Page 106 of Seeking Shadows

He stands there, meeting Seth’s gaze, while my brother looks at him like he’s deciding whether to murder him for existing or wait until he breathes in the wrong direction.

Ugh.

My heart does this stupid little flip. This is so bad.

Why is this attractive?

“Let me think,” Seth says dryly. “Maybe because you put my sister in a coma, and if that wasn’t bad enough, you married her—taking advantage of the fact that she was way out of your league.”

Zane doesn’t argue. He just looks down, almost as if he agrees with Seth about not being good enough for me.

I won’t let that happen.

“First of all, I was more sober than he was that day,” I say. “So, technically, I was the one in the wrong. And about the coma… I don’t remember much about that day, but I don’t think he did it on purpose.”

"Mia, you had no way of knowing how marriages actually work," Zane says, his voice quiet, almost thoughtful. "I’ve never felt anything like this before. It just… happened. And I don’t regret it. I never have."

I smile. “I don’t regret it either.”

“Asshole,” Seth mutters.

I turn to him. “Weren’tyouthe one who dated his sister?”

“Semantics.”

He says it irritably but doesn’t push.

“Look, I’m sorry you hate me because I put your sister in a coma and married her right after,” Zane says. And honestly? When he puts it like that, Seth’s resentment feels a little more justified. I hadn’t really thought about it much.

"And I’m not going to stand here and pretend I’m any different," Zane says, calm but firm. "Because, honestly, that’s not your business. My relationship with Mia is between us, and the only person who can keep me away from her is her—not you."

Sometimes I feel like not even me. I tried, and he’s still here. Withme.

Seth doesn’t say a word, but I can practically see the violence simmering behind his eyes—like a storm just waiting for the first drop of rain to hit. I shoot him a pleading look, silently begging him not to react. He huffs, as if I’ve just ripped all the fun out of his day.How dare I?

Asshole.

Zane, ever the picture of calm, presses a soft kiss to my forehead, like he's reminding me that he’s got this, then steps back, giving me a little space.

It’s like he's handing me the mic so I can handle my brother—because, let's be real, if Seth goes full chaos mode, that’s my job to handle, not Zane’s.

Seth watches us, clearly annoyed that the moment’s not going according to his "let’s annoy Zane" plan. Meanwhile, I’m just here trying to survive the drama and manage both of them without causing an international incident.

Classic family dynamics.

Seth lets out a low chuckle. “He’s smarter than I thought.”

I cross my arms. “You bully people for free, you know that?”

He shrugs. “I just exist.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you’re a magnet for idiots.”

I smile. “He’s not an idiot. Can’t you just accept that Iwantto be with him? That even though you now know how it started, it doesn’t change the fact that Ichosethis?”

Seth stares at me for a moment, and then, just like that, he looks away, like my words barely touched him. He’s already running through some mental checklist, probably trying to decide what’s for dinner or which new gadget he wants to buy next. And there it is—the glint in his eyes that says, "This isn't my problem anymore."

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