaze once more.

“What is it with this place? For angels, you don’t have a clue about what you’re doing.” I leaned my head back for a second and shut my eyes.

“It’s the truth, Noa,” Lex insisted with a gentle yet firm touch on my arm.

“I don’t know what to believe,” I admitted to myself, feeling adrift.

“You can trust Lex.”Baz’s voice resonated within me again.

My eyes widened. “I just talked to you without talking.”

He chuffed in amusement.“Because you relaxed.”His cobalt eyes sparkled with something akin to mischief mixed with genuine affection.

But I wasn’t relaxed. In awe, yes, but the thought of that Lurker trying to kidnap me yesterday gave me chills. The man in my head who wasn’t Baz sent a different kind of worry through my core. Not to mention Vallen and Maros, the bastards who killed my mom, were still out there breathing.

“Lex, could you give us a minute alone?” I asked, shading my eyes from the sun with my hands.

As he turned to leave, Baz’s body went rigid. He moved closer to shield me when a piercing shriek tore through the sky. I fell to my knees, covering my ears.

“Ivy’s coming,”he bobbed his head and used his body to cover mine.

Ignoring the cold, I took off my shirt, then wrapped it around my head to block out the deafening shrieks, but not a chance. They grew stronger with each passing second, and I covered my ears. The ground rumbled beneath us, sending rocks and debris flying into the air.

“Crawl under me!”directed Baz.

I fell to my knees and tucked myself under Baz’s stomach, lying flat as he stood over me. Through trembling fingers, I looked into the sky and saw storm clouds churning like the formation of a hurricane.

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, and my eyes expanded like saucers as I turned to look at Lex. “What in the name of all that’s holy is that?”

“It’s the Baneful!” Lex confirmed over the incessant noise, his eyes never leaving the sky.

Jossy and Vincent leaped off the porch, and in less than two strides, all the angels surrounded me. They were ready for a counterattack, but the wards held strong this time. Just then, the sounds faded into the distance, and the clouds returned to normal. I lifted my head as a sleek black car drove up the gravel road.

It screeched to a stop a few yards from where we were, and Ivy tumbled out of the open door. She fell onto her back, coughing. What looked like spatters of blood covered her shirt, and one eye was swollen shut. I didn’t know what could cause that much damage to a powerful angel, but I imagined it was a powerful one.

Maros.

Without hesitating, I rolled out from under Baz and ripped my shirt from my head as I sprinted to Ivy’s side. Panic rose in my chest at the sight of her injuries, and I prayed they were not as bad as they looked.

My face twisted as I shouted, “What happened?”

Ivy clutched her throat as terror flashed in her eyes. I knelt beside her and brushed pieces of blood-soaked hair away from her face.

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