Page 50 (1/2)

"Do I need to kill your lover to get you to joinhis arro at Daniel "Or do I need to kill thee, at tip of the silver arrow, less than ten feet froe She'd seen the arrows extinguish a dozen angels tonight with that paltry ash of light But she'd also seen an arrow glance o Callie's skin, like it was nothing more than the dull stick it appeared to be

The silver arrows killed angels, she suddenly realized, not humans

She leaped in front of Daniel "I won't let you hurt him And your arrows can't hurt me"

A sound escaped froh, half-sob She turned to him, wide-eyed He looked afraid, but ht of the conversation they'd had under the gnarled peach tree at Sword & Cross, the rst time he'd told her about her reincarnations She re with him on the beach in Mendocino when he talked of his place in Heaven before her What a struggle it had been to get him to open up about those early days She still felt like there was more There had to besnapped her attention back to the Outcast, as pulling back the silver arroas aih talk," he said "I'll take your friends out one at a time until you surrender to ht, a swirl of color, and a whirlingbefore her eyes--her mom and dad and Andrew The parents she'd seen in Mount Shasta Vera ice-skating on the frozen pond The girl she'd been, swi suit Other cities, honize yet Daniel's face frohts And blaze after blaze after blaze

Then she blinked and was back in the yard The Outcasts were drawing closer, huddling together and whispering to Phil He kept waving the to focus on Luce Everyone was tense

She saw Miles staring at her Heon her with so aze seereoozy and her vision clouded What folloas an unfa lifted o her Like a casing being removed from her skin

And she heard her voice say, "Don't shoot I surrender"

Only, it was echoing and disembodied, and Luce hadn't actually said the words She followed the sound with her eyes, and her body grew rigid at what she saw

Another Luce standing behind the Outcast, tapping hilimpse of a former life This was her, in her skinny black jeans and plaid shirt with thebutton With her black hair cropped and newly dyed With her hazel eyes taunting the Outcast With the burning of her same soul clearly visible to hiels, too This was a

His gift He had splintered Luce o into a second self, just as he'd told her he could on her very rst day at Shoreline They say it's easy to do with the people you, like, love, he'd said

He loved her

She couldn't think about that right now While everyone's eyes were drawn to the re ection, the real Luce retreated two steps and hid inside the shed

"What's happening?" Cam barked at Daniel

"I don't know!" Daniel whispered hoarsely

Only Shelby seemed to understand "He did it," she said under her breath

The Outcast swung his bow around to aim at this new Luce Like he didn't quite trust the victory

"Let's do this," Luce heard her own voice saying in the middle of the yard "I can't stay here with them Too many secrets Too many lies"

A part of her did feel that way That she couldn't keep going on like this That soe

"You will come with me, and joinhopeful His eyes hostly white hand

"I will," Luce's voice projected

"Luce, no" Daniel sucked in his breath "You can't"

Now the re Outcasts raised their bows at Daniel and Cam and the rest of them, lest they interfere

Luce's mirror stepped forward Slipped her hand inside Phil's "Yes, I can"

The monster Outcast cradled her in his sti white ars A stale cloud of dust storround Inside the shed, Luce held her breath

She heard Daniel gasp as Luce's mirror and the Outcast soared up and out of the backyard The rest of them looked incredulous Except for Shelby and Miles Shelby and Miles

"What the hell just happened?" Arriane said "Did she really--"

"No!" Daniel cried "No, no, no!"

Luce's heart ached as he tore at his hair, spun in a circle, and let his wings bloom out to their full size

I Outcasts spread their own dingy broings and took ight Their wings were so thin, they had to beat frantically just to stay in the air They were closing in on Phil Trying to forht he was taking her

But Cam was faster The Outcasts were probably twenty feet in the air when Luce heard one nal arrow loose from its bow

Cam's arroasn't meant for Phil It was meant for Luce

And his aie disappeared in a great bloos shuddered open Empty A horrible roar escaped his mouth He started to swoop back toward Cam, followed by his army of Outcasts But then he stopped o back

"So it begins again," he called down to Caht you've otiate"

Then the Outcasts disappeared into the night

Back in the yard, Daniel barreled into Ca with you?" he yelled, his sts wailing down on Cam's face "How could you?"

Carass "It was a better end for her, Daniel"

Daniel was seething, tackling Ca his head into the dirt Daniel's eyes blazed "I'll kill you!"

"You know I' back at all