Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“Whiskey.”
She didn’t know why she’d said it. But for some reason, in that moment, she’d thought of Leo.
Caspen disappeared again, and when he reappeared, he handed her a whiskey.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
He stepped closer. “You are not wearing the dress I sent.”
Not a question. Simply a statement.
“The prince sent me one too.”
Caspen tilted his head.
She couldn’t read his expression.
“I see,” he said quietly. “And you could not choose.”
Another statement. “I could,” Tem clarified. “But I didn’t want to.”
“I see,” he said again, his eyes traveling over her body, taking in the humble white linen.
In the silence, Tem felt her heart hammer in her chest. She needed to ask Caspen about Jonathan and Christopher-needed to hear the confession straight from his lips. But there was one issue that was more pressing.
“I’ve been hearing a voice,” she said before she could stop herself.
Caspen’s eyes snapped back to hers. He frowned. “A voice?”
“Yes. In the castle. Well, in my head. But it’s coming from the castle.”
Tem figured this announcement would be met with confusion or at least incredulity. Instead, Caspen looked over his shoulder as if to ensure no one else was listening.
He stepped closer. “We cannot discuss this here.”
His response bewildered her. She’d expected him to ask some clarifying questions-or any questions at all. His lack of surprise could only mean one thing.
“Can you hear it too?”
He pursed his lips but didn’t reply.
Now Tem was the one to step closer. “If you can hear it, then you know it’s asking for help.”
“I said I will not discuss this here.”
It was all too much. She was so tired of Caspen withholding information from her.
“Excuse me? There has to be something we can-“
But Caspen cut her off. “I will not discuss this here.”
Tem stepped back, her eyes stinging with tears. Despite his harsh command, Caspen didn’t look angry. On the contrary, he seemed almost sad. When he spoke again, his voice was soft.
“Tell me, Tem. What is your opinion of the prince?”
Tem could feel her palms start to sweat. Why was Caspen asking her this? Was he jealous? Or was he simply checking in on his student?
“He’s…” She paused, her eyes searching the crowd for Leo. He was slipping through a doorway at the far end of the ballroom, flanked by a girl on one side and a basilisk on the other. One of the seven private meetings he would be conducting tonight.
Tem shook her head, attempting to focus.
“He’s a royal. They’re all the same.”
Caspen leaned in. “Does he favor you?”
A direct question. One she couldn’t avoid. She answered it honestly. “Yes. I think so.”
Caspen’s eyes narrowed.
A sharp throb shot through the claw. It was so intense that Tem gasped, her hand shooting between her legs in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Unlike the gentle, aching pulses Caspen usually sent her, this one was so jarring, she knew it was not meant for pleasure.
Tem looked up at him in shock. “That hurt.”
Regret flashed over Caspen’s face. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Tem was already turning away.
Caspen grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”
“To take it out,” Tem snapped.
“No,” he cried. She had never heard him so desperate. “Tem, I-“
“How dare you?” she hissed. “How dare you use it to cause me pain? I put it in because I trust you.”
Caspen’s face was a dark mask of remorse. “I did not mean to hurt you.”
“You never do.”
“I reacted, and-“
“You’re the one who trained me for him.”
Caspen stared down at her. His eyes went hard. “I am well aware of that, Tem.”
“Then what do you want from me?”
His hand slid slowly down her arm until his fingers were just brushing hers. Tem was distinctly aware of the way they were standing together, sequestered alone at the edge of the ballroom. The claw pulsed softly.
“Everything.”
Tem shook her head. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you don’t mean it.”
“Of course I-“
“If you wanted me, you would let me in. But you don’t. You never have. You keep secrets from me. You never give me a straight answer. You silence me.”
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.