Filed To Story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
They were standing before a set of double doors so tall Tem couldn’t see the top of them.
“Temperance,” Adelaide said quietly. “Are you ready?”
She would never be ready for this.
When she didn’t answer, Adelaide stepped closer. “I will be by your side. You do not have to face this alone.”
A wave of gratitude swept over Tem. Adelaide had become a lifeline to her in the last few weeks, ever since the first night of mating seasons. To have her here now was an unimaginable blessing. And she was right. Tem would not face this alone.
“I’m ready.”
Adelaide nodded. Then she opened the doors.
What lay beyond them took Tem’s breath away. Unlike the contained room with the altar where the ritual was held, they had entered an arena. It was broad and deep and oval in shape, with great sloping rows of benches that nearly reached the towering ceiling. Every single seat was filled; basilisks were writhing and cheering and waving from the stands. The same white sand that covered the shores of the lake filled the arena. There, in the middle, was Caspen.
Immediately, Tem ran to him. She didn’t care whether it was allowed; she didn’t care that everyone was watching. She only wanted to be near him.
“Caspen,” she breathed as soon as they were face-to-face.
He smiled. “My love.”
Behind him stood the other contenders. Rowe was already scowling at her. Tem didn’t even bother looking in his direction, focusing instead on Apollo, who was watching her with a contemplative expression on his face. Was he thinking about her confession? Or was he anticipating what was to come?
“Did you sleep?” Caspen asked.
“Barely. Did you?”
“No.” He didn’t elaborate.
Before Tem could ask him to, Adelaide appeared at her side. She was holding a large golden chalice filled with elixir. “It is time to begin,” she said to the contenders. “Please stand in a line.”
The basilisks obeyed, arranging themselves into formation.
“You will each swear to honor the outcome of the tournament. Then you will seal your promise with the elixir.” She stepped toward Eros, who was first in line. “Kneel.”
Eros knelt.
“Will you honor the outcome?”
“I will,” Eros answered.
Adelaide dipped her fingers in the chalice and touched them first to one shoulder, then the other, as if he were being knighted. Then she handed him the chalice, and he drank deeply.
Rowe knelt next, and Adelaide did the same for him.
She went down the line until she reached Apollo, who gave Tem a smile before he bowed his head. Despite herself, Tem smiled back. There were many elements that were well outside her control. But at least she knew the Drakon brothers were on her side. With them in her corner, what did she have to fear?
Finally, it was Tem’s turn.
“Will you honor the outcome?” Adelaide asked.
Tem hesitated, suddenly paralyzed. There were too many things that could go wrong, too many lives and relationships at stake. All of it was on her shoulders. And what of the final tier? What if her heart called to another? Would she honor the outcome?
In the pause, Apollo’s mind brushed against hers.
Do not be afraid. Let us do this for you.
“Temperance.” Adelaide’s voice cut through Apollo’s. “Will you honor the outcome?”
Everyone was watching her expectantly. They had come to the end of the road. It was time to let fate take its course.
“I will.”
Adelaide nodded. Then she dipped her fingers in the chalice, touching Tem’s shoulders the way she’d just touched the contenders’. Tem drank the last of the elixir, her entire body warming as it slid down her throat. As soon as she finished swallowing, Adelaide raised the empty chalice over her head, turning toward the crowd to yell, “It is done. Let the tournament begin.”
The arena erupted into cheers.
“Temperance,” Adelaide said. “Come with me.”
But Tem couldn’t move. She was staring at Caspen, who was staring at her.
“Caspen,” she said. But there were no words-nothing to say to encompass everything she was feeling. So she said the only thing she needed him to know: “I love you.”
He smiled. It was a sad smile, and for some reason, Tem wanted to cry. What if this was it? Unless Caspen won the tournament, unless her heart called to him-she would never touch him again. A life without Caspen’s touch was not a life Tem could bear. She wouldn’t survive without him.
“I love you too.”
Adelaide’s hand was on her arm, pulling her back. The rest of the contenders were dispersing, leaving only Caspen and Rowe in the middle of the arena.
“Where are we going?” Tem asked as Adelaide steered her toward the stands.
“To your suite,” Adelaide said. “You will watch the first tier from there.”
They climbed the stairs together. All around them, basilisks reached out to touch Tem-running their fingers along her legs, her waist, her arms-as if they wanted to take some small piece of her for themselves.
The suite was an enormous, ornate balcony. It contained a long bench, from which Tem had a breathtaking view of the arena. Rowe and Caspen stood in the very middle. Caspen’s back was to her, and Tem reached for him with her mind, but their connection was closed. She turned immediately to Adelaide.
“Why can’t I talk to him?”
“You are not to communicate for the entirety of the tournament.”
Tem frowned.
“There is no cause for concern,” Adelaide said quickly. “You can still communicate with anyone else. I am at your disposal, Apollo as well.”
Of course Apollo was at her disposal. He always was. “Can he watch with us?”
Adelaide raised an elegant shoulder. “You may have anyone here that you wish. You need only ask him. I am sure he would be honored.”
Tem reached for the other Drakon brother with her mind, finding him immediately.
Apollo. Where are you?
I am with the other contenders. Why do you ask?
I want you here with me.
A pause. For some reason, she was nervous he would reject her. And then:
I am on my way.