Page 60 of Frosted Torment

I hugged myself, desperate for a breakthrough. “What if he’s been trying to warn me about this?”

“Why would he do that?” Ena’s forehead crinkled with confusion as she glanced at Lex.

“Why not?” I shook my head, my hair whispering against my back. I looked at each of them in turn. “I have all this stuff going on inside me, so he’s trying to tell me I’m in danger.”

Ena’s tone carried a weight of sorrow as she explained why my idea was wrong. “Two angels remain at the tree. One guards it while the other nourishes the tree to sustain its life. So, ifsomeone kills the guarding angel and injures the nourishing one, then it’s possible.”

“Nourishes the tree? With what?” I questioned, feeling a sense of dread sink into my bones.

Lex cleared his throat before answering me. “Angel essence,” he answered.

My stomach churned in turmoil. “But they will die!” I exclaimed.

“Over time, yes,”Baz acknowledged.“But it’s to keep the portal open and the wards intact, Noa.”

“Why is the portal still open?” My mind reeled at the gravity of the situation, and I rubbed my temples. “Let me guess, Vincent’s idea.”

Ena stepped forward, her jaw tight, trying to get me to understand. “It took years to figure out how to keep it open,” she confessed. “And the lower-ranking angels are the ones who feed the tree.”

I shivered with displeasure at what I was hearing. “I don’t see how any of you are okay with this.”

“The angels choose to fall, Noa. They know it comes with responsibilities,” Lex said. “And with the portal open, we can return the secrets and gain access to your soul.”

“Having the portal open and warded is saving our world too, Noa,” Ena emphasized as she looked in my direction.

“I get it,” my tone soft as I nodded. “And that’s exactly why I need to get to it and talk to this angel.”

Baz yelped in disagreement.“It could be a trap.”

I turned to him and leaned my head on his shoulder.“Do you believe that?”

“Of course I do,”he insisted.“Vincent and Maros could’ve faked the wards failing earlier to lure you there and kidnap you. When you didn’t go, Maros got impatient with Vincent.”

I rolled my eyes, then withdrew from him, stepping back to face Lex and Ena. “Baz thinks Maros is trying to kidnap me. He makes a good point. However, I disagree because Maros already showed up here.”

Dawson leaned out the front door with a scowl on his face. “Y’all comin’ or what? Weapons aren’t gonna prepare themselves.”

“We’ll be right there,” I called back and smiled before he disappeared inside again.

As soon as Dawson was out of earshot, I turned back to my friends. “So, who’s coming with me to check out the tree?”

Lex started climbing the stairs to the porch. “Absolutely not,” he objected with a raise of his hand.

“Listen to him, Noa.”Baz’s body tensed, and he stood tall in agreement.

“Isn’t Callum’s essence providing me protection?” I asked, raising a hand in question. “Ena has enhancements,” I said. “So it makes sense I would too.”

“We’re all targets now,” she nodded, agreeing slightly.

Lex turned back to face me, ready to counter, but I shook my head.

“I’m not waiting for trouble to show up here again and drag me to hell,” I insisted. “Vincent and Maros don’t know what Callum did, and we can use that to our advantage.”

Ena tapped her chin as she nodded. “If it’s an angel at the tree warning, Noa, we can get answers to help with the ceremony to retrieve her soul.”

Lex’s fingers tightened around the cool iron railing, the other hand sweeping across the rough stubble on his face.

“We’ll go, but we need a logical plan,” he said in a measured and deliberate tone. His eyes shifted to Baz. “You know damn well she’ll go off on her own if we don’t help.”

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