Praetorian Rising, стр. 29
"Oh, I knew you'd dodge it," the man said smugly. "And don't look so happy to see me. A genuine 'hello Theo Shaehy, so good to see you again' would've been fantastic, but alas."
"First—I don't know you. 'Theo,' is it? Well, it's not nice to say hello with a sword at my back," Camille retorted.
"Oh?" he said in a challenging tone. "A welcoming knife is better, is it?"
Camille blushed at the memory of seeing him in the woods, her small hunting dagger her only weapon at the time. Now she was properly weighed down with tools of protection, but there was little use in grabbing one. The sparkling bubble of humor swimming in the ocean depths of his eyes let her know that he was merely teasing her.
"Perhaps a sharp blade and a curt word or two is the best and only way to greet a man such as yourself."
"Is that so?" Theo replied, his eyebrows shooting up toward his hairline. "I can think of a better way." His smile, though incredibly alluring, caused Camille's entire body to stiffen. He moved toward her, arms stretched out to either side in a motion of embrace, but she quickly backed away, her hand jutting in front of her to hold him off.
"What are you doing?" Camille said, her voice curt and sharp, crackling through the brisk air like a leather whip.
He stopped, faltering for a moment, and then stared at her. His eyes narrowed into slits and then relaxed again in open assessment of her. It was quite unnerving and yet she didn't turn away from it. She, in turn, glared back at him with just as much attention, her eyes roving his body to place him in the unknown empty memories of her past life. Who was he to her? Just like Vesyon, Theo knew her, and it bothered her to no end to not recognize him in the slightest.
The sides of his head appeared freshly trimmed almost down to his skull, but the top blond mop of his hair curled charmingly over the back of his head as though he had just run his fingers through the wavy silken strands. His crescent moon eyebrows were full, hunkering over nomad-blue, almond-shaped eyes sparkling in the late afternoon like rays of light on cresting ocean waves. He was taller than she remembered, just a hair shorter than Vesyon if she had to guess, but his build appeared stockier. His shoulders pressed outward against the muddied black linen shirt he wore as though it were almost a second skin, and yet his waist trimmed down into a very dramatic "V" leaving the shirt loose and waving in the wind beneath a dark brown leather vest.
A sharp nose and angular cheekbones gave his face a stone-like visage, but the scar running the length from his temple down past the corner of his left eye destroyed any perfect symmetry he perhaps had at one time. He quirked a cocky smile, apparently loving her silent perusal of his body.
"Are you done?" Theo said, one brow tilting upwards in obvious amusement.
Camille tensed at his expression. Shaking her head with annoyance, she felt ready to slap the stupid grin off his gorgeous face when it miraculously melted away. He went rigid, staring at a spot just over her shoulder.
"Don't. Move," Theo said slowly, bending to reach for his discarded blade. "Move very carefully toward me, Cam."
"Which is it? Move or don't?" Camille hissed.
"Keep your mouth shut, Cam, and just inch toward me. Trust me."
Camille opened her mouth to question him further when she smelled it: the stench of rotting flesh, followed by a deep and guttural growl. The Chimera had found her.
Chapter Eight
Illusions Revealed
"Cam, jump!" Theo screamed. Her muscles catapulted into action as she dove into a roll, narrowly missing a deathly swipe from the Chimera's claws. Just before the Chimera's enormous fangs could clamp down on her calf, the rope of Camille's trap wrapped tightly around the monster's left hind leg, yanking it up into the trees.
The branches Camille had used for her trap wouldn't hold long. They were only slightly thicker than the Chimera's enormous neck and would be ripped down in a matter of minutes. Both Camille and Theo stood their ground in front of the Chimera, tense and ready for the fight to come.
"Aim for the neck but keep away from its claws. And whatever you do, don't let it bite you. It will be the last thing you ever feel," Theo said.
Panic gripped her insides like a vicious snake, coiling and uncoiling, seeping its venom into her extremities and causing her to tingle uncomfortably. She had never fought such a beast before; she wasn't even sure she knew how. Doubt clouded her senses for barely a moment before a rush of warmth slipped throughout her body just beneath the skin, filling her with strength. The soothing heat tingled at her fingertips and radiated around her eyes.
Camille glanced at Theo, and her jaw dropped at the sudden change in his appearance. His eyes were completely black. The irises had lost all their color, the coal hue expanding past the skin of his brow line. Theo had turned from a mysterious and comical stranger into a demonic monster.
"What are you?" Camille asked, her shock freezing her momentarily in place.
"I think you should ask yourself the same question," Theo said, smiling as roguishly as if he hadn't just turned into a creature of the afterlife before her eyes.
The Chimera ripped it’s leg from the restraints in one last angry thrash before it fell to the ground in a heap. The beast didn't wait to advance; it charged forward, with Camille as its priority target.
Her body responded instinctively, slipping into a seemingly familiar dance. She didn't pause or hesitate as she lurched forward, raking one of her blades across its belly. The