Chapter 161 – Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk Novel PDF Free

Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk

“All the cells are currently filled.”

“In that case, we had better empty them, hadn’t we?”

His uncle shook his head. “Thelonius…your father will not support that.”

Leo looked up at him. “My father is no longer king. I do not require his support.”

“But if you-“

“Take him to the dungeon,” Leo said again. “And if he resists, force him.”

“How?”

“Summon the guards. Hold him at knifepoint. I don’t care what you do. Just get it done.”

A moment passed when Leo thought his uncle might protest again. But Lord Chamberlain was bound to the duties of his position. He could not defy Leo’s order any more than he could have denied the former king’s.

Eventually, he said:

“Very well. If that is what you wish.”

“It is.” Leo finished his whiskey, then stood. “I will meet you down there.”

His uncle raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak again. They parted ways on the landing, and Leo made his way slowly down the stairs. The castle was still in a state of complete pandemonium: wedding guests and staff were scattered in chaotic groups, all in distress. Most were covered in blood, and Leo winced at the sight. He felt a deep responsibility to keep his people safe, and he had failed to do so today. The guilt would no doubt haunt him for a long time.

Tem was nowhere to be found. It didn’t surprise him; surely, the basilisk had whisked her away from the wedding to protect her from any lingering dangers. It was what Leo would have done had she let him. But now was not the time to think about Tem. For now, he had someone to find. She was standing at the edge of the maze, her head on Gabriel’s shoulder.

Leo’s heart jolted the moment saw her.

“Your Highness.” Tem’s mother bowed as he approached. Gabriel did the same.

“Please.” He gestured awkwardly. “Call me Leo.”

“Why are you here, Leo?”

Leo opened his mouth, then closed it. She looked so similar to Tem. How had he not noticed it when they’d been introduced earlier? They had the same soft eyes, the same determined jaw. The resemblance was so strong, he was tempted to reach for her but refrained when he remembered why he’d come. For some reason, he looked to Gabriel.

“Tem left. Caspen took her away.” Gabriel said the second part gently.

“Of course.” Leo nodded. “That’s not why I’m here.”

“Oh? Then what can we do for you, Your Highness?”

A pause bloomed, then settled. Leo flexed his hand again.

“Tem’s father is in the dungeon,” he said steadily. “I thought you might want to see him.”

Tem’s mother’s eyes widened. “Yes,” she whispered. “I would.”

Leo nodded again. “In that case, please.” He extended his arm, and she took it. “Come with me.”

They left Gabriel by the maze. Neither of them spoke as they entered the castle, and Leo had no desire to anyway. He was content instead to guide them silently through the ballroom and down the stairwell. It was only when they stood before the door to the dungeon that Leo paused, turning to her.

“He is…not well. I don’t want you to be alarmed.”

Tem’s mother lifted her chin. “I’ll be fine.”

The gesture was so familiar, Leo couldn’t help but smile. So that was where Tem got it from.

“Very well.”

He opened the door.

The dungeon was dark. His father wasn’t here yet, but perhaps that was for the best. It would give them privacy for what came next. Without another word, Leo led them to the very last cell. When they reached it, Tem’s mother gasped.

At the sound, Kronos opened his eyes.

“Daphne?” he whispered.

Tem’s mother let out a strangled noise. “Yes.” She pressed herself against the bars. “I’m here.”

Leo immediately retrieved the keys from a hook on the wall and handed them to her. The lock slid open easily, and the moment the cell door opened, Daphne ran forward. She fell to her knees, cupping her palms around Kronos’s face and lifting it to hers.

“I thought you left me,” she whispered.

“I did not. I would never leave you.”

She shook her head. “I thought that-“

“Never, Daphne.”

Leo felt as if he were intruding on an extremely private moment. And yet he couldn’t look away. Something burned in his chest at the sight of them together-something he knew he would have to face eventually.

“I never got to tell you about our daughter,” Daphne whispered.

Leo straightened at the mention of Tem.

“I already knew,” Kronos said.

“How?”

“I am not sure. I could…feel her. And you.”

“And me?”

Kronos nodded. “Always you.”

Leo turned away as they kissed.

The creature in his chest clawed at him, demanding his attention. He understood what Kronos meant-how he could feel Daphne, even when they were apart. Leo felt Tem now. It was as if they were tethered together, and when she moved, he yearned to move with her.

