Ethan awoke, dazed, but with an energy and strength he had never felt before. Death had finally freed him from the intense and never-ending pain that made him feel like every part of his body were about to shatter.

If he had only known that the trip would have such disastrous consequences for them, he would have dissuaded his sister from doing it, and instead tried to get her out of the forest where she seemed to be about to drown. But what had been done could not be undone, and he could only hope that his sacrifice would save her.

He understood his nature long before Emma. She always...