“What is he doing?" she finally whispered.Bill appeared behind her and flitted around her shoulders. "Looks like he's sleeping.""But why? I didn't even know angels need to sleep-""Need isn't the right word. They can sleep if they feel like it.Daniel always sleeps for days after you die." Bill tossed his head,seeming to recall something unpleasant. "Okay,not always. Most of the time.Must be pretty taxing,to lose the one thing you love. Can you blame him?""S-sort of," Luce stammered. "I'm the one who bursts into flames.""And he's the one who's left alone. The age-old question.Which is worse?”

“Luce closed her eyes,trying to remember exactly what he'd looked like. There were no words for it.It was just an incredible, joyous connection."I saw him.""Who,Daniel? Yeah,I saw him,too. He was the guy who dropped the ax when it was his turn to do the chopping. Big mistake. Huge.""No,I really saw him. As he truly is." Her voice shook. "He was so beautiful.""Oh,that." Bill tossed his head, annoyed."I recognized him.I think I've seen him before.""Doubt it." Bill coughed. "That was the first and last time you'll be able to see him like that.You saw him, and then you died.That's what happens when mortal flesh looks upon an angel's unbridled glory. Instant death. Burned away by the angel's beauty.""No,it wasn't like that.""You saw what happened to everyone else. Poof. Gone." Bill plopped down beside her and patted her knee. "Why do you think the Mayans started doing sacrifices by fire after that? A neighboring tribe discovered the charred remains and had to explain it somehow.""Yes,they burst into flames right away. But I lasted longer-""A couple of extra seconds? When you were turned away? Congratulations.""You're wrong.And I know I've seen that before.""You've seen his wings before, maybe.But Daniel shedding his human guise and showing you his true form as an angel? Kills you every time.""No." Luce shook her head. "You're saying he can never show me who he really is?"Bill shrugged. "Not without vaporizing you and everyone around you.Why do you think Daniel's so cautious about kissing you all the time? His glory shines pretty damn bright when you two get hot and heavy."Luce felt like she could barely hold herself up. "That's why I sometimes die when we kiss?""How 'bout a round of applause for the girl, folks?" Bill said snarkily. "But what about all those other times, when I die before we kiss, before-""Before you even have a chance to see how toxic your relationship might become?""Shut up.""Honestly,how many times do you have to see the same story line before you realize nothing is ever going to change?""Something has changed," Luce said. "That's why I'm on this journey, that's why I'm still alive. If I could just see him again-all of him-I know I could handle it.""You don't get it." Bill's voice was rising. "You're talking about this whole thing in very mortal times." As he grew more agitated,spit flew from his lips. "This is the big time,and you clearly cannot handle it.""Why are you so angry all of a sudden?""Because! Because." He paced the ledge, gnashing his teeth. "Listen to me: Daniel slipped up this once, he showed himself,but he never does that again.Never.He learned his lesson. Now you've learned one,too: Mortal flesh cannot gaze upon an angel's true form without dying.”

“She didn't really know what any of that meant, but she did know it could be very bad. Like erase-your-whole-existence bad.Or maybe kill-your-angel-boyfriend bad.That was when Luce panicked. Grabbing hold of Daniel's shoulders, she began to shake. Lightly, gently-he'd been through a war,after all.But enough to let him know that she needed a sign. Right now."Daniel," she whispered. "Daniel?"There.His eyelids began to flutter. She let out her breath.His eyes opened slowly,like they had last night. And like last night, when they registered the girl in front of them,they bulged. His lips parted. "You're...old."Luce blushed. "I am not," she said, laughing. No one had ever called her old before."Yes,you are. You're really old." He looked almost disappointed. He rubbed his forehead. "I mean-How long have I been-?"Then she remembered: Lucia was several years younger. But Daniel hadn't even met Lucia yet.How would he have known how old she was?"Don't worry about that," she said. "I need to tell you something. Daniel. I'm-I'm not who you think I am. I mean, I am, I guess, I always am,but this time,I came from...uh..."Daniel's face contorted. "Of course. You stepped through to get here."She nodded. "I had to.""I'd forgotten," he whispered, confusing Luce even more. "From how far away? No.Don't tell me." He waved her off, inching back in his bed as if she had some sort of disease. "How is that even possible? There were no loopholes in the curse.You shouldn't be able to be here.""Loopholes?" Luce asked. "What kind of loopholes? I need to know-""I can't help you," he said, and coughed. "You have to learn on your own.Those are the rules.”

