Filed to story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
Apollo’s voice came to her faintly. You are so beautiful like this.
She wondered suddenly if this was why Caspen was able to become hard again mere moments after climaxing. If basilisks could direct their blood flow, surely they could control their erections. It was a wondrous thing.
Tem opened her eyes to see Apollo looking at her.
His cock was tantalizingly erect-a bridge between them. Now that Tem knew he had made it that way, it was even more tempting to reward him for it. The warmth was everywhere-flowing beneath her skin with each beat of her heart-surging across every inch of her body. Her breasts felt tender; her clitoris throbbed. Tem imagined, just for a moment, what it would be like to be touched right now. She couldn’t even fathom the pleasure.
You need only ask, Temperance.
Tem shook her head.
No.
And why not? You fucked our father, did you not?
That was different.
How so?
I had to fuck him.
Did you?
Yes. Otherwise I couldn’t be with Caspen.
I see. But you liked it.
Tem shook her head again, trying to clear it. It was no use. How do you know I liked it?
Your thoughts are rather loud at the moment.
The memory of the ritual flooded over her in a brutal wave, exacerbating the feelings she was already experiencing. The altar. The Serpent King. The way Bastian’s body was hard beneath hers, how he’d filled her nearly beyond what she could bear. It replayed in her mind; she remembered the warmth she’d felt at the sight of Bastian’s naked body-not unlike the warmth she was feeling now-how well she’d taken his cock.
I have no doubt you would take mine just as well.
Guess you’ll never know.
Apollo simply laughed. Then he turned away.
Tem stood still for a moment, savoring the heat, before following him. Minutes passed. Now that she was warm, the walk was bearable, but the silence was not. So she asked, “Where are we going, anyway?”
Apollo’s dark eyes slid to hers. “We are going to find someone to petrify.”
“I know that. But do we need to go so far?”
The corners of Apollo’s mouth creased. “So impatient.”
Tem rolled her eyes. “Shut up.”
Apollo let out a bark of laughter. “No one has ever told me to shut up before.”
“I find that exceedingly difficult to believe.”
He shrugged. “Most find me a witty conversationalist.”
“Most are wrong.”
Apollo only laughed again.
“Apollo, wait.” Tem grabbed his arm, and he stopped. “I…” But she trailed off. She’d hoped that the fear nagging at her stomach would have disappeared by now, but it hadn’t.
“I don’t want to murder anyone.”
Apollo raised an eyebrow. “I see. In that case, I shall take you back to the mountain.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I want to learn to petrify. I just…don’t want to kill anyone innocent.”
Apollo took a small step closer. His breath joined hers. “Innocence is not a measurable element, Temperance.”
“I know. But can’t we pick someone who deserves to die?”
Apollo tilted his head. “Such as?”
“I don’t know. A bad person.”
“And how would you determine that they are a bad person?”
Tem sighed. She supposed there wasn’t really a way to determine that. Truth be told, she hadn’t thought this part through. It was true that she wanted to learn how to petrify, but she hadn’t thought about who she would petrify. If Jonathan or Christopher were still alive, she might’ve volunteered them. Maximus was the only other bad person she knew, and he was sequestered in the dungeon, his imprisonment punishment enough.
“I don’t know,” she said again. “But there must be a way.”
Apollo considered her. “I see what Caspenon meant.”
“Excuse me?”
“He told me you were sensitive.”
“Sensitive?”
Apollo raised his hand. “Please do not take offense,” he said, and the sincerity of his tone surprised her. “I know you are part human. I understand it is important to you that your own kind does not suffer.”
At her silence, Apollo stepped even closer.
“I cannot guarantee they will deserve it. But if it will ease your mind, we will choose someone who would be better off dead.”
When she still didn’t reply, he sighed.
“Temperance,” Apollo said quietly. “You can trust me.”
They were empty words. What was trust in the face of utter uncertainty? Tem didn’t trust Apollo. And she certainly didn’t trust herself. Her basilisk side had no qualms with what they were about to do. But her human side was horrified. She was here out of necessity-out of some latent need to…what? Prove that she could do this? Prove it to whom? Tem was the only one who held herself to such a high standard. It was only her own judgment she measured herself against. Caspen himself had made it clear he never wanted her to petrify anyone. She was here entirely of her own volition.
Did that mean she was willing to become a murderer? It was difficult to see it any other way. It was easy to think about petrification in the abstract-to vaguely imagine what it would be like to turn someone to stone. But this was real. Tem was about to voluntarily take a life-a life that didn’t need to be taken. Every choice she’d made thus far had been to avoid bloodshed, to prevent death. Now she was choosing to kill. What did that say about her?
“Fine,” Tem said. She couldn’t seem to manage anything else.
They walked on in silence. Eventually, a structure emerged in the distance: a low brick wall with a run-down cottage just beyond. When they reached the wall, Apollo gestured with his hand. “After you.”
Tem rolled her eyes, knowing full well that he only wanted to watch her climb over the wall so he could stare at her ass. But she couldn’t care less at this point.
The cottage was crumbling in on itself; Tem couldn’t picture anyone actually living here. To their right was a chicken coop. There were hardly any chickens inside, but the sight still made her flinch.