Page 196 of Seeking Shadows

He smiles, a rare, quiet thing that almost cracks the dark edge of him, but just as quickly as it appears, it’s gone. His face hardens, the protector in him flickering to life. "As long as it’s you and me, I don’t care about anything else."

I laugh softly, despite the heavy weight of his words.

He leans his forehead against mine, his breath mingling with mine, the world outside us fading into nothing. “You’re mine, Mia. Always. Even when it feels like everything else is falling apart. You’ll never be alone in this. I’ll make sure of that.”

The promise in his voice settles deep within me, like a dark, consuming force that both terrifies and excites me. I smile, feeling the warmth of it wrap around me. "Together, Zane. Until the end."

I lose myself in him, without reservation, as if each kiss were the last.

In the small moments of happiness, we feel the weight of who we are, of the intensity with which we consume ourselves.

He is real. He is more real than anything I have ever felt.

He makes me feel that, despite the world being a chaotic and difficult place, with him everything is simple, everything is pure.

I will always love Zane, fiercely, as if each moment with him could be the last.

Desperately, like a drowning person gasping for air, with a hunger so deep it feels like it could consume me whole. And possessively, like he’s a rare, precious treasure that no one else can ever touch, a piece of him that belongs only to me.

If he hides, I seek. Because we are each other's shadows, always.

Until the end.

EPILOGUE

MIA

The phone rings, and my heart nearly stops. I grab it so quickly that I barely notice the tremor in my fingers.

“Seth?” My voice is urgent, tight with anxiety, maybe even desperate.

“Hey, Twin.” His tone is too calm, too easy, like he hasn’t disappeared for days, like he doesn’t know how much it’s been eating me up inside.

I close my eyes, pressing the phone to my ear. “You’re alive.”

“Of course I am. And so are you, which is good.” He pauses, the silence stretching too long. “Now, just hold on a little longer.”

I swallow. “Where are you?”

“Running errands.”

“What kind of errands?”

He laughs, but there’s a hardness behind it. “Mia, really? You think I’m gonna give you the details? Nah.”

My jaw tightens. “Then tell me you’re safe.”

“Safe enough,” he replies, his voice too cool, too unconcerned. “I’m not dead, am I?”

“Seth, I’m sick with worry. Come home.”

He chuckles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Relax, Mia. I’ve got stuff to do. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

The words feel empty, like a promise he can’t keep. But before I can press him further, his voice drops, quieter now. “There’s something else.”

My breath catches in my throat. “What?”

“Katie… she’s gone.”

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