Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Realization hit her.
Caspen thought Tem was the reason their connection had been weak the past few days. He thought she was angry about his engagement to Adelaide, that she was pushing him away on purpose, to punish him. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
Tem looked up at him, losing herself in the golden pools of his eyes.
She thought of all the decisions Caspen had made for her-decisions that involved her body. He’d proposed without telling her; he’d given her his venom; he’d bound their lives together by blood. He’d done those things to protect her. She understood that now, more than she ever had before.
They had been through so much together, survived so much together. The training, their engagement, the ritual-even Rowe. Caspen was her anchor. She would not allow anything to happen to him. She would do what was necessary to save him-to save herself.
Now it was Tem’s turn to protect him.
Her path was clear. She would marry Leo. She would crest the royals. She would heal the basilisk side of her before Caspen found out that he was dying. It was time for him to trust her as she had once trusted him. Tem was the one keeping secrets now. And she would not apologize for it.
“I do not mean to shut you out,” she whispered against his chest.
Caspen’s fingers brushed gently through her hair. His want was evident; she could feel the hardness of his body, the way he drew her in. His lips were on her neck. Tem let him kiss her for one moment-just a single infinite moment-before pulling away.
“Caspen,” she whispered. “I have to get back.”
His grip only tightened. “Tem,” he said, his voice low. “You need to transition.”
He was right. She needed practice. But she couldn’t linger here. “I can’t stay, Caspen,” she said again, softly this time.
His grip still didn’t loosen. “We must prepare you, Tem.”
But there was no time to prepare. Not now-not when it was nearly morning. If Leo discovered she’d gone to see Caspen, there would be no wedding at which to perform the crest anyway.
“I’ll come again as soon as I can,” she said. “I promise.”
Caspen wasn’t pleased. She could sense it in the way he kissed her at the head of the trail, holding her too tightly. He missed her. And she missed him. But there were bigger things than just their relationship to consider. Caspen’s life now hung in the balance.
It had rained while she was in the caves, and Tem fought to keep up her pace on the muddy trail. By the time she was back at the castle, the sun was about to rise. The trellis was slippery; she nearly fell twice. But she managed to haul herself into her bedroom in one piece, running her fingers through her tangled curls and shaking the water from her hair.
There was a sudden knock on her door.
Tem froze. There was no time to take a bath, no time to clean herself off. All she could do was kick her muddy shoes under the bed, tear her dress from her body, and throw a robe over her shoulders before opening the door.
Leo stood before her. “Tem,” he said breathlessly. “Good, you’re awake. I came to tell you that I-” He cut off as he took in her wet hair. He frowned, and Tem’s heart slammed in her chest.
“I took a bath,” she said preemptively.
But the frown on Leo’s face remained in place. He stood perfectly still as his gaze went behind her, where her dress was crumpled on the floor. His eyes traveled from the dress to the muddy footprints that led from the windowsill.
“Where were you?” he asked slowly.
Tem didn’t answer. Something about the way he asked it filled her with dread.
Leo stepped closer. “Were you with him?”
Tem tried to change the subject. “What were you going to tell me?”
His eyes finally met hers. They narrowed. “I was going to tell you that I just eliminated Cassandra, and I was on my way to do the same to Vera. But perhaps I acted too soon.”
“Leo-“
“Perhaps,” he raised his voice, overpowering hers, “I have been living in a fantasy wherein you possess the same caliber of affection for me that I feel for you.”
“I-“
“Perhaps.” He was nearly yelling now. “I have been a fool. So I shall ask you only once more, Temperance.” He leaned in, and she flinched. “And I would prefer it if you didn’t lie to me. Where the fuck were you?”
“Leo,” she said, reaching for him. “Please try to understand. There’s so much you don’t know-“
“I know you,” he said coldly, yanking his arm from her grasp. “And I know you are ruled by your heart instead of your mind.”
“I’m not-“
But Leo would not be stopped. “I know everything we did last night you learned from him.”
“You can’t hold my training against me,” Tem said desperately. “Every girl was taught the same way.”
“The other girls didn’t fall in love with their teachers.”
Tears pricked Tem’s eyes. “You know better than anyone that you can’t help who you love.”
His face went white. “How dare you say that to me? You cannot compare your infatuation with a snake to what I had with Evelyn.”
“I’m not comparing. I’m just-“
“You have brought me nothing but pain since the day we met. I never should have let myself fall for you.”
Tem recoiled. “Are you saying you regret choosing me?” she whispered.
Leo’s face was the picture of fury. “I’m saying you are not at all what I expected, Tem.”
Tem stood her ground. “You’re not exactly what I expected either, Leo.”
“Please. You’ve always gotten the better end of this deal. You get to be queen. Isn’t that every little girl’s dream?”
“Not mine.”
“Well, it should be. And what do I get? A wife who loves someone else. Lucky me.” His voice was bitter.
“I’m not your wife yet,” she said quietly but firmly. “And if we can’t get through this, I never will be.”
Leo let out a dull, humorless laugh. “There’s nothing to get through, Tem. You need to get over him.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?” He stepped closer. “What is it about that filthy snake that has you so entranced? What lies has he spun to seduce you?”
But Tem couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t explain her bond with Caspen-couldn’t tell Leo what she really was. Or could she?
What if, when faced with the truth, Leo chose a different path than his father had? If Leo knew that Tem was a hybreed, he would be forced to view the basilisks differently-not as the enemy but as a part of her.
Before she could follow that train of thought, Leo spoke again.
“All the other girls let me up their skirts on the first date. Vera can’t get enough of my cock. She’s begged me to fuck her more times than I can count. But not you. Never you.”
Tem knew his patience had run out, knew she had withheld herself for too long. Still, his next words sent a chill down her spine.
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.