He sucked in his lip in that familiar way, but it only broke my heart more this time. He shook his head. “I wish I could be brave and selfless for this, but I’ve given up everything for this war. Everything. I won’t give up you. You’re the only thing I refuse to lose. Never, Ellie.” He drew a trembling breath. “Never.”

“We don’t have a choice,” I told him.

“I will save you.”

“You can’t. Not this time.”

“Then I will fall with you.”

I shook my head and backed away from him, lifting the partisan glaive once more. “No. You can’t talk like that. Whatever happens to me when I ascend and use the hallowed glaive will happen, but not until after I’ve stopped Sammael and his army. We have to focus. Now come on. Fight me. Train me like you want me to live.”

He gave me a pitiful, beaten look, and called his sword. I gestured to him and he nodded in return as he took a deep breath. His raised his blade and I leaped into a jog, lifting the staff to drive it toward him, but he surprised me. He didn’t wait for my move; instead, he struck first. His sword caught in the curve of the outer blades and I halted his attack. I shoved down in order to disarm him, but his extreme strength combined with the massive size of his blade kept me from yanking it right out of his hands. My concentration broke—I imagined myself in this position against Sammael and a tremor slithered through me, allowing Will to overpower me. He forced me to take several steps back before shoving his foot into my chest. The partisan slipped free of Will’s blade and I lost my balance. My back hit the wall with a hard thump, nearly knocking the wind from my chest. I just didn’t have it in me to keep going tonight. I was too emotionally exhausted.

I slid to the floor, chucking the glaive aside and letting it clatter across the stone. When I didn’t rise, Will withdrew his sword and came over to me. Then slowly, he sat down beside me, drew his arms around me, and slid me close. We remained there in silence with my legs tangled over his lap and my fingers curling around the hem of his shirt as one of his hands tucked my hair behind my ear. I wanted to stay like that, wrapped in his arms, until the world ended. I wanted to stay human. I didn’t want to be an archangel again. I didn’t want to change and become a heartless war machine. I didn’t want to break Will’s heart. I didn’t want to use a weapon that would kill me. End me. I didn’t want to end.

With my soul ripping in two, I pulled away from Will and forced myself to my feet.

He watched me, hurt twisting his features. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You told me once that you loved me because I was human,” I said, my voice tiny. “Will you still love me when I’m an angel? Even if I won’t be human anymore?”

“Always,” he said, green eyes bright. “Even if you stop loving me.”

I felt myself begin to crumble and I left the armory and him sitting on the floor.

The castle was eerily quiet as I wandered through the corridors and watched the dawn light peeking in through each window. I wondered where the others were. Ava was sure to still be hard at work uncovering the Naphil’s location and driving Marcus on like a workhorse. I imagined Cadan either took a room in the castle or returned to the hotel to rest during the daylight hours. Madeleine…I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know her well enough. I wondered how her conversation with Cadan had gone and if they’d made peace.

Footsteps interrupted my thoughts. My first thought should have been that the footsteps belonged to one of my friends, but instinct sent my nerves running on hot coals. I let my senses stretch out to feel for the identity of the wanderer. I held out a hand and a single Khopesh shimmered into my palm. I turned the corner and met a face I hadn’t expected to see in a million years.

It was Ethan Stone.

27

“YOU!” I SQUEAKED. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

Ethan wore a grin made of pure, sticky-sweet satisfaction. “I’m here to have a chat with an old friend.”

“How did you find me?”

He scoffed. “My spies are far better than Sammael’s. In fact, mine dispatched one of his in Liege. They’re hot on your tail, little fireball.”

I gaped in shock. “Your human soldiers can take on demonic reapers?”

“Mercenaries,” he corrected. “Technically. They’re ex-military, served in some of the most violent regions of the world. A few were on a special force that fought warlords in the Congo. They fared well against your own assault on my house, didn’t they? The reapers tend to discredit human power because we are, well, mortal. To creatures who have the ability to live forever, mortality is a weakness. We may not have wings and claws, but we have explosives.”

“Are you going to tell me why you’re following me?”

“I’ve always kept tabs on you,” he replied in a disconcertingly casual tone. “It’s been in my best interest to. When you told me that you were looking to evoke an angel, I knew your next task would be to find Solomon’s Ring. I also deduced that Azrael would be the angel you would evoke to fight Sammael since he’s beaten the Fallen before, but I put my money on his answer being a big fat ‘no.’ Azrael was demoted—there’s no way he could take on Sammael—and since he’s the only angel with a tendency to bend the rules, you’ve got just one angel left that you can count on: yourself. Am I right?”