Angelfire
Page 58

"So is making me go to that party."
I stared at him, watching for any tel tale sign that he'd strike first. He real y was hot. Damn it! I couldn't get distracted. I real y wanted to go to Josie's party. His smile flickered and I swung. He threw his arm up and knocked my fist away so his own could push through, right at my face. I leaned back, and his fist skimmed over my hair. I dipped my head and righted myself out of the path of his next strike. I grabbed his outstretched arm and shot my knee up at his gut, but his free hand shoved my knee back down. With both his hands occupied, I cracked the front of my skul into his forehead and he staggered back with a grunt.
"That counts!" I cried victoriously.
"Best two out of three," he grumbled, and rubbed his head.
I deflated. "Are you serious?"
"We've got to be fair about this, don't we?"
"I smel sour grapes."
"Think you can't win a second time?"
"Sour grapes!" I repeated with a poke to his chest. He grinned. "Since I picked the first round, you can decide the terms of this round."
I stared him down. "Al right. If we find the Enshi before the Hal oween party, then you have to come with me. And you have to wear a costume."
"Are you sure you want to take that bet?"
I flicked a brow at him. "Don't doubt me, man."
"Whatever you say."
I gave a swift nod. "That's right. Do we have a deal?"
"I guess so. Deal."
My phone rang. I scrambled for my purse, which I had thrown against the warehouse wal earlier that afternoon. I was surprised to see that the cal was from Nathaniel. "Hey," I said.
"El ie," he answered. "I have very good news. Come over to the library as soon as you can."
I looked up at Wil , who was watching me careful y. I knew he could hear our conversation without effort. "How about right now? We're just sparring."
"Perfect. See you soon."
I hung up. "This sounds promising."
I drove both of us to the library. It was nearly five-thirty, and the library would be closing soon. When we got there, it was very empty and the receptionist kindly reminded us that they'd be closing at six. Nathaniel appeared through the doors to the basement and waved us through.
"I have a possible location on the Enshi," he said excitedly as he led us downstairs.
I brightened and laid a hand on Wil 's shoulder. "How convenient! Best two out of three. Guess where you're going."
He groaned.
"You're not going to break a promise to me, are you?" I asked, simpering up at him.
Nathaniel glanced from me to Wil and back. "Did I miss something?"
"Not at al ," Wil said. "How did you get this information?"
"A friend of mine in antiques, whom I've worked with on several occasions, informed me that a client of his, a very wealthy local col ector, bragged to him about acquiring something with the sign of Azrael on it." Nathaniel led us into his office.
"Couldn't that be anything?" I asked, skeptical that this mystery object could help us.
Nathaniel shook his head. "This guy apparently sounded beyond thril ed and didn't want to give up much information about the acquisition. He said it's ancient--and if it's got Azrael's seal on it, then I think it is definitely worth checking out."
"Did you get an address?" Wil asked.
"I did," Nathaniel said, throwing in a sly smile. "Of course, it would have been il egal for my friend to tel me the address, so I just picked it out of his head."
"You did what?" I asked, confused.
"That's his ability," Wil explained. "As an angelic reaper."
"She doesn't remember?" Nathaniel asked.
"You have to tel her."
"Oh," Nathaniel said. "Wel , I can hear the thoughts of others. I don't real y like to fight if I can avoid it, but I can real y mess with your head if I want to. It's more of a defensive technique than anything. I could even make you see anything I want to, from Paradise to Hades, or fal asleep with a single word."
"That sounds very useful," I said. "And scary."
"Yes," he agreed. "But it doesn't work so wel on powerful reapers. Anyway, I also have a plan for you to get a peek at this object. I hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty."
My eyes went wide. "I have to kil this guy?"
"No!" Nathaniel said quickly. "No, no, of course not, as long as he's human. Just a little sneaking in though a window, nothing huge."
"We're breaking into a house?"
"You make it sound so terrible."
"Wel , that's because it is. It's also il egal." I couldn't believe what he was proposing.
"Just pray it won't get any more complicated than that."
"How so?"
20
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M DOING THIS," I GRUMBLED A few hours later, as Wil drove us cross-country through the darkness. We had rented a U-Haul, and I was stil trying to understand why Wil and Nathaniel thought we'd need something this big. I thought we could just throw whatever it was we found into the trunk of my car.
"It's a very effective plan," Wil offered.
"What do we do if it's the Enshi?" I asked.
"Take it."
"So, now we're robbing this guy?"