Page 80 of Unseen Eye
“From darkness we will rise,” Callon reads aloud, his gaze dropping to the jagged mark beneath it. “Damn.”
“The Survivors?” Izzy asks.
“Unfortunately,” Theo replies, locking eyes with Callon. “The real question is how they got in here without triggering the alarms.”
“Obviously, they didn’t,” Izzy gestures toward the dead guard. “He must’ve heard something and came to investigate.”
“Dammit,” Callon mutters. “We should’ve seen something like this coming.” He turns to me. “Eva, is anything missing? What could they have been looking for?”
I scan the room again, trying to remember if I had anything important. “I don’t think so. Unless they were after my journal and didn’t realize it’s downstairs with me.”
“Maybe,” Callon says, though he doesn’t look convinced. Glancing out the window at the moon, he sighs. “Won’t my father love a late-night wake-up call. Theo, stay with her. I’ll be back.”
After he leaves, I ask Theo, “What do they want from me?”
“Hell, if I know,” he says and shrugs. “But Callon’s right—this is too much to be a coincidence.” Theo continues investigating the room, pausing by the overturned desk and drawers. “They were searching for something when they were caught.”
Not long after, Callon returns with Drystan and a handful of other guards. Drystan, looking rather annoyed about being out of bed, wears a dressing gown over his night clothes.
“Fucking Survivors,” Drystan mutters, then turns to me. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Drystan walks over to where the message is scrawled on the wall. “Theo, I expect you to lead the investigation. I want to know how these bastards got in and what they were after.”
“Of course,” Theo replies. “I’ll report any updates immediately.”
“Good,” Drystan says, turning to Callon. “I trust you’ll look after the girl.”
“Obviously,” Callon responds, as if it’s the stupidest question of the day.
“No need for the attitude, Callon. I know you’re quite fond of her,” Drystan retorts, earning a glare from Callon. “I expect to see both of you in the morning. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Drystan exits the room, the guards shuffling out behind him.
“Good-for-nothing king,” Callon mutters under his breath. He turns back to me. “In the meantime, it’s not safe for you here.”
“I really don’t think they’d return so quickly,” I reply.
“Are you suggesting you want to sleep here with all the blood and the dead body?” He arches a brow.
“Well, no,” I admit, “though I’m tired enough to sleep anywhere. “But I’m sure there are a million other empty rooms I can use.”
“She can sleep in mine,” Izzy offers.
“No,” Callon says firmly, already stuffing some of my clothing into a nearby sack. “She’s coming back with me.”
“I’m what?” I blurt out, my heart pounding at the thought. Me and Callon, alone in his place? I don’t think that’s a good idea.
“Yes,” Callon says, his princely tone leaving no room for argument. “No one would be dumb enough to come there. Besides, didn’t you say you were tired enough to sleep anywhere?” He smirks, challenging me.
“Whatever, Your Highness,” I mutter, gesturing for him to lead the way.
“Damn,” Theo says with a smirk. “She must be tired. That’s the fastest she’s ever agreed to anything.”
“Maybe we should sleep-deprive her more often,” Callon adds as we head toward the door. “Theo, see if you can figure anything else out. I’d like to keep this quiet for now—no need to alert anyone else.”
As Callon and I leave the castle, we slip out the back to avoid attention and wind through the dimly lit alleys to his place. The narrow streets are eerily quiet, as if the entire city is holding its breath, wary of Callon, whose face still holds an angry scowl.
“You might want to look less angry,” I suggest as we near his home. “People might notice something’s wrong.”
