Page 131 of Seeking Shadows

I turn my head.

And there he is.

Handsome, angry, and about to verballyevisceratethis girl.

The blonde blinks. “What?”

“She’s not talking to you,” Zane repeats, voice sharp but calm. “So why are you interfering?”

She hesitates. “I just—”

“Don’t youjusthave anything better to do?” He cocks his head, eyes cold. “I can set you up with something. Like a slobbering old man who’ll keep you locked away for the rest of your life. Just pick the right moment.”

Her eyes widen.

“Go away before I getcreative.”

She bolts.

Before she disappears completely, I catch Zane’s eyes—just for a second. They soften, as if he’s silently checking that I’m alright.

Oh.

Ilovethis man.

I beam at Zane. “You defended me.”

He rolls his eyes, but I catch the faintest curl at the corner of his mouth.

“You say that like it’s new. I’ll always defend you, Mia. That’s the whole point of me being here.”

Oh.

I blink, suddenly warm all over. He has this annoying habit of leaving me speechless when all Iwantto do is chatter.

“Come,” he says, taking my hand. “Let’s get some air.”

“But what about my macaron?”

“I’ll buy you more later.”

He tugs me along, and without hesitation, I follow. I grab a glass of champagne on the way out, the bubbles tingling on my lips as I laugh softly.

Pinocchio smirks before disappearing into the crowd.Bubbles just sighs.

When we reach a quieter space, I glance at him. “Do you want to talk about yesterday with your brother?”

He sighs. “Not really.”

I shrug. “Relax. No one cares about me here. Someone could try to kill me, and they’d pretend they didn’t see it.”

“How was your day yesterday?” he asks, changing the subject, though I catch the irritation in his voice—not at me, but at the situation.

“Well, it was fun until I went to sleep. Pietro kept telling me how he and Laura met. Very cute.”

“Thatdefinitelyhas something to do with why he threatened me when I went to get you.”

“Hethreatenedyou? I softened him up myself.” I frown. “Thought it’d take longer, but I guess they really do see me as family.”

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