Filed To Story: Between Two Kings: A Split or Swallow Book PDF Free
Beside her, Apollo touched her waist.
“I thought you merely cared for him, which I understood, given your circumstances. But you sent him away, Tem. You chose me.”
Everything he was saying was true. Tem had chosen Caspen. But her mind had made the choice-not her heart. And the heart was not so easily swayed. “I don’t know what to say, Caspen.”
He stepped closer. “Say you made the right choice. Say you do not love him.”
Only one of those statements was true. “Caspen, please.”
But Caspen would not be persuaded. She could see it in his eyes: he was past the point of no return.
“Say it, Tem. Now.”
“I made the right choice.” It was all she said. The silence hardened between them.
Tem knew Caspen was waiting for her to say the second part. But she couldn’t. There was no point in lying. Her body probably wouldn’t let her anyway.
It was all coming to a head now. Tem didn’t know whether it was ego or denial or sheer hope that had blinded Caspen for so long, but now there was no more hiding, no more pretending that Tem didn’t feel the way she felt about Leo.
“This cannot happen, Tem. You cannot sleep with him. If you do, I will have to-“
His voice cracked, and he broke off. The elixir had made him slow-made it so the real conclusion was coming to him now, a minute too late. Caspen’s eyes met hers. Tem knew he wouldn’t finish his sentence, and she didn’t even want him to. She still remembered every word of their conversation-the one where Caspen had told her that his father killed his mother. If Tem consummated the crest, he would be forced to do the same.
Caspen whirled on Apollo. “How long have you known?”
Apollo glanced at Tem, his hand still on her waist.
“Do not look at her. Look at me. When did you find out?”
Apollo sighed. “Recently, Brother.”
It was all he said. But it was more than enough.
Caspen’s eyes narrowed. “You knew and you did not tell me.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement, and it was true.
Caspen had uncovered the worst of them. He was finally caught up, finally privy to the secret that Tem had been keeping for so long. But even worse than her betrayal was Apollo’s. She did not know their history, but she knew enough to recognize that it was playing out again, right now, with her. History would always repeat itself, just as Maximus said.
Caspen turned to her. “It is a shame you do not love my brother, Tem,” he said coldly. “You two are perfect for each other.” He delivered his last two words as he looked straight in her eyes. “Both liars.”
Tem knew he was angry and lashing out. But it didn’t make it hurt any less. “Caspen,” she whispered. “You said it yourself. I chose you. I haven’t slept with him. I haven’t consummated the crest.”
“But you want to, do you not? You want to more than anything.”
She shook her head. “I…”
“It is easy to choose when there are no real consequences. It is not so easy when a life is on the line. How long does he have?”
Tem’s throat was tight. She couldn’t breathe. Leo did not have long. Her father had said that when she fully lost the ability to transition, it would already be too late. She hadn’t transitioned since Apollo taught her to petrify. And he had barely been able to pull her through.
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“And if his time is near? What then, my love?”
He said it so condescendingly, she wanted to cry.
“Tell me, Tem.” Caspen leaned in. “Will you let him die?”
They both knew the answer to that.
“Perhaps I shall make it easy,” he said, his voice deadly quiet. “Perhaps it would be better if I made your choice for you.”
Tem looked up into his black eyes, staring at the endless pools. “What are you saying?”
“I am saying that your little human prince is fragile. And I am tempted to break him.”
For the first time, Tem truly feared for Leo.
It was one thing for Caspen to be livid with her. But it was another thing entirely for him to direct his ire at Leo. He had already threatened to solve this himself, hadn’t he? There was absolutely nothing stopping him from leaving the caves and going to the castle to enact his own revenge. Tem knew exactly what form that revenge would take. She pictured Jonathan’s and Christopher’s petrified faces. Caspen had already broken the truce. Caspen did not care about the humans.
That could not happen to Leo. She wouldn’t let it.
She refused to believe that Caspen would do that to her, not when he knew the heartbreak would surely kill her. Tem was too shocked to speak.
But it was Apollo, ultimately, who said, “You cannot do that.”
“Why not? It is a solution.” Caspen looked at him wildly. “Just as you said.”
“Have mercy, Brother.”
“Mercy?” Caspen spat. Tem flinched at his tone. “You want me to have mercy?”
His words hung in the air. Caspen owed no one his mercy.
Tem did not deserve his compassion or charity. There would be no benevolence for her. She didn’t even want it. She wanted to be punished, to reap the consequences of her actions. Why shouldn’t she suffer when her actions warranted punishment? Caspen had already suffered, and it had been at her hand. Tem deserved the same.
“It will destroy her,” Apollo said quietly. “You know it will.”
Finally, Caspen fell silent. A tortured shadow of tenderness passed over his face as he looked at Tem. He did not want to destroy her. It was the last thing he would ever do.
Apollo was truly standing between them now. His back was to Tem, his hand on Caspen’s chest. Caspen didn’t seem to notice, looking only at Tem.
“I do not want to hurt you,” he said slowly, each word drawn out.
“You should,” she whispered. “I deserve it.”
Incredible sadness passed over Caspen’s face. He stepped closer. The moment he did so, Apollo’s hand flattened against his chest. Finally, their eyes met. The two brothers stared at each other, and Tem wondered suddenly whether they were speaking using their minds. Both of them were closed off to her-she couldn’t listen in. An eternity passed.
At last, Tem caught part of a sentence spoken by Apollo:
…know when to step aside.
“She is my wife,” Caspen said out loud, his voice dangerously low. “And this is between us.”
Apollo opened his mouth again, but Caspen cut him off.
“Leave us, Brother.”
Tem expected Apollo to go. Instead, his eyes flicked to hers, then back to Caspen’s. He shook his head. “I am not leaving you alone with her.”