“Don’t.” Her voice cracks in time with thunder. “Please. Please…just don’t.”
I freeze, fists clenched. The rain pelts my shoulders, but all I feel is the heartbreak in her voice. The horror in her eyes.
She turns, nearly slipping as she bolts for the door, wrenching it open with a slick, shaking hand.
The door slams.
I’m left with nothing but the downpour, the ghost of her kiss still on my lips, and the cold hollow where her body used to be.
I drag a hand through my drenched hair, heart hammering. A growl tears through my throat, but I bite it down.
She’s not just running.
She’s burning.
And I’m the one who lit the match.
Chapter 37Annalise
“Ready or not, here I come!”
I flick my fingers open, peeking through the crack. Sunlight stings my eyes. I wonder where he could be.
Blinking away the glow, I whip my head in every direction, the playground bustling with children in rompers and moms with strollers and coffee cups.
I pop up from a crouch and step away from the tree. “Where are you, Alex?” I call out, cupping my hands around my mouth. I know he won’t answer. That’s the whole point.
My jelly sandals crunch against dry grass and wood chips as I poke my head into tunnel slides and peer around fat trees.
Nothing. No Alex.
Five minutes rush by, and all I’ve done is run in circles. Then my gaze sweeps to the tree line behind the park. The woods.
Surely he wouldn’t hide there. Way too spooky.
My heart skips as I think about the witches and warlocks hiding in the woods. Alex told me all about them. They’re ugly and mean and eat plump children just for fun.
A shiver rolls through me. But my feet start moving, headed toward the woods.
“Alex!” I yell at the top of my lungs. The wind picks up and the sun dips behind a swirl of gray clouds. “Alex, come on! I’m done playing!”
I trek through the opening of the forest, thicket and branches tangling around my ankles. Leaves smack me in the face. Rocks and pebbles poke my bare toes, making me wince. Minutes roll by. Then a few more. I wrap my arms around my body as fear ripples through me.
A branch snaps in the distance.
I freeze.
A witch!
Terrifying images tunnel through my mind. Bubbling cauldrons and cackling voices. A green face covered in warts and a knobby finger pointing at me.
And the moment I spin around with my hands over my eyes, something tackles me.
“Gotcha!”
I topple backward, landing in a mound of moss and weeds as the air whooshes out of me. My head thunks against the earth, sending a jolt of pain through me.
Then my hands are yanked apart until I’m staring up into two twinkling green eyes.
