Page 180 of Seeking Shadows

She collapses against me, her breath warm against my skin, her body so small, so fragile.

I wrap my arms around her, pressing my face into her hair, breathing her in, grounding myself in her warmth.

I was ready to tear myself apart for her.

“I can feel your head burning, Zane.”

Her voice is weak, but it cuts through the haze in my mind. I turn my attention back to her, tightening my grip around her frail body.

“Rest, Mia,” I murmur, pressing my lips to her forehead.

She exhales softly but doesn’t let it go. “You know what my father told you about eating people?”

My chest tightens. “Mia…”

“I don’t remember much,” she says, her voice barely more than a breath. “But I know I did it. I remember the hunger, the way they left me starving for days on purpose. I remember them whispering to me, telling me lies about how that person had hurt my brother. I remember the anger… and then everything is a blur.”

“They probably deserved that fate,” I said, my voice low.

“Yeah, probably…” she whispered, a faint, tired smile crossing her lips. She looked like she could barely keep her eyes open. “It’s a pity. I always fantasized about killing Dr. Icaza before dying. I think he won this round.”

I smiled, watching her try to stay awake, her body sinking deeper into the mattress.

“I wouldn’t be so sure…” I murmured.

She blinked slowly, struggling to focus on me. Confusion flickered across her face before it shifted — realization hitting her like a slow, heavy wave.

“You… you were the one killing them,” she breathed. Her voice cracked slightly. “That explains why you got sick all the time.”

I leaned closer, brushing a hand lightly over her hair, feeling how drained she was.

“I killed everyone who hurt you and lived,” I said, the words coming out rougher than I intended.

She stared at me like I was something unreal — something bigger than life. Her fingers, weak and trembling, curled into my shirt like she didn’t want to let go.

“That’s… actually sweet,” she murmured.

Her eyes flutter closed, and her body sags against mine. Panic claws at my ribs, and I force myself to keep talking, to keep her with me.

“When I first met you, I was scared shitless that you were going to kill me.”

“You seemed so calm,” she whispers, her lips barely moving. “I think that’s when I fell in love with you. Because you exude peace.”

I let out a hollow laugh. “I wasn’t calm. I was shitting my pants. But if you were actually going to kill me, I knew it would be for a damn good reason. I mean… I put you in a coma.”

“I don’t care,” she murmurs, her words slipping between exhaustion and something softer. “In the end, I won you over.”

“Fuck, Mia…”

“I think I’m dying, Zane.” Her voice wavers, small and distant. “My body is so tired.”

Her skin is cold. Too cold. It gives me goosebumps.

I rub my hands over her arms, trying to warm her, but it’s no use. She’s wasting away in front of me, getting smaller and smaller, like she’s slipping through my fingers and I can’t hold on.

Panic shreds through me. I tighten my arms around her, as if I can physically keep her here, as if my own body heat could bring her back. “No, you’re not going to die,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Even if I have to cut off a piece of myself and feed it to you.”

She lets out a weak, breathy laugh. “Stop saying things like that… It’s macabre.”

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