Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Eventually, it was time for Tem to say goodbye to her childhood home.
She sat on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. She smelled the bottle of salt spray on her mother’s dresser. And she walked through the chicken coop one last time, reveling in the fact that she may never hear a rooster crow again.
Then she and her mother stepped into the carriage and drove away.
By the time they reached the castle, wedding preparations were well underway. Even for a well-oiled machine like the royal staff, setting up a wedding in one day was a tall order. Tem and her mother dodged servant after servant on their way into the castle, finally managing to flag down a maid in the foyer.
“This is my mother,” Tem said. “Can you find her a seamstress? She needs a dress for this evening.”
“Of course,” the maid said. “And when would you like to do your fitting?”
Tem paused. She’d completely forgotten that she needed a dress too. She was the bride after all. “Later,” she said. “Have someone send for me.”
She gave her mother’s hand one final squeeze before ascending the steps to Leo’s bedroom. He wasn’t inside; perhaps his discussion with Maximus was still ongoing. Tem walked around his bed, looking at his books the same way she had when she’d first come here. There was The Raven and the Swan. Tem smiled at the memory of Leo reading it to her.
Something occurred to her suddenly.
The wedding would be dangerous. Not just for Tem but for Leo. He was human, and he was the only son of the king. There was a target on his back. Rowe had tried to crest Tem. It was only a matter of time before he-or any of the other basilisks-did the same to Leo. Tem’s bargain with Bastian had spared Leo’s life, nothing more. She hadn’t thought to add a stipulation that nobody could crest him. Tem would have to protect him the same way Caspen protected her. She would give him her venom-she would claim him. There was only one problem.
Tem had no idea how to produce venom.
She’d only watched Caspen do it once, and she’d been mid-orgasm, so she hadn’t exactly been paying attention. Besides, she had no idea if her basilisk side was even strong enough to produce venom anymore.
It didn’t matter. She would have to try.
Tem did her best to imitate what Caspen had done, focusing on her neck and tensing the muscles just below her ears where she assumed the venom glands were. At first, nothing happened, and doubt cut through her. Then a shooting heat erupted in her throat, and she lurched forward to spit into an empty whiskey glass.
Her venom was dark, practically black. Tem stared at it in bewilderment, wondering how she was going to get Leo to drink such a distinctive substance without him noticing. Even if he didn’t see it, she was sure he would taste it. Caspen’s had tasted like smoke; hers was distinctly woodsy in flavor.
But what if there was another way? What if she simply asked him to drink it? Caspen had given her his venom without asking. Was Tem really going to do the same thing to Leo?
At that exact moment, Leo walked in.
Tem looked up at him, still holding the glass. “How did it go?” she asked.
Leo gave her a tired smile. “How do you think it went?”
“Are we still getting married?”
His smile turned into a real one. “Tem.” He crossed to her. “I’d have to be dead in order for us not to.”
Tem smiled too. Then she handed him the glass. “Drink this.”
Leo cocked an incredulous eyebrow at the black substance, holding it up to the light. “What is it?”
“It’s my venom.”
Leo blinked. “Your…venom.”
“Yes.”
“And what is it doing in my nicest whiskey glass?”
“I already told you. I need you to drink it.”
“Yes, you mentioned that. But you didn’t mention why.”
“It will protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
“Oh, for Kora’s sake, Leo. Will you just drink it, please? You wouldn’t believe me anyway. I just need you to trust me.”
The words came out harsher than she’d intended. Leo’s eyebrows rose even more at her tone. He looked at her for a long moment, considering something. Then: “Very well,” he said quietly.
Without another word, he drank. The moment her venom disappeared down his throat, Tem felt unmistakable relief. Leo was safe. Nobody could crest him. He would never be controlled by Bastian or any other basilisk.
Tem felt something else too. It was as if an invisible bridge had grown between them, a passage connecting her to him. It wasn’t quite like the corridor she shared in her mind with Caspen, but it was an inarguable thread that was as real as a physical sensation. She wondered if Leo felt it too.
Tem stood on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”
Leo smiled beneath her lips. “Anything for you, Tem.”
His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a proper kiss. She could taste her venom on his tongue. A little smoky, like Caspen’s, only sweeter and earthier. When the kiss deepened, she let it. But when Leo pulled her toward the bed, she stopped him.
“I need to get to my dress fitting, Leo.”
“No, you don’t. You need to kiss me.”
“I’m the bride, remember?”
“We’ll get married naked. It’ll be delightful. The guests will love it.”
“Leo.”
“Tem,” he groaned, throwing his head back. “What’s the point of marrying you if I can’t fuck you whenever I want?”
“Some would say love.”
“Ah, yes.” He smiled. “That.” The smile faded, and Leo became serious. He traced a finger up her neck, tilting her face to his. “You know I love you, don’t you, Tem?”
He didn’t need to tell her; Tem knew it from his actions. She saw Leo’s love for her in every glance, felt it in every touch. Even when they were fighting, she knew he loved her. He always had. “I know, Leo.”
Tem realized suddenly that the only time she’d said she loved Leo was in front of Caspen. I love you both. Even that, Leo had to share.
Tem whispered her next question, genuinely wondering the answer. “Do you know I love you too?”
If Leo looked happy before, he was positively euphoric now. “Yes, Tem.” His arm tightened around her. “I know that. But I am certainly glad to hear it.”
There was a sharp knock on the door.
Leo groaned again, and Tem laughed at his constant unwillingness to be interrupted. The door opened to reveal the same maid from before.
“Temperance?” she asked. “It’s time for your dress fitting.”
The rest of the day was a whirlwind.
A fleet of maids ushered Tem from one event to the next in a blur of pearls and tulle. There was not one but three dresses to be chosen, along with cake samples, champagne (which she gave to the maids to taste), and flower arrangements. A harpist sampled a song for their first dance as husband and wife.
Tem barely registered any of it.
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.