“I won’t leave you,” Nick said, his voice emotionless as ever in his own ears. “I don’t want to.”

“Okay,” whispered Alan. He reached out, the way humans did, and slid his arm around Nick’s shoulders. “Okay,” he said again, and Nick could tell by the trembling in his voice that he was crying.

His tears fell warm on Nick’s hair, and he slid warm fingers through Nick’s hair to follow them. Nick closed his tearless demon’s eyes and leaned into the embrace.

“What are we going to do?” he asked.

Alan whispered, “We’re going to go home,” and Nick nodded, abandoned words for just a moment, and bowed his head as Alan stroked his hair. He was not made human, but he began slowly to feel as if this body could be his again. He felt grounded and at home already under his brother’s gentle human hands.