The Chosen Knights (Read Prequel--The Angel Knights first) (The Angel Knights Series Book 2) by Mary Ting

on his way, but he never came home.” Her eyes were glassy and her lips twitched.
    Goose stabbed a slice of beef with his fork. “The monsters killed him,” he sneered through his clenched teeth, sounding like a demon.
    “Goose!” Jack threw both of his arms in the air. When his hands slammed on the table, we jerked from the sound. “Stop it. You’re scaring Lucia. This isn’t a normal dinner conversation.” Jack caught my eyes from across the table. “I’m so sorry, Lucia. Please don’t think we’re weird. We’ve just been through some hard times, and we’re trying to deal with it. My grandmother lost her son, and then she lost her husband last year. It doesn’t help that she’s getting older.” Jack ran his hand down his face defeatedly.
    “It’s okay, Jack,” I reassured, trying to make him feel better. “I don’t think your family is weird. Have you met my uncle?”
    Silence sliced through the room.
    Jack busted out laughing, followed by Goose, and then finally Lana. I joined in as well. It seemed to lighten the mood. The dinner conversation switched to a brighter topic as we finished our meal. We talked about school and Jack’s childhood.
    I found out Jack used to pretend he was one of the Knights Templar, fighting demons, when he was younger. His father had taught him how to surf, and he was actually good at it. Jack looked at me and flushed. He liked that I was smiling and laughing the whole time.
    “Lucia, I’m going to give you some candles. They will fill your house with the smell of edelweiss and it will ward off demons,” Lana said out of the blue.
    Jack frowned, huffing under his breath, “I thought we agreed to stay off this subject.”
    I played along. “If it’s the same sweet smell filling up your house, I’ll take them.” My words seemed to help alleviate Jack’s tension. I was intrigued as to why the smell of edelweiss would ward off demons. “How do you know it works?”
    Lana smiled immensely as if she had been waiting for me to ask. “The legend goes like this: an Elementum, a supernatural being that can manipulate earth, air, water, and fire, fell in love with a mortal. And because of this abomination, and to set an example for the others, the original Elementa cursed the child. The curse not only turned the baby’s little heart to ice, but she was guarded by a group of demons the original Elementa had summoned called the Possessors. The Possessors took the form of black mists, never leaving her sight. So the child could survive, the coven created an ice castle for her to live in on one of the highest, most solitary peaks of the Alps.
    “The mortals called her the Snow Queen. It was known she had treasures that would make anyone rich for a lifetime. In spite of the demons, many brave suitors tried to win her hand in marriage. As soon as a suitor proclaimed his love, the demons would claim his body and soul, and in turn, the human became a demon. This was a cruel reminder that the curse could never be broken.”
    The story kept my eyes rooted on Lana. She spoke again after taking a sip of her drink.
    “When a hunter finally met her, her beauty kept him speechless. For days on end, he would kneel down before her, never asking for her hand in marriage. During that time the Snow Queen grew fond of him and started to admire his dedication to her. Fearing the Snow Queen’s heart would melt if she fell in love with the hunter, which was the only way the curse could be broken, the demons took the matter into their own hands.
    “The Snow Queen watched the body of her love being taken over by the demons on the night of the blue moon. Soon after, her heart melted and broke the curse. She had fallen in love. Love is a beautiful thing, but sometimes it can be cruel. In unbearable pain, she shed one teardrop for the very first time. The tear fell onto a stone, where it turned into a silvery star. This was the birth of the first edelweiss. Because of this legend, giving this