The King's War

27. Dissent

Footsteps signaled the arrival of Rowan and Chase. The once spacious kitchen suddenly became very small. My hackles rose. I may have conceded to working with the rebels, but their presence still made me nervous.

Neither of them looked at me though. Rowan, in particular, seemed to be deliberately avoiding me, which I could live with. The last thing I needed was attention from him.

Chase pulled Lydia to him and gave her a peck on the lips. I recoiled in disgust. How could she not see what a monster he was, even for a rebel?

"What'd you get us, babe?" he asked.

Lydia reached into the bag and handed him something long and wrapped in foil. "Shrimp Po' Boys."

"Ah, the local cuisine," Chase said with an amused chuckle. "That'll probably be the only thing I'll enjoy about staying in this town."

Lydia took the rest of the sandwiches out. To my surprise, she'd bought one for everyone in the house. She slid one across the island counter to me. "Want one?"

Chase opened his sandwich up, filling the room with a mesmerizing aroma of shrimp, butter, and hot sauce. I was torn. The small can of tomato soup wouldn't keep me full for long, but there was something unnerving about accepting the rebels' generosity. If I could even call it that.

"I just finished eating," I murmured and busied myself with washing my bowl of soup in the sink.

Foil crinkled as the rebels all dug in. The sound of footsteps down the hall alerted me and I breathed a sigh of relief. The witch — Daphne — was back. She'd distract them and I'd be able to slink away without having to say another word.

"You paid with cash, right?" Rowan said through a mouthful of food. "The king's probably tracing your credit cards."

"What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"Holy—"

Everyone else in the room sucked in a collective breath. I turned, confused as to what could have caused their alarm. When I saw it, I stumbled, my back hitting the edge of the counter painfully.

"What happened?" I exclaimed.

Daphne was unrecognizable. She'd aged decades since I last saw her, literally. Her chestnut hair was completely gray, her face was covered in wrinkles, and there was a stoop to her posture. In fact, the only way I was even able to tell it was her was through her clothes. She was still wearing the dark green button-down shirt, jeans, and leather jacket I last saw her in.

Chase glanced curiously at me. He was going to demand answers about this later, not that I had any. Had curing that vampire drained Daphne so severely that she'd aged?

"I uh, bought food," Lydia said lamely.

Daphne didn't give the foil-wrapped sandwiches a second glance. "I have business in the city. I trust you'll all behave while I'm gone." Even her voice had the rasp of age.

"What the hell happened to you?" Chase asked incredulously.

Daphne narrowed her eyes at him. "That's none of your concern."

He put his sandwich down and crossed his arms. "I think it is. How can we trust that you have our best interests at heart when you're being so secretive?"

Daphne didn't fall for his manipulation. "Finish your sandwich, boy," she replied sharply.

Chase didn't budge. "If I'm guessing correctly, you're putting yourself in a lot of danger with whatever it is you're doing. Should I tell the Duke he needs to find a new witch seeing as this one's suddenly off to the retirement home?"