I blinked at him and pul ed away. "No, that's not it, I--"
"El ie, it's me! You've known me since--"
I withdrew my arm from his grasp gently, cutting his words short. "Yes, that's it. It is you. You're my friend, Landon, one my best friends. You're like a brother to me. I love you like a brother. I--"
Something ominous tugged at my core, stopping me midsentence. I knew that feeling.
"Look out!" I shrieked, grabbing Landon's shoulders and throwing him to the ground. I slipped into the Grim just as the biggest reaper I'd ever seen charged out from the darkness. Landon cracked his head on the edge of the bench and lay stil on the grass. I spun around and darted toward my house. I screamed Wil 's name as the footfal s pounded the ground behind me. I turned back to defend myself.
The reaper roared and head-butted me square in the chest, knocking me right out of the Grim and rocketing through the air, clear over my pool, and sending me smashing through the picture windows that covered the back of my house. I landed on a sea of broken glass in my living room, surrounded by screams. For the longest two seconds of my life I couldn't breathe or move. My back hurt like hel , and I groaned painful y as I picked myself up, brushing the glass off me. My gashes healed almost instantly and left a few bloody streaks behind on my face and arms.
And my party was ruined. I was so pissed.
"Ellie!" Kate screamed, and rushed toward me. "Are you okay?"
I glanced back at her as she stood with Josie and a couple others gaping at me in shock. I said nothing and jumped back out through the broken window as Kate shrieked my name again.
Back within the Grim and out of my friends' sight, I could see the reaper standing at the back of my lawn, waiting for me only a few feet away from where Landon lay unconscious. He was the size of a Chevrolet Tahoe, with coal-black eyes set in a face short and bulky like a bear's. His wide snout was packed with jagged, serrated teeth, and his nostrils flared as he took in my scent. He dug his claws into the grass, his shoulders rol ing luxuriously, like a giant Hel cat kneading a blanket of earth.
"You get away from him," I growled as I cal ed my swords into my hands. The blades exploded in flames of angelfire, and I braced myself.
Wil entered the Grim behind me, his heavy blade already drawn. The reaper flashed his giant canines and hissed like a crocodile in response.
"We meet again, Preliator!" the reaper said in a voice that shook the earth beneath me.
"El ie!" Kate cal ed from across the lawn. "Where are you?
Are you hurt?"
"We've got to get out of here," I said to Wil as I saw my friends stepping careful y through the broken window. They couldn't see either of us, or the reaper, while we were in the Grim, but I couldn't risk losing my concentration and slipping back into the mortal dimension where we'd be seen. Wil nodded and I sprang off, running through my neighbors' backyards to the woods at the end of my street. The reaper bounded after us, the thudding footfal s of his massive paws thundering through my skul . As we reached the trees, I could feel the reaper gaining on us. I ducked and spun, swiping a blade low. The reaper leaped into the air and over my head, landing twenty feet deeper in the woods. I stood with Wil right beside me and stared the reaper down.
"He's an ursid, El ie," Wil warned. "Be careful. He's stronger than the Lupines."
The reaper laughed, his voice bel owing deep, shaking the branches around him. "Don't you recognize me, Preliator?"
I looked at him careful y. "I've never fought you before. If I had, you'd be dead."
He laughed again, this time even louder. "I'm shocked you are so bold. We battled long ago. You see, I am the one who tasted your blood last."
He smiled a mouthful of saber fangs, his black eyes glistening in the moonlight.
A terrible memory came rushing back to me--memories of a dark basement, of eyes in the dark, of pain, excruciating pain. I remembered my vision fading to black, and I remembered dying. The reaper's black form lit with angelfire flashed like a movie on an old silver screen in my head and I cried out, staggering back into Wil .
"You!" I cried out, pointing the tip of my blade at the reaper.
"Oh, yes," he growled. "You tasted so sweet then, like sugar and blood and child flesh. I wonder if you stil taste just as good."
Fear grabbed me by the throat. "Wil --"
"I'm here." His voice was firm and kind.
