Page 62 of Unseen Eye (Aetherian Chronicles #1)

The words spill out of me, a cascade of questions tumbling over each other, desperate to make sense of the pieces.

“I’m willing to bet Baron did. He was mesmerized by it the first time he saw it.

Maybe that’s why he wanted me to marry Garet.

” The realization sinks in, but the truth—his silence—hits harder.

I turn to him, catching his gaze. He doesn’t look away this time, but his face is unreadable, a mask I’ve never seen before. Theo and Izzy fall silent, their eyes flicking back and forth between us, questions on the tips of their tongues.

I stare at him. He stares back.

My heart pounds, a frantic rhythm that drowns out every rational thought. Please don’t know. Please don’t know, I silently beg. But the longer he stands there, quiet, his face hardening, the more certain I become. He doesn’t need to say anything.

I already know.

He knew.

A tense silence settles over us, thick and oppressive, pressing down on every word left unsaid. Cal’s jaw clenches, his eyes filled with a storm of emotions, but still, he says nothing.

“Cal,” I whisper, my voice cracking, raw with disbelief and betrayal. “You knew, didn’t you?”

He hesitates, and in that single pause, the truth crashes over me, jagged and unforgiving. “Yes,” he finally admits, barely a whisper, the weight of his guilt spilling out in that single word.

Beside me, Izzy’s eyes widen, her mouth falling open. “You knew and didn’t say anything?” Her voice trembles with the same disbelief coiling in my chest.

I take a step back, the full weight of his confession slamming into me. The one person I thought I could trust—the one who promised he had my back—kept this from me. My heart twists, a pain sharper than any wound.

“Eva,” Theo murmurs gently, his arm steady around me. But his soft words do nothing to stop the storm churning inside me. All I can see is Cal—the memories of his smile, the comfort he once offered me—and now it all feels like a lie.

“Why?” My voice rises, cutting through the silence like a blade.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Do you have any idea how many nights I spent wondering, wishing for something, anything?

” My throat tightens, my pulse thundering in my ears, but I force the words out, each one dripping with venom.

“You knew, and you said nothing? You’re no better than Garet or Baron, keeping your fucking secrets.

You knew how much this meant to me, and still, you kept me in the dark. ”

Cal flinches at the comparison, but he doesn’t argue. He doesn’t defend himself. That only makes the fury in me burn hotter, consuming every last bit of trust I had left.

“You were supposed to be different,” I scream, my voice cracking.

“But you’re just like the rest of them. Full of your own hidden agendas, your secrets.

I trusted you.” The words slice through the air, sharp and unrestrained, but the pain in my chest only deepens, filling every hollow space left by his betrayal.

The silence that follows is suffocating, thick with words unsaid and wounds left open. My heart races, each beat a reminder of the betrayal, the hurt. A part of me clings to some faint hope he’ll say something—anything—to make this right, to offer some explanation that doesn’t leave me broken.

But he doesn’t. The silence stretches on, and I know it’s too late.

“I need to get out of here,” I whisper to Theo, my voice barely a breath, trembling with the weight of everything I can’t bear. “Please… just get me out of here.”

Theo’s arm tightens around me, but before he can respond, Cal steps forward, desperation etched across his face.

“I can do it,” he says softly, as if he thinks there’s still something he can say to make this right.

“Fuck you, Callon.” The words fly out of me, sharp and unyielding.

My hand instinctively reaches for my dagger—only to remember it’s gone.

The emptiness fuels my anger, making it burn hotter.

My chest heaves, fingers curling, desperate for something to ground me.

I tear the necklace from my neck, the chain snapping, and throw it at him.

“Let me ask you something,” I spit, voice rising.

“Was there ever a plan to tell me? Or was I just a pawn, waiting around until I was ‘useful’ enough for the truth?”

He flinches, but he can’t meet my gaze. The silence stretches, a chasm of everything unsaid, and his head drops, as though the weight of it all is too much.

I let out a bitter laugh, one devoid of any real humor. “I thought so.” My voice cracks, too full, too raw. “You’re just like him.”

“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. You taught 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 it oddly 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.