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"Dig in," Arriane said "There's nothing good about cold steak and eggs" She sighed "Couys You've read the history books Don't you know the drill--"

"I haven't," Luce said "I don't know any drills"

Arriane sucked meditatively on her fork "Good point In that case, allow me to present my version to you Which is more fun than the history books anyway because I won't censor the big ghts and curses and all the sexy stuMy version has everything but 3-D, which, I have to say, is totally overrated Did you see that movie with"--she noticed the blank looks on their faces "Oh, never o Now, do I need to catch you up on Satan?"

"Waged an early power struggle against God" Miles's voice was a rade lesson plan while he speared a bit of steak with his fork

"Before then they were super-tight," Shelby added, dousing her pigs in blankets with syrup "Istar So it's not like Satan wasn't worthy or beloved"

"But he would rather reign in Hell than serve in Heaven," Luce chiht not have read the Nephilim histories, but she'd read Paradise Lost Or at least, the Cli sNotes

"Very nice" Arriane bea friends with Milton's daughters back in the day She likes to take credit for that phrase, and I' already?' But whatever" Arriane ood Can we get some hot sauce over here?" she bellowed toward the kitchen "Okay, where e?"

"Satan," Shelby said through a ht So Say what you will about El Diablo Grande, but he is"--Arriane tossed her head--"so angels Ito think about On which side do you throw your weight? Given the choice, a whole lotta angels fell"

"How h to cause sohtful for a rimaced and called out to the waitress "Hot sauce! Does it exist in this establishels who fell, but didn't side with--" Luce broke o , thinking of Daniel She are that she hispering, but this felt like a really big thing to be discussing in the middle of a diner Even a ht

Arriane lowered her voice too "Oh, there are plenty of angels who fell but still technically ally with God But then there are those who threith Satan We call theels who made really poor choices

"Not like it's been easy for anyone Since the Fall, angels and demons have been neck and neck, split down the middle, yada yada yada" She slathered butter into the pancake's nose "But all that e"

Luce looked down at her eggs, unable to eat

"So, uiance had sohtly less doubtful than she usually did

"Not yours exactly" Arriane shook her head "I know it feels like we've all been hanging in the balance forever But in the end, it's going to co a side When that happens, the scale nally tips That's when it matters which side you're on"

Arriane's words re locked all the way up in that tiny chapel with Miss Sophia, how she kept saying the fate of the universe had so to do with Luce and Daniel It had sounded crazy at the tih Luce wasn't certain exactly what everyone was talking about, she knew it had to do with Daniel co back around

"It's Daniel," she said softly "The angel who can tip the scales is Daniel" "It's Daniel," she said softly "The angel who can tip the scales is Daniel"

It explained the agony he carried all the time, like a two-ton suitcase It explained why he'd been away fro it didn't explain hy there seemed to be some question in Arriane's mind about which side the scales would tip onto Which side would win the war

Arriane opened her ain "Can I get so hot sauce over here?" she yelled

A shadow fell over their table "I'll give you so ery"

Luce looked behind her and recoiled at the sight: A very tall boy in a long brown trench coat, unbuttoned so that Luce could see a ash of so silver tucked inside his belt He had a shaved head, a sliht nose, a mouthful of perfect teeth

And white eyes Eyes utterly empty of color No irises, no pupils, none at all

His strange, vacant expression reh Luce hadn't seen that girl closely enough to gure out rong with her eyes, she now had a pretty good guess

Shelby looked at the boy, sed hard, and tucked into her breakfast "Nothing to do with me," she mumbled

"Save it," Arriane said to the boy "You can put it on the st sandwich I'm about to serve you" Luce watched wide-eyed as tiny Arriane stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans "BRB, guys Oh, and Luce, reet back" Before Luce could ask what this guy had to do with her, Arriane had grabbed him by the earlobe, twisted hard, and slalass display counter near the bar

The noise shattered the lazy, late-night quiet of the restaurant The guy yelped like a child as Arriane twisted his ear the other way and cli his lean body until he'd ung Arriane o and onto the glass case

She rolled along its length and caue pie, then leaped to her feet on the bar She soht hi his face with her small sts

"Arriane!" the waitress shrieked "Not my pies! I try to be tolerant! But I have my livelihood to look after!"

"Aw, ne!" Arriane shouted "We'll take it to the kitchen" She released the guy, slid to the oor, and booted him with her platform heel He blindly stumbled toward the door that led to the diner's kitchen "Coht as well learn so"

Miles and Shelby thren their napkins, re and run screaht!" anytihtest rumor of a scu e