“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Ava said. “I just thought that you’d prefer to wear something more durable when you fight.”

“Whatever,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Let’s do this.” I called my swords into my hands, and the blades erupted into angelfire. The flames were bright, swallowing the silver Khopesh blades. Ava studied the swords carefully, the flames shining off her eyes. Angelfire affected only the demonic and burned nothing else. “So what do you want to see?”

She studied my face for a moment, as if I were a science experiment. She gestured to Will. “Fight him.”

Before I could respond, a power surged behind me. I spun on my heel and threw my sword over my head, catching Will’s blade midair. Anticipating a kick as his next move, my second blade swept through the air just as his foot rose to strike my stomach. I drew my power into my center and let it explode in his face, the force of it sending him rocketing across the factory. He righted himself and landed with one knee on the floor. I was there in an instant, slicing with both swords. His blade clinked off mine, over and over, our strikes fast as lightning, our power rushing all around, colliding with the floor and walls in waves each time his sword struck mine. I swung both swords high and cut down, forcing a blast of my power with the blades, and Will ripped his own up with both hands to meet my strike. Our blades collided and power detonated, crunching the concrete at our feet until Will sat in a crater. His expression was hardened with concentration, but when our eyes met, I caught the faintest glimmer of a smile. I bounced away, and my feet slid across the floor as I landed. Just as I was about to launch forward again, Ava’s hard voice made me stop.

“Enough.”

Will and I rose, sweeping our energy back into ourselves, and my angelfire died.

Marcus stepped forward, clapping. “Nice job. She was kicking your ass.”

I grinned brightly as I caught my breath, happy to have impressed.

“You know each other too well,” Ava said. “You’re each too predictable to the other.”

Will shrugged. “I’ve been her Guardian for five hundred years. We know each other inside and out.”

“Fight me, Preliator,” she said.

Nerves bit at my gut. I could beat her. No one was tougher than Will, and I got good hits in on him regularly. Angelfire burst from my blades once more.

“Relinquish the swords,” she ordered.

“What?”

“You heard me. Lose them. I want to see what you can do without weapons.”

I looked back at Will, who gave me a nod, and I did as she asked. Ava stepped toward me, her power pulsing around her darkly, as if it came from the deadest corner of the universe. If Will hadn’t insisted that she was angelic, I would’ve put my money on her being demonic. She had asked me to put away my swords. Was it possible that—?

She shot for me, cutting off my thoughts, and my eyes widened when her talons jutted out from her fingers, outstretched and slashing. I gasped and swung my body to the side, letting her fly past me. I didn’t like fighting unarmed. If I didn’t have my swords, I usually got tossed around like a rag doll.

Ava came to a sliding stop and spun to slash her talons at me again. I jerked back, but her nails snagged my sweater and slit through the fabric like butter. I swore and wheeled away as she came at me a third time.

“Ellie, fight!” Will’s voice was in my ears, giving me strength and courage to face the reaper trying to rip my throat out.

Ava lunged for me again, and I summoned my power. Blinding white light swarmed about me, swirling like a raging blizzard, whipping my hair around, and I slammed it into Ava. She flew high through the air, smashing into the far wall and leaving an Ava-shaped dent in the concrete. Just as she began to fall, her dark silver wings sprang from her back and she landed gracefully. Her gaze snapped up to meet mine, blazing bright blue-violet with anger, and she snarled. She launched, her wings spreading wide, drowning my body in her shadow, but I shot forward to meet her midway. She swiped her talons, and I grabbed both her wrists, shoved my shoe into her chest, and kicked full force, smashing her back into the wall. She crumpled forward, dazed, and the second dent she left in the wall made me pause in awe as the debris settled. The dent was Ava shaped, but her wings had also shattered the concrete this time, and their imprint took my breath away. The impression in the wall was shaped like an angel.

Ava stood straight and shook her head dizzily. She vanished for a moment and reappeared, her hand clamping around my throat as her form materialized. She squeezed until I nearly passed out from pain and suffocation, and she lifted me off the floor.

“I shouldn’t have been able to overpower you so easily,” she said, her hard gaze dissecting my fear. “I didn’t want to be right about you.”

I didn’t want her to be right about me, either. Power shivered across my skin, making my hands red-hot. I grabbed Ava’s wrist and burned her skin. She hissed and swore but didn’t let go. I kicked into her stomach and ran up her chest until I flipped all the way over and broke free. She staggered back, and I dropped to the ground and kicked out at her ankles, knocking her off her feet. She hit the ground on her back, and I leaped on top of her, fist raised to punch her in the nose.

She threw up her hands. “Enough! Enough. Get off me.”

I hesitated, staring into her eyes as their color dulled, until I felt satisfied. I stood and met Will’s gaze. He smiled at me, full of pride.