lawn. The guests had mostly nished eating, and now Shelby was lighting the tiki torches staked into the ground. When the torch closest to the head table grew bright, it illuminated Miles, leaning over the next table to clear away some plates.
"Is that my grand-nephew--waiting tables?" Ms. Fisher pressed a gloved hand to her forehead.
"Actually," Shelby said, butting into the conversation, the torch lighter in one hand, "he's the trash--"
"Shelby." Francesca cut her o . "I think that tiki torch near the Nephilim tables has just burned out. Could you x it? Now?"
"You know what?" Luce said to Ms. Fisher. "I'll go get Miles and bring him over. You must be eager to catch up."
Miles had traded in the Dodgers cap and sweatshirt for a pair of brown tweed slacks and a bright orange button-down shirt. Kind of a bold Miles had traded in the Dodgers cap and sweatshirt for a pair of brown tweed slacks and a bright orange button-down shirt. Kind of a bold choice, but it looked good.
"Hey!" He waved her over with the hand that wasn't balancing a stack of dirty plates. Miles didn't seem to mind busing tables. He was grinning, in his element, chatting with everyone at the banquet as he cleared their plates.
When Luce approached, he put the plates down and gave her a big hug, squeezing her closer at the end.
"Are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head to one side so that his brown hair opped over his eyes. He didn't seem used to the way his hair moved without his cap on, and he icked it quickly back. "You don't look so good. I mean--you look great, that's not what I meant. At all. I really like that dress. And your hair looks pretty. But you also look kind of"--he frowned--"down."
"That's disturbing." Luce kicked the grass with the toe of her black high heel. "Because this is the best I've felt all night."
"Really?" Miles's face lit up just long enough for him to take it as a compliment. Then it fell. "I know it must suck being grounded. If you ask me, Frankie and Steven are blowing this way out of proportion. Keeping you under their thumbs all night--"
"I know."
"Don't look now, I'm sure they're watching us. Oh, great." He groaned. "Is that my aunt Ginger?"
"I just had the pleasure." Luce laughed. "She wants to see you."
"I'm sure she does. Please don't think all my relatives are like her. When you meet the rest of the clan at Thanksgiving--"
Thanksgiving with Miles. Luce had completely forgotten about that.
"Oh." Miles was watching her face. "You don't think Frankie and Steven are going to make you stay here on Thanksgiving?"
Luce shrugged. "I gured that was what `until further notice' meant."
"So that's what's making you sad." He put a hand on Luce's bare shoulder. She'd been regretting the sleeveless dress until now, until his ngers lay across her skin. It was nothing like Daniel's touch--which was electrifying and magical every time--but it was comforting nonetheless.
Miles stepped closer, lowering his face to hers. "What is it?"
She looked up into his dark blue eyes. His hand was still on her shoulder. She felt her lips parting with the truth, or what she knew of the truth, ready to pour out from inside her.
That Daniel wasn't who she'd thought he was. Which maybe meant she wasn't who she'd thought she was. That everything she'd felt about Daniel at Sword & Cross was still there--it made her dizzy to think about it--but now everything was also so di erent. And that everyone kept saying that this lifetime was di erent, that it was time to break the cycle--but no one could tell her what that meant. That maybe it didn't end with Luce and Daniel together. That maybe she was supposed to shake herself free and do something on her own.
"It's hard to put it all into words," she said nally.
"I know," Miles said. "I have a hard time with that myself. Actually, there's something I've sort of been wanting to tell you--"
"Luce." Francesca was suddenly standing there, practically wedging herself between them. "It's time to go. I'll be escorting you back to your room now."
So much for doing something on her own.
"And Miles, your aunt Ginger and Steven would like to see you."
Miles tossed Luce one last sympathetic smile before trudging across the terrace toward his aunt.
The tables were clearing out, but Luce could see Arriane and Roland cracking up near the bar. A cluster of Nephilim