EVA

EVA NEVER REALIZED how easy it was to become used to the Darkness until she experienced sunlight once again.

Every morning, she had woken at the crack of dawn, with lavender rays streaming through the buttery silk curtains of the master bedroom. Its brightness washed over the cabin, and if it hadn't woken her up at an ungodly hour, she likely would have said it was beautiful. It had been nearly a week since Amaya left them, but Eva had yet to readjust to proper day and night cycles.

Instead, she found routine in waking before Emrys and enjoying time nestled against his side. The steady rise and fall of his chest brought security as he slept soundly, unbothered by the sun's rudeness.

They had been given a second bedroom—one much smaller, located on the opposing side of the cabin—but it remained untouched. They agreed that electing to stay together was for safety in numbers. But through the sly grins and sleepy kisses, Eva knew they spent their nights in each other's arms for a more selfish reason than they wished to admit.

Emrys' chest shifted under her head as he stirred, and Eva allowed her eyes to flutter shut. If he knew how little rest she'd gotten lately, it would have only brought him more stress. So, she pretended to be asleep as she had done every other morning.

A soft yawn escaped his lips, and he lifted a hand to stifle the sound. Slowly, he returned his arm to where it had rested around Eva's waist throughout the night and pulled her closer in a gentle attempt not to "wake" her. It always made it harder for her to keep a neutral expression in her faux sleep.

Emrys placed a soft kiss to the top of her head, and his breath teased the flyaway strands of auburn.

And, like every other morning, Eva's throat constricted. Her mind flashed back to all she knew about him, not only firsthand, but also in the visions she had yet to tell him about. In those waking moments, he felt so perfectly human—just as he had been at some point in his life.

Finally, Emrys loosened his embrace and inched toward the edge of the bed. The arm that Eva had been resting upon slipped from beneath her, and he cradled her head in his hand before lowering it onto the cotton sheets.

As she heard his footsteps pad across the room, she opened her eyes in thin slits to watch him approach the dresser. She longed to tell him to return to their bed so that she could wrap herself in his arms again. The warm spot where he had lain was a teasing reminder of her preferred resting space on his bare chest.

She let him be while he reached for the clothes he'd laid out on the vanity the night before. The plaid lounge pants and white t-shirt were far from his typical Astraelan garb—almost something she could have seen Jensen wearing around his apartment. No matter how much time they spent together, it was difficult for her to remember they were the same person.

Eva rested her eyes once more as he changed from the boxers he slept in. She listened to him meander about the space and the adjoining bathroom, taking his time in cleaning up for the day ahead: one filled with relaxation and peace that she knew he had grown fond of.

When he finally made his way out of the bedroom, Eva pulled herself from under the covers.

She rubbed her face at the thought of spending another day in their protective bubble. While Emrys adored it, each passing hour made her more stir-crazy. It may have been safe, but their confinement did nothing but waste time they could have spent searching for answers.

The Runestone's pulse begged for her from its current hiding place beneath the dirt of a potted plant in the corner. It drove her mad to feel its constant pull, no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, and she feared the day that the stone would return to her pocket once Thana got tired of waiting around.

Eva couldn't take it any longer. She needed to get out of the room and prayed that distance would muffle the stone's call.

Making her way to the living room, she glanced at the adjoining kitchen, where a breakfast spread waited on the wooden table. Each of their meals had appeared there at varying times, with a wide variety suited for their individual tastes. Emrys assumed it was a gift from the gods that had put the clearing together.

She wasn't so sure.

Even so, it was food, and she was hungry after being awake since the crack of dawn. As she approached the kitchen, Emrys was just pulling open the fridge and popping a donut hole in his mouth.

"Morning."

Emrys jumped, smacking his head on the interior of the fridge. A carton of apple juice fell from his grasp and flopped to the floor.

Eva ran to peer over the refrigerator door. "I am so sorry..."

A laugh left Emrys' lips as he rubbed his head, snatching the carton before standing up again. "Didn't think you'd be up so early."

