Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk

Caspen paused. And then: I will ensure that it is. Tem heard the resolve in his voice. It brought her little comfort. Tem? Caspen said when the silence dragged on. Will you attend? Tem sighed. I’ll decide later. Another long pause. Of course. I await your decision. Tem severed their connection without remorse. “Tem?” She…

“Tem.” His voice came back to her, its urgency increased. “Please answer me. Are you in any pain?” She could only nod. At her response, Caspen sat up. He placed his palm flat on her stomach and closed his eyes. There was a cool pulse, and suddenly the aches disappeared. Tem felt immediately better physically,…

“They have likely already made it. I will speak with my father today.” “But what happens if-“ “Tem,” he said gently, pulling her closer. “Enough. There is nothing more you can do.” She fell silent, content simply to breathe for a while. It felt good to lie there, to do nothing but feel Caspen’s arms…

He knew just as well as Tem that the time for shielding her had passed. She was in this now, and she deserved to know everything. There would be no more secrets between them. Tem needed the truth, and she wouldn’t settle for anything less ever again. “I have earned the right to honesty, Caspen.”…

Or could she? Tem had always felt out of place, like she was wearing the wrong clothes. She’d always hated the farm, always loathed the sound of the roosters. It grated against her on a molecular level-on an instinctual level. She’d always wanted something else from her life-something more. But she’d never expected this. She…

The crowd of basilisks had grown. Tem wasn’t surprised; this was the grand finale after all. This final hour would determine whether everything had been worth it-whether Tem was worth it. Caspen rolled on top of her. Tem knew it was his way of protecting her from himself. This way, her body was covered-she was…

Caspen looked up, following her gaze. “That…” He trailed off, and Tem finished for him. “That’s Kora.” “Yes. It is.” Tem stared up at the statue numbly. It was the largest depiction of Kora she had ever seen, carved from a stone that looked like marble, with delicate threads of gold laced throughout it. The…

“Yes.” The king didn’t ask anything else. It would seem the time for talking had passed. Without another word, he turned and climbed into Kora’s hands, reclining on his back so that her palms cradled his shoulders. It was clear Bastian wasn’t going to initiate anything; it was up to Tem to begin the ritual….

It pushed her there too. “Caspen,” she moaned. Just his name-nothing more. Caspen pulled out of her immediately, his shoulders hunching forward as he finished into his palm with an urgent groan. Before Tem had time to breathe, he slapped his hand hard against her hip, sliding it all the way down her thigh and…

But I didn’t. I’m fine, Caspen. He pressed a kiss to her temple before changing the subject. Are you ready for what comes next? Tem knew what came next would not be easy for her. She thought of all the nights she’d spent with Caspen up until now-how he’d always accommodated her when she needed…