Page 69 of Frosted Torment

“How is this possible?” I whispered as I shook Baz’s hand.

Then I took a quick look at Lex, confusion evident in my expression. He let out a hearty laugh, showing his amusement at the situation.

“It more than likely has something to do with your current predicament,” Lex reasoned.

Baz cleared his throat, his eyes warming as he glanced at me. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Noa.” His voice was deep and soothing when he spoke.

I felt the heat rising to my cheeks as he kept a tight grip on the blanket that had inched its way down when he stood. He was a Greek god. I licked my lips and tore my eyes from his to find the right words.

“I’m okay now,” I lied. “But I need a minute.” Unhooking my arm from Lex and placing one hand on the table, I dropped the other to my side.

Lex eyed the food, now covered with a mesh lid to protect it from bugs. He lifted the lid and piled strawberries into his free hand. I peeked at Baz, who opened drawers from a canvas dresser and pulled out jeans along with a short-sleeved shirt.

I remembered the wolves’ and angels’ body temperatures were higher than humans’. Baz dropped the blanket so he could get dressed, and I turned away.

“When did you get here, Lex?” I whispered, hoping to take my mind off of the insurmountable male beauty in the tent.

“A couple of hours ago,” he said with a nonchalant expression, then ate a cube of cheese. “Ena’s here too.”

“So everyone’s okay?” Relief spread through me with that information.

“Yeah, and there’s been a development,” Lex shot me a quick smile. “But we were waiting for you two before discussing it.”

“You should’ve woken me, brother,” Baz said as he walked up behind Lex and squeezed his shoulders with both hands.

“I peeked in,” he admitted, “but I wasn’t about to miss Noa finding you like this.”

I gasped and slapped Lex’s arm. “Jerk!”

A flicker of emotion flashed across Lex’s eyes, then a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. He was beautiful, but so were all the fallen angels, which, in all honesty, unnerved me. Since they were damned to spend eternal life here, I suppose they deserved that much ethereal beauty.

“Where’s the coffee?” I groaned and pulled at my hair.

“I’ll make you a cup,” Lex offered with a laugh.

Folding my hands and resting them on the table, I said, “That’s the least you can do.”

Shaking his head, he walked to a small area across from us where a single-serve coffee brewer sat. After placing a pod inside, then a paper cup underneath it, he pressed start. I watched him for a moment, then turned my attention to Baz. He inhaled a banana, then walked back over to the bed and sat down. He pulled on a pair of hiking boots with a huge smile plastered on his face.

When I tried to put weight on my foot to walk to him, pain shot through my kneecap. Leaning my back against the table seemed like the better option until I had my coffee and Ena could look at my knee.

“What’s with all the human clothes?” I asked, ignoring the throbbing eruption down my shin.

“They’ve been here,” he said while tying his laces, “in case we stay human.”

But you didn’t, and you’ve been stuck as a wolf. What idiot angel does that for me?I thought to myself.

“This idiot angel.”He winked and stood, walking over to me.

I pointed my finger at him. “No. No way,” I declared. “You don’t get to do that now. Talk to me like a regular person.”

Lex’s eyebrows furrowed as he took huge bites from a chocolate muffin while waiting for my coffee. “This ought to be fun with you two,” he snickered.

“Noa, you and I are what’s called signati,” Baz’s tone was firm as he met my gaze.

“Signati?” I asked, my eyes darting between him and Lex.

My knee screamed for me to sit down, but I wasn’t sure if I could make it to the bed without falling on my face and embarrassing myself.

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