Eva tried to return his half-awake smile. She took a seat at one of the stools around the kitchen island while he poured a glass of juice. After capping it off and returning it to the fridge, he peeked over the door at her.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked.

Eva bit her lip in thought. A week without coffee had been the worst kind of hell, but since the gods decided caffeine beverages weren't on their list of things to poof into existence, she'd struggled to find a worthy replacement.

"Milk is fine."

With a nod, Emrys pulled the white carton out and handed it over the fridge door. Once she poured it into a small glass from the island and returned it to him, he made his way to the breakfast spread.

A comfortable silence followed while Emrys filled his plate, allowing Eva time to "get awake" as he did most mornings. She hid a chuckle behind her glass when he sat down with his platter, consisting of a few colorful Astraelan fruits mixed among numerous cinnamon sugar donut holes—just like his favorites from Ambrosia's Brew. They even tasted the same, and she couldn't help but wonder how the gods guessed that right but not her precious bean juice.

Unfortunately, the lack of chatter made it too easy for Eva to think about their situation and the lack of anything worthwhile happening if they stayed sedentary. The Runestone's pulse grew stronger in the quiet, ringing louder in her ears with each passing second.

"We can't stay here." The words left Eva's lips before she could stop them.

Emrys paused with a donut hole halfway dunked into his apple juice. Lifting his eyes from his pastry to Eva, he drew his brows together.

"I know what Amaya told us," said Eva, "but this isn't right. We're sitting ducks."

"We're safe."

Eva rubbed her forehead, unsure how to explain the thoughts that had been racing through her head—the numerous ways their current situation could go very wrong. "Do you remember my vision back at the Sanctum? Amaya was torturing Thana. Are you sure we can trust her?"

"You sound like Mystia." Emrys popped the well-saturated donut hole into his mouth, but his chewing slowed.

A moment passed as Eva mulled over her thoughts. She wasn't sure how much to tell him about his origins, Amaya's plan to wait out his demise, or Thana's status as a goddess. If his memory had been wiped...

"Eva," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Pieces of cinnamon sugar clung stubbornly to his scruff. "We don't even know if your visions are right." He lowered the cloth and placed his hand over hers. "Whatever controlled you... that can't be Thana. She wouldn't have attacked me."

Despite how hard he tried to convince her, something in his eyes told her he wasn't entirely sure himself, and the way his hand covered hers with a tentative touch broke her heart.

"It is Thana," she said. "I know it is, and she's afraid, too. If Amaya somehow imprisoned her—"

"She's dead. You saw her body."

"Thana isn't dead. I don't know how, but she's alive." Eva grasped his hand firmly. "Amaya seemed rushed. If Thana's escaped, that would be why our connection is stronger, and if Amaya is hunting her down... what if she needs our help?"

Emrys opened his mouth, but no sound escaped. She was cracking his stubborn streak.

"Amaya was never looking for your cure. She's trying to kill Thana, but she's waiting for the Touch to take you first." She took a deep breath, regretting words that had yet to leave her lips. "I've seen it in my visions. Thana had a lot to say when she led me through the woods."

Silence followed as Emrys mulled her words over with a swig of apple juice. His eyes softened while he stared into his glass. Worry lines creased his forehead, and he set down his drink to run a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

"I'm not strong enough to save anyone," he mumbled.

Eva tried not to show the concern on her own face. He was right, and she knew it.

"We've made it this far." Eva gave a half-hearted laugh. "We either fight and die or stay here and—"

"Wait for me to die."

The words knocked the breath from her lungs..

"Amaya had a convenient prison waiting for us," she said. "Clothes, shelter, sun..." She nodded at Emrys, who reached for another donut hole. "...food. But I guess that's the best way to keep someone trapped. Make it feel like home."

Emrys popped the pastry in his mouth and reached for another. It had been a noticeable nervous habit lately to suppress whatever writhed inside of him with whatever materialized in front of him. But instead of eating his next one, he rolled it between his fingers before finally looking back up at her.

"When do we leave?"

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