Etched in Frost (Hallowed Harbingers #1)

by L.R. Friedman

Though his mate’s life has been spared, he needs to make sure she’s safe. The last thing he wants to do is leave her, but he must find help. He must ensure the dreams he let crumble away like ash on the wind were worth his sacrifice.

The harbinger doesn’t care, though. He’d forfeit it all to see the joy on his mate’s face again. The vibrancy of her passion. His dreams may have ended much too soon, but hers don’t have to. Each beat of her heart reminds him of that. She’s worth it. Always.

As the weeks of his miserable banishment pass, he curls up in bed, clinging to the comforting thud between his ribs. Clinging to her. While he’d never take back his choice, he mourns the colorful memories of an immortal life he may never get with her.

Speeding through the trees. Painting the world in ice and snow by her side. Spending solstice buried deep within her, claiming each o...

“I made my choice and I’d make it again.”

The heartbeat thuds wildly in his chest. Maybe it always will. But he cannot remain like this. It’s too hard to bear. Too consuming now that he cannot reach her.

The storm surging through my mind is a blizzard of emotions that nearly send me stumbling into Fate’s watercolor pool. I grip its ledge as she catches my arm. Her rainbow gaze scrutinizes me, and she makes no effort to let go of my shoulders. Not until I’ve caught my breath and tilted myself upright.

Though it feels like yesterday, it’s been almost a year since I learned of my mate. That reality is unsettling. I bartered our immortal future so she could have a mortal one. Yet, as I brush my palm over my mate mark, I feel her pulse fluttering there and I’m struck with a fierce sense of pride. Nothing has brought me greater joy.

“You weren’t supposed to find her first, Jax.” “Well, I did.” “She is on borrowed time.” My body stiffens. “What does that mean?” “She’s going to die, Jax.” Fate’s voice is soft despite her harsh words,

she places a streaked hand on my shoulder. “No mortal escapes death. Eventually, her destiny will play out, and I can no longer guarantee her immortality.” It’s not an answer, but she presses her lips in a firm line, silently telling me that’s all she’s willing to offer.

“I will find a way to her,” I growl. “She’s mine.” “Maybe so,” she hesitates, weighing her words carefully, “but you ...

“I know that,” I grit out, “but if you know a way I can reach her, a way she could see me, could talk to me… Please.” I’m begging here. Hell, I could be banished for the rest of this winter just for asking because there’s no way t...

She flicks her wrist, and a small cerulean stone the size of a marble appears between her fingers. “Mortals are not able to view our true forms, not because it is not allowed, but because their minds are tethered to the physical plane of their world.” “Meaning?”

“If your mate believes in your existence, she will be able to see you. To touch you. In this form.” Just the idea of that sends a shiver down my spine. Fate cradles my chin and gives me a small smile. “You weren’t the first to be seen by a mortal.”

“So I just need to get her to believe in me?” “You make that sound so simple. You know better than to think it will be easy. Mortal hearts are not quick to sway. I do not envy what is ahead for you, Jax,” Fate says,

The idea of Jolie seeing me, hearing me, touching me, gives me all the encouragement I need. Pushing my skates into the ice, I speed as fast as my feet will carry me, renewed with a singular focus. First, I’ll help her believe. Then, I’ll make her mine.

I’d rather express myself through movement than talk about my feelings any day. Not to knock the years of training and education my therapist has under her belt, but some feelings go beyond anything words can express.

Full of joy or shattered into pieces, dancing gives my emotions an outlet. A way to release my anxiety and keep it from building up inside me. It calms the jitters begging to escape. Unfortunately, it isn’t socially acceptable to dance in public whenever I need to.

“Is there anything else you want to talk about?” she asks, her pen poised in her hand. Yes, but that doesn’t mean I will.

While I rinse my hair, I wonder if he’s been in here while I’ve showered. While I’ve changed. What has he seen?

Why am I thinking about an invisible being when this man’s right here?

But the perfectly normal way we torture our bodies isn’t as usual as most believe. These past weeks integrating physical therapy into my routine has shown me that. While my injury still persists, I am learning how to manage it better and adapt. My body is far less wrecked at the end of each day.

I’m so stupid. I make a mental note to talk about my irrational insecurities at my next session with Dr. Tanner.

Not only is that asshole here, but he’s naked with his unimpressive dick out and eager for her. My fucking mate. Another growl reverberates through my chest, rattling the heartbeat cradled in my ribs.

