spiderlike energy of the reaper heated my face like crackling fire. I could feelâand seeâWillâs power as he stood beside me. He looked dark and beautiful.
âIâm ready now,â I said.
The reaper snarled and leaped off the car, landing with an earthshaking thud. I didnât wait for her to charge. I crouched to the pavement, tightened my grip on each sword, and let out a terrible cry. My power erupted, deafening me momentarily, bursting forth from my body as an explosion ofinky, wispy white smoke, its strength rocking the ground like an earthquake. The pressure slammed into the reaper and my car with enough force to shove it several feet to one side. My ears rang as I watched the reaper brace herself and hold her ground. Her empty eyes stared back at me like pieces of twisted volcanic glass.
I shot at the reaper, swords high over my head. I summoned my power and leaped up, spinning through the air and crushing my foot into the reaperâs jaw. As I came down, I slashed my flaming blades across her body, slicing both her shoulders. She ducked her head and chomped at me as I landed, her fangs nicking my arm and tearing the skin. She swung her neck and her head into my body, smashing me into a light pole. The light went dark as the glass rained down, shattering all around me.
I lay there, my eyes fogging over for a moment, and looked down at my arm. Cuts lined my skin from the lampâs glass and the reaperâs teeth. I wiped away the blood and watched my skin heal right before my eyes. The torn flesh wove in and out as though it were being sewn back together with invisible needle and thread until my skin was smooth and flawless except for smears of blood. My gaze snapped back up to see the reaper stomping toward me. Her jaw clicked and contorted grotesquely as the bones Iâd smashed with my foot healed back into place.
âYou taste good, Preliator,â she snarled, giving her jaws a stretch. âI think Iâll have another bite.â
I grabbed one of my swords and charged. The reaper saw me coming and threw her paw into my face, snapping my head to the side. I ground my teeth bitterly, reeled my arm back, and pounded my fist into her jaw as hard as I could. Instead of just breaking again, her jaw flung free from her skull and skidded across the pavement in a spray of blood.
Another reaper came out of nowhere. It sprang from the shadows at my left, its fangs a flash of white in the dark, but Will swept his own sword through the air between us, stopping my breath. His giant blade sliced through the reaperâs neck, sending its head spiraling high over me as it hardened to stone. The head and body hit the pavement and smashed into a thousand stony pieces.
I spun back around as the first reaper reared onto her hind legs, swinging her head in a rage, and I slammed my sword through her ribcage. As the fiery blade struck her heart, she crumpled to all fours. She wheezed and gagged just before her shuddering body erupted into flames and she was gone forever.
6
I PICKED UP THE BLADE AND WIPED IT CLEAN ON my jeans. Will watched me with careful, darkened eyes.
âThank you,â I said.
âAre you going to black out on me again?â he asked, hoisting his sword over his shoulders as if it weighed nothing. Now I got a better look at it. The blade was wide and almost as long as my whole body, and the hilt was incredibly beautiful, with its sleek silver and gold curves molded into what looked like a wing.
âNo, Iâm okay,â I said. âSort of. So thenâI did black out last night?â
âYeah. You hit the ground pretty hard afterward.â
Heat crept into my cheeks. âThank you for getting me back to my room.â
âI wasnât going to just leave you there,â he said. âSo,youâre remembering then?â
I shrugged. âThe fighting part has come back to me and my swords appeared when I called them. I felt like I
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