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Bianca frowned "That’s not good I’d hoped I’d be able to talk to your ghost and make sure you were protected all the tiht," Balthazar said "Relatively few vahosts He won’t try this house again It’s the rest of toe’ve got to worry about"

"You really kno to cheer a girl up," Skye said, and he setically

Bianca, who now had a very odd smile on her face, said, "You kno to call us if you need us Skye, thanks again for everything You’re in good hands Balthazar--it’s nice seeing you like this"

Like what? Balthazar wondered, but it was enough to bask in her approval Though his old love for Bianca had finally shifted into soht he’d always have a weak spot for her smile He lifted one hand in farewell as Bianca faded slowly froain

Skye tucked a lock of her thick brown hair behind one ear as she said, "I’d forgotten you two used to go out"

"That was never--Bianca was alith Lucas, really Our relationship was h to forget that for a while, he thought, he had no one but hiirl had seen right through him "Do you still?"

"No I mean--of course I care about Bianca I alill But she never wanted what I wanted It took me a while to accept that, but I have"

Why did it feel so strange, talking about that with Skye? It felt like … like talking about one girlfriend to another Bad forirlfriend, and Skye--that couldn’t happen, for her sake

They’d cleared the last remnants of ice from her bedroom, and he’d double-checked the entire first floor and fixed the locks--though Redgrave’s phobia of wraiths meant that the doors probably could be left wide open froht’s crisis was taken care of: ti to take the bus to school in the ave hioing to walk along the road again by myself But what do we do after that? If they came after me on one of the main streets in town, they’d co on that," Balthazar said He didn’t want to make any promises before he knew for sure "I’ll see you to?" She looked stricken

"I proht"

"But you could still stay here My parents wouldn’t see you"