Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“So?” Tem insisted. “Are you going to do something about it?”
Caspen’s gaze bore into hers. He let out a dry laugh. “No.”
She stared up at his infuriatingly perfect face. “No?”
“If you think the human prince matters to me, then you are sorely mistaken.”
The human prince.
It was clear now.
Tem saw finally how Caspen viewed Leo: not as competition but as nothing but a nuisance. Leo didn’t even rank in the grand scale of Caspen’s worries. What could a human prince do in the face of a basilisk one?
Perhaps the human prince did not sway Caspen. But he swayed Tem.
There was no denying it, no erasing their connection. Leo gave her something that Caspen could never provide: security. Leo wanted her. It was plain and it was simple, and it was far easier than anything that might come from courting a basilisk. Why shouldn’t Tem go with the surefire option? Why shouldn’t Tem go where she was wanted?
“He may not matter to you,” she said quietly. “But he matters to me.”
At her words, Caspen stiffened. “I see.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. For some reason, Tem felt a flare of anger. Of course Leo meant something to her. Her relationship with Caspen was so nebulous-so fraught with strife-that he should not begrudge her this slight chance at happiness.
“Tem,” Caspen said quietly. “I do not blame you if you wish to seek solace elsewhere.”
He was clearly hurt. But his words only made her angrier.
“I don’t want to seek solace elsewhere,” she snapped. “I want to seek solace with you.”
He shook his head. “Perhaps I cannot provide it.”
“Bullshit.” Tem stepped forward, grabbing the chain around her neck. “Does this mean nothing to you?” She brandished the claw. “Is this a lie?”
“Tem,” Caspen said quietly. “You do not understand what it will take for us to be together.”
“Because you won’t tell me.”
Caspen looked up at the ceiling. “Because I would not have you do it.”
Here it was: the mysterious condition that his quiver required of her in order to accept their engagement. Tem couldn’t wait any longer to hear it. She grabbed Caspen by the neck, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Why not?”
“It is unthinkable. And you would never consent to it. And even if you did consent to it, my quiver’s approval is not guaranteed.”
“What is it?”
“It is not worth discussing, Tem.”
“You mean I am not worth discussing.”
Caspen put his hand over hers, holding her against him. “That is not what I mean.”
“It shouldn’t matter what other people think.”
“It does not matter. You are the only thing that matters to me.”
Tem looked straight at him. “It doesn’t feel that way.”
Regret darkened Caspen’s eyes. “Then I have failed you.”
She didn’t reply, because there was nothing to say. His words were not enough anymore. Tem knew how Caspen felt one day and not the next. He was the one thing she truly couldn’t handle: inconsistent.
The fire crackled, and Tem resisted the urge to throw herself into it.
Caspen’s gaze fell to her lips. “I am merely trying to protect you,” he whispered. “Basilisks do not respect humans. You are considered the enemy. By being with you, I betray my own kind.”
“But you said that it happens, that there are pairings of humans and basilisks.”
Caspen sighed. “Yes. There are.”
“Then how did they come to be?”
“Through great difficulty and sacrifice. Mostly on the side of the human.”
“What do you mean?”
Caspen was silent for a long time. Tem knew she only had to wait him out. She would not be dissuaded this time. She would find out exactly what it would take to be with him so she could make an informed decision about her future.
“There is a ritual,” Caspen said eventually.
“What kind of ritual?”
“One that would legitimize our engagement. But only if you can withstand it.”
“Withstand it?”
“Yes.”
“You make it sound like an attack.”
“It may as well be one.”
“What is it?”
But he hesitated. It was clear this was difficult for him.
“Caspen,” Tem insisted. “Tell me.”
“I already told you it is not worth discussing.”
“Yet clearly I wish to discuss it.”
“Yet clearly I do not.”
“But why?” Tem tried to pull her hand away, but Caspen tightened his grip.
“It would disrespect you,” he said.
“You’re being awfully vague.”
But Caspen only shook his head. At his reaction, Tem tried to pull away again. This time, he grabbed her wrists and held her still.
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.