Page 85 of Frosted Torment

“Fine,” I gritted my teeth and found another notch in the cave wall to hang my torch. I filled the ladle with water from the pool, then brought it to him. I only allowed Vallen one drink. “I said more water,” I noted. “I didn’t say how much.”

“Clever.” He licked his lips and let his eyes linger on me too long. “I love that in a woman.”

I tossed the ladle onto the crate and stepped forward, dagger still in hand. “Tell me about her death,” I requested, teasing the blade along his jawline.

Vallen laughed with a warning, unphased. “You’re playing with another fire here, princess.”

This time, I pushed the blade into the skin right under his chin. “Tell me the fucking truth, you used-up, good-for-nothing piece of trash.”

Vallen’s tone turned hard when he replied, “Your mother’sdeath was necessary and collateral damage in a much larger game. A game in which you, Noa, are the winning prize.”

“She was standing in your way, you mean!” I screamed, trying to control my rage, but everything in me wanted to cut Vallen from navel to nose. “You, your brother, and Maros, using humans as playthings.”

“Believe what you want,” Vallen spat, and his eyes locked on mine. “It’s the truth. By the time I got to your house, she was pleading for me to kill her. So I did.”

I stared at him, struggling to process what he told me. Was this some twisted mind game, or could there be some truth to his words? My hands shook with electricity as I fought to control my emotions. Vallen’s words hung heavy in the air, threatening to choke me.

I clenched my jaw, feeling the tension spread through my body. I forced myself to take a deep breath, willing myself to remain composed. “Continue, if you’re so desperate for another sip of water.”

“You’re not going to like what I have to say,” Vallen warned.

“Try me.” My fingers twitched as I played with electricity between my fingertips. “I’ll even sheath the dagger.”

Vallen leaned forward, pulling against the chains, watching me fulfill my promise with the dagger. His voice was low and deadly serious as he professed, “I came here to help your family.” He sighed, leaning back against the wall.

I glanced over at Baz and Lex, who had settled against the cave wall on sleeping bags with sandwiches waiting for me. They seemed to trust my judgment, but they knew how volatile my emotions were when it came to Vallen, so both of them remained alert.

“Vincent told me everything.” I groaned, realizing Vallen was useless to any of us. “All three of you were in on it from the beginning, then Vincent and Maros turned on you. So, if you can’t return my soul without me dying, then I choose to stay alive. I’m pretty sure mypuppyor any other angel can help with that.”

Vallen’s eyes bore into me with a cold, unrelenting stare. My body shook with rage as I turned to leave, but his voice halted me in my tracks. “I would make the same choices again,” he declared boldly.

My heart twisted in agony as I stared back at him, numb and speechless. “I already know that,” I managed to choke out. “But you’re in this prison, and Vincent is out of control. He became obsessed with my grandmother and kept her alive in a revolting and unnatural way.”

He dropped his chin to his chest. “Water,” he demanded dryly.

An irritated sigh escaped me, but I did what I promised. I grabbed the ladle and retrieved more water, letting him have two sips. I nodded for him to continue.

“My brother fell centuries ago. Before me, even,” Vallen claimed. “He waited, befriending the people here and placing angels throughout Montana to do his bidding across the land. He waited so he couldpretendto save everyone.”

Baz and Lex perked up and leaned forward against the wall. Vallen’s eyes flicked to them, then back to me.

“Vincent’s the one who teamed up with Maros in the Veil to steal the secrets and take your world,” he revealed. “They’re on a damn crusade to take more than this one. Vincent didn’texpect me to interfere and sure as hell didn’t expect to fall for Sasha.”

I stared at him in shock, my breath catching in my throat. “No,” I wavered.

“I tried to stop it,” Vallen admitted. “That’s why I stole your souls and placed parts of the secrets in each of you. If I could turn Vincent and Maros into the Seraphic government before they destroyed everything, then I’d be able to put back your souls and the secrets.”

“But you didn’t,” I reminded him. “You used humans like pawns.”

“They had others on the inside, Noa, and knew what I was doing the entire time.” His head snapped up and he said again, “Water.”

I tipped the ladle, which was a quarter full, into his mouth. “How did they catch you?” My tone turned serious as I dug further.

“I stole the bracelet from Sasha and gave it to your mom,” he stated. “Stopping them depended on it, but it forced them to use me to feed the tree and keep the portal open. An open portal gives them infinite access to the Veil.”

“Well,” I laughed with a sudden burst of amusement. “You did something else because Maros called off his deal.”

“That deal was a charade.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “More water.”

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