Page 132 of In Shadows We Dance

Every image is proof that she’s real, that she washere.That she wasmine.

The last one, of her in my bed, burns behind my eyelids.

I wanted to own her. Possess her. Istilldo. But the hollow ache twisting inside me now has nothing to do with control. It’sher.All of her. Her fire. Her shadows.

She’s everything.

The phone rings. Monty. I let it go to voicemail. The ringing is just noise, meaningless compared to the roar in my head.

Ileana has changed me. She’s shifted everything I thought I understood. This isn’t about games anymore. It’s not about solving puzzles or breaking secrets open for the fun of it. It’s abouther.About them erasing her after I pulled her into the light. About them taking away the only thing that makes sense in this chaos.

Monty: Your dad called mine. They're worried.

The laugh that comes out of me is harsh, jagged.Worried?My father hasn’t noticed I exist in months. He probably doesn’t even know where I live, let alone what I’ve been doing. I’m nothing to him—just another account to balance. A problem to ignore.

The ceramic mug in my hand shatters under my grip. Blood beads my palm. I ignore it. The pain feels right. It matches the chaos in my head, the panic I can’t shake.

I don’t clean the wound. I don’t care.

My phone rings again. This time it’s the school. I decline the call, and turn my focus back to the map.

The security system pings again. I glance at the monitor. Monty’s car sits at the gate. Nico leans out of the passenger seat, gesturing at the camera like he can argue his way through a locked steel fence.

Nico: Why the fuck is your gate locked?

Me: Not safe. Go away.

They don’t leave immediately. Monty points at the camera again, clearly yelling. I watch the argument through the monitor, jaw clenched, until they finally give up and drive off.

Relief settles into my chest, but it doesn’t last. The gate might be locked, but the woods beyond it are still crawling with agents.

And she’s still gone.

Blood drips from my palm onto the map, smudging the ink-stained lines. I should bandage it. I don’t. I can’t stop staring at the endless possibilities sprawled in front of me.

What if I can’t find her? What if I’m wrong? What if every second I waste here is another step she takes further away?

The edges of my vision blur as the panic rises again. My breath comes too fast, each inhale burning my lungs.

Monty: Don’t do anything stupid.

Too late for that. I'm already going mad.

The camera feed flickers again. More movement in the woods. It might be nothing. It might bethem.

Or maybe it’s the ghost of her slipping further away, just beyond my reach.

My heartbeat pounds in my ears, my breath coming faster.

I can’t let them win. She’s out there. Somewhere. And I’m the only one who can find her.

If they want a war, I’ll give them one. I’ll burn the whole fucking world down to bring her back to me.

CHAPTER 67

Choosing Visibility

ILEANA

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