Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“I haven’t had sex yet.”
Gabriel waved his fingers dismissively. “You’ve had a cock in your mouth, Tem. Some would consider that sex.”
“Henry. And. Peter,” Tem hissed.
“Fine, fine.” Gabriel hung another flag, his lips pursed thoughtfully. “But this discussion isn’t over.”
Before Tem could protest again, Vera appeared. She shot a disapproving look at Gabriel before turning to Tem. “Did you enjoy the Frisky Sixty, Tem? I know I did.”
Tem sighed. She was already in a foul mood, and Vera was only making it worse.
“Good for you,” she said stiffly.
“The prince enjoyed it too.”
“Good for him.”
Vera wrinkled her nose, clearly wishing for more of a reaction. “He requested me first, after all. Obviously, he was eager to see me.”
“Or eager to get it over with,” Tem snapped back.
Gabriel let out a snort.
Vera glared at him. “And when did you take your turn, Tem? Rumor has it you went last.”
Of course a rumor like that would spread. Vera was probably the one spreading it.
“I may have been last,” Tem said through her teeth. “But I also stayed longer than sixty seconds.”
Vera’s face pinched.
“What?” she snapped.
Tem squared her shoulders. “The prince didn’t even want to touch the hourglass. I had to remind him to turn it over.”
Vera gaped like a fish, her eyes popping out of her heart-shaped face. It was the perfect retort; there was no way to disprove it since Vera had left before Tem went into the library. Even better given that it was actually true.
For once in her life, Vera took the hint and disappeared without another word.
“Feeling petty today, are we?” Gabriel said.
Tem threw him a look.
“What?” He grinned. “I like it when you’re petty.”
“Please shut up.”
Gabriel pressed a kiss to her cheek before graciously shutting up.
Hours passed. They hung the rest of the flags. Eventually, Gabriel left to work dinner service at the castle.
Tem needed the alone time anyway.
She spent the afternoon helping the carpenters set up the stage for the Passing of the Crown. Tem wasn’t particularly skilled at woodwork, but she was no stranger to manual labor, and she found that losing herself in the hammering helped to soothe her anxiety. By the time she was ready to head home, night was falling. Tem took the trail through the woods, winding slowly among the trees.
Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her:
“Hey!”
Tem turned around.
The voice belonged to Jonathan. He was flanked by another boy who Tem recognized from school. Christopher.
“Your name’s Temperance, isn’t it?” Jonathan asked, walking right up to her.
“Yes,” she said. “But I go by Tem.”
“Right. Tem.”
Both boys were grinning at her, but they weren’t friendly grins. They were predatory and unpredictable, and Tem felt a sudden urge to run.
“We heard you’re with the Serpent King. Is that right?”
Tem cursed Vera and her big mouth.
“Yes,” she began slowly. “But I-“
“So he’s taught you quite a lot then, I’d assume?”
Tem shifted uncomfortably. It was getting dark, and the boys were blocking her path home. She wanted to leave, but she couldn’t get around them.
“I’m…still learning,” she mumbled.
“Is that right?” Jonathan’s grin widened, and so did Christopher’s. “We’d like to learn too. Right, Chris? Maybe you could teach us something.”
He looked at Christopher, who nodded greedily, his eyes never leaving Tem’s.
“I really need to get home,” she said, her voice cracking.
“No. You really need to teach us something.”
Jonathan stepped closer, and Tem stepped back. She was utterly defenseless. She wished suddenly that she had kept one of the hammers from earlier.
“Please,” Tem begged. “I have to get home.”
Jonathan grabbed her dress, twisting the fabric in his hand. “But we’re not finished,” he sneered. “We haven’t even started.”
Tem tried to yank herself away, but Christopher was suddenly behind her, pulling her arms back as Jonathan ripped the front of her dress open.
“No,” Tem cried. “Leave me alone.”
“Why?” Jonathan asked. “I’m just helping you out. You should get used to being touched like this.” He grabbed her breasts, hard, and she yelped in pain. “After all, this is what the prince will do.”
Tears filled Tem’s eyes as she heard Christopher laughing in her ear. Jonathan was hurting her; his cruel hands were far different from the way Caspen and Leo touched her, and she wished desperately that she were anywhere else but here.
Jonathan stepped back, untying his trousers.
“Why don’t you show me what you’ve learned?” he sneered, dropping them to the ground. Tem stifled a wave of disgust as she realized he was already hard, his cock standing up to reveal his balls. He was less than half the size of Caspen, and for some reason, the thought gave her strength.
Tem knew what to do.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.