The reaper stepped toward me. "I am Ragnuk, and I am going to eat you now." A glob of yel owed saliva fel from his mouth to the ground.
"You have to fight him, El ie," Wil said.
I was breathless with fright. "I don't--I can't--"
Ragnuk's jaw dropped and he roared, the mountain of muscle on his shoulders shuddering, and he charged forward. I screamed and threw my hands over my face, losing my swords. I looked up and found Wil above me, both his hands gripping the reaper's jaws, preventing him from crunching his teeth down on my head. Wil turned his face to me, and his eyes were bright as twin beacons.
"El ie, move!"
I obeyed and scrambled back through the dirt until I hit a tree. Releasing the reaper's face, Wil let his power explode, spiraling, twisting wisps of shadows. Ragnuk roared as he was sent flying, smashing into trees and ripping them, roots and al , out of the ground. Ragnuk landed on al fours, his talons ripping through the earth to stop his sliding, and then he thundered toward where I lay. He opened his mouth, his hot breath blasting me, and then Wil smashed the top of the reaper's head into the ground. The reaper twisted and raked his talons across Wil 's bel y. He cried out as his knees hit the ground.
"Wil !" I screamed, watching him fal .
Ragnuk turned his attention back to me. "I don't know why Bastian is so scared of your power," he rumbled. "You're just a trembling little mouse of a thing."
I shrieked, detonating my power, and the light and wind consumed me. The force of it blasted point-blank into the reaper, swal owing him in white smoky light, and sent him soaring away from me and slamming into trees like a pinbal until he dropped to the ground. He snarled in rage at having taken a second hit that hard.
I dived for my swords, but he was already in front of me. I looked up and gasped. He swiped, slashing my dress wide open at my bel y. I jumped back, lighting my blades, and swung, one blade slicing through his flesh. The reaper ignored the angelfire torching his wound, roared in rage, and smashed his skul into my body. I slammed into the tree next to me and both swords were knocked from my grip. I slid to the ground dizzily as Ragnuk pressed a paw hard into my chest, shoving my back into the tree behind me until I couldn't breathe.
"Bastian wants me to kil you before you stop us from getting the Enshi," the reaper hissed, blasting me with his hot, rancid breath. "With you out of the way for a few years, we won't have to worry about you spoiling our plans. And when you come back, Preliator, the Enshi wil be here waiting for you and you'l no longer be a threat. You won't even be a concern. Your destruction wil be your homecoming gift."
I gagged and wriggled so I could get enough air to speak.
"What is the Enshi?"
"Death," Ragnuk sneered. "The death of everything. The harbinger of the End of Days."
I punched Ragnuk in the face, and his head snapped to the side as he grunted. My fist crunched into his snout again with al my strength, and something cracked. He staggered and lifted his paw from my chest. I cried out and smashed my power into Ragnuk's leg. The thick bone snapped in half and he screamed, reeling back and releasing me. I col apsed, coughing and gasping for breath.
I climbed to my feet and rushed to Wil . The front of his shirt was drenched black with blood. I ripped his shirt open to stop the bleeding, but instead I stared at flawless skin.
"I'm okay," he said, looking up at me. "Where is he?"
I spotted Ragnuk struggling to his feet, favoring his broken leg. The reaper gagged up a gobbet of blood and hissed at me. "I'l be back for you," he growled, out of breath. His form blurred for a moment, and then he was gone. I blinked. "He vanished!"<
br />
Wil sat forward, rubbing his abdomen. "Reapers have the ability to move at ultrahigh speeds through the Grim when they need to make a quick getaway, or when they're in pursuit. He needs some time to heal his leg. Broken bones of that size don't heal instantly, like breaks in smal er bones and cuts."
"I'm so sorry, Wil ," I cried. "I froze."
He looked up at me, his eyes warm and forgiving. "My job is to protect you, no matter what happens."
"You got hurt because of me," I said sadly.
"Hey, I'm fine," he assured me, pul ing the shredded pieces of his shirt apart to show me his healed wounds. "I can take a lot of damage. That's what I'm here for."
