Page 175 of Seeking Shadows

"Mia..." His voice is hoarse, barely there.

A sob catches in my throat. I cup his face with both hands, my thumbs ghosting over his cheekbones.

"You're here," he murmurs, his head lolling slightly to the side.

A strangled laugh escapes me. Shaky. Desperate. "I never left."

Then, he pulls me in.

There is no hesitation. No slow, careful gentleness. Just raw, unfiltered desperation.

His lips crash against mine, and I don’t think—I just surrender.

He kisses me like I’m the only thing tethering him to life. Like letting go isn’t an option. My mouth parts for him, and his hands clutch at my waist, dragging me closer, as if the mere inches between us are unbearable.

The taste of blood lingers between us, metallic and sharp. My fingers tangle in his hair, gripping, pulling, memorizing every sensation before it’s ripped away from us again.

When we break apart, we’re gasping. My forehead presses against his, and my vision blurs with unshed tears.

"I thought I was going to lose you," I whisper.

Zane’s fingers skim along my cheek, his gaze never leaving mine.

"You'll never lose me," he murmurs. "We're together until the end. Me and you."

For a second, I let myself believe it. I close my eyes, absorbing the warmth of his touch, the sound of his breathing.

Then, something twists deep inside me.

I exhale, stepping back just enough to take in our surroundings. The dim lighting, the dust-covered shelves stacked with books, the TV mounted on the wall—long dead, its screen coated in grime.

A chill creeps up my spine.

"I know this place," I murmur. My voice is barely above a breath.

Zane watches me closely, his brows furrowing.

“I spent hours there,” I whisper, pointing to the faded old chair in the corner. “Reading everything Katie gave me. Every book she thought might be useful.” My eyes flick to the bookshelf, its edges worn from years of use. “They were my world. They taught me about places I would never see.”

I swallow hard, my gaze shifting to the TV. "And that… that was my only window to the outside. I watched people live. I imagined what it would be like to be there, to be free. But I never left."

My throat tightens. The memories coil around me, suffocating.

"I was a doll trapped in a glass box," I whisper. "A monster in training."

Silence settles between us. Heavy. Suffocating.

I force myself to meet Zane’s gaze.

His expression is unreadable. Dark. But beneath the surface, I see it.

Something that guts me from the inside out.

“Mia…”

“Now we’re here again.” My voice cracks with a hollow laugh. “But this time, I’m not alone.”

He reaches for me, pulling me close until our foreheads touch, breath mingling in the dark, stale air of the cell.

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