Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk

His teeth grazed her jaw. “No.” “Even if it means I’ll be unprepared tomorrow?” He lifted his head. “Even then.” From the look on his face, it was clear he was done with this conversation. But Tem wasn’t. “You can’t have it both ways, Caspen.” His eyes narrowed. “And which ways are those?” “You can’t…

“Am I to take that as a compliment?” she asked. “Certainly not. That dress looks beautiful on you. That’s a compliment.” “I hardly consider it one.” Leo’s mouth twisted in a condescending smile. “What could possibly be wrong with it?” “You complimented the dress. Not me.” Tem didn’t know where her courage came from. She…

She couldn’t be eliminated. The crowd was moving, forming a semicircle around one end of the ballroom, where something was being assembled. Tem squinted to see what looked like podiums of various sizes, arranged in ascending order of height. She counted eleven of them. Tem frowned. If two girls were to be eliminated, there should…

“Wait,” Tem whispered. “Please.” Caspen raised an eyebrow. “Wait for what, Tem?” “I don’t know. I’m just not ready.” To her surprise, Caspen laughed softly. “Of course you are not ready. It is impossible to be ready for something you have never done before.” Tem swallowed. He wasn’t making her feel any better. Caspen seemed…

Tem got dressed. Caspen disappeared while she was pulling on her clothes, and when he reappeared, he had a tray of food. But instead of sitting and eating with her, he set the tray down on the mat and left without another word. The cave was glaringly empty without him, and Tem fought to hold…

With a single word, Caspen had reestablished distance between them. It didn’t matter that she had pressed her lips to his neck, that he had pulled her closer when she had done so. It didn’t matter that he’d given her an orgasm and squeezed her throat when she came. He was her teacher and she…

Tem wished she could go find Gabriel, but the man at the door had told her not to wander. And why shouldn’t I wander? she thought with sudden conviction. This could be my castle someday. So Tem turned on her heel and made her way back through the crowd. She slipped into the hallway, sighing…

He cocked his head. “I beg your pardon?” Rather than explain herself, Tem turned back to the skull. “Seems like a morbid thing to keep around, doesn’t it?” “It’s a family heirloom,” the prince explained. “My father considers it his most-prized possession.” Tem felt a bristle of anger. “What kind of family keeps a skull…

The words were bizarre. Tem couldn’t fathom calling it any of them. “What do you like to call it?” The corner of his mouth twitched. “Pussy,” he said simply. Tem wondered what the prince liked to call it. “Do you like that?” Caspen murmured, cutting off her thoughts. “Yes,” Tem said. “Good.” His fingers went…

“Take me there with only your hand,” he commanded. He was still holding her chin. She began to stroke him again. He’d lost none of his hardness during the pause. If anything, he was even harder. She felt how firm he was, how utterly unyielding. It was addicting to hold this part of him, to…