Page 147 of Hidden Echoes

I grin. I really like her.

She makes an offer—says she can help me understand more about Evermore if we visit. I almost say yes. I almost let curiosity take over.

But then Zane’s voice cuts in, sharp and final. “Can we focus on Seth?”

Right on cue, Seth groans, stirring awake. My body reacts before I even think, and within seconds, I’min his lap, arms wrapping tightly around him.

He doesn’tpush me off.

My brother doesn’tpush me off.

I squeeze harder, just to make sure he’sreal.

“You’re still annoying,” he mutters, but there’sno real bite to it.

I pull back just enough to look at his face, searching for something I lost a long time ago. “Did you tell everyone I was dead? Is that why you disappeared from our little room? It got lonely without you.”

I miss him.

His jaw tightens. “We’ll talk about this later.” His eyes flick to Zane, narrowing with familiar aggression. “Right now, I want to talk to the son of a bitch who’s been taking advantage of my sister.”

Kyle, of all people, smirks. “I might be starting to believe in karma.”

I hold up my hand, flashing my ring. “Oh, don’t hurt him. He’smy husband, look!”

Zane, behind me, lets out a quiet chuckle. That’smy husband.

“And he’s teaching me things!” I add, suddenly excited. “Like, did you know the sun is evil? It burns my skin and makes it all sore and red! And waffles! Have you tried waffles? They’re the best thing ever!” I sigh wistfully, switching to Spanish without thinking. “Apuesto a que a Katie disfrutaría de helados y waffles; siempre fue una gran aficionada a probar cosas nuevas, y también te extraña.”

I can’t help it—the little girl inside me comes alive whenever he’s around. It’s like there’s this burst of energy, this whirlwind of thoughts and feelings I can’t quite catch, but I can feel it swirling, bubbling up inside me. There are a million things I want to say to him, all at once, but the words get tangled before they can even form. It’s like my brain moves faster than my mouth can keep up, and everything I want to express gets jumbled together in a mess of excitement, nerves, and maybe a little bit of something deeper I’m not sure I’m ready to untangle.

Seth rubs his temple like I’m giving him a headache. “Deja de hablar por ahora, necesito procesar esto.”

Kyle blinks. “Why the fuck is Seth speaking Spanish?”

The room shifts. More people enter. Connor Ross and… the girl who killed James.

Their eyes land on me, and something flickers in her gaze.

“Mia?” she breathes, stepping closer.

Recognition dawns.

“You’re real,” she whispers. “Right? I didn’tthink you survived.”

I tilt my head, studying her face.

“I didn’t think you survived either.”

She steps forward, wraps her arms around me. I sink into the warmth, pressing my face into her shoulder. I like hugs. Almost asmuch as I like tearing throats.

The conversation takes a turn into serious territory, and I swear I just zone out. Evermore. Cartels. Ownership. Blah, blah, blah. It’s like I’m listening to a lecture I never signed up for.

My mind? It’s somewhere else entirely, caught on one very important detail.

I keep glancing at my brother.

He keeps throwing Zane looks and muttering death threats, and I keep reminding him it’s fine—Zane’s cool! No big deal! But somehow, my mind keeps drifting back to One.

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