Page 99 of Frosted Torment

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 oncewas. “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, andgoosebumps 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.

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