Page 56 of Frosted Torment

My muscles tensed as Callum lifted his head with a whimper. “Where are you going?”

“Back to the Veil.”Baz stretched his neck toward the inky sky, releasing a long, mournful howl.

My confused eyes darted to Baz.“I thought your punishment for falling was eternal damnation, too?”

“We can’t reenter the Veil, but we can serve by guarding it from the outside,”he explained.“Falling is unforgivable, but if we don’t completely succumb to the darkness here, we’re allowed to join the army in the Veil.”

“Brother,” Lex edged closer and sat down next to Callum. “We still need you here.”

Callum lifted his head for a moment, heartache shining in his eyes. Forcing him to stay would only prolong everyone’s agony. “He’s in pain, Lex,” I murmured, recalling Dawson’s same words to me about Sasha.

Lex raked his hands through his hair. “Fucking Vincent,” he growled.

Nevaeh and O’Neil kept their distance as I stroked Callum’s head. Cosmic electricity surged through my hand, crackling against his fur. I stared at my hand in bewilderment, then back at Callum.

“What’s happening?” Lex asked, his voice rough with emotion.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, continuing to strokeCallum’s fur.

Callum released a long, anguished howl, then slowly morphed from wolf into man, then dissolved into shimmering energy. My pulse quickened as his presence swirled around me. Amidst the glimmering mist, rugged features crystallized. A strong jaw, flowing snow-white hair, and sparkling amethyst eyes.

His radiance caressed me before he disintegrated into what looked like stardust. In a single movement, he wrapped around me, raw energy jolting my body. Callum’s essence fused into my veins, mingling with the potent secrets harbored inside me.

As he faded into my being, the scent of pine mingling with euphoric lilacs embedded itself in my nose, and a thought fluttered in my mind. Baz stared skyward, then he dropped his snout to the ground. I scanned the empty field, feeling consumed by the cosmic flames of the universe.

Lex was so still that I thought he’d shed his mortal form and travel somewhere beyond. Glazed, his eyes flickered like strobe lights. I waved my hand before his face, breaking the trance. Lex jumped back to the present.

“What... What happened?” My faint voice trembled.

Lex’s brow pinched together. “Callum was saying goodbye, but he decided you needed a fighting chance.”

“He…he gave me his essence?” I studied my open palms in wonder.

Lex nodded. “He did.”

Father O’Neil approached, face etched with concern. “Let’s get moving, everyone.”

Baz snarled in irritation, making O’Neil’s eyes bulge.“There’s time, and we need to talk,”said Baz.

“Wait,” I breathed and blew out my cheeks. “I need a minute.”

A surge of emotions threatened to consume me. It all weighed on my shoulders, and my lips turned numb. The realization I had taken my grandmother’s life, because it was the one way she could die, was a burden too heavy to bear. It would haunt me for whatever time I had left here.

O’Neil fidgeted with his rosary beads, eyeing the sky. “Don’t linger. I trust nothing, and we don’t know when Maros or Vincent will be back.”

“Come,” Nevaeh linked her arm through the priest’s, leading him to the porch where the others waited. “We need to get out the maps and strategize.”

Father O’Neil nodded as he lifted a finger. “Yes, we need to find a way to check the wards.”

“Then we need to find ourselves a tree,” she confirmed and patted his arm.

Lex began to follow them, and I called out to him, “Stay with us.”

He cocked his head and eyed me curiously. “Sure.”

I gazed down at the faint shimmer of Callum’s essence lingering on my skin. The comforting yet unsettling warmth radiating from it was a stark reminder of Callum’s sacrifice.

Feeling a gentle nudge from Baz, his fur brushing against my leg, grounded me in the present moment. My guardian wolf’s eyes held a depth of understanding that spoke volumes without uttering a single word.

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