Praetorian Rising, стр. 55

"There's no way I'm missing this," Charlie mumbled, nibbling on the edge of an apple.

Theo quirked an eyebrow at Camille, allowing a tiny smirk to flash across his features before returning his full attention to the last bit of eggs and toast on his plate.

In the span of a meal, his mood had gone from icy arrogance to sizzling excitement. His eyes rarely left Camille's face, staring at her as though everything between them was back to normal. The flip and sway of his emotions were disorienting, and despite nausea creeping in, Camille's stomach felt distended in bliss. It was the first time she'd been full in several days. A pang of guilt slid across her conscious thinking of Sierra Village and those she'd left behind. They'd never had such filling meals day after day. If they were lucky, they'd have one full meal per moon cycle. She surveyed the nearest villagers' plates in awe.

"How do you have the ability to feed everyone here?"

"You saw topside, didn't you?" Charlie answered as Theo chewed on a huge chunk of buttered bread. His cheeks bulged out on either side making him look like a squirrel hoarding nuts.

Camille nodded, doing everything she could to avoid looking at Charlie's gorgeous heart-shaped face and pearly white teeth. The girl was insanely beautiful, not much older than seventeen and very aware of how everyone in the vicinity saw her. Charlie didn't just sit at the table as Camille was, she perched almost regally, her back straight and her chin held high. Confidence oozed off her like a perfume, a scent not to be ignored.

"The High King doesn't know about the compound; he assumes what we have topside is all there is, but there's actually a large farm beneath our kitchens. Giving the Moon Tax collector our 'best goods' is quite a fun game to play." Charlie chuckled to herself, convinced she'd made the most amusing joke.

Eggs, sausage, and toast curdled in her stomach as she glared at Charlie. "'Game?'" Camille spat. "You think giving everything you have to the High King is a game?"

"She didn't mean it like that, Camille," Theo jumped in after finally swallowing the bread he'd been chewing.

"Oh?" Camille challenged, her eye line zipping between their faces.

Theo didn't give into Camille's sharpness. "Just because we've found a way around the High King's demands doesn't mean we're not suffering down here too. And, don’t take it out on Charlie; she's endured plenty."

Camille snorted in disgust. "Oh, yeah, it's hilarious to dupe the High King and leave your compound filled to the brim with food that other starving villages would kill for. So. Very. Funny."

"Cam," Theo said, his voice tender with concern. "It's not like that."

Camille squinted at him, her anger boiling beneath the surface. Not wanting to face the truth of why she felt so much frustration when she looked at him, Camille instead zeroed in on a large breadcrumb clinging to Theo's bottom lip. She grasped her napkin and tossed it in his face.

"You should wipe your face off, not that it would really help matters," Camille snapped out, in hopes of lightening the mood and pulling it away from the sharp edge of her words.

Theo clutched the napkin she tossed at him before deftly wiping his face clean. He didn't give her the satisfaction of laughing at her off-hand joke; in fact, he ignored it completely.

"Romeo Village isn't the bad guy here Cam, it's not their fault that—" Theo started, but Camille cut him off with a penetrating glare. She knew Romeo Village wasn't to blame for the poor, decrepit quality of life the Sierra Villagers suffered through, but it felt wrong not to speak up about the injustice.

"Is this seat taken?" sounded out a familiar voice just behind Camille, cutting through the tension. She turned to see General Phillip beside their table, a food tray in his hands, his eyes locked on Charlie's display of intimacy toward Theo. Theo coughed, shifting in his seat away from Charlie before shaking her hands off his person. Camille immediately felt her body relax at the purposeful motion and made note that despite what was going on between Theo and Charlie, the General obviously disapproved.

The General resembled a medium-sized mountain bear, with close-cropped brown hair and eyes the color of liquid chocolate. Despite the thick cords of muscle in his arms and his stern expression, he exuded a kindness that Camille trusted. His skin tone was darker than Charlie's, yet still a warm caramel that made the dark depths of his eyes pop out in sharp contrast. She wondered what Charlie's mother looked like—Phillip and Charlie's complexions and appearances being so similar and yet completely different.

"By all means, General," Camille said, indicating to the spot beside her.

"Hi Daddy," Charlie said, her lip pouting slightly at Theo's divisive separation.

"General," Theo said in welcome, averting his eyes and slowly shifting further away from Charlie.

"Daughter, Theodore, Camille," Phillip said in turn, never taking his eyes from Theo's obviously purposeful blank expression. "I don't mean to intrude on your conversation, but I feel we have some topics to discuss."

Camille smiled mischievously and mouthed the name 'Theodore' to Theo in jest. He glared daggers back at her, obviously annoyed the General had used his first name in front of her. She hadn't known his name wasn't Theo but was glad for the nugget of knowledge. Anything that annoyed Theo she would tuck into her back pocket for future use.

"It's Theo, General, if you don't mind."

"I do mind," Phillip replied smartly as he took a seat next to Camille. Theo swallowed audibly, scooting still further away from Charlie.

The General faced Camille then, seemingly satisfied with Theo's reaction and immediate response. "I see you've met my daughter and Second Lieutenant of Romeo Village; that's good. I apologize for being so short with you yesterday, but we were under orders to retrieve you as quickly as possible."

Phillip glanced around the hall, appearing to assess his surroundings. It was a