“You’d be surprised by what a body will survive,” he growled. “But you will discover such soon enough.”

“Sounds like a great time, but I’m going to have to pass.” I curled my legs up and then kicked out, slamming my feet into his chest.

The blow didn’t hurt him, but it surprised him. He staggered back as I broke his hold. I twisted as I fell, hitting the floor on my poor left hip. Pain flared, but I didn’t give my body a chance to really process it. I kicked out again, aiming for his feet, but he anticipated the move. In my blind spot, he grabbed ahold of my braid, jerking my head back.

“This seems familiar, doesn’t it?” he cooed. “You have to know you can’t beat me. That fighting back is pointless and painful. Why would you even try?”

“I don’t know,” I gasped as he strained the muscles of my neck. “I have a hard head.”

“Thick skull or not, I can still shatter it with my hands alone.”

“Congrats.” I thrust the sword out.

Gabriel spun to the side, but the edge of the sword glided over his thigh, slicing open the white pants and the skin underneath. Black, oily liquid splattered his leg as he sucked in a sharp breath.

My heart lurched as my eyes widened in surprise. I cut him.

Holy shit, I cut him.

My wide gaze swung to his, and I saw the shock on his face. Gabriel was unbelievably fast, but I cut him. Did that mean he was weakening? Maybe there was something to that gunk in his wings and veins—

The blow alongside my cheek stunned me. I toppled over like a pile of bricks. Blood filled my mouth. The Sword of Michael fizzled out in a shower of golden white sparks as my grace retracted. Tiny bursts of black dotted my vision as I rolled onto my back.

“Ouch,” I whispered, blinking away the spots from my vision.

A bare foot was inches from my face.

“Jesus,” I stuttered, throwing myself onto my side.

The floor rattled with the impact of his stomp. I pushed up, unsheathing my daggers. His fingers clamped down on my throat, cutting off my breath as he lifted me off the floor once more. I swung my arms in a wide arc, thrusting both daggers down into Gabriel’s shoulders. The blades cut through muscle and tissue, hitting bone.

He howled in pain. “You stupid—”

A series of pops interrupted him, reminding me of fireworks. Gabriel’s entire body jerked and spasmed. He dropped me, tearing free of my daggers in the process. I landed on my feet, off balance, as Gabriel whirled around. His wings smacked into me, knocking me aside. I fell, gagging as the pops went off again in another rapid succession. I lifted my head.