Page 39 of Seeking Shadows

The moment my father realizes how much Zane means to me, he’ll take him away—just like he’s taken everything else.

“For someone who was obsessed with me,” Zane drawls, “you’ve clearly changed. Who’s running now?”

I force a shrug. “What can I say? I got bored.”

He hums, amused. “So that’s why you killed my friend? To make a point about divorce?”

“Maybe,” I say, smiling. But it’s fake. I didn’t want him dead.

His hand closes around my wrist, pulling me down until our faces are inches apart. His gaze flickers over mine, unreadable, but his touch is anything but indifferent.

My body stills, every nerve on edge, aching for something I shouldn’t want.

I missed him. God,Mia, react.

“You should remind your body to get bored, too,” he murmurs with dark amusement. “My sweet chaos.”

I swallow hard. “Let me go.”

He does. We both stand. But the smug smirk remains.

So I bend down and trip him.

Zane grunts as he lands flat on his back, blinking up at me in stunned disbelief.

“Someone’s distracted,” I say in a singsong tone, hands on my hips.

He snorts, rubbing his face before exhaling heavily, like he’s finally—

“You justpinned me downin the middle of a picnic.”

“Yes!” I grin. “And it wasbeautiful.”

He lets out a dry laugh, still staring at the sky like he’s reconsidering all his life choices.

“I should’ve left you at the North Pole.”

“You’d never leave me at the North Pole.”

“Oh, no?” He props himself up on his elbows, arching a brow. “Why not?”

“Because you love me.”

He freezes.

The air between us tightens, the words hanging there like a live wire. My pulse stutters, and I almost—almost—take it back. Instead, I look away, scrambling to cover my slip. “And because you wouldn’t survive without my energy boost, obviously.”

His lips twitch. “Your ego is insufferable.”

Good. He ignored my lame statement—I didn’t mean to imply that he loved me.

It’s just so easy to believe it when I’m with him, when his eyes linger a second too long, when his touch sends a warmth through me that feels like something more.

Like something real.

“My ego isnatural charm.”

Before I can savor my victory, he moves—grabbing my ankle and yanking me down in one smooth motion.

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