"We should get back to the Enshi," Nathaniel said. I didn't object. "So, the Enshi serves an angel?" I asked.

"The one whose seal is in that book. Azrael. The angel of death."

"Wel , one of them," Nathaniel said.

"There's more than one?" For the first time in my life I wished I'd gone to at least one day of Sunday school just so I could get the basic gist of what they were trying to explain. He nodded. "The other true angel of death is Sammael, but he fel and is no longer an archangel."

"Why did he fal ?" I asked.

"Sammael committed an unforgivable disobedience to God when he became the lover of Lilith, queen of the Fal en. Together in Hel , they are Lucifer's left and right hand, though Sammael is sometimes misidentified as Lucifer. Sammael and Lilith are the forebears of the demonic reapers."

I gaped in surprise. "Their children are the demonic reapers?"

"Yes."

"So these demonic reapers want a creature that serves Azrael," I said.

Nathaniel shrugged. "If the Enshi does indeed serve Azrael, then I don't know why Bastian would want it, or why the demonic reapers think it wil help them."

That made me feel a little hopeful. "If it's on our side, can't we get it to help us? Who says it has to be evil?"

"The reaper sounded pretty clear that they would use the Enshi against you," Wil said. "That's not something that I'm wil ing to risk."

"I apologize in advance for being so blunt in your presence, El ie," Nathaniel said. "But it's a fact that no matter how many times they kil the Preliator, she wil be reborn and kil a hundred more of them for every one of her deaths."

I cringed. He was a little more blunt than I had been prepared for.

"Exactly," Wil said, leaning forward. "So, what does it matter if this Enshi wakes up? Maybe it has the strength to kil El ie, but she'l just be back a few years later. The cycle wil never end."

Nathaniel sighed. "I don't know. Maybe they know something we don't."

"I don't like this," Wil confessed. "Could this have anything to do with how long it took El ie to be reborn?"

"I hope not."

"Nathaniel," said a tinny voice from an intercom above our heads.

"Yes, Louise?" he replied.

"We have another shipment in if you'd like to come up and sign for it."

"Be there in a minute." He stood. "I'l be back in a little bit. If you need to leave, feel free to go. Swing by upstairs and say good-bye if you do." He left the room quickly, leaving Wil and me alone.

After a brief, awkward silence, I spoke. "It's getting real y late and I stil have to set up for tonight. Is it okay if we cal it quits with the researching for now?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Let's go."

We found Nathaniel in a room on the second floor of the library, examining delicate documents inside protective sleeves. We said good-bye, and he promised to keep an eye out for anything that could lead us to more information about the Enshi. Outside, I paused before getting into my car.

"What are your plans after this?" I asked.

He looked up at the sky. "It'l be dark soon."

I nodded knowingly. That was when his watchdog duties began. "Wel , if you'd rather not sit on my roof like a wal flower, you're very welcome to help us set up for the party. Or at least hang out. You don't have to be by yourself al the time."

"No, thank you," he said. "That's not the best idea."

"Okay, Batman," I said with a smile. "But if you're going to claim to be my bodyguard, you might as wel hang out with me."

His expression was thoughtful. "It's better this way."

"Why?"

"Because when I'm around you, instead of looking out for you, I let down my guard."

"Wel , don't do that."

He smiled bril iantly, his first genuine smile of the day, and my gut did a flip. "I can't help it."

"You said it yourself--the reapers don't come out during broad daylight."

"That doesn't mean they can't. They're stil opportunistic. An easy kil is an easy kil ."

"But don't you think they'd be less inclined to attack me if you're standing next to me than if you aren't?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"They know that I can sense if you're distressed, and I'l be with you whether I'm close by or not."

"You always have to disprove my logic, don't you?"

"And you always ask too many questions."

I narrowed my eyes. "And you never answer enough of them. You're obnoxious. I'l see you later. You're stil coming to the party, right?"

"Yes," he said. "Because you wish me to, I wil ."

"Great. I'm counting on you."

"You always can."

11

BY SEVEN O'CLOCK, MY MOM, KATE, AND I HAD MOST of the decorations up. Landon and Chris had taped streamers and dangly stars to the ceiling and columns in the living room. I tried not to let things get awkward with Landon, but he seemed to be over what had happened the night before. He helped reach the higher places for decorations and strung up paper lanterns outside on the patio.

I jogged upstairs to the bathroom to shower and put on my dress. My winged necklace was the perfect accessory. Kate and I did each other's hair, and when we were ready, we met the boys out on the patio to show off our outfits. Landon and Chris seemed very pleased with the dresses.