“See? Not so hard to be friends.”

I had my doubts about that. “I guess.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep trying. Before long, we’ll be on a bowling league or something.” He spoke his words lightly, but there was a catch that belied the truth of his words. Being friends wasn’t easy for Seth either. He still cared about me and was suffering just as much as me with this separation. Seeing that made something in me soften.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll make this work.”

I reached out to hug him, and he automatically returned it. I felt warm and safe and right in his embrace—until he casually squeezed my back. I cried out, jerking away at the pain that shot through me. We sprang apart, and he looked at me in alarm. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“It’s . . . complicated.” My standard answer to uncomfortable questions.

“Georgina!”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

He strode toward me, reached a hand out, then pulled back. Intensity filled his face. “Are you hurt?”

I tried to keep out of his reach. “Look, I got in a fight last night, and I’m sporting some, uh, residual effects. It’s mostly gone, though, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“You? Got in a fight? With who?”

“Whom. And it was with Nanette. I told you, it’s nothing.”

“Who’s Nanette?”

“She’s . . . a demon.”

He gave me a level look. “A demon. A full-fledged demon.”

“Something like that.”

“Let me see your back.”

“Seth—”

“Georgina! Let me see your back.”

There was anger in his words, not at me, but at the thought of someone hurting me. It reminded me a little of Dante’s reaction, except that Dante always had a bit of anger in him. It was normal. To see it woken up in Seth . . . to see him so passionate and fierce . . .

Slowly, slowly, I turned around and undid the front of my robe, letting it slip halfway down my back. I heard Seth gasp at what he saw, and then a few moments later, he stepped forward and pushed my hair off my back so that he could get a better view. I shivered when his fingers touched my skin.

“Georgina . . . this is horrible . . .”

“It was worse before.” I spoke flippantly, hoping to deflect his worry and realizing I’d only increased it now.

“Worse?”

I tugged the robe up and turned back around. “Mei healed it. I’m fine.”

“Yeah, it seems that way.”

“Look, it’s nothing you have to worry about.”

“Not worry about?” His eyes were filled with incredulity. “Even when you’re . . . normal . . . a demon could still kill you, right?”

“Yeah.”

Seth put his hand to his forehead and sighed. “This is what it’s like, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“What you went through with me. Living with the fear that I could die. Having it tear you apart.”