Praetorian Rising, стр. 54
Camille felt a crackling surge of frustration zip through her system, but she effectively smacked it away like an annoying bug. She wasn't going to let the idea of Charlie and Theo being an item bother her, not today. She patted at her unruly auburn locks self-consciously, desperately trying to soothe them down into a semblance of order as she picked at the food on her plate.
"We need to make sure you know how to handle yourself," Theo continued, his confident tone of intimacy toward her like a hot poker in the gut. She wasn't sure if it was the way he looked at her or the immense depth of his azure stare, but she felt a sizzling bubble of heat brewing in the pit of her stomach as she glared at him from beneath her lashes. Did Charlie notice? Was she aware of the spark igniting?
She shook her head and ducked her eyes to focus on the greyish eggs on her plate. At least Vesyon made her feel a sense of comfort, like he was there to help her through the confusion of remembering who she was, how she felt, and what she wanted. Theo's familiarity with her felt too close, and it unnerved her more than she wanted to admit even to herself.
"What do you think, Camille?"
Her eyes popped up to his face, her expression a blank slate hiding the tumble of emotions beneath the surface. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Did you not sleep well last night?" Theo said, waving his hand in front of her glazed eyes. This made Charlie giggle, but Camille was pretty sure the brunette would find Theo hilarious even if he were reciting the Aspera Munera twenty-four-seven.
"Um, no." Camille retorted, shoving a large pile of eggs in her mouth to keep the rising embarrassment from taking over her facial features. She didn't want to admit to the reasons why she'd gotten so little sleep that night before. After her meeting with Vesyon, Camille had tossed and turned as her mind warped images of Vesyon and Theo together in a myriad of brilliant pleasure and frustrating dead-ends. She hadn't woken that morning so much as given up on the idea of finding sleep in the first place.
Theo's lips parted in a knowing smile. He was getting under her skin, and he liked it. "I asked," he said with slow focus on each syllable, "what do you think?"
"About what?" she shot back, caring little for his cocky expression as she jammed her fork through a piece of sausage. Her mind unwillingly zeroed in on the memory of his hand slipping around her hip and cinching her body against his, and her throat seized. The memory made her choke, sending her into a spasm of coughs, spewing pieces of sausage all over her plate.
"You ok?" Charlie asked, her face pinched with slight disgust.
Camille coughed and hacked the bits of sausage still lodged in her throat but nodded in response, not trusting her vocal cords to form a single syllable without sending her back into a fit of coughs. Grabbing for Theo's glass of water, she chugged it quickly, downing the contents in four large gulps.
"I was drinking that," Theo said dryly with a frown, but Camille ignored him. "Anyway," he said, staring at Camille to gain her attention. She glanced up and nodded once, encouraging him to continue before she lowered her face to keep the blazing heat of her embarrassment to herself. "There isn't a great place to train down here at the moment, so we're going to head up top," Theo continued, moving subtly away from Charlie's thigh casually pressed against his.
"You sure that's a great idea?" Camille replied after a hefty gulp of steaming coffee she pulled from Theo's side of the table. He didn't argue but snatched the cup back the second she placed it back on the table.
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Camille shook her head, thinking of what Vesyon had told her the night before of the Equestrians coming to Romeo Village. Camille felt her cheeks flush yet again remembering the warmth of Vesyon's breath against her lips, a single breath away from making contact. Compared to the natural comfort of Vesyon, Theo's touch had been a roaring blaze burning her straight to the bone. She began to lose focus when her thoughts slipped toward how her dreams had contorted the events of her evening.
"You positive you're alright?" Theo asked, his brows knitted together over his penetrating stare. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing!" Camille shot back. "I'm fine."
His brows shot upward into his hairline, the softer features melting away into a hard line of assessment.
"I can guarantee you going up top isn't a problem," Charlie piped up, weaving a delicate arm around Theo's. He seemed unsurprised by her action and didn't make a motion to distance himself. "Acher Greeves assured us this morning that we could head to the north flats to train today,"
"You've already seen me fight," Camille said, glaring at Theo. She shrugged casually hoping he didn’t hear the jealousy in her voice. "I'm not sure it's necessary." The last thing she wanted was to spend more time with him when Charlie was so obviously desperate for his attention.
"It's absolutely necessary. I need to see you in full combat to test your skills," Theo said with a wink in Charlie's direction, puffing out his chest in a show of bravado. Charlie sighed audibly looking like she might faint with desire.
Camille rolled her eyes and went back to her plate, both surprised and disappointed to find it empty. "I fail to see how fighting you will showcase my expertise in protecting myself. I'm supposed to go up against the best to prove I'm better, am I not?" she said, snatching a piece of bread off Theo's plate.
His mouth popped open in surprise, watching as she shoved the entire piece into her mouth, chewing