I stifle the urge to shift into my wolf, though it would be fun to scare the shit out of him.

You know I’m here, don’t you, Tempest? I’m thrilled she can sense my presence,

Of course, she doesn’t know that. Even if she did, it’s not like she’d understand the connection. It goes beyond space and time. Beyond mortality. She exists within me, etched so deeply that not even having my memories erased could tamp down my hunger to be near her. With her.

It doesn’t take a bond to see she’s not interested. It chisels at my already fragile composure. My veins freeze and my fists tighten at my sides, a blizzard building within my grasp.

I’m going to conjure the first recorded indoor snowstorm in history… Jolie eases her palm off his cock and clears her throat. Thank Fate.

He reaches for her hand again. “Just one more minute. That’s all I—” Before he can finish his whining, I unclench my fists, frost flying into his balls. The idiot winces, hissing out a curse as he releases his grip on himself.

Blake doesn’t get the hint from her or me. “Come on, baby,” he continues, grabbing for her. Not on my fucking watch. My body stirs and Jolie gasps. Thick paws pound against the floor, fangs stinging as they elongate until my mouth is full of sharp teeth.

The shrill cry that comes out of Blake before he scrambles off the bed, grabs his pants, and runs bare-assed out the bedroom door is all the reward I need. I didn’t want to shift tonight. Had tried to control it. But the look on his face was worth the unintended intervention. Oops.

I’m enjoying this far too much, trotting around the room in glee. Serves him right. That is, until I notice Jolie frozen next to the door. Halting in place, I sit on my hind legs, looking up at her wide-eyed.

“Jax?” Her voice is brittle, like she’s too scared to ask. “Is th-that you?” Snapping up to standing, I can’t contain my excitement. “Yes, Tempest! It’s me.”

I bow toward her, jumping from side to side, words bursting out of me even though I know she can’t hear them beyond a series of barks and yips. “You knew it was me!”

If believing in me could manifest my true immortal form for her, then maybe if she opens her mind to hearing my words, she will. “Tempest?” “Holy shit.” Her pale stare flicks back to me, and relief washes through my veins.

It worked! I want to go to her, rub my body against hers, comfort her with its soft warmth. It’s so different from my usual chill, but something tells me that will only scare her more. So I stay still and wait, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she steadies her breathing.

I wonder what she’d taste like against my lips, between my teeth. When we’re finally together, I’ll explore her for days, learning every inch of her.

Her arms remain crossed and her shoulders stiffen, almost imperceptibly. “And what do I deserve?” “You deserve someone hellbent on loving you.” The air sweetens, the pulse within me amplifying. I swallow down what the sensations do to me.

“Let’s just talk about something else. Like how a giant wolf is in my bedroom, talking to me.” Her pupils eclipse the pale blue of her irises, but her lips are pressed in a firm line.

“I’ve been waiting for you to return all day…” She bites her lip again, and I clamp my jaw, not wanting to growl at how much I love when she does it. “Didn’t know if you’d come back.” “I’ll always come back.”

When is it too soon to tell a mortal that they are your mate?

My words are clipped as I try to stifle my joy, not willing to get overexcited and scare her again. “You were waiting? For me?” “Yeah. I still have questions.”

“I-I think I saw you—or your eyes, at least—the day of the accident. My mom’s car crashed with us both inside of it. I know it might sound crazy… Well, probably not considering I’m talking to a giant wolf in my bedroom, but were you there?”

I inhale deeply, using the moment to carefully choose my words. Don’t tell her you’re her mate, Jax.

Her brows lift. Then they furrow, creases lining her forehead, so adorable that I want to kiss every inch of them. “Did you pull me from the wreck?” “I did.”

Though, there’s nothing I want more than to share the beauty of what we are. Who she is to me. My love. My mate. My Tempest. She’s a storm that’s swept me up and consumed me so deeply that I’m both irrevocably broken and beautifully changed by her. Forever.

My eyes water, my entire body frozen in place, attention pinned to the wolf in front of me. I’m too scared to blink and find him gone. If it’s rude to stare this long, he doesn’t seem to care.

“What’s swirling through that mind of yours, Tempest?” Jax’s deep voice startles me back into the present. Tempest.

I spot my shirt and quickly snatch it off the floor, pulling it over my head. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” Jax purrs. I swear the vibration of his words shakes me from the inside. What the heck, Jolie?