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She was back at the Roll Call This time she would force herself to rehter of Heaven would be asked to choose a side God or Lucifer Good orno, he wasn’t evil

Evil didn’t exist yet

Crowded together like that, every angel was stunning, distinct but souishable frolow she would ever know In herfrom where?

Daniel’s voice filled her ears: Search your past

She hadn’t looked at Lucifer yet She didn’t want to

Look where you do not want to look

When she turned to the far end of the Meadow, she saw the light around Lucifer It was splendid and osten-tatious, as if he sought to co in the Meadow--the Orchard, the Heavenly hum, the Throne itself Lucinda had to focus hard to see him clearly

He waslovely Amber hair spilled down his shoulders in shiny waves His body seerander, defined by muscle no

Lucinda couldn’t take her eyes off hih she didn’t re, she knew the words and would always know theh their lives

Of all the pairs the Throne endorsed None rose to burn as bright

As Lucifer, the Morning Star,

And Lucinda, his Evening Light

The lines echoed in her head, drawingdoith every word

Lucinda, his Evening Light?

Lucinda’s soul crawled, sickened, toward a realization Lucifer had written this song It was a part of his design

She washad she been Lucifer’s lover?

The moment she wondered whether that horror was possible, Luce kneas the oldest, coldest truth She had been wrong about everything Her first love had been Lucifer, and Lucifer had been hers Even their names were paired Once, they had been soul n to herself, as if she’d awakened to realize she had killed someone in her sleep

Across the Meadow, Lucinda and Lucifer locked eyes at the Roll Call Hers widened in disbelief as his crinkled up in an inscrutable smile

Flash

A h the darkness, to the place where she s caressing hers, creating unmentionable pleasure, openly, there on her silver seat around the empty Throne

Our love is endless There can be nothing else

When he kissed her, Lucinda and Lucifer becas to experiment with affection beyond God

The kisses had been strange and wonderful and Lucinda had wanted els would think of Lucifer’s kisses on her She worried that his kiss would look like a brand on her lips Most of all, she feared God would knohen God returned and resumed the title of the Throne

"Say you adore ed

"Adoration is for God," Lucinda replied

"It doesn’t have to be," Lucifer whispered "I we’d be if we could openly declare our love before the Throne, you adoringyou

The Throne is only one--united in love, we could be greater"

"What’s the difference between love and adoration?" Lucinda asked

"Love is taking the adoration you feel for God and giving it to soreater than God" Lucifer’s face darkened at her words He spun away froe change within hian to fear hi hireatness of their union Heit constantly, until Lucinda saw herself as Lucifer’s Evening Light He told Lucinda this was love

Luce writhed with the pain of the memory It went on and on like that with Lucifer With every interaction, every caress of Lucinda’s wings, he grew more possessive,Lucinda that if she truly loved hih

There was one day she re in the Meadow, up to her neck in cloudsoil, wanting to sink away froel’s shadow hovered over her

"Leavethat draped over hers did the opposite

It cradled her The angel seemed to knohat she needed better than she knew herself Slowly, Lucinda lifted her head The angel’s eyes were violet

"Daniel" She knew hi over lost souls "Why have you co you" Daniel stared and Luce knew that before then, no one had ever seen an angel cry Lucinda’s tears were the first "What is happening to you?"