“Uri, I know you’re in there. You can take this guy.”
The malignant feinted left, so I went right, but he changed trajectory at the last minute, and before I could dodge, he had his hand around my throat. Uriel’s hand.
My scythe flared to life, recognizing the threat, the fact that this thing meant to kill me. But my friend was inside there, and I needed him to fight back. To hear me.
I willed the scythe away, eyes bugging as the malignant increased the pressure on my throat. I grabbed his thumb, prising it off my skin, and twisted.
He released me with a bellow. I kicked him in the chest, hard enough to knock him on his back, but he was up too quickly for me to take advantage. His eyes flashed crimson, and then two malignant surged toward him. They grabbed hold of his shoulders, clinging to him, and his frame expanded, muscles bulging obscenely.
Oh, shit. I backed up. How the fuck were they doing that? The thing in front of me still had Uri’s face, but the body was something out of a nightmare. He grinned widely, and then he charged at me. The split second my body was frozen to the spot cost me my lead because he was faster now, and when his arm slammed into my face, the world shattered in an explosion of stars. Hands on my shoulders squeezing me, crushing me. Fuck, fight. I kicked out, making contact with his torso hard enough to loosen his grip a fraction, but a fraction was all I needed to twist free. I hit the ground in a crouch and rolled to avoid a fist slam. He was like the fucking Hulk, smash, wallop, and I needed to bring him down. I needed to channel every ounce of power and strength inside me to do it.
He was at my back as I ran. The ground thundered and the world shook as I opened myself to my Loup and reaper power, allowing it to flood my limbs, accelerate my heartbeat, and force adrenaline through me, and then I turned and ran straight at him. There was a moment of confusion on his face. Yes, fucker, I got you. I slammed into him with every ounce of force I had.
He went down, hitting the ground with a thunk. I straddled him, pinning him down, muscles burning with the effort of restraining him.
“Uriel, fight it. Damn it. Uri!”
The malignant around me wailed as if egging their leader on. Uri bucked, veins in his neck bulging as he fought me, trying to throw me off.
“No!” I pushed back, eyes hot with anger and frustration. “I will not lose you, dammit. Fight!”
My hands began to glow where they made contact with him, and the malignant inside let out an angry cry. The two spirits attached to him let go, and Uri’s body shrank back to its regular size. The light spilling from my hands intensified, and Uri’s struggles became weaker.
Yes. “Uri, fight it.”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but it was working. The crimson in his eyes bled away, and then it was Uriel looking up at me with ember eyes, bright with desperation.
“Can’t hold him,” he said. “Go, please.”
There was no time to argue. “How do I access the ether?”
He winced as if in pain.
“Uri, the ether, how do I access it? Can I do it here?”
“Yes. Just want it. Will it. Fee…Oh God. I’m so sorry, I don’t…understand.”
His body arched violently, and I was thrown off. The malignant rushed toward me, their mouths open hungrily, but they didn’t attack. I scrambled away, summoning my scythe and breaking into a run. I needed space to connect with the ether.
Come on. Ether, I need you. I need…I came to a stop and squeezed my eyes closed as my scythe pulsed. The energy within it was a palpable force tingling up my arm. Aunt Lara’s remnant was a swirling confusion spiraling up and into the blade, and then there was something else—a dark expanse filled with stardust at the periphery of my consciousness. The ether.
Go.
I willed Aunt Lara.
Go now.
My heart ached as she left me, and then something crashed into me from behind. I hit the ground hard, face scraping dirt and rock. Warm liquid stung my eyes. Blood. I was bleeding. Uriel flipped me onto my back, and his hands went back to my throat.
“You’re not the reaper for this job,” the malignant said. “And this