Fallen 2. Torment(10)

almost translucent at the tips.

Luce stared at them, rapt, trying to remember the line of every glorious feather, to

hold all of it inside her for when he went away. He shone so bright, the sun could have

borrowed light from him. The smile in his violet eyes told her how good it felt for him to

let his wings out. As good as Luce felt when she was wrapped up in them.

"Fly with me," he whispered.

"What?"

22

"I'm not going to see you for a little while. I have to give you something to

remember me by."

Luce kissed him before he could say anything else, lacing her fingers around his

neck, holding him as tightly as she could, hoping to give him something to remember her

by, too.

With her back pressed to his chest, and his head over her shoulder, Daniel traced a

line of kisses down her neck. She held her breath, waiting. Then he bent his legs and

gracefully pushed off the edge of the cliff.

They were flying.

Away from the rocky ledge of the coastline, over the crashing silver waves below,

arcing across the sky as if they were soaring for the moon. Daniel's embrace shielded her

from every rough gust of wind, every brush of ocean chill. The night was absolutely

quiet. As if they were the only two people left in the world.

"This is Heaven, isn't it?" she asked.

Daniel laughed. "I wish it were. Maybe one day soon."

When they had flown out far enough that they couldn't see land on either side of

them, Daniel banked gently north, and they swooped in a wide arc past the city of

Mendocino, which glowed warmly on the horizon. They were far above the tallest

building in town and moving incredibly fast. But Luce had never felt safer or more in

love in her life.

And then, all too soon, they were descending, gradually nearing a different cliff's

edge. The sounds of the ocean grew louder again. A dark single-lane road wound off the

main highway. When their feet touched down lightly on a cool patch of thick grass, Luce

sighed.

"Where are we?" she asked, though of course she already knew.

The Shoreline School. She could see a large building in the distance, but from

here it looked completely dark, merely a shape on the horizon. Daniel held her pressed to

him, as if they were still in the air. She craned her head around to look at his expression.

His eyes were damp.

"The ones who damned me are still watching, Luce. They have been for

millennia. And they don't want us to be together. They will do anything they can to stop

us. That's why it isn't safe for me to stay here."

She nodded, her eyes stinging. "But why am I here?"

"Because I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, and this is the best

place for you now. I love you, Luce. More than anything. I'll be back to you as soon as I

can."

She wanted to protest, but stopped herself. He'd given up everything for her.

When he let her out of his embrace, he opened his palm and a small red shape inside it

began to grow. Her duffel bag. He'd taken it from the back of the car without her even

knowing, carried it all the way here inside his hand. In just a few seconds, it had filled out

entirely, back to its full size. If she hadn't been so heartbroken about what it meant for

him to hand it over to her, Luce would have loved the trick.

A single light went on inside the building. A silhouette appeared in the doorway.

"It's not for long. As soon as things are safer, I'll come for you."

His hot hand clasped her wrist and before she knew it, Luce was caught up in his

embrace, drawn to his lips. She let everything else fall away, let her heart brim over.

23

Maybe she couldn't remember her former lives, but when Daniel kissed her, she felt close

to the past. And the future.

The figure in the doorway was walking toward her, a woman in a short white

dress.

The kiss Luce had shared with Daniel, too sweet to be so brief, left her just as out

of breath as their kisses always did.

"Don't go," she whispered, her eyes closed. It was all happening too fast. She

couldn't give Daniel up. Not yet. She didn't think she ever could.

She felt the rush of air that meant he'd already taken off. Her heart went after him

as she opened her eyes and saw the last trace of his wings disappear inside a cloud, into

the dark night.

24





TWO

SEVENTEEN DAYS

Thwap .

Luce winced and rubbed her face. Her nose stung.

Thwap. Thwap.

Now it was her cheekbones. Her eyelids drifted open and, almost immediately,

she scrunched up her face in surprise. A stocky dishwater-blond girl with a grimly set

mouth and major eyebrows was leaning over her. Her hair was piled messily on top of

her head. She wore yoga pants and a ribbed camouflage tank top that matched her greenflecked hazel eyes. She held a Ping-Pong ball between her fingers, poised to pelt.