Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Shock passed quickly over Caspen’s face. Then unfathomable anger took over. He dropped his hands. “Wait here,” he commanded.
“Where are you going?”
“I will explain when I return.”
Tem pulled him back. “You will explain now.”
“Tem, stop. I must-“
“Caspen.”
At her cry, he went still. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him against her.
“I need to feel safe,” she said quietly. “Please don’t leave me.”
His face was an inch from hers. She stared into his golden eyes, seeing nothing but rage in them.
“I must kill him, Tem.”
A chill went down Tem’s spine. It was exactly what she’d threatened Rowe with, but now that it was actually an option, she knew without a doubt she didn’t want it to happen.
“It was nothing, Caspen. Truly.”
But Caspen was already turning to leave again. “This cannot go unpunished.”
She pulled him back. “There’s nothing to punish.”
He let out a dry laugh. “You are wrong.”
“He only grabbed me.”
“He tried to crest you.”
That made Tem stop short. She frowned. “How do you know?”
Caspen’s eyes went once again to her neck. “The crest is most effective when done by the throat.”
Tem pictured the terrifying moment when Rowe had grabbed her and looked her in the eye. “But I didn’t feel anything,” she said slowly.
“That is because I claimed you for myself. My venom protected you from his crest.”
Tem remembered how she had swallowed the smoky black liquid. “Are you sure?” she whispered.
“Yes,” Caspen said, his body still angled toward the door. “Only the king could bypass that protection. He is the only basilisk with enough power to crest anyone he wants.”
“What would have happened if Rowe had crested me?”
“I would have killed him,” Caspen snapped. “Like I wish to do now.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
He sighed, finally turning back to her. “Then what do you mean, Tem?”
“I mean…what would have happened to us?”
If possible, Caspen looked even angrier than he already did. “I do not know for sure. You are a hybreed, so you are both basilisk and human. The crest could have enslaved you. Or it could have killed you. If it had enslaved you, our bond as we know it would be broken. You would belong to him.”
“I can’t imagine that.”
“Neither can I.”
Tem tried to picture herself with Rowe instead of Caspen. The thought made her want to vomit. “But how could he think he’d get away with cresting me? He couldn’t hide it, could he?”
“He would not hide it. That is the point. Everyone would know he crested you. He would fuck you in front of me, and there would be nothing I could do about it.”
It was an awful thought. Tem couldn’t imagine being bound to someone like Rowe-someone who hated her, someone who didn’t care if she lived or died. Someone who would use her to torture Caspen.
“I wouldn’t let him.”
“You would not have a choice, Tem. The crest would bind you. Your only desire would be to please him.”
“That’s horrible.”
“It is. To crest another’s mate is unspeakably cruel. There is no way to reverse it. It is an unforgivable act of war. Rowe knows this.”
“So…what happens next?” Tem asked softly. “You can’t kill him. You know that.”
Caspen sighed. “I know. But I must retaliate.”
“Can’t you just…I don’t know…teach him a lesson somehow?”
The corner of Caspen’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t a happy smile. “That is exactly what I will do.”
A sliver of dread pierced Tem’s stomach, and she regretted her suggestion. But surely, whatever Caspen chose to do to Rowe would be better than killing him, wouldn’t it? As long as there were no more deaths on her hands, Tem could justify the outcome.
She stepped closer to him. “Just…don’t do anything tonight. Please. I don’t want to be alone.”
Caspen’s hands found her waist. “I will not leave you alone.”
“Ever?” Tem murmured against his lips.
“Ever,” Caspen murmured back.
They kissed slowly, sensually, savoring the way the other tasted. Caspen unlaced her dress, and it fell to the floor. He whispered a question into her mind as his tongue moved against hers. Do you want to try to transition?
A lot had already happened tonight, and Tem was tired. But the allure of transitioning was why she’d come here in the first place. And if the incident with Rowe had taught her anything, it was that she needed to protect herself. Transitioning was the best way to do it.
Yes.
Caspen pulled away. Come with me.
He took her hand in his, and they entered the passageway.
Where are we going?
Down.
It was all he said. Tem didn’t ask for more information, content to simply walk by his side as they descended deeper and deeper beneath the mountain. At one point, they crossed through a large circular room with a fountain in the middle. There were benches scattered throughout the space.
“What happens here?” Tem asked.
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.