Passion - By Lauren Kate Page 0,99

became incredibly bumpy. Luce was flung against the seat, feeling like she was on a wooden roller coaster. Her fingers gripped the plush fur of the tiger skin.

Bill hadn't wanted her to do this. Was he teaching her a lesson by bailing now when she most needed his help?

Her knees rattled with each jolt in the road. She had absolutely no idea how she'd find De. If the king's guards wouldn't even let her look out past a curtain, how were they going to let her near the front lines?

But then:

Once, thousands of years ago, her past self had sat alone in this chariot, disguised as the deceased king. Luce could feel it--even if she hadn't joined with her past body, Lu Xin would have been here right now.

Without the aid of some weird ornery gargoyle. And, more importantly, without all the knowledge that Luce had amassed so far on her quest. She had seen Daniel's unbridled glory in Chich?n Itz?. She had witnessed and finally understood the depths of his curse in London. She'd seen him go from suicidal in Tibet to saving her from a rotten life in Versailles. She'd watched him sleep through the pain of her death in Prussia as if he were under a spell. She'd seen him fall for her even when she was snotty and immature in Helston. She'd touched the scars of his wings in Milan and understood how much he'd given up in Heaven just for her. She'd seen the tortured look in his eyes when he lost her in Moscow, the same misery over and over again.

Luce owed it to him to find a way to break this curse.

The chariot jolted to a stop, and Luce was nearly flung off her seat. Outside, there was a thunderous pounding of horses' hooves--which was strange because the king's chariot was standing still.

Someone else was out there.

Luce heard a clash of metal and a long, pained grunt. The chariot was jostled roughly. Something heavy thumped to the ground.

There was more clashing, more grunting, a harsh cry, and another thump on the ground. Her hands trembling, Luce parted the leather curtains the tiniest bit and saw the droopy-eyed solder lying in a pool of blood on the ground beneath.

The king's chariot had been ambushed.

The curtains before her were thrust apart by one of the insurgents. The foreign fighter raised his sword.

Luce couldn't help herself: She screamed.

The sword faltered in the air--and then, the warmest feeling washed over Luce, flooding her veins, calming her nerves, and slowing the pounding of her heart.

The fighter on the chariot was De.

His leather helmet covered his black, shoulder-length hair, but it left his face wonderfully unobstructed. His violet eyes stood out against his clear olive skin. He looked baffled and hopeful at the same time. His sword was drawn, but he held it as if he sensed he shouldn't strike. Quickly, Luce lifted her helmet over her head and flung it onto the seat.

Her dark hair cascaded down, her locks tumbling all the way to the bottom of her bronze breastplate. Her vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears.

Lu Xin? De gathered her tightly into his arms. His nose grazed hers and she rested her cheek on his, feeling warm and safe. He seemed unable to stop smiling. She lifted her head and kissed the beautiful curve of his lips. He answered her kiss hungrily, and Luce soaked up every wonderful moment, feeling the weight of his body against hers, wishing there weren't so much heavy armor between them.

You're the last person I expected to see, De said softly.

I could say the same for you, she said. What are you doing here?

When I joined forces with the Zhou rebels, I vowed to kill the king and get you back.

The king is--Oh, none of that matters anymore, Luce whispered, kissing his cheeks and his eyelids, holding tight around his neck.

Nothing matters, De said. Except that I'm with you.

Luce thought back to his luminous glow back in Chich?n Itz?. Seeing him in these other lives, in places and times that were so far from home--each one confirmed how much she loved him. The bond between them was unbreakable--it was clear from the way they looked at each other, the way they could read each other's thoughts, the way one made the other feel whole.

But how could she forget the curse they had been suffering through for eternity? And the quest she was on to break it? She had come too