"Release her, Guardian!" Her voice rang out from somewhere unseen.

Letting out a hoarse cry, I snapped my gaze up to see the reaper crouched on the roof of the Audi. Thick saliva dripped from her jaws, hitting the roof and sliding down the driver'sside window.

"Oh, poor child," the thing half cooed, half snarled. "She's shaking. What's the matter, girl? You were supposed to be a nightmare, but al I see is a whimpering little lamb. We don't even need the Enshi. I'l kil you myself."

Horrified, I scrambled away, but Wil caught my arm.

"Again!" he cried out, slamming his palm into my forehead for the second time in as many days. The blast hit me, stronger this time, and the white light blinded me once more. The world shook and rol ed, and I felt like I was trapped in the center of a tornado again. An eerie gust of wind spiraled around me, pul ing my hair and body toward the sky. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself. Wil released me and I fel back, but his arm wound around my waist and pul ed me to his chest. After a woozy moment I had the strength to stand on my own, and he let me go.

When I opened my eyes, I cal ed my blades and they appeared in my hands, growing magical y from the pommel at the bottom of each of the helves to the tips of the blades. The simplest tug in my chest sent flames bursting from the swords, as if they came alight by my wil alone. My power surged through me, and the creepy, spiderlike energy of the reaper heated my face like crackling fire. I could feel--and see--Wil 's power as he stood beside me. He looked dark and beautiful.

"I'm ready now," I said.

The reaper snarled and leaped off the car, landing with an earthshaking thud. I didn't 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 of inky, 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 reaper's 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 al around me.

I lay there, my eyes fogging over for a moment, and looked down at my arm. Cuts lined my skin from the lamp's glass and the reaper's 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 I'd smashed with my foot healed back into place.

"You taste good, Preliator," she snarled, giving her jaws a stretch. "I think I'l have another bite."

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 skul 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 Wil swept his own sword through the air between us, stopping my breath. His giant blade sliced through the reaper's 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 al fours. She wheezed and gagged just before her shuddering body erupted into flames and she was gone forever.

6

I PICKED THE BLADE UP AND WIPED IT CLEAN ON my jeans. Wil watched me with careful, darkened eyes.

"Thank you," I said.

"Are you going to black out on me again?" 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.

"No, I'm okay," I said. "Sort of. So then--I did black out last night?"

"Yeah. You hit the ground pretty hard afterward."

Heat crept into my cheeks. "Thank you for getting me back to my room."

"I wasn't just going to leave you there," he said. "So, you're remembering then?"

I shrugged. "The fighting part has come back to me and my swords appeared when I cal ed them. I felt like I knew what I was doing." What freaked me out the most was that I didn't real y need to think when I fought. My body just kind of knew what it was doing, and I was only along for the ride.

"You've had a lot of practice."

"But everything else," I said distractedly, looking down at the vicious swords in my hands. "It's so fuzzy, stil . It's strange, because I know it's al there, but I just can't dig it out. I don't know what I am."