Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
His teeth grazed her jaw. “No.”
“Even if it means I’ll be unprepared tomorrow?”
He lifted his head. “Even then.”
From the look on his face, it was clear he was done with this conversation. But Tem wasn’t. “You can’t have it both ways, Caspen.”
His eyes narrowed. “And which ways are those?”
“You can’t prepare me for the prince without actually doing so.”
“I have prepared you enough. You will only be required to kiss him tomorrow.”
“And if I’m required to do more?”
“You will not be.”
“You don’t know that. There’s already been an elimination. That wasn’t supposed to happen either.”
Caspen frowned, and Tem knew she had an opening.
“What if we’re required to stay at the castle after tomorrow night?”
Traditionally, the final three girls were chosen at a formal ball, after which they moved into the castle for the last part of the elimination process. It was meant to increase their proximity to the prince, to ensure he had a chance to sleep with each girl.
“You will not be,” Caspen said again. “It is too early.”
Tem shrugged. “That’s what you think. But the royals make their own rules. You told me that yourself.”
Caspen’s frown deepened. “I would have been informed if that were the case.”
“Are you sure? Doesn’t seem like the royals care about keeping you informed.”
The skull in the study flashed through her mind, and she wondered if it flashed through Caspen’s.
He sat up. “Enough, Tem.”
She sat up too. But instead of retaliating with another dig, Tem placed her hand on his cheek, cupping the carved edge of his jaw in her palm. He was right; it was enough. Tem knew she was lashing out for reasons that had nothing to do with him. She was nervous for tomorrow; she was frustrated with herself; she was feeling desperate and unsteady and utterly out of control. She was consumed with need.
Tem wanted more. She’d wanted more since the very first night she’d come into this cave. But she couldn’t rush Caspen. He was immovable-an ancient basilisk who wouldn’t be swayed by her or anyone else. As much as she wanted more from him, she wouldn’t get it until he was ready to give it. So for once, she stood down.
“I’m sorry,” Tem said quietly.
Caspen’s eyes met hers. He gave a small smile.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
They spent the rest of the evening doing nothing more than kissing. Whenever Tem tried to take things further, Caspen stopped her. Every time her hand went below his waist, he pulled it back up. Every time her knees opened, he closed them. When he walked her to the head of the trail, his gold eyes lingered on hers before he kissed her gently on the forehead. Then he was gone.
A dress arrived for her, just like last time.
This one was deep maroon, with gold embroidery at the waist. It was low-cut; Leo would love it. Tem pulled it on slowly, wondering once again what it meant that Caspen was dressing her in something that would make her attractive to another man. She put the necklace on too, centering the gold claw on her chest. The other claw was inside her. Unlike last time, Caspen didn’t send her any pulses. Instead, he was completely absent from her mind the entire afternoon, and even when the carriage arrived to take her to the castle, there was nothing but a gaping emptiness where his presence used to be.
The castle was just as she remembered it. Tem once again gave her name at the door before being ushered into the same ballroom as before, the impossibly high ceilings making her head spin. The crowd was rowdier than the last time she’d been here. It seemed that the royals had no shortage of alcohol. There were bottles of whiskey and tankards of mead lining the tables scattered throughout the room. Tem looked around for Gabriel but didn’t see him anywhere. She did notice Lilly, who gave her a cheeky wave before disappearing into the crowd.
Leo was sitting at a table, his arm draped around the blond girl he’d ranked first during last week’s elimination. She was practically in his lap, laughing at his every word. When Tem passed them, Leo arched an eyebrow and raised his whiskey in her direction. She ignored him.
Instead, she poured a whiskey of her own, downing the fiery liquid in a single gulp. It burned on the way down, just like it did the last time she’d had it. But it also steadied her nerves, and Tem basked in the brief moment of peace as the alcohol numbed her senses. That was when she heard it:
Help.
The word was barely audible at first-nothing more than a whisper in the corner of her mind. Tem froze at the sound, and for a single, panicked second, she thought it might be Caspen. But when the voice came again, she knew it wasn’t his.
Help me. Please.
This voice was desperate and strained. It sounded weak-like whoever was speaking was on the brink of passing out. Tem closed her eyes to block out the party, concentrating with all her might. But the voice didn’t come again. All that remained was a heavy rock of dread in her stomach. Whoever the voice belonged to was in pain. Tem’s heart hurt for them, and she didn’t even know them. The dread deepened.
She wanted to get out of the castle. There was something dark going on here-something wrong. It grated against her energy in a way she didn’t understand, and all she wanted to do was leave.
Tem wove through the crowd, heading toward the enormous double doors at the end of the ballroom. She pushed past everyone in her way, clawing toward the green hedges of the garden. The freezing night air hit her the second she was outside, lifting goose bumps on her arms and chilling her straight to the bone. There was a birdbath just a few yards away. Tem clung to it, gripping it with both hands, staring down into the still water. It took several minutes before she had the strength to look up again, and when she did, she realized it wasn’t just a hedge she had seen. It was a maze.
The walls of the maze stretched on in an endless structure of sculpted corners. Tem couldn’t see past the first passageway, but she knew it must go on for miles. A hedge maze was exactly the kind of useless thing the royals would spend money on.
Behind her, footsteps approached. Leo’s reflection appeared in the water.
“Perfect,” Tem muttered in greeting.
“Good evening to you too,” Leo said with an amused smile.
She heaved a huge sigh, turning to face him. “Good evening, Leo.”
His smile widened.
“You’ve abandoned your date,” Tem said tartly.
Leo shrugged. “She won’t mind.”
“I think she might.”
“What I meant was I won’t mind. She’s not much of a conversationalist.”
“Then why spend time with her?”
He smirked. “She’s talented in other areas.”
Tem scowled. It was standard for the girls to throw themselves at Leo during the elimination process. Most of them would try to have sex with him long before the final elimination. And Leo would surely let them. Of course he would brag about it. Tem wanted to slap him. Instead, she said, “If that’s the case, why waste time talking to me?”
“I prefer your company. I want you here, remember?”
“Can’t imagine why.”
Leo ran his eyes over her greedily. “Can’t you?”
He was far too close for comfort. Tem shifted away, gripping the sides of the birdbath until her skin turned white. Leo swirled his drink, which was nearly empty.
“You don’t seem to enjoy these parties, Tem.”
“Well spotted.”
“We could go somewhere else if you prefer,” he said.