Page 167 of Seeking Shadows

She wants to kill.

I know that look. I’ve seen it before.

Paulina writhes on the floor, wailing, but before Mia can take another step, an arm clamps around my chest, yanking me backward.

Nico.

“You stay quiet,” he says, voice steady, unreadable.

Mia’s gaze locks onto his hand gripping me, her entire body snapping taut. "Let him go," she warns, voice low, steady. "Or I’ll kill every last one of you."

Nico only chuckles. "Be my guest, daughter," he says mildly. "But if you do, know that I’ll put a bullet through his skull first. And I’ll make you watch."

The shift in Mia is instant.

Terror.

Not fear for herself—for me. It shakes her, just for a second, and I hate that. Hate that she’s caught in this position, that she feels powerless.

I need to fight.

Nico’s hold tightens, an iron grip caging me in place. I twist hard, throwing my full weight into breaking free, but he’s stronger. Faster. I use something Mia taught me—some trick meant to unbalance an opponent—but it’s no use.

Damn it.

Nico only laughs, low and amused. "You should learn to control your woman, boy."

Rage sears through me.

I twist again, this time bringing my fist up, smashing it into his face. The impact makes my knuckles throb, but Nico barely flinches.

He only smiles.

And then, with deliberate calm, he pulls out another weapon.

Shit.

I see it in his eyes. He’s going to shoot. I don’t have time to think, no time to run—

Then I remember.

My pocket.

My fingers dive into the torn fabric, brushing against two things: Mia’s necklace, tangled from when she dropped it yesterday, and the small vial I had tucked away.

Not as a weapon. Not as a precaution.

Just an experiment. A chemical reaction I’d been testing, something unfinished.

Modified Perchloric Acid.

Pure, it burns through flesh and bone in seconds, searing like hell itself. Lethal. Unforgiving. But mixed with the right stabilizers—ethanol, sodium bicarbonate—it turns harmless. A solvent. A trick of chemistry.

I hadn’t planned on using it.

But now—

My hand moves on instinct.

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