Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
A disbelieving murmur swept across the table. Surely, there had been talk of rebellion before, of reclaiming what the basilisks deemed to be rightfully theirs. But now that the king was the one sanctioning it, the proposition held legitimate weight.
“And how shall we put them in their place?” Rowe asked.
Bastian’s answer was simple. “We crest them.”
Tem heard several incredulous sounds.
“The royals will attempt to resist us,” another basilisk said. “We cannot hope to crest them all.”
Bastian pointed at Tem. “She can.”
“And what is so special about her?” Rowe snapped.
Bastian laced his fingers together. “She is a hybreed.”
Instant chaos.
Several basilisks cried out in disbelief, while others smacked the stone table in protest.
Rowe’s voice carried over it all. “If the Drakons knew of the existence of a hybreed and they hid it, that is treason.”
“I did not know,” Bastian insisted, his hands raised. “Not until the ritual.”
“He knew.” Rowe pointed at Caspen. “He had to have known. He has been fucking her for weeks.”
“My son’s business is his own,” Bastian said. “I take no responsibility for his actions.”
Tem found that ironic.
“This is absurd,” a female basilisk on the Seneca side insisted. “You play us for fools.”
Bastian shook his head. “I am merely championing our liberation.”
“And let me guess,” the woman continued. “As the liberators of our people, the Drakons would remain in power.”
Bastian leaned back in his chair. “One would assume the Senecas will yield to those of us who are bold enough to defeat the royals.”
It was a classic basilisk answer-evasive and ineffective. The council would not be swayed.
“Prove it,” Rowe snarled. “Prove she is a hybreed.”
Tem didn’t wait for anyone’s permission. She was already feeling for the corridor to Rowe’s mind, gently opening the mental door that led to his consciousness. The moment she made contact, Rowe whipped his head around to stare at her, his mouth slack with shock.
Tem whispered two words softly into his mind: Hello, Rowe.
Rowe recoiled in disgust, slamming a barrier between them so fast that she flinched. “Impossible,” he growled.
Behind her, Tem felt Caspen’s amusement. What did you say to him?
I just said hello.
Caspen’s amusement only increased. His fingers were still inside her, and his cock had been hard for a while now. Tem could feel it against her back and wanted nothing more than to turn around and mount him.
Not yet, Tem.
Tem squirmed in his arms. She was turned on to the point of distraction; she wanted to have sex right now. But Caspen held her in place as Bastian said, “I assure you, it is not impossible. And neither is our freedom.”
“Your freedom,” Rowe insisted. “Meaning the Drakons.”
“Our freedom is also yours. We have a hybreed.” Bastian spread his fingers wide. “And we plan to use her. She is a resource for us all.”
“If the prince chooses her,” Rowe spat. “And if she even agrees to be used.”
“He will choose her,” Caspen snapped. “My students are always chosen.”
Rowe turned to him, his eyes narrowing.
Tem remembered that Caspen had a reputation to uphold-a legacy to defend.
“And she will not be used,” Caspen continued, his voice dangerously low. “She is not your tool of destruction. She is my future queen. I decide what happens to her.”
“Actually,” Tem said quietly, “I decide what happens to me.”
Everyone at the table turned to look at her.
Bastian cleared his throat. Caspen’s grip on her tightened protectively.
“Of course,” the king said evenly. “You have a say in this, Temperance. Is there something you wish to add?”
There were plenty of things Tem wished to add. But only one thing came to mind right now.
“Why should I do this for you? Why should I enslave innocent people?”
Bastian leaned forward. “The royals are hardly innocent.”
His words reminded her of the ones Caspen had said-how he didn’t consider human lives a loss. Tem thought of Lilly’s young children, who had no fault in the war against the basilisks. Were they to answer for the sins of their ancestors?
“Perhaps the king is not innocent. But the rest of the royals would be collateral damage.”
“There will be far more damage if you do not perform the crest.”
Tem frowned. “What do you mean?”
Bastian shrugged with practiced ease. “The crest is an elegant solution to our problem. It involves no loss of life, no bloodshed. My people can regain power peacefully. If you refuse, we will be forced to carry out a…less elegant solution.”
“You mean war.”
“Yes,” Bastian said simply. “Is that what you want?”
War was the last thing Tem wanted. But she didsn’t want to crest anyone either. “I want peace.”
“I understand your position,” Bastian said. “But the situation is bigger than yourself.”
He spoke carefully, and Tem knew he was trying to control her. If she refused to perform the crest-if she denied the king in front of his council-the Drakons would lose the upper hand.
Tem didn’t want to put Caspen at a disadvantage. But she wasn’t willing to sacrifice Leo’s family for him either.
“Give me a reason,” Tem said.
Bastian raised an eyebrow. “A reason?”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.