Filed To Story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
Can I do anything for you?
He shook his head.
Are you sure?
There is nothing to be done, Temperance. By you or anyone.
His words gutted her. All Tem wanted to do was fix this-to go back in time and make it so that the last few days hadn’t happened.
Adelaide appeared on her other side. Without thinking, Tem reached for her hand too.
One hand held Adelaide’s. The other Apollo’s. Tem could feel their grief as solidly as she could feel her own. It was not unlike the hive orgasm, but instead of pleasure, she felt pure, unfiltered sadness. It was too much for one person; if she hadn’t been standing among the basilisks, she would have collapsed. But here, surrounded by her people, the grief was bearable. Burdens were easier to bear when shared, after all. There was beauty in this-in the collective ability to stand in community, to hold and to be held. Beside her, Apollo’s grip tightened. Tem sent him a soothing wave of solidarity. Not enough to alter the way he was feeling-only enough to let him know he was not alone. He turned to her and pressed his lips to her temple.
The crowd fell silent as Caspen approached the line of bodies.
He knelt before each of them, striking a flint and setting them aflame. When all of them were lit, they stood for hours watching them burn, the smoke traveling up into the peak of the mountain. Nobody said a single word. There was only this moment-only right now. When it was finally done, members of the council stepped forward to distribute their ashes into urns made of bright white marble. They became mixed with the sand on the shore, and perhaps that was the point. Tem had lain on this very shore before and surely would again. It was a part of Kora, and so it was a part of them. Tears streamed down her cheeks as, one by one, Caspen took each urn, walked out into the water, and cast his people’s remains into the lake.
There was no ceremony afterward, nor any type of speech. Everyone simply dispersed, and Tem followed Caspen back to their chambers in silence. Tem figured they would stand by the fireplace and talk. Instead, the moment their door closed, Caspen picked her up and set her on the bed. His lips were on hers a moment later.
Caspen?
His kiss deepened, his hands threading into her hair.
Caspen. I need to know you’re all right.
And I need to touch you.
Tem let him touch her. She let him lay her down on the bed, pull open her legs, and slide his fingers inside her. He did so gently. Intentionally. Tem knew he was concentrating on this instead of what his people had just endured, and she was happy to provide a distraction for him. Eventually, his mouth replaced his fingers. He was so deliberate, so unselfishly soft with her. His hands moved up her body, seeking hers. Tem held on to them tightly, using them to anchor herself, using them to hold him near. Every time she was close to coming, he stopped, lifting his head to kiss along her thighs until she moaned his name. Then he returned to the center of her, going deeper than before, showing her with every stroke of his tongue how much he needed her. Tem arched into him, still holding his hands, still splayed open.
In this moment Tem thought only of Caspen, of how he had always taken care of her, of how he protected her and those she loved. She thought about how he’d been the first to believe in her, the first to tell her she was extraordinary, the first to push her to become what he knew she was capable of being.
Caspen.
He was her first love. He always would be.
Even after she came, Caspen still wanted her on his tongue. And when he was finally done tasting her, he simply looked at her for a long time, just as he had their first night in the caves. Tem remembered how she’d held herself open for him. She did so again now, letting him see inside her, letting him see what belonged to him. When she became too wet to hold herself, Caspen took her fingers and licked them, one after the other. He bent forward and kissed her clitoris. Then he did it again. Over and over, just as the entire council had, only this time it was just him. He did it until he was satisfied-until she was aching and desperate and dripping. Then he entered her.
They moaned in unison as his cock slid halfway in. When he pulled back out, Tem reached for him.
All the way. I need you all the way in.
Normally he would keep her in check, tell her to have patience. Instead, he did as she requested, sliding all the way in, giving her exactly what she wanted. They were playing no games tonight; neither one of them wielded their power. They pleasured each other tenderly, as only they knew how. It was loving and thorough and real. Tem knew Caspen’s body better than she knew her own, and she did every single one of his favorite things. Then he did the same. He did what he had always done-took her to the very edge. Now, they approached it in tandem, their bodies working perfectly to get there at the same time.
They fell over the edge together.
Afterward, Tem studied the sweat drying slowly on Caspen’s shoulders. She saw the ridges of muscle beneath his skin, remembering how they flexed when he stroked his cock. Tem shifted closer.
What are you doing, Tem?
I’m just looking at you.
Caspen smiled, adjusting his position on the bed so she could get a better view.
And? What do you see?
Tem moved closer, tilting her head to study his face. She saw his sharp jaw, his strong brow. Her eyes fell to a single gray hair at his temple. Had that always been there? Was it new? Tem touched it gently, running her finger along the strand. She was so close, she could smell his skin-a tantalizing mix of smoke and sweat and something else, something not quite human. It was almost as if she could sense the magic in him.
I can sense it in you too.
You can?
Yes. I felt it when we first met.
Tem processed this information slowly. Caspen had never talked about that night with her.
How did you feel when you first saw me?
His mouth twitched.
Aroused.
That’s not what I meant, and you know it.
He sighed, and the smile faded.
I felt surprised. And intrigued. And…drawn to you in a way I could not understand. There was something ancient in you.
Ancient? What do you mean?
Caspen shrugged.
I cannot explain it. It was just a feeling.
Tem had no idea what to say to that. She was twenty years old; there was nothing ancient about her.
He was the ancient one. Before she could ask more questions, Caspen asked one of his own:
How did you feel when you first saw me?
Aroused.
That earned her a proper laugh. Tem laughed too, and for the first time in days, things felt lighter. Caspen shifted closer to her as she continued.
I felt…scared. But also brave at the same time.
Bravery is often the bedmate to fear. One cannot be brave unless one is afraid.
Tem supposed that was true. She’d never considered herself a particularly brave person, but that had changed since meeting Caspen. He was the one who pushed her to do more-to step into who he believed she could be.
I felt afraid too. His admission was so quiet Tem nearly missed it.
You did? Why?
Caspen waited a long time before answering, and when he did, the words were even quieter still.
Because I knew what was to come.
It was all he said, and Tem didn’t press him. Something about the way he said it made her worried, and she didn’t want to feel that way right now. Right now, all she wanted was to feel happy.
I’m sorry about the wedding. We shouldn’t have gone.