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"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 hiive up so much!" She felt sick to her sto o the car, Daniel gave her a sad sht not be forever"

"What do youout of the car and co 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 ?" Luce asked

Daniel s his shoulders, and unfurled his wings

Slowly, they extended up and out fro with an almost inaudible series of soft snaps and creaks Fully exed, theyover a bed

For the rst 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 hen he knew he planned on

ying?

Either way, his wings never failed to leave Luce speechless

They were enor 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 re ected it loith an iridescent shi into a rich earthy crea their tapered edges, they grew thin and glowed, beco almost translucent at the tips

Luce stared at thelorious feather, to hold all of it inside her for when he went away He shone so bright, the sun could have borrowed light froood it felt for hiood as Luce felt when she rapped up in them

"Fly with oing to see you for a little while I have to give you so to remember me by"

Luce kissed hiers around his neck, holding hi 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 o the edge of the cli

They were ying

Away fro silver waves below, arcing across the sky as if they were soaring for the ust 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 own out far enough that they couldn't see land on either side of theently north, and they swooped in a wide arc past the city of Mendocino, which gloar in town andincredibly 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 di erent cli 's edge The sounds of the ocean grew louder again A dark single- lane road wound o the htly 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 da, Luce They have been for ether They will do anything they can to stop us That's why it isn't safe for"But why a 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 ean to grow Her du el bag He'd taken it fro, carried it all the way here inside his hand In just a few seconds, it had lled 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 e else fall away, let her heart brim over Maybe she couldn't remember her former lives, but when Daniel kissed her, she felt close to the past And the future

The gure in the dooralking toward her, a woure in the dooralking toward her, a woman in a short white dress