Page 58 of Frosted Torment

“Did you know, Baz?” I probed further so Lex could hear.

“No,”he confirmed as he bowed his head and looked into my eyes.“Callum didn’t either. His connection with Sasha severed on the night she died.”Baz exhaled and lay down on the ground next to me.

My head swung back toward Lex, and my eyes pleaded with him to forgive Baz. “None of them knew,” I stated. “Until today.”

Lex stepped back as relief crossed his face, and he swept his hands through his hair.

“Is that what you were going to tell us before Maros showed up?” he asked me. “This connection.”

My lip twitched, and I shook my head. “No. That was something different.”

Baz shifted his weight and craned his neck in my direction.“What was it?”

Lex cocked his head, noticing Baz’s shift toward me. “Go on because he,” Lex said, pointing at Baz, “doesn’t know everything that’s going on in your head, does he?”

I thought about it for a brief moment, then fixed my eyes back on Baz. “You don’t read my thoughts, right?”

Baz now towered over me, staring down at me suspiciously.“No,”he confirmed.“That’s offensive.”

Reassured, I relaxed my shoulders. “No listening in. We talk with our minds.”

Cold air stung my cheeks as the wind picked up. The temperature had dropped even more as the sun set over the mountains, but I felt comfortable without a coat. Which was unusual, even for me loving the cold.

I rubbed my arms for comfort, hoping it would distract Baz and Lex so we could go inside the house. I was wrong. Gingerly licking my dry lips, I winced at the sting from my cut, but their eyes never left me.

“Don’t be mad,” I warned them, holding up my hand.

A low rumble escaped Baz’s throat.“Don’t count on it.”

“Let’s get one thing straight,” my tone irritated as I placed my hands on my hips. “You have known about me since the beginning of time, but I barely found out about this in the last couple of days.” I shook a finger at both of them. “Shame on you for expecting every detail from me while I navigate this supernatural shitstorm. I’ve needed a few minutes to wrap my head around it.”

Baz’s glacier eyes shifted down at me, and pride flashed across them.“Understood,”he said.

“We get it.” Lex shrugged, then squeezed my shoulder for assurance. “Take all the time you need. All we ask is that you don’t make decisions that could put you or us in danger.”

My brows pinched together, and I dropped my hands to my sides. “That’s it? Nothing else?” I asked, puzzled.

Lex leaned in, lowering his voice. “We don’t expect you toskip around here like we live in a land of rainbows and sparkles.”

“Yeah.” A smile slipped onto my lips as I waved my hand dismissively at them. “Exactly. Thank you.”

“All of this,” he gestured toward the vast open field, “is way cooler.”

My shoulders dipped. “Glad my soulless secret-keeping vessel amuses you,” I murmured.

“No, no, no. Don’t do that.” Lex reached for me and took my arm. “We’re getting your soul back and you’re not just a vessel housing our destinies.”

My eyes flicked to his beneath my brows. “You mean that?”

“Of course.” He smiled and pulled me into him for a hug. “You’re family, Noa.”

“I’ve been wondering about it,” I admitted, burying my face in his chest.

Leaning back, Lex gripped my chin and tilted it, forcing me to look at him. His moody gaze almost dropped me to my knees, but I shook away the thought, knowing it was nothing more than his angelic presence.

“Humans come first and you’re the key to saving them,” Lex smiled. “But we’ll protect you and keep you.”

Baz interrupted us and said,“We need you to tell us what happened in the woods before Maros showed up, or I’ll drag Ena out here myself.”

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