Page 37 of Frosted Torment

“My brother lost his way,” he said through clenched teeth. “Angels should watch over humans, but sometimes they wonder why you’re the chosen ones. It’s an ache that eats at them like a plague. They’d do anything to switch positions.”

His jaw ticked as his gaze seemed to drift through memories too painful to relive. My gut knotted like a warning. When he glanced back at me, his eyes reflected a well of sympathy.

Skepticism laced my words. “What could an angel do to change things?”

Vincent’s expression turned dark as he leaned in closer. His voice dropped to an intense whisper. “Some angels have the power to rewrite destinies, to alter the fabric of reality itself, but such acts come with a great cost.”

I picked at the bandages on my fingers when it dawned on me that whatever was happening was on a much bigger scalethan I’d imagined. “Humans didn’t choose this life,” I reminded him. “Why would you care about us so much, then try to eliminate us?”

Vincent nodded in agreement. “Some angels don’t feel that humans are worthy of the choices they get.”

“Last time I checked, it wasn’t up to your kind to decide.” The disdain in my voice was evident as I rolled my eyes. “How are you even allowed to do things like this?”

He fixed his eyes on mine, unyielding and grave. “We’re not only messengers, Noa. We help keep order and we’re given gifts and the power to do that. We can change worlds, but angels take reckless chances sometimes.”

My face contorted in confusion at the implications of his words. “Because Lucifer wasn’t enough of a wake-up call?” I asked.

“He wanted to be in charge of it all. That’s a different story. Angels, in general, want to shake you and help you get your life together.” Vincent’s expression softened, but his words hung heavy.

“So we’re puppets. Great.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“Are you listening?” he bit out. Then, he stood up, his movements purposeful as he crossed the room to a bookshelf lined with old journals. Dust swirled in the air as he ran his fingers over the spines. He selected one bound in cracked leather. “We don’t control humans, Noa. We assist.”

“Vallen believes otherwise,” I retorted. Terror coiled in my chest like a slumbering beast.

Vincent returned to the couch and opened the book. Symbols filled its pages and stirred my mind. “He was nobleonce,” he explained, his voice tender. “And dedicated to protecting human souls before their journey here.”

“Is this yours?” I asked as he flipped to a section where two angels faced one another and their wings spread wide. They held up a bright golden ball.

Vincent nodded and continued, “I’d get the soul and whisper half of our knowledge into it. Then, Vallen would whisper the other half. He’d seal the soul?—”

“With a kiss,” I interrupted him, touching my top lip lightly. “My mom told me bedtime stories, but I thought they were folklore.”

He smiled at me as I ran my finger over the pages of information. “Yes,” he confirmed with a slight chuckle. “But not the way you’re thinking, Noa. Your lip could be genetic or environmental, but even that isn’t definitive.”

“I know.” My voice was soft, but my face turned red, and I lifted one shoulder. “That was the legend. So, what’s the truth?”

“Once a soul becomes attached to the body, the knowledge seeps in over the course of a human life,” Vincent shared. “It helps to guide your choices and assists you in finding your purpose.”

“It seems too simple,” I whispered with a tilt of my head.

“There’s no grand revelation here,” Vincent lectured. He closed the ancient book and brought it back to the shelf. He turned around and crossed his arms. “Vallen grew bitter and cynical.”

“What happens if a human isn’t given the secrets?” I blurted out without considering whether I truly wanted the answer.

His eyes flitted to Jossy and Lex, who sat engrossed in our conversation like they had never heard it before. He continued, “Without the guidance of divine knowledge, that you call a conscience, humans become the worst versions of themselves. They’re lost and confused as they claw their way through this place.”

My knee bounced as I cradled my head in my hands, working to process it all. “Don’t you have a celestial HR department to help unhappy angels find new careers?” I glared at him. “It seems odd that he decided to play keep-away one day without any clear reason, like a spiteful child.”

Vincent shook his head with a weary sigh. “It wasn’t random or impulsive. Watching humans across eons wore on him. In his eyes, they had yet to evolve in their humanness.”

“Taking away a person’s conscience is worse.” My eyes turned to stone as I challenged him.

“That’s irrelevant,” he stated as he rejoined me on the couch. “The knowledge you carry has the power to reshape universal existence.”

I felt pressure building in my head and untied my bun. Rubbing my scalp, I squeezed my eyes shut. “My mom hinted at something similar in my vision.”

“There’s more,” Vincent revealed. Lex and Jossy both seemed to squirm at what was coming next.

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