Filed To Story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
Tem squared her shoulders, looking her husband straight in the eye as she said, “You will lose me if you crest him.”
Smoke was coiling up Caspen’s shoulders. The line between arousal and anger had always been a thin one for him, and Tem could sense in on him now. His voice was deathly quiet. “I thought it would have faded by now.”
“Thought what would have faded by now?”
“Your infatuation with him.”
Tem stared at him. What she felt for Leo was far from an infatuation. It was as real and irrefutable as her love for Caspen. It was the pillar that kept her upright-the force that ensured she was steady.
Fade? Never. Perhaps Caspen had never fully grasped it the way he should have. Perhaps through willful ignorance, or perhaps sheer denial, he viewed it as a harmless schoolyard crush. A nuisance that would never become a threat. Something fleeting, something that would pass. Caspen hadn’t believed that she might actually love Leo. That her heart would forever be swayed in his direction. That it was real.
“It won’t fade,” Tem whispered. “It never will.”
Her words washed over him slowly. Tem watched, in real time, as Caspen understood what she was saying. His eyebrows shot up in surprise before his face turned into a mask of disgust. “Do as you wish, Tem. You always do.”
Then he swept from the room.
The following days were long, and Tem spent them thinking.
She thought about the way Caspen had looked at her-like he was seeing her for the first time. Tem had not concealed her feelings for Leo; she had not pretended she did not love him. If Caspen thought otherwise, he had chosen to be blind.
She also thought about Leo and his inability to stand up to Evelyn. Tem had never felt such anger toward another human being before. Evelyn’s solution was no solution at all-even if the bloodletting came back, it would never be enough. It seemed like there was no future for them, no path that didn’t end in violence and death. It wasn’t the future Tem wanted for her people. Surely, it wasn’t what Leo wanted either. But it was the direction they were headed, and unless he stepped up to stop it, their fate was predetermined. They would repeat history; there would be bloodshed. And if that happened, what then? Would Leo turn on her, like he turned on the rest of her people? Tem was half-basilisk, after all. She was one of them, just like Gabriel had said. The enemy. It had never been easy for Tem to belong to both sides. But now more than ever, she had to find a way to move forward. It was time to take matters into her own hands.
By the next evening, Tem had resolved to do it.
She went to the Horseman alone, ignoring the frigid wind, her curls bundled in a spare blanket. The weather was the least of her worries. Tem focused on the task at hand: finding Gabriel. Something that had started as a pipe dream was now her best option. If Gabriel came to the caves-if he could have a positive experience with the basilisks, it might be enough to change his mind. And if he changed his mind, it could sway the tides. Besides, it was no longer only Gabriel’s opinion she wanted to sway. If Caspen could see how a human acclimated-how a human respected basilisk culture-he might change his mind too. She had to try.
Gabriel was in their usual booth. He looked up when she walked in, his eyes immediately searching hers. Wariness. Fear.
“Gabriel,” she said quietly as she slid into the booth. “I’m not here to fight with you.”
His expression softened slightly. “Then why are you here, dearest?”
“I have a proposition.”
“Well, let’s hear it.”
Tem paused. Was she really about to do this? Caspen was right; it was delusional. But delusional was better than nothing. Delusional was all Tem had. “I want you to come underneath the mountain.”
In the silence that followed, Tem wondered whether she’d just made a grave mistake. There was no guarantee that this would work. Even if Gabriel had a successful foray beneath the mountain, that did not mean he would be able to sway the villagers.
She would have put him in danger for nothing. But this was Gabriel-her childhood friend-her greatest confidant. Tem trusted him, even if he didn’t trust her in return.
“You want me to come underneath the mountain,” Gabriel repeated.
“Yes.”
“When?”
Tem had spent the morning working with Adelaide to prepare the quivers for his arrival. When she’d told Caspen what she’d done, he hadn’t said a word. But it wasn’t his choice to make.
“Tonight, if possible.”
Gabriel blinked. “Why?”
The answer to that was slightly more complicated. “Because…”
But how to answer? If she told Gabriel that the future of their kingdoms hung on his visit, he would never agree to it. It was too much pressure for one person-too much to ask of him. But the fact remained that Tem had to ask. So she said, “I want you to experience basilisk culture.”
A tiny grin tilted his lips as a shadow of Gabriel’s usual spark returned. “Temperance Verus,” he said conspiratorially, “are you inviting me to a sex party?”
Tem rolled her eyes so hard, she nearly sprained her brain. “I told you. They aren’t sex parties.”
“Sure sounds like a sex party to me.”
“It’s dangerous, Gabriel. There will be hundreds of basilisks there. If any of them transition, you’ll be dead.”
“I’m sure you won’t let that happen.”
“If
I transition, you’ll be dead.”
“Pah.” He flicked his fingers.
“This is serious, Gabriel. I’m…” She paused, and he held her gaze.
“What, Tem?”
“I’m trying to make things better,” she whispered.
It was the least she could say-the least she could do. She wasn’t just trying to make things better-she was trying to fix everything in one night. It was an impossible task.
Gabriel shifted closer, his blue eyes holding hers.
“Is this a peace offering?”
Tem nodded.
“And if I go, will the basilisks leave the villagers alone?”
Tem hadn’t exactly cleared that with the basilisks. But if she was as powerful as Caspen said, she would do everything she could to make that the case.
Again, Tem nodded.
Gabriel leaned back, tilting his head as he appraised her. “So,” he said, taking the last dregs of his beer. “What can I expect?”
Pure relief swept through her. Nothing mattered except for the singular fact that Gabriel had agreed to her plan. Tem felt suddenly light as a feather. “You can expect…everyone to be naked.”
“Perfect. I love being naked.”
“They’re naked all the time.”
“As they should be.”
“Gabriel.”
“Tem.” He put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her close. “I understand this is an olive branch. But if you’re telling me that I’m going under the mountain, I need to know what I’m in for.”
He was right, of course. The last thing she needed was for Gabriel to be out of his depth.