“Leo?” Daphne’s voice broke him from his trance. “Would you help us?”

He turned to see Kronos attempting to stand. But the wires fused to his fingers held him back.

Leo stepped forward. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know how to remove those.”

“They used a device to put them on,” Kronos said.

Leo cast his gaze around the dungeon, searching for anything that looked like it could pry the wires from the basilisk’s fingers. There was nothing. “I’m sorry-I-“

His father’s voice cut him off. “Daphne?”

At the sound of her name, Tem’s mother froze. She turned her head slowly, and Leo followed her gaze to see his father standing in the middle of the dungeon, flanked by two guards, his mouth twisted in surprise and disgust. His eyes flicked to Kronos. They narrowed.

“Him?”

Out of pure instinct, Leo placed his hand on Daphne’s shoulder. But his father wasn’t done.

“I should have known you left because of a snake.”

Tem’s mother didn’t say a word, but her expression was response enough.

“It’s no wonder your daughter acts the way she does,” Maximus continued. “With you as an example, she clearly had no other choice.”

Rage welled within Leo. “Father,” he snapped. “Leave her alone.”

His father turned to him. He let out a dark laugh. “Don’t you understand, Thelonius? That thing”-he pointed at Kronos-“spawned your precious wife. You love a half breed. A mutt.”

“Don’t call her that.”

“I’ll call her whatever I wish.”

Leo stepped forward. “You will call her by her name.”

His father scoffed. “Hold your tongue, Thelonius.”

But Leo was done taking orders. It was time to start giving them instead. “Hold your tongue, Father.”

The dungeon was already freezing, yet somehow the temperature managed to drop.

Before his father could speak again, Leo snapped his fingers, and one of the guards stepped forward. “Bring me the device that will free the basilisks.”

His father’s eyes widened. “You would not dare.”

Leo would dare. “Do as I say,” he barked.

The guard disappeared. The one that remained stepped closer to his father, whose face darkened.

“Reckless,” Maximus whispered. “Just like your mother.”

Leo frowned. His father never spoke of his mother.

Before he could make sense of this, his father continued: “You will regret freeing them, Thelonius. Mark my words.”

Leo shook his head. “The only thing I will regret is not doing it sooner.”

“Insolent boy. I never should have crowned you king.”

“Yet you did. Your reign is over, Father. I suggest you make peace with that now.”

“You know nothing of peace, Thelonius. There will be no peace in this kingdom if you abolish this.” He gestured at the imprisoned basilisks.

“There is no peace already,” Leo said.

His father let out a bitter laugh. “Peace is an illusion. You will learn that one day.”

But Leo shook his head. Peace may be an illusion, but so was power. His family hid behind their wealth-wealth they had stolen from creatures they deemed inferior. The cycle would end with him. He no longer cared what it cost him.

“Your reign is over,” he said again, quietly this time.

The other guard returned, holding a metal device.

Leo pointed at Kronos. “Him first,” Leo said. “And then the rest.”

The guard hesitated for only a moment before obeying. As soon as the wires were removed, Kronos stood slowly, leaning on Daphne for support.

Leo made sure they were out of the cell before addressing the guard by his father. “Lock him up,” he said coldly.

If his father hadn’t been so shocked, he might have tried to run. Instead, his face went slack as the guard took him by his arms and steered him into the cell Kronos had just vacated. He was still silent as the bars clanked shut in front of him.

Leo turned to Tem’s mother. “Go,” he said. “Both of you.”

Daphne looked at him for a long moment before slowly raising her hand and cupping his face with her palm the way she’d just done with Kronos. Leo stared into her eyes as she said, “Thank you.”

His throat was suddenly tight. He thought she might walk away, but she didn’t.

Instead, Tem’s mother continued: “She left with him. But she loves you both.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You will find your way back to each other.”

It wasn’t a prediction. It was a statement of fact.

Leo nodded. He could do nothing else.

Daphne dropped her hand and turned to Kronos. “Are you ready?”

In response, Kronos pulled her against him. They left the dungeon together, holding each other up.

Leo watched them go. As soon as they were gone, he turned to the cell. “Where is she?”

