Page 128 of Hidden Echoes

"When I ran you over," he corrects.

"Whatever. When you ran me over, I was running away from him. I don’t remember much, but I thought I had escaped because of an episode. But someone helped me. Someone I thought was just a fragment of my memory."

"Mia, you’re making no sense."

"My sister, Zane. My sister helped me escape my father. And Nico Riviera doesn’t like losing his toys. That’s all I am to him. That’s the truth. I’m not a spy, so don’t worry. He never saw me as competent enough for that. He always said I was useless to his business."

"Mia… you’re safe. I’ll protect you. TSOC is stronger than the Cartel."

"How safe will I be when Charlie finds out I was the one who tortured their soldiers, huh?"

"I’m not going to let anyone touch you. Even if I have to blow them all up."

My eyes darken. "I’m still going to kill Ross for taking my brother from me. Are you still going to stay with me after that? We come from different worlds."

There it is. I’ve finally said it out loud. Ever since Zane’s mom admitted the truth about him being part of that secret society... I’ve buried the feeling deep inside me, pushing it down until it felt like a ghost. But it’s still there, festering, clawing at the edges of my mind.

Every life I’ve taken, every man I’ve killed... it was because they hurt One. That’s what Paulina would whisper whenever she dropped another toy in front of me—they deserved it.And my father? He was the one who made sure I understood that message, his words cold and calculating. The one thing he ever bothered to explain to me, toteachme, was how the Rosses should pay. How their blood should be spilled to avenge the sins they committed against us.

Even now, I can feel the fire burning inside me, the same rage that has never really gone away. I want to make them pay. Ineedto make them pay, even though everything inside me screams that I should hate my father.

Idohate him. But that need to see them suffer... it still claws at me, raw and untamed.

"Mia, Cory Ross is dead," Zane says, looking down. "That’s what happens in cycles of vengeance."

"Then I’ll take his son. I’ll take whoever I have to, to avenge my brother. That was always my goal."

Zane looks at me, unwavering. "Mia, if Cory really hurt your brother, I’ll stand by your side—between heaven and earth."

"Even if it means standing against your own family? I can’t let you do that."

Because I know he’s one of them. I’ve fallen for one of them, and that’s the truth I’ve been hiding from myself. I failed my brother.

"You are my family," Zane says. "You will always be my priority."

"Zane," I whisper.

"If we ever find ourselves on opposite sides of this war, I’d rather die than hurt you," he says, pressing his forehead against mine. "You don’t understand, do you? Of all the people I’ve seen you lose control over—even my mother—I will always protect you. I will always stand by you. Even if it’s not the winning side. You are my wife. You are mine to protect."

I don’t respond with words. Instead, I kiss him, feeling my heart race with every second that our lips meet.

The kiss says everything I need it to—there’s no need for words.

I let the intensity take over, the spontaneity of the moment guiding me, and for once, I don’t think about what I should say or do. I justfeel. I can feel the electricity between us, and in this moment, it’s all I need. No need for explanations, no boundaries.

Our mouths meet in a frantic rush, nibbling and sucking, desperate to taste each other. I pull back for a moment, just to drink him in—every detail, every breath shared between us.

After a few minutes, I can't stay still anymore, my body moving instinctively, searching for that deeper sensation, that heightened connection.

Slowly, Zane begins to slide his fingers in and out of me. And then, when he finds my clit, he massages the area, letting an incomprehensible sound come out of me.

“You’re so sensitive to touch,” he murmurs against my ear as his fingers fuck me.

“Not just any touch,” I whisper, my breath shaky as his fingers linger, “just yours. Because I own you. I can do whatever I want to you, and you’ll do whatever I want... and it drives me crazy, makes me so damn needy.”

“Baby…”

“Yes, little angel.”

---