I looked down at my dress and at the damage Ragnuk had done to it. "Oh, my dress . . ."
Wil laughed. "You are such a girl."
I scowled. "And you're a jerk."
"It's just that--" He cut himself off.
"What?"
"Every time you come back, you're a little more human."
The laughter in his voice had faded.
"I don't understand."
"I don't know," he confessed. "It's strange. You act very human sometimes, much more so than you did when we first met. You aren't as dark, I guess, and you consider yourself one of them."
I almost laughed. "I am one of them. Just with weird powers now."
There was no amusement on his face. "You didn't always think that."
What did that mean? Had I once thought I was better than humans, been as dark as the reapers? Had I once been as cruel?
Nausea crept over me. "Wil , Ragnuk scared the hel out of me. He's kil ed me before. I remembered it as soon as he said it."
"You can defeat him," he said earnestly. "We'l destroy him and you can move past it."
"Wil , I died!" I cried, more angry than scared. "I remember dying! I remember him tearing me apart!"
He touched my arm, but I pul ed away. "It's okay--"
"No, it's not okay," I said. "You can't imagine what that's like."
"You're right," he said. "I can't."
I stepped away from him. I hated myself for throwing a tantrum. Making excuses for my freezing in the middle of the fight wasn't going to help me. So I wiped at my eyes and took a deep breath. Being afraid would get me kil ed. "Why is Ragnuk so much bigger than the others?" I asked, my voice shaking just a little.
"He's an ursid reaper," Wil explained. "They're bigger and more powerful, but slower than the wolflike Lupines. Ursids rely on brute strength in battle."
"He was a monster," I whispered, unable to get his face out of my mind.
"But you defeated him this time," he said. "You injured him badly enough for him to took off. You made him retreat. That makes up for the moment you were afraid. El ie, you need to understand that once you overcome your fear, you can defeat anything."
"But I didn't kil him, and now he'l be back for me with whatever that Enshi is. And I got you hurt and I feel like crap."
"Don't worry about me, El ie. I'm supposed to take the hits for you. Trust me."
I studied his face, unable to understand why someone would devote himself to me so strongly. I wasn't worth his pain or his blood.
He forced a smile. "We need to get you back to your house. I'm sure your parents aren't going to be too happy about the broken window."
My heart sank. I had forgotten that Ragnuk had thrown me through the glass. How was I going to explain that? "I don't think I want to go back."
He frowned at me. "Yeah, you need to go back."
I nodded and took a deep breath. "You'd better take off. I don't think it would be a good idea to walk back with rippedup clothes and you with me. It might look bad."
"Good thinking," he said. "I'l be close."
"Thanks, Wil ."
He touched my shoulder. "You stil look beautiful in your dress."
When I turned to face him, he was gone. Again.
UNCORRECTED E-PROOF--NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Children's Books
..................................................................... 13
I EMERGED FROM THE WOODS AND THE GRIM TO see Kate and Landon standing on the patio cal ing my name. I was dead. I was sure of it. Kate spotted me first, and of course made an enormous deal of it.
"Ellie!" she shrieked, taking off at a sudden run. "Oh my God, are you al right?" She grabbed me and pul ed me into a strong hug. "We had no idea where you ran away to! Where were you? Are you hurt? I can't believe you fel through the glass!"
"I--"
"What happened to your dress? What is this on you?
You're filthy. Is that blood? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Kate was shooting off her mouth. I only pul ed away hospital?" Kate was shooting off her mouth. I only pul ed away from her with great effort.
"I'm fine," I said, smoothing out my dress, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about the naked skin showing through the rips.
Landon scooped up me into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay! What happened? We were talking and you just said to watch out and then--I don't even know."
I thought quickly for a response. It hurt to have to lie to him, but there was no way I could tel him what had real y happened. "You tripped on the foot of the bench and hit your head. Are you okay?" Maybe directing the attention toward him would save my ass, but that wasn't likely.
He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm al right. I just . . . We were sitting and talking and I can't remember anything after you shouted."
