Page 97 of Unseen Eye
“Eva, please—” he starts, but I cut him off, anger blazing like wildfire through my veins.
“No.” I turn back to Theo, feeling the pressure in my chest, the words burning to be let out. “Get me out of here.”
Theo hesitates, his gaze flickering between me and Cal, torn, but then he pulls me closer, wraps his arm around my shoulders, and guides me away. We leave Izzy and Cal behind, stepping through to the other side.
The world re-forms around us, but my heart is still fractured, the betrayal lingering like a wound that refuses to heal. Theo pauses, his hand finding mine, his face heavy with concern.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” he asks gently, searching my face.
I look up at him, my vision blurred by tears I can’t hold back. My voice is barely a whisper, breaking under the weight of it all.“He lied to me, Theo. After everything… after all this time… he still couldn’t trust me with the truth.”
The tears fall, hot and unrelenting, and I don’t bother trying to hide them. The sky flickers in response, a testament to the storm brewing inside me, and magic pulses outward with every shaky breath, every splintered heartbeat.
Theo watches me, his expression softening. “I won’t lie… I’m surprised he kept it from us. That’s not like Cal.” He pauses, searching for words. “But I know him, Eva. If he didn’t tell you, there was a reason. I’m not saying he was right… I’m just saying…”
I can’t listen to any more of this. Not now. Not when the weight of everything is pressing down on me like a storm. “Theo…” I take a breath, pushing away the rising anger. “Can you take me to Pinebrook?”
He blinks, startled by my request. “Pinebrook?” His voice softens. “Eva, that’s… I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not now, not with everything happening.”
“I need to go,” I insist, my voice steady despite the urgency inside me. “It’s the only place that’s mine. For all its painful memories, it’s the one place that still holds a part of me. I need to step away from all of this… take a breath. I can’t do it here.” I shake my head, looking anywhere but at him, though I can feel the hurt still clinging to every word. “I need space.”
Theo hesitates, the lines of his jaw tightening. “Eva… you know I’d do anything for you, but Pinebrook? It’s too risky.”
“I know,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. “But I’m not asking you to put me in danger. I’m asking for a break from all of this. A place that still feels like me.”
Theo’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t pull away. “What if something happens to you? I can’t—”
“If anything happens to me,” I cut him off, my voice steady despite the storm brewing in my chest, “then it’s on me. Youtaught me how to handle myself, Theo. You taught me how to fight back. All that training wasn’t for nothing. I’ll be fine.”
He looks torn, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. After a long pause, he exhales sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. “All right. Fine. But I’m only doing this on two conditions.”
“Which are?” I ask, though I already sense what he’s going to say.
“First,” Theo starts, his voice firm, “three days. I’m giving you three days, even if you’re not ready. I’ll drag you back kicking and screaming.”
I nod, agreeing silently. I can do this.
“Second,” he adds with a grimace, “I’m making a set of rune rocks for you. You’ll keep one with you, and I’ll carry the other. If there’s even the slightest hint of danger… even if you spot a bear in the woods…” He half-smiles, but there’s a seriousness in his eyes. “You let me know. Immediately.”
I take in his words, the weight of his promise, and I don’t hesitate. “I will.”
Theo doesn’t waste any time. He bends down and picks up two smooth rocks from the ground, each about the size of a small fist. Without a word, he begins tracing runes on them with his finger. The lines he draws glow faintly under his touch—sharp, deliberate strokes that seem to hum with aether, curling and weaving together in intricate patterns. His movements are steady and practiced, as if he’s done this countless times before. There’s something mesmerizing about how the runes seem to come to life in the air around him, like the rocks themselves are absorbing the aether, ready to respond to whatever danger might come.
After a few moments, he hands one of the rocks to me, the cool surface still tingling with the energy of the runes. “Keep it close. It’ll let me know when something’s wrong,” he says. I slip the stone into my pocket without a second thought, the weight of itoddly comforting.
Theo pulls me into a brief but tight hug, his arms firm around me as though to imprint the moment into his memory. The silence is thick, heavy with unsaid things, but before I can linger on it any longer, I feel the shift in the air—the familiar tug of magic.
In the blink of an eye, we’re standing in Pinebrook.
Theo takes a moment to assess the surrounding area, his eyes scanning the trees and the dirt path that leads up to the cottage. The soldier in him is always alert, always searching for threats, and I can see his mind working, calculating the risks. But after a beat, his gaze falls on the cottage, and the tension in his shoulders eases just a fraction.
The outside of the cottage hasn’t changed since I was here a few weeks ago, still bearing the scars of the commander’s attack. Burn marks stretch like shadows across the walls of Kendry’s workshop, the windows still shattered, shards of glass catching the faint light. The sight makes me wince. Even now, the wounds of that day remain raw, a constant reminder of what’s been lost and the truths Kendry hid from me. This place should’ve been safe. But it wasn’t—not from the battles that seem to follow me wherever I go.
Theo’s gaze shifts from the cottage to me, his brow furrowing. “You sure this place is livable?” His voice is laced with doubt, and I can see the regret in his eyes, the weight of his decision settling over him. “I mean, it looks like it might collapse any minute.”
“It’s fine,” I reply, trying to sound more confident than I feel. “I’ll just avoid Kendry’s workshop. I can make do.” I force a smile, the kind I’ve gotten good at wearing even when everything inside feels off balance. “I can take care of myself here.”
Theo makes a noise somewhere between a laugh and a groan. “You’re gonna be the death of me, you know that?” He shakes hishead, but there’s affection in his gaze, despite the worry.
