Fallen 2. Torment(9)

coldness sneaked up on her. She had to ignore her reflexive fear of the dark. Daniel had

explained about the shadows--that they were nothing to be afraid of, merely messengers.

Which should have been reassuring, except for the hard-to-ignore fact that it meant there

were bigger things to be afraid of.

"Why won't you tell me?" She couldn't help herself. She didn't know why it felt so

important to ask. If she was going to trust Daniel when he said he had to abandon her

after longing all her life for this reunion  --well, maybe she just wanted to understand the

origins of that trust. To know when and how it had all begun.

"Do you know what my last name means?" he said, surprising her.

Luce bit her lip, trying to think back to the research she and Penn had done. "I

remember Miss Sophia saying something about Watchers. But I don't know what it

means, or if I'm even supposed to believe her." Her fingers went to her neck, to the place

where Miss Sophia's knife had lain.

"She was right. The Grigoris are a clan. They're a clan named after me, actually.

Because they watch and learn from what happened when ... back when I was still

welcome in Heaven. And back when you were ... well, this all happened a very long time

ago, Luce. It's hard for me to remember most of it."

"Where? Where was I?" she pressed. "I remember Miss Sophia saying something

about the Grigoris consorting with mortal women. Is that what happened? Did you ...?"

He looked over at her. Something changed on his face, and in the dim moonlight,

Luce couldn't tell what it meant. It was almost like he was relieved that she had guessed

it, so he didn't have to be the one to spell it out.

"The very first time I saw you," Daniel continued, "it wasn't any different than

any other time I've seen you since. The world was newer, but you were just the same. It

was--"

"Love at first sight." That part she knew.

21

He nodded. "Just like always. The only difference was, in the beginning, you were

off-limits to me. I was being punished, and I'd fallen for you at the worst possible time.

Things were very violent in Heaven. Because of who ... I am ... I was expected to stay

away from you. You were a distraction. The focus was supposed to be on winning the

war. It's the same war that's still going on." He sighed. "And if you haven't noticed, I'm

still very distracted."

"So you were a very high angel," Luce murmured.

"Sure." Daniel looked miserable, pausing and then seeming, when he spoke again,

to bite out the words: "It was a fall from one of the highest perches."

Of course. Daniel would have to be important in Heaven in order to have caused

such a big rift. In order for his love of a mortal girl to be so off-limits.

"You gave it all up? For me?"

He touched his forehead to hers. "I wouldn't change a thing."

"But I was nothing," Luce said. She felt heavy, like she was dragging. Dragging

him down. "You had to give up so much!" She felt sick to her stomach. "And now you're

damned forever."

Turning off the car, Daniel gave her a sad smile. "It might not be forever."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on," he said, hopping out of the car and coming around to open her door.

"Let's take a walk."

They ambled to the end of the street, which didn't dead-end after all, but led to a

steep, rocky staircase going down to the water. The air was cool and moist with sea

spray. Just to the left of the steps, a trail led away. Daniel took her hand and moved to the

cliff's edge.

"Where are we going?" Luce asked.

Daniel smiled at her, straightening his shoulders, and unfurled his wings.

Slowly, they extended up and out from his shoulders, unfolding with an almost

inaudible series of soft snaps and creaks. Fully flexed, they made a gentle, feathery

fwump like a duvet being flung over a bed.

For the first time, Luce noticed the back of Daniel's t-shirt. There were two tiny,

otherwise invisible slits, which parted now to let his wings slip through. Did all of

Daniel's clothes have these angelic alterations? Or did he have certain, special things he

wore when he knew he planned on flying?

Either way, his wings never failed to leave Luce speechless.

They were enormous, rising three times taller than Daniel, and curved up into the

sky and to either side like broad white sails. Their broad expanse caught the light of the

stars and reflected it more intensely, so that they glowed with an iridescent shimmer.

Near his body they darkened, shading into a rich earthy cream color where they met his

shoulder muscles. But along their tapered edges, they grew thin and glowed, becoming