Page 25 of Frosted Torment

“You used powers to make him forget,” I stated, disappointment creeping into my voice. The thought of manipulating someone’s memory felt heavy on my conscience.

He adjusted his position in his seat, his fingers tightening around the middle console. “Text your godparents,” he instructed with soft urgency.

I typed out a thank you for wishing me a happy birthday, then lied about losing my phone. I prayed it would keep Jack and Claire satisfied. Shaking my head, I remembered I had a job and my boss would notice if I didn’t show up.

“Dammit,” I grumbled.

“What is it?” Jossy’s tone turned irritated, with impatience bubbling beneath the surface.

I could feel him ready to pounce on whatever excuse I’d offer next. Even though I decided to go with them, it didn’t make the choice easier.

“I’m supposed to be at work tomorrow for a book delivery before the new semester starts.” My voice came out a cracked whisper.

“Don’t you have vacation days?” he asked with a tone that suggested my human concerns were trivial compared to our current situation.

“If I don’t show up, that’s when people start asking questions and cops get involved.” I clapped back. “Do you get vacation, Jossy? Are you even a lawyer?”

Jossy laughed—a rich sound that cut through the tension like a knife. “Yes, Noa. I’m a lot of things,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. “But a lawyer is my focus here. We’ve been around for hundreds of years, so jobs bide our time and help us keep our home.”

“Good for you,” I quipped. “So you know that calling off last minute isn’t professional.” I bounced my knee, but my pulse quickened, and I turned toward Lex, my eyes wide. “Hundreds of years?” I asked.

He arched an eyebrow and smiled. “Yep. A breath for us in the Veil is years and years for you here.”

Considering I was in love with him, I needed to know. “How old are you? I know you’ve existed since ‘let there be light’and all, but what’s your age in human years?”

“That’s irrelevant. We’re eternal beings and we don’t age,” Lex explained, then glanced at Ivy’s phone, which I now flipped back and forth between each of my hands. “Call your boss.”

I scrunched my nose—an involuntary gesture of doubt—then took a deep breath to steady myself. “I don’t want to lie to the man.”

“But Mr. Dell likes you,” Ivy chimed, placing a hand on my thigh. “I bet he won’t have a problem with you needing a few days.”

“Tell him it’s a family emergency,” suggested Lex in my other ear.

I twisted my lips as an idea began to form in my head. “He’s always nagging me to take time off, so that could work.”

I dialed Mr. Dell’s number and explained that I would be leaving town for a family emergency. That wasn’t a lie. I was the family, and I was definitely in an emergency.

He agreed and decided to have his daughter cover for me since she would soon be my assistant. It was a relief to have that handled. Maybe this was not an obstacle. It could be an opportunity to find sanity amid the madness.

After my call, Ivy tucked her phone under her thigh and wasasleep within minutes. I concluded she didn’t feel there was more she could do to help, except provide moral support. I was exhausted, just like her, but I couldn’t fall asleep.

CHAPTER 10

Once we arrived in Whitefish, another car waited for us. We switched into the new ride-share for another drive through the mountains to Saint Mary. This time, I couldn’t fight the urge to close my eyes.

When I woke up with a bump in the road. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was, but a gentle hand touched my leg.

“You’re okay,” Lex’s voice affirmed, steady and warm, wrapping around me like a familiar blanket.

The faint rumble of tires on the road matched the rhythm of my anxious heartbeat, each bump we hit a reminder that we were still moving forward.

“Are we almost there?” My voice cracked as I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion clawing at the edges of my consciousness.

He stared out the window, his profile illuminated by the soft glow of the interior car lights. Shadows danced across chiseled features.

“We’re coming up the road to the gate now,” Lex stated quietly.

The tension in his shoulders seemed to disappear as the familiar landscape unfolded around us.

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