“Will Daniel win or lose?" Luce asked, knowing the answer before the words had even left her lips."I can see how the idea of Daniel decapitating you does not maybe scream out romance," Bill said, "but really, what's the difference between his killing you by fire and by the sword?""Daniel wouldn't do that."Bill hovered in the air in front of Luce. "Wouldn't he?”

“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.”

“Layla!" Don bounded into her sight. The door behind her was still bolted. Where had he come from?The starshot tumbled from her hands and clattered to the floor. She snatched it up and slipped it back inside her dress. Bill was gone.But Don was-Daniel was right where she wanted him to be."What are you doing here?" Her voice broke with the force of having to act surprised to see him.He didn't seem to hear it.He rushed toward her and wrapped her in his arms. "Saving your life.""How did you get in?""Don't worry about that.No mortal man, no slab of stone can obstruct a love as true as ours. I will always find you."In his bare, bronzed arms, it was Luce's instinct to feel comforted. But she couldn't right then.Her heart felt ragged and cold.This easy happiness, these feelings of complete trust, every one of the lovely emotions Daniel had shown her how to feel in every life-they were torture to her now."Fear not," he whispered. "Let me tell you, my love, what happens after this life.You come back,you rise again. Your rebirth is beautiful and real.You come back to me,again and again-"The light from the lamp flickered and made his violet eyes sparkle.His body was so warm against hers."But I die again and again.""What?" He tilted his head.Even when his physique looked exotic to her, she knew his expressions so well-that bemused adoration when she expressed something he hadn't expected her to understand. "How do you-Never mind. It doesn't matter.What matters is that we will again be together.We will always find each other,always love each other, no matter what.I will never leave you."Luce fell to her knees on the stone steps. She hid her face in her hands. "I don't know how you can stand it.Over and over again,the same sadness-"He lifted her up. "The same ecstasy-""The same fire that kills everything-""The same passion that ignites it all again.You don't know.You can't remember how wonderful-""I've seen it.I do know."How she had his attention. He didn't seem sure whether or not to believe her, but at least he was listening. "What if there's no hope of anything ever changing?" she asked."There is only hope. One day, you will live through it.That absolute truth is the only thing that keeps me going. I will never give up on you. Even if it takes forever." He wiped away her tears with his thumb. "I'll love you with all my heart,in every life, through every death. I will not be bound by anything but my love for you.""But it's so hard.Isn't it hard for you? Haven't you ever thought,what if...""One day,our love will conquer this dark cycle.That's worth everything to me.”

“As soon as Roland was gone,the cupboard door swung open, banging the back of her leg.Bill popped out,gasping for air loudly as if he'd been holding his breath the whole time."I could wring your neck right now!" he said,his chest heaving."I don't know why you're all out of breath. It's not like you even breathe.""It's for effect! All the trouble I go through to camoflage you here and you go and out yourself to the first guy who walks the through the door."Luce rolled her eyes. "Roland's not going to make a big deal out of seeing me here.He's cool.""Oh,he's so cool," Bill said. "He's so smart. If he's so great,why didn't he tell you what I know about not keeping one's distance from one's past? About getting"-he paused dramatically, widening his stone eyes-"inside?"Now she leaned down toward him. "What are you talking about?"He crossed his arms over his chest and wagged his stone tongue. "I'm not telling.""Bill!" Luce pleaded."Not yet, anyway.First let's see how you do tonight.”