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Steven shook Daniel’s hand and Francesca kissed their cheeks before they backed away

"Thank you," Luce said "Take care of each other

And take care of Shelby and Miles, too"

Then angels were all around them, the old creho’d formed at Sword & Cross and hundreds of other places before that

Arriane, Roland, Cam, and Annabelle They’d saved Luce more times than she could ever say

"This is hard" Luce folded herself into Roland’s arms

"Oh, coo save your relationship"

"Don’t listen to Dr Phil!" Arriane squealed "Don’t ever leave us!" She was trying to laugh but it wasn’t working Rebellious tears streamed down her face She didn’t wipe theht to Annabelle’s hand "Okay, fine, go!"

"We’ll be thinking of you," Annabelle said "Always"

"I’ll be thinking of you, too" Luce had to believe it was true Otherwise, if she was really going to forget all this, she couldn’t bear to leave the she had to forget the close to Daniel, their arms clapped around each other’s shoulders "You pulled it off, brother"

"Course I did" Daniel played at being haughty, but it came off as love "Thanks to you"

Careen, the first color that ever stood out to her in the grim, dreary world of Sword & Cross

He tilted his head and sed, considering his words carefully

He drew her close, and for ato kiss her Her heart pounded as his lips by-passed hers and ca in her ear:

"Don’t let him flip you off next tihed

"Ah, Daniel, a mere shadow of a true bad boy" He pressed a hand to his heart and raised an eyebrow at her

"Make sure he treats you well You deserve the best of everything there is"

For once, she didn’t want to let go of his hand "What will you do?"

"When you’re ruined, there’s soopens up" He looked past her into the distant desert clouds "I’ll play oodbye"

He winked at Luce, nodded one final time at Daniel, then rolled back his shoulders, spread his tre sky

Everyone watched until Caold When Luce lowered her eyes, they fell on Lucifer His skin had its lovely shi, and it seeaze forever if she hadn’t turned away

She had done all she could for him His pain was not her problem anymore

The voice booether, Luce and Daniel turned to acknowledge the Throne, but the second their eyes fell upon it, the stately figure of the wolory, and they had to shield their eyes

The Throne was indiscernible again, a gathering of light too brilliant to be gazed upon by angels

"Hey, guys" Arriane sniffed "I think she oodbye to each other"

"Oh," Luce said, turning to Daniel, suddenly panicked "Right now? We have to--"

He took her hand His wings brushed hers He kissed the centers of her cheeks

"I’m afraid," she whispered

"What did I tell you?"

She sifted through the ood, the sad, the ugly One rose above the clouds of her"That you will always find me"

"Yes Always No matter what"

"Daniel--"

"I can’t wait to make you the love of my mortal life"

"But you won’t knowwill be different"

He wiped away her tear with his thumb "And you think that will stop me?"

She closed her eyes "I love you too ave her one last angelic kiss and ehtly she could hear his steady heartbeat, overlapping her own "It’s until we ain"

TWENTY

PERFECT STRANGERS

Seventeen Years Later

Luce clipped her dorm room key card between her teeth, craned her neck to swipe it through the lock, waited for the small electric click, and opened the door with her hip

Her hands were full: Her collapsible yellow laundry basket was heaped with clothes,their first dryer cycle away from home

She dumped the clothes onto her narrow bottom bunk, as in so short a span of tie had passed in a disconcerting blur