Chapter ONE - Weebly

tugging gently at his shirt. “Come upstairs and we’ll take
them off.”
He held her gaze. “That’s not why I came back
here.”
“I know.” She took his hand and pulled him again.
Still, he didn’t stand. “All right. But ask me first.”
Her smile faded, though she continued to hold his
hand. “What was the terrible thing you did?”
A tear rolled down his cheek, and then another. “I
had to use a killing spell to get away; I had no choice. I
had to … to kill Pitch.” He looked away, a sob
escaping him. “He showed up just in time. It was like he
knew I needed him.” He covered his face with his hand,
unable to keep from weeping.
“Oh, Ethan,” she said, her voice breaking on his
name. She knelt beside him and ran her free hand
through his hair. He knew she was casting about for
something to say, and just as surely he knew there was
nothing she could say to heal this wound.
They remained thus for several moments as Ethan
gathered himself. At last, he took a long breath, feeling
too weary to climb the steps to Kannice’s room. Had