Page 85 of Seeking Shadows

“Then he’s going to do it to her!” I screamed. “I’d rather it be me. I don’t want her to get hurt. I can take the pain. I’ve been taking it for years.”

“Mia…”

“Go away.”

“No.”

“Then I will.” I marched off.

The rain fell heavily, soaking my clothes, my skin, my thoughts. But none of it bothered me as much as he did. Standing there. Stubborn. Annoying. Determined.

“Zane, go away.” My words came out sharp, but my voice shook at the end. I hated this. I hated that he made me doubt what I needed to do.

“No.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I took a deep breath, trying not to scream. “You don’t understand—”

“I understand.” His calmness irritated me more than anything else. “You think you have to face this alone. Like you always have.”

“Because I have to! Because it’s my problem! If you stay, he’ll use you against me. You know that, Zane!”

“Yes.” He didn’t back down. “And I don’t care.”

My fingers curled into fists. “But I care!” I pushed at him, but he didn’t move. He never moved.

“I can handle my father. I can handle all of this. But you—” My throat tightened, and I hated how my voice cracked. “You don’t need to be here.”

"I know I don’t need to, but do you? Do you know that, Mia?" Zane’s voice was quiet, but there was a weight behind it that made me pause.

I bit my lip, refusing to let the emotion creep in.

"You can come home, Mia. I'll protect you, your brother, your sister. Nico won’t touch them."

I shook my head, my chest tightening. "I don’t deserve to be protected, Zane. I don’t want any of that. This is my life. This has always been my life."

His face hardened, but his voice softened, a trace of something like desperation in it. "It’ll only be your life if you let it."

The words hit harder than I expected. My breathing caught in my throat, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. "He's going to kill her..."

Zane’s expression shifted. "Who?"

I let out a long breath, the weight of the truth too heavy to hide anymore. "My mother. Katie." I could barely get the words out. "He keeps her hidden from everything and everyone. It's how he controls me. If I try to fight back, he hurts her. Moves her to another place. It's like I can never get to her. She's the most protected prisoner he has, Zane. Nico’s golden ticket. Sometimes I think he’s obsessed with her, other times I think he's hiding her for something bigger."

Zane was quiet for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if he was processing it all. Then, without hesitation, he stepped closer, his hands catching me by the shoulders and pulling me into him.

"We’re going to find her, Mia." His voice was steady, strong. "You’re not doing this alone."

I felt my body stiffen against him, but he didn’t let go. His warmth wrapped around me, and I wanted to pull away, to shove the fear back down, but I couldn’t.

"Zane," I whispered, shaking my head. "You don’t understand. She’s untouchable. He’s locked her away for years.”

"She’s alive," Zane interrupted, his voice firm. "If she’s out there, we’ll find her.”

His fingers tangled in my hair, grounding me, and something inside me broke. For the first time in forever, I allowed myself to believe him.

He stared at me, the sound of rain between us.

Then he spoke, his voice low, intense, almost breaking me completely.

---