Page 11 of Seeking Shadows

Of course she'd ask about the cat—out of everything, it had to be that.

"Fine," I say, trying not to sound as tired as I feel.

She nods slowly, eyes flicking to the floor for a second.

"Take care of him, okay? Keep him safe."

There’s a pause. One of those quiet ones that feels heavier than it should.

Then her voice softens.

"Did you miss me?"

I scoff, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Her grin widens, because of course she enjoys riling me up. “Oh,Idon’t have to. You standing here does that for me.” She pats the empty spot beside her. “Come on, sit down. We can cuddle.”

I stare at her. “You’re delusional.”

She lets out a dramatic sigh, rolling onto her stomach, kicking her feet up. “Fine. Just stand there and brood, then.” Her voice drops into something softer, but no less teasing. “Tell me, are youangrywith me, Zane?”

I run a hand down my face, trying to keep myself from snapping. “I should be.”

“But you’re not.” She props herself up on her elbows, grinning like she knows something I don’t. “You’re just conflicted.”

I clench my jaw. “You’re playing too many games.”

“And you’re playing just one,” she murmurs, her eyes narrowing slightly. “The one where you pretend you don’t care. But we both know you do.”

I take a step closer, my patience wearing dangerously thin. “I came here for a reason, Mia.”

She tilts her head, watching me carefully. “And here I thought it was because you missed me.”

I exhale sharply, pulling a folded paper from my pocket and dropping it onto the bed beside her. “I came to give you something.”

Her fingers hover over the paper before she picks it up. Something in her expression shifts as she unfolds it, the teasing slipping just a little.

The room falls silent.

I watch her carefully, waiting for a reaction.

And when it comes, I know I’ve just changed everything.

CHAPTER 3

MIA

Reality is a strange thing—more like an abstract concept to me. It bends and shifts, slipping through my fingers when I try to hold onto it.

Some days, I think I’ve got a firm grasp on what’s real, and then the next, it unravels, revealing itself as just another illusion.

I swore what Zane and I had was real. I felt it in my bones, in the way his touch lingered, in the way his presence anchored me when everything else dissolved into static.

Maybe it was always there, buried beneath his quiet warmth, waiting for the right moment to surface.

Maybe I imagined it all—the softness, the safety, the way he once looked at me like I was something worth holding onto.

It doesn’t matter. In any reality, in any version of us, I would protect him.

---