Page 36 (1/2)

Luce rolled her eyes Arriane didn't need to act so coy It was obvious her rescue e ort hadn't been coincidental "You knohat I ured I'd pass thee city"

"Yeah, well, they're al to the truce timeline?"

Arriane put down her co ee cup and cradled her chin in her pal at that school after all"

"Yes and no," Luce said "I just overheard Roland saying so down theto do with a truce, but I didn't know exactly howabout"

Beside her, Miles's body seemed to have sti ened at the mention of Daniel When the waitress arrived to take their orders, he barked his out rst, practically shoving the s, rare"

"Oooh, ly in theon her menu "Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity it is" She enunciated as properly as the Queen of England s in a blanket for -white os in a blanket"

The waitress turned to Luce "How 'bout you, hon?"

"Breakfast Saetically on behalf of her friends "Scrambled, hold theo toward the kitchen

"Okay, so what else did you hear?" Arriane asked

"U with the carafe of syrup next to the salt and pepper "There was so, Shelby splashed three little tubs of creamer into her co ee "End Times! You actually buy into that crap? Iaround for that? And humans think they've been patient for ato change"

Arriane looked about a second away fro Shelby in her place, but then she set down her co ee "How rude of me to not even introduce myself to your friends, Luce" myself to your friends, Luce"

"Um, we knoho you are," Shelby said

"Yeah, there was a whole chapter on you in els textbook," Miles said

Arriane clapped "And they told me that book had been banned!"

"Seriously? You're in a textbook?" Luce laughed

"Why so surprised? You don't nd me historic?" Arriane turned back to Shelby and Miles "Now, tell irl's been palling around with"

"Lapsed nonbelieving Nephilim" Shelby raised her hand

Miles stared at his food "And the ine ectual great-great-great-to-the-nth-degree-grandson of an angel"

"That's not true" Luce bumped Miles's shoulder "Arriane, you should have seen how he helped us step through this shadow tonight He was great That's e're here, because he read this book and the next thing you know, he could--"

"Yeah, I ondering about that," Arriane said sarcastically "But what concerns estured at Shelby Arriane's face was ht blue eyes looked steady "It's not a good ti's in ux, but there will be a reckoning And you will have to choose one side or the other" Arriane stared deliberately at Shelby "We all have to knohere we stand"

Before anyone could respond, the waitress reappeared, wielding a huge brown plastic tray of food

"Well, how's this for speedy service?" she asked "Nohich one of you had the pigs--"

"Me!" Shelby startled the waitress with the quickness of her reach for the plate

"Anybody need any ketchup?"

They shook their heads

"Extra butter?"

Luce pointed down at the ice cream scoop of butter already on her pancakes "We're all set Thanks"

"If we need anything," Arriane said, bea down at the whipped cream happy face on her plate, "we'll holler"

"Oh, I know you will" The waitress chuckled, tucking the tray under her arm "Holler like the world's about to end, this one will"

After she left, Arriane was the only one who ate She plucked a blueberry from the pancake's nose, popped it into her ers with relish Finally she glanced around the table