Page 183 of Seeking Shadows

"Mia wouldn’t live if you didn’t. Then this whole mission would be for nothing."

I don’t respond. I can’t.

We push forward. My head spins, my body screams in protest, but I force myself onward. The night air crashes against my skin as we break free from the building.

And then—I see the car.

Pietro is behind the wheel, face unreadable, but there’s relief in the way his shoulders shift.

The back door is already open.

Seth places Mia inside. Not gently. Just fast.

I slide in after her, my leg on fire, my mind still trying to keep up.

Only when the door shuts, enclosing us in a cocoon of silence, do I finally release the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

My chest rises and falls. The adrenaline still hums under my skin.

But now—now we’re safe.

MIA

"You're not Laura," I whisper as Seth lowers me onto the seat. My body feels like it's made of lead, but I manage a weak smile.

"No, I'm not."

"You came to save me."

"Of course I came to save you. You think I spent weeks watching you make stupid decisions and lying to my face for nothing?"

"You knew."

"Of course I knew, Mia." His voice is sharp, frustrated, but there's something else under it—something raw. "You're going to be okay now. Just hold on a little longer."

"I will," I murmur.

A new voice cuts through the haze.

"I'm a little offended, little sis, that you trusted our little sister to save you and not me."

"Our little sister is smarter than you, crybaby," I mumble, my lips barely forming the words. Everything feels distant—like I’m slipping in and out of my own body. Seth shoves a water bottle into my hands. My fingers are clumsy, shaking, but I drink, each drop like life itself.

My stomach twists. My body feels foggy, unsteady, too heavy to hold itself together.

I feel it all coming back, rising like a wave about to crash over me. But I force myself to hold on.

"Not to ruin the touching sibling moment," Pietro interjects, voice sharp, "but we need to get the hell out of here. Now."

"I came with Taylor, remember?" Seth says, turning to him.

Pietro snorts. "Shit. You're gonna have to choose, Evans."

Seth doesn’t hesitate. "I need to get Taylor out of here. You take Mia and Zane to safety."

"Seth," Pietro says, and there’s something in his tone—something heavy, something that almost sounds like regret. But maybe I'm too far gone to understand it. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"It's the only way! Now go!"

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