Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Tem knew Caspen would never agree to meet with Leo. Their last meeting had gone so poorly, she wasn’t at all optimistic about how things would go if he saw the prince again. But even if Tem wanted to ask Caspen for a meeting, she wouldn’t be able to anyway-their mental connection was so weak, she couldn’t even feel for the doorway into his mind anymore.
They would simply have to show up and hope for the best.
Tem could feel the minutes slipping by as they dressed. She was still fighting a timeline, still praying she would be able to fix what she’d broken before it was too late.
When they were finally ready, Tem took Leo’s hand.
They walked to the stables together, and this time, Tem knew nobody would stop them from leaving. The staff catered to Leo’s presence immediately, bowing their heads and preparing a carriage for them.
The ride was silent. Leo simply held her hand in his, stroking the pad of his thumb gently over her skin. Occasionally, he would raise her fingers to his lips and kiss them. Tem leaned her head against his shoulder, trying not to think of what was to come. She didn’t have a plan beyond getting the two princes to speak reasonably to each other about the future of their people. Surely, two grown men could accomplish such a thing for the greater good.
Surely, this wouldn’t be an utter disaster.
The carriage dropped them off at the edge of the forest. They walked together into the woods and onto the trail that led to the caves. When they passed through the wall, Leo raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Tem didn’t feel like explaining how the basilisks were only vulnerable to mirrors when they wore their true forms. It wasn’t anything the prince needed to know right now. Finally, they reached the base of the mountain.
“Leo,” Tem said quietly, stopping when they reached the entrance of Caspen’s cave. “Can I ask you a favor?”
He stopped too, looking at her in the darkness. Before she could speak, he said, “You would prefer that he didn’t know we slept together.”
Tem pursed her lips. “Yes.”
“I will not reveal it.”
She gave him a dubious look.
He stepped closer. “I want you all to myself. Why would I tell him?”
“Because it would hurt him.”
Leo shook his head. “It would also hurt you. And I have no interest in doing that.”
“This is already hurting me, Leo.”
The words just slipped out. Tem didn’t even know if she meant them. But agony flashed across Leo’s face, and he whispered, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Tem sighed. “It’s not you exactly. It’s…”
He finished for her. “Us.”
She sighed again, looking up at him. “Yes.”
“Tem, I…” Leo started but didn’t finish. He looked deeply unhappy, and Tem didn’t know how to fix it. They both knew what she’d said couldn’t be unsaid. But Tem needed him to hear it-needed him to know how painful it was for her to be caught between two parts of herself. It was slowly tearing her in half.
Leo looked at her sadly.
“I know you have always doubted my intentions,” he said. “And I don’t blame you, considering my past. But know this: I will never do anything to hurt you.”
He leaned in.
“Know this also: I want you. And I know that’s not what you want to hear. And I know you don’t want me back-at least not enough to justify betraying whatever connection you have with him. But I cannot live without you. Even if it means I only have some part of you, that is far preferable to no part of you at all.”
“Vera is the better match,” Tem whispered. “You should just choose her.”
“I’d rather have half of you than all of Vera. Even if it means sharing you for the rest of my life.”
Tem stared at him. Had Leo just…proposed? Before she could process this, he spoke again.
“I know you belong to him, Tem. And I know I want you anyway.”
“Leo…” she whispered, but she had no idea what to say.
What was the appropriate response here? What could be said to such a vulnerable admission? Leo had always been candid with her about his feelings, always crystal clear with his declarations of favor. But this one was different. This one was permanent.
“Can we just…get through tonight?” she asked. “For now?”
A resigned smile twisted Leo’s lips. “Of course we can, Tem.”
She knew they were limited by time and circumstance. She knew he wanted more. But it was beyond her control. “Thank you,” Tem whispered.
Leo bowed his head. Then she dropped his hand, and they entered the cave.
Tem watched Leo as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and took in the fireplace and the mat in front of it. It was strange seeing him here in this place where Tem had taken so many first steps, where Caspen had taught her everything she’d always wanted to know. Tem no longer recognized the girl who had come to this cave all those weeks ago. That girl was gone.
Tem turned to Leo. “I should talk to him first,” she said.
He nodded. “Very well.”
“Just…wait here.”
Leo nodded again. He seemed determined, like no matter what happened, he was resolved to his fate. Tem admired his bravery. It was no small feat to come face-to-face with a basilisk. To Leo, he was coming face-to-face with his enemy-the creature his family had villainized his entire life. It couldn’t be easy for him to unravel that prejudice in real time.
She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before dipping into the passageway. Her quiet knock on Caspen’s door was answered immediately.
“Tem,” Caspen said, and even now, her heart flipped at the sound of him saying her name. “What is it?”
She knew he hadn’t been expecting her. The last time they’d communicated had been when she’d spoken to Adelaide. Tem still didn’t know whether Adelaide had told him the contents of that conversation. She had no idea if he knew that the basilisk side of her was slowly dying-that his own fate was in question.
Tem looked up at him. He didn’t look well. There were shadows under his eyes that had never been there before. Was he simply not sleeping? Or was this a symptom of the joined effect of the crest? She wanted to reach for him but didn’t. Instead, she said, “I…need you to talk to someone.”
Caspen raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
There was nothing for it. “Leo.”
At the sound of his name, Caspen stiffened. His nostrils flared, and Tem knew he could smell the human prince on her. “Why?”
“I told him you would be willing to see him.”
“You brought him? Have you lost your mind, Tem? He cannot be here.”
“Well, he is. And he wants to speak with you.”
If Caspen was shocked before, he was floored now. “Why?” he hissed.
“He wants to discuss the future of the kingdom. He wants to end the bloodletting.”
Caspen’s eyes were dark with fury. “There is nothing to discuss. There will be no peace as long as the royals are in power. You have seen what they are capable of.”
“Leo isn’t like the rest of the royals.”
“He is exactly like the rest of the royals. He considers himself better than the basilisks.”
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.