I nodded firmly. "We were talking and you got up to go back to the party when you tripped on the foot of the bench and fel . You sure you're okay?" As he gave me a puzzled nod, I wondered what else he remembered--if he remembered asking me to be his girlfriend at al . I hoped he did, and remembered my response too, so he'd move on, but the way he held me made me guess otherwise.
"Elisabeth Marie!" my mom shouted as she stomped toward me in her robe and pajamas. "Are you al right? What in the hel happened to you? Where are you hurt?"
I twisted away. "I'm fine--I'm not hurt."
"What?" Mom grabbed my arm, pul ed me close, and examined my skin, looking for injuries. She touched my bel y, pushing up the flaps of fabric, her eyes brimming wide as she found no wounds. "How are you not hurt?" She turned to Kate.
"She fel through the window, right?"
Kate nodded. "She went flying through it."
Saying nothing, I peeked over Kate's shoulders to see my dad marching through the house. My body locked up, preparing for the screaming match that was about to erupt.
"How, El ie?" my mom pressed. "Did someone push you?
And did you fal in the woods? You're covered in dirt. Were you drinking?"
I chose that moment to take advantage. "Yeah, I'm sorry, Mom. Landon and I had been drinking and we were joking around. Landon fel , and I tried to go inside when I tripped and went through the window. When I saw what I did, I freaked and ran. I was too scared to come home. I'm so sorry, Mom."
"You damn wel better be!" she cried. I could tel from the look on her face that she couldn't believe I'd managed to break the window with anything less than a car, but nothing had gone through that window but my body. She was forced to accept what I told her.
"You were drinking?" my dad demanded angrily as he appeared on the patio. He spoke to me, but his eyes searched the darkness behind me. I hoped he didn't see Wil .
"No more parties here. That's it. No Homecoming."
"But Dad--"
"He's right." My mom threw her hands in the air. "I am completely shocked that you don't have a scratch on you!
Where did al this blood come from?"
I thought quickly. "I have scratches, just little ones. It's too dark to see, I guess. Al my fingers and toes are stil here, see?"
"Did you see the mess you made?" my dad hissed. "You are a complete moron!"
"Richard!" my mother cried, covering her mouth with her hand and gaping at him.
I stared at him in shock, reg
istering the blatant contempt on his face and the malice in his voice. Kate took a step closer to me, and I felt her fingers on the back of my arm, letting me know she was there for me. My own father had just cal ed me a moron. What I'd done--or what I needed them to believe--might have been stupid, but what he had said was out of line.
"I'm not stupid," I growled under my breath.
My dad's expression froze. "What was that?"
"I said," I reiterated in a louder, stronger voice, "I'm not stupid. I made a mistake. That doesn't mean I'm a moron."
He gave me an icy sidelong look. "You sure about that?"
My hands rol ed into tight fists. I didn't want to fight with my dad, but I couldn't let him talk to me that way. "Very."
"Rick, just go back into the house," my mom said. "I'l handle this."
He turned on her. "Why are you defending her?"
"I'm not defending her," she shot back. "I'm just suggesting that you can't handle this properly when you're so upset."
His nostrils flared and the veins in his temple throbbed as if he were about to explode any second. "And you're doing much better? You let her walk al over you and you're always interfering."
She blinked in shock. "Interfering? With what?"
"I can't discipline her with you always running to her side!"
"Discipline?" she cried with a gasp. "This isn't discipline. You're only making things worse!"
He threw a finger into her face. "Maybe one day you'l learn from al this why everything only just gets worse."
As I watched the man who was supposed to be my father stomp back into the house, I prayed he'd just file for divorce and get the hel away from me and my mom for good. What was wrong with him? I remembered having a dad who once gave me piggyback rides and finger painted while we watched Saturday-morning cartoons. This man was no longer the father I had once had. Demonic reapers had more compassion than this monster.
"El ie," Mom said very seriously, jarring me from my thoughts. "Look, I know you guys are teenagers, and you're going to drink regardless of what anyone says, but please just be safe. And don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I'd rather you come to me instead of us finding you dead in a ditch. Running away like that wasn't cool."
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