Fallen 2. Torment(31)

stretching out her back. Even the buttoned-up marine guys were going to play.

"Fine." Luce laughed and got in line.

Once the game began, the line moved quickly; for three rounds, Luce shimmied

easily under the branch. The fourth time, she made it under with only a little trouble,

having to tilt her chin back far enough to see the stars, and got a round of cheers for doing

so. Soon she was cheering on the other kids too, only a little surprised to find herself

jumping up and down when Shelby made it through. There was something amazing about

arching out of the limbo stance after a successful turn--the whole party seemed to feed off

it. Each time, it gave Luce a surprising rush of adrenaline.

Having fun wasn't usually such a simple thing. For so long, laughter had usually

been closely followed by guilt, some nagging feeling that she wasn't supposed to be

enjoying herself for one reason or another. But somehow tonight she felt lighter. Without

even realizing it, she'd been able to shrug off the darkness.

By the time Luce looped around for her fifth turn, the line was significantly

shorter. Half the kids at the party had already gotten out, and everyone was crowded

around either Miles or Roland, watching the last kids standing. At the back of the line,

Luce was giddy and a little light-headed, so the hard grip she felt on her arm almost made

her lose her balance.

She started to scream, then felt fingers clamp over her mouth.

"Shhh."

Daniel was tugging her out of line and away from the party. His strong, warm

hand sliding down her neck, his lips brushing the side of her cheek. For just a moment,

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the touch of his skin on hers, coupled with the bright violet glow of his eyes, and her

days-old rising need to grab hold of him and never let go--it all made Luce divinely

dizzy.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. She meant to say Thank God you're

here or It's been so hard to be apart or what she really meant, I love you. But there were

also You abandoned me and I thought itwasn't safe and What's this about a truce? all

knocking around in her brain.

"I had to see you," he said. As he led her behind a large volcanic rock on the

beach, there was a conspiratorial smile on his face. The kind of smile that was

contagious, finding its way onto Luce's lips too. The kind of smile that acknowledged not

just that they were breaking Daniel's rule--but that they were enjoying doing it.

"When I got close enough to see this party, I noticed everyone dancing," he said.

"And I got a little jealous."

"Jealous?" Luce asked. They were alone now. She threw her arms around his

broad shoulders and looked deep into his violet eyes. "Why would you be jealous?"

"Because," he said, rubbing his hands across her back. "Your dance card is full.

For all eternity."

Daniel held her right hand in his, wrapped her left around his shoulder, and started

a slow two-step in the sand. They could still hear the music from the party, but from this

side of the rock it felt like a private concert. Luce closed her eyes and melted against his

chest, finding the place where her head fit into his shoulder like a puzzle piece.

"No, this isn't quite right," Daniel said after a moment. He pointed down at her

feet. She noticed he was barefoot. "Take off your shoes," he said, "and I'll show you how

angels dance."

Luce slipped off her black flats and tossed them aside on the beach. The sand

between her toes was soft and cool. When Daniel pulled her close, her toes overlapped

with his and she almost lost her balance, but his arms held her steady. When she looked

down, her feet were on top of his. And when she looked up: the sight she yearned for

night and day. Daniel unfurling his silver-white wings.

They filled her plane of vision, stretching twenty feet into the sky. Broad and

beautiful, glowing in the night, they must have been the most glorious wings in all of

Heaven. Underneath her own feet, Luce felt Daniel's lift just barely off the ground. His

wings beat lightly, almost like a heartbeat, holding both of them inches above the beach.

"Ready?" he asked.

Ready for what, she didn't know. It didn't matter.

Now they were moving backward in the air, as smoothly as figure skaters moved

on ice. Daniel glided out over the water, holding her in his arms. Luce gasped as the first

frothy wave skimmed their toes. Daniel laughed and lifted them a little higher in the sky.

He dipped her backward. He spun them both around in circles. They were dancing. On

the ocean.

The moon was like a spotlight, shining down on only them. Luce was laughing

from sheer joy, laughing so much that Daniel started laughing too. She'd never felt

lighter.

"Thank you," she whispered.