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Daniel earing ip- ops and dark jeans she'd never seen before, and a stretched-out red T-shirt that was ripped near the front pocket He looked the same, yet sooodbye the other day And was it just that she'd missed him so much, or was his skin even more radiant than she remembered? He looked up and nally saw her His sleamed

She took o running toward him Within a second, his arms were around her, her face buried in his chest, and Luce let out the longest, deepest breath Her mouth found his and they sank into a kiss She went slack and happy in his arms

She hadn't realized it until now, but a part of her had wondered whether she'd ever see hiht have been a dream The love she felt, the love that Daniel reciprocated, all still felt so surreal

Still caught up in his kiss, Luce lightly pinched his bicep Not a drea, she felt like she was home

"You're here," he whispered into her ear

"You're here"

"We're both here"

They laughed, still kissing, eating up every bit of the sweet aardness at seeing each other again But when Luce was least expecting it, her laugh turned into a sni e She was looking for a way to say how hard the last few days had been for her--without hiily aware that everything had changed--but in Daniel's arms now, she failed to nd the words

"I know," he said "Let's get your bag and get out of here"

Luce turned toward the baggage carousel and found her neighbor froe du el gripped in his hands "I saw this go by," he said, a forced sood intentions "It's yours, isn't it?"

Before Luce had ti, using only one hand "Thanks, h to end the conversation

The guy watched as Daniel slid his other hand around Luce's waist and steered her away This was the rst time since Sword & Cross that Luce had been able to see Daniel as the world did, her rst chance to wonder whether other people could tell, just by looking, that there was so extraordinary about him

Then they were through the sliding glass doors and she took her rst real breath of the West Coast The early-Novey and chilled like the Savannah air this afternoon when her plane had taken oThe sky was a brilliant bright blue, no clouds on the horizon Everything looked new- lot held row after row of recently washed cars A line of reen trees, one hill rolling into the next

She was not in Georgia anymore

"I can't decide whether to be surprised," Daniel teased "I let you out frouy swoops in"

Luce rolled her eyes "Coht" She nudged hi of you"

Daniel's pursed lips turned into a save the top of her head a kiss She stood still, wantingthat Daniel had stopped in front of a car And not just any car

A black Alfa Romeo

Luce's jaw dropped when Daniel unlocked the passenger door

"Th-this ," she stammered "This isdid you know this is my absolute dream car?"

"More than that," Daniel laughed "This used to be your car"

He laughed when she practically ju used to the reincarnation part of their story It was so unfair A whole car she had no memory of Whole lives she couldn't recall She was desperate to know about thes she'd been separated fro for a wisp of so, for d?j? vu

Nothing

"It was a sweet sixteen present froo" Daniel looked sideways, like he was trying to decide how ry for the details but ht it o this guy in Reno He bought it after you, uhWell, after you "

Spontaneously co in the bitter truth that Daniel wouldn't speak That was the one thing about her past lives: The ending rarely changed

Except, it seemed, this time it could This time they could hold hands, kiss, andshe didn't knohat else they could do But she was dying to

nd out She caught herself They had to be careful Seventeen years was not enough, and in this lifeti around to see what it was like to really be with Daniel

He cleared his throat and patted the glea black hood "Still drives like a champ The only problem is " He looked at the convertible's tiny trunk, then at Luce's du el bag, then back at the trunk

Yes, Luce had a terrible habit of overpacking, she'd be the rst to admit But for once, this wasn't her fault Arriane and Gabbe had packed her things from her dorm roo she'd never had a chance to wear She'd been too busy saying goodbye to Daniel, and to Penn, to pack She winced, feeling guilty for being out here in California with Daniel, so far from where she'd left her friend buried It didn't see her that Miss Sophia would be dealt with for what she'd done to Penn, but when Luce had pressed hied at his mustache and clammed up