Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“Think of it as taking, not as giving.”
“I don’t understand,” Tem said.
“The crest is a way to extract power from a human. When you climax, the basilisk who crested you becomes stronger. Rowe wishes to draw power from you.”
“Can’t he crest anybody? Why me?”
“He can.” Anger crept into Caspen’s voice. “But I took something dear to him. He wishes to do the same to me.”
“What did you take?”
Caspen didn’t answer.
Revenge is already mine to seek.
Tem used the pause to sort through her thoughts. She was struck again by how little she knew of Caspen’s world and how out of step she was in it. There were untold dangers around every corner here-dangers she couldn’t anticipate because she didn’t know they existed in the first place. It was a problem that was beginning to feel insurmountable. She understood that she was at a disadvantage-that Caspen often had to act in her best interests, without her knowledge. But she didn’t always like the way he did it. And it wasn’t the first time; the stone statues of Jonathan and Christopher flashed through her mind. Yet another decision Caspen had made to protect her. Tem still considered herself responsible for their deaths. She probably always would.
Tem needed to know more. But Caspen clearly didn’t enjoy this line of questioning. This conversation was a minefield, and it was becoming increasingly impossible to navigate it.
She counted thirty long seconds before asking, “Why have you never crested me?”
“Because it is a violation.”
“I want you to do it.”
Caspen shifted so they were facing each other. “No, Tem.”
“Why? Does your venom prevent it?”
“My venom prevents anyone else from cresting you. Technically, I still could. But I would never do so, Tem. You do not deserve that.”
“Are you saying it’ll hurt?”
“Not at all. But it is still a form of abuse.”
Tem had already made up her mind. Experiencing an orgasm from Caspen in such a way would surely be incredible. She needed to know how it felt. “Do it,” she said again.
But Caspen was shaking his head. “There is more to it, Tem. The crest forms a bond between human and basilisk. One that cannot be broken.”
“Aren’t we already bonded?”
“Not in this way. If I crested you, you would be compelled to do what I say, always. It would remove your agency.”
Tem frowned. She didn’t like the sound of that.
Caspen drove his point home. “I could give you any order, and you would have to obey. If I told you to stab yourself with a knife, you would do so without hesitation.”
“You would never tell me to do that.”
“Of course not. But the bond extends beyond verbal suggestion. If I were starving and there was no food, you would cut off your arm to feed me, whether I ordered you to or not.”
Tem made a face. “Ew.”
A smile twitched Caspen’s lips. “Precisely. Ew.”
They were silent for a moment.
“Can you crest other basilisks?” she asked.
“It is forbidden for a basilisk to crest another basilisk. It is only meant for-“
“Humans,” Tem finished the thought. Of course it was.
“Yes.” Caspen studied her face in the flickering firelight. “Humans can withstand the crest because you are meant to give us power. Basilisks are not meant to dominate each other. It is an abomination of nature to crest our own kind.”
“But it’s possible, right?”
“Yes,” he said again, quietly this time. “It is possible.”
Something about his tone made Tem ask, “Have you ever done it?”
His jaw locked. Tem tried to ignore the sharp stab of jealousy that shot through her at the thought of him using the crest on someone else.
“Caspen,” she whispered, fearing his response. “Is there a basilisk who is bound to you?”
To her surprise, he said, “No.”
Tem thought he might elaborate, but he didn’t. There was only one thing left to ask. “What happens to a basilisk when they’re crested?”
Caspen took an eternity to answer.
“They die.”
Tem wanted to know more. Needed to know more.
But she feared she had already asked too much-probed too deep into Caspen’s past after an already stressful evening-and he was on the brink of shutting down because of it.
She pressed her lips to his cheek.
“We don’t have to talk about it right now,” she murmured. Her wording was purposeful; Tem wanted, without a doubt, to talk about it at some point. But it would do no good to push Caspen any further. They had both been through enough tonight.
Tem shifted closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He relaxed against her, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Caspen murmured, “You should go home, Tem.”
Her stomach flipped. She pulled away. “Are you upset? I didn’t meant to-“
“I am not upset.” At the look on her face, he softened his tone. “I promise I am not upset, Tem. But it is true that you should go home.”
Tem frowned. They were engaged, or nearly so. She had hoped they would stay together at least until the morning. “But why?”
“The quivers have called a council meeting. I must attend.”
Tem had already asked too many questions tonight. But Caspen seemed far more willing to discuss this topic, so she asked another.
“What’s the meeting about?”
“Me.”
“Oh.”
Tem touched his shoulder. “Are you sure I should leave? I could wait for you.”
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.