“How do you feel?” Cadan asked. “Stronger?”

“I know I am stronger and I am ready to fight,” I said. “We must gather our forces and meet the armies of Hell on Armageddon. Is Ronan your recruit?”

“I am, among others,” Ronan replied stiffly.

“I have a little army of my own now,” Cadan said. “Those who have been loyal to me before are no longer afraid to stand against Sammael.”

“Good,” I said. “I’m grateful for your allegiance. I hold no ill will toward those demonic who will fight by my side.”

He gave me an odd look. “Are you sure you’re okay? Ellie, are you in there? You seem…off.”

“She’s still settling in,” Will said pointedly, and crossed his arms.

I met his piercing green gaze. So much was stirring and unsaid in those hidden depths, and I remembered how I once comforted him when he looked like that. I shut my eyes tight. I remembered so much. I was weary with it all.

The hotel room door opened once more. Ethan Stone seemed out of breath and relieved. “You found her. Excellent. That’d be awkward if we handed out ‘lost archangel’ posters all over town. No one would take us seriously, for God’s sake. They’d arrest us!”

“Ethan,” Will mumbled disapprovingly.

“Well, they’d arrest you first,” he continued, pointing at Will. “You’re far more shady-looking than I. The tattoos. That’s what it is.”

I stepped up to him, having to crane my neck to look into his face. “Thank you for assisting in my ascension. You will be rewarded upon our victory.”

His mouth twitched. “Upon our victory. of course there’s a catch. My men are willing to meet you on Har Megiddo, but I have no intention of taking command of them, or to stick around for the battle. I’ve had enough excitement with you to last me several lifetimes.”

“You’re leaving?” Will asked.

“Weep for me if you must,” Ethan said. “Adieu, my reaper friends, and currently archangel friend. Look me up if you survive the apocalypse, yeah?”

After Ethan had gone, Cadan gave an update on the state of our army and that of Sammael. “I have a hundred or so recruited under my command. I’ve led in battle before and I’m willing to take more.”

“Have you heard from Ava and Marcus?” Will asked.

Cadan nodded. “They have several thousand soldiers, perhaps enough to fill a legion, who will arrive tomorrow at dusk on the hill. All reapers have been anticipating this battle. They’ve been ready.”

“Sammael knows we’re in Jerusalem,” Ronan said. “The battle on Armageddon has been long foretold. He will have his spies watching the hill.”

“I will not wait for him,” I said, gazing down at the Pentalpha around my finger. “I will call him to me.”

Will watched me with a careful gaze. “Are you sure?”

“I have the power I need,” I said. “It’s time to fight. Do we have an estimation of our enemies’ numbers?”

Cadan looked grim. “Ten thousand. Likely more. We’re still outnumbered two to one, even with an archangel on our side.”

“Do not forget how David defeated Goliath,” I told him. “Not with skill in warfare or large numbers, but with faith. You must believe that we can win, or we cannot win. Have faith in me and in yourself.”

“Always.” He offered a small smile that lasted for only a moment and he turned toward the door. “The sun’s coming up. We’ll meet you on the hill at twilight.”

The two demonic reapers left me alone with my Guardian once more. The stillness between us was eerily quiet and as tense as cracks in glass. Though he sat in a chair at the table and said nothing, Will seemed to be balancing on the edge of screaming at the top of his lungs. I did not know what to do. I was exhausted, not only from the journey and my ascension, but from the battle I waged against myself deep within. My humanity, my human soul, was not lost; it lingered like a stubborn piece of flesh left hanging from the cut of a sword and was just as agonizing. My archangel discipline wanted to yank it off and cast it aside, but I clung to it. I knew I was supposed to let go, but I didn’t want to. I was afraid to. Acknowledging my fear had to be the first step of my undoing.

“Are you prepared?” Will asked. “We should sleep a few hours, eat, and head to the hill.”

I refused to make the mistake of letting my thoughts show. “I have been preparing for this a very long time. I will evoke Azrael, claim the hallowed glaive, and I will defeat Sammael and Lilith.”

He stood and eased toward me, but remained several feet away. “It’s okay if you’re afraid. I know the angels are not supposed to feel emotion, but I know you do. I can still feel you through the link in my tattoos.”

My heartbeat quickened as he neared me, no matter how calm I struggled to stay. “Emotion is a weakness.”

“That’s not what you’ve said, and believed.”

“I was wrong.”

“You’re wrong now,” he said. “You’re lying about what you really think.”

I glared at him. “How would you know what I think?”

His smile was small and secret. “Because I have loved you for five centuries and I know your heart. You’ve spent a lot of time teaching me to bend the rules and to follow my heart, and you know what? You were right. So there is no way I will ever believe that everything about you has changed in one night.”