Page 66 of Seeking Shadows

“You’re with his sister.” She tilts her head, her eyes wide with that earnest, unfiltered innocence. “Don’t worry. It’s weird for me to see this side of O-Seth too. When we were younger, he was the sweetest boy I’d ever met. I mean, not that I’d met many boys back then... but One was just different. He’d do anything to make sure I was safe, to keep me from getting hurt or having to deal with the bad guys. I remember this one night—the night before he disappeared for good—he wouldn’t sleep. He just stared at me like he knew something awful was coming. He was so…there, you know?” She smiles softly, a little sad, but protective, like she still holds onto the memory of him, wrapped in that fierce, sweet energy only she can have.

“Maybe he knew.”

“ Nico was always harder on him.”

“He and my sister were great friends. Maybe they still are.”

“Oh.” Mia looks at me, confused. She throws her knife, perfectly hitting the center of the target, then looks back at me. “I thought your sister was with that guy… Hardin? Har...?”

“Harvin,” I conclude. “They are together. I don’t talk to her much. Our relationship is complicated.”

“Why?”

“She doesn’t handle people leaving very well. When I left, she took it personally. Kyle still texts me. Taylor never did again.”

“You miss her.”

“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “She’s my sister.”

“I feel like there’s more to it.”

“Well, let’s just say each Hill had their own burden. Mine was to clean up the mess, be invisible, take the punches quietly, and avoid trouble. Taylor’s was my mother. She had the most contact with her, and it messed her up.”

“Messed her up how?”

“Kyle and I tried to help, but we never could. Harvin’s the only one who can handle it. Maybe because she has that… favorite person connection with him.”

“I may not be the most experienced when it comes to family,” she says, “but I was once told that I can’t live by assumptions. So I’m going to recycle that for you—maybe talking to Taylor will make you feel better.”

“And who said I’m not okay?”

“Me,” she says matter-of-factly, sitting on my lap, making me face her. Instantly, I’m hyper-aware of the day in the kitchen, the sounds she was making. My cock throbs with the need to be inside her again.

Fuck.

“I know you,” she murmurs, wrapping her arms around my neck. “You miss them.”

The words hit like a bucket of ice. I think about denying it. But this is Mia—she gets me. There’s no judgment with her.

We are one and the same.

“I’ll talk to her,” I finally say. “Not now. Eventually.”

“Okay.” She presses her cheek against my shoulder, holding me a little tighter.

I’ve noticed Mia acting strange today, like she’s ignoring all the tension between us and just asking for affection.

Like part of her has given up fighting. It makes me wonder if something happened yesterday to make her like this.

I try to pull the memory, but nothing comes. So, with a heavy sigh, I decide to ask.

“Everything okay?”

“I’m just trying to get my energy up for dinner tonight. I’m not the biggest fan of seeing my dad.”

“Understandable. But if you want to run, we can—”

“I’m tired of running away.” She sighs. “That’s not the life I want for you. Living on the run.”

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