“Scared ya, did I? Aw, that's sweet. Don't worry the shocks won't kill me," she whispered. "They only make me stronger. Anyway, it was worth it to give that cow a black eye, ya know?”

“Don't go," she whispered, her eyes closed. It was all happening too fast. She couldn't give Daniel up. Not yet. She didn't think she ever could.”

“Please don't worry. I will always come for you. I won't let you go until you understand that.""Then I refuse to understand," she said.”

“Will you stay with me ” she asked. Her voice was the thinnest whisper almost canceled out by a low groan of thunder.... Forever ” he whispered back. The sweet sound of his voice filled her up.”

“One day, our love will conquer this dark circle. That's worth everything to me”

“Don't worry," she whispered. "You're going to make it.""I know." His whisper came so quietly, and sounded so impossibly sad, that Luce wasn't sure she'd heard him right. Until then,she'd thought he was unconscious,but something in her voice seemed to reach him.His eyelids fluttered. Then, slowly, they opened.They were violet.The jug of water fell from her hands.Daniel.Her instinct was to crawl in next to him and cover his lips with kisses, to pretend he wasn't as badly wounded as he was.At the sight of her, Daniel's eyes widened and he started to sit up. But then the blood began to flow from his neck again and his face drained of all its color. Luce had no choice but to restrain him."Shhh. She pressed his shoulders back against the stretcher, trying to get him to relax.He squirmed under her grip. Every time he did, bright new blood bloomed through the bandage."Daniel,you have to stop fighting," she begged. "Please stop fighting. For me."They locked eyes for a long,intense moment=and then the ambulance came to an abrupt stop. The back door swung open. A shocking breath of fresh air flowed in. The streets outside were quiet, but the place had the feel of a big city,even in the middle of the night.Milan. That was where the soldier had said they were going when he assigned her to this ambulance. They must be at a hospital in Milan.”

“Look,let me give you the CliffNotes: You're a bitch in this life and Daniel doesn't care.Shocker! He courts you for a few weeks,there's some exchanging of flowers.A big kiss and then kaboom. Okay? Not much more to see.""You don't understand.""What? I don't understand that Victorians are as stuffy as an attic and as boring as watching wallpaper peel? Come on,if you're going to zigzag through your past,make it count. Let's hit some highlights.Luce didn't budge. "Is there a way to make you disappear?""Do I have to stuff you in this Announcer like a cat in a suitcase? Let's move!""I need to see that he loves me, not just some idea of me because of some curse that he's bound to.I need to feel like there's something stronger keeping us together. Something real."Bill took a seat next to Luce on the grass. Then he seemed to think better of it and actually crawled onto her lap. At first,she wanted to swat him, and the flies buzzing around his head,but when he looked up at her,his eyes appeared sincere."Honey,Daniel loving the real you is the last thing you should be worried about. You're freaking soul mates. You two coined the phrase. You don't have to stick around here to see that.It's in every life.”