His father blinked. Leo noticed there was dried blood on his lips. Perhaps he had been injured after all. “Where is who?”

“You know exactly who I fucking mean.”

His father smiled, and the blood cracked. “Now, now, Thelonius. Inquiring about a woman who is not your wife on your wedding night is in poor taste, even for you.”

Leo’s fingers tightened on the bars. “Answer. Me.”

A heavy pause followed. Leo would not break it.

His father studied him in silence, his eyes roaming from head to toe. It felt as if he was appraising him, the way he had Leo’s entire life. Only this time, Leo did not care to gain his approval. This time, nothing gave him greater pleasure than being the bane of his father’s existence.

“She lives one village over,” Maximus said quietly.

Leo frowned.

“Ah,” his father murmured. “Not what you expected to hear.”

Despite himself, Leo shook his head. One village over. All this time, she’d been just one village over. And she’d never-

“Aren’t you going to ask why she left?”

Leo bristled. Of course he wanted to ask why Evelyn left. But a part of him-a larger part than he cared to admit-deeply feared the answer.

His father leaned closer. Leo saw the hate in his eyes-the sick satisfaction he got from tormenting his son. He answered the question Leo refused to ask: “I paid her.”

Leo’s stomach turned.

It was a lie. It had to be. Evelyn couldn’t be bought. His father would say anything to hurt him, especially after being thrown in the dungeon by his own son.

“Don’t you want to know how much it cost me?” his father whispered, holding Leo’s stare. “Shall I tell you how much your love was worth to her?”

“You’re lying. She wouldn’t take a bribe.”

His father let out a harsh laugh. “She would, my dear boy. And she did.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“That is your mistake.”

Leo shook his head. “Even if she did, I would understand. She had nothing. Her family was poor. Of course she-“

“Left you for the right price?”

Leo squared his shoulders. “You can hardly blame her considering what awaited her if she stayed. There was no future for us in our village. You made sure of that.”

“And why would I want such a future for my son? She is a peasant, Thelonius. You are a prince.”

“I am a king.” He spat the words between the bars. “And you cannot tell me who to love.”

A slow smile spread across his father’s face. “That much is clear,” he said quietly. “I should have learned long ago that you were incapable of rationality. But I, like you, chose to ignore what was in front of me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

A vicious smile curled Maximus’s lips. “Find her if you wish. Marry her if you must. But it will be harder than you think.”

Leo’s fingers tightened on the bars. “What will?”

“Knowing the truth.”

With that, Leo left.

The castle was finally empty. Night had fully fallen, and any guests who were still alive or uninjured had long since gone home. Leo knew there would be a plethora of problems to solve in the morning. But there was only one thing he had to do tonight.

He flagged down the first carriage he saw and climbed inside numbly. His father’s words beat rhythmically against his skull: It will be harder than you think. Knowing the truth.

But was it the truth? His father could be lying. He was surely lying. Leo refused to believe that Evelyn could be paid to leave him. Had the situation been reversed, no amount of money would have tempted him to leave. He had to believe she felt the same.

Leo rolled his shoulders. A pervasive ache was steadily penetrating his chest. The farther they traveled from the castle, the deeper the ache became. It was a physical pain, one that gripped his ribs and compressed his lungs, calling him back to Tem. But Tem had told him to find Evelyn.

Leo instructed the stable boy to drive through the night. He spent the hours wide awake, staring out the window, watching the stars in the sky. Was Tem watching the same ones? Or was she already deep beneath the mountain, sequestered in the caves with Caspen? It hurt Leo to picture her with him. He didn’t want to imagine them together. He didn’t want to think about the snake touching her the way he had, didn’t want to imagine how she would cry Caspen’s name instead of Leo’s. But at least he knew she was safe. He knew, beyond doubt, that the only person who loved Tem as much as he did was Caspen.

It didn’t make it any easier.

And what if she wasn’t safe? What if the basic truth that Leo believed-that Caspen would protect Tem-wasn’t true? Leo had seen Caspen’s fury firsthand at the wedding. What if, one day, it was directed at her? The basilisk had ripped apart his own father. Kora knew what else he was capable of. Leo shuddered.

There was nothing to be done about it now. They had agreed to share her, but that agreement was void. Leo’s future was one village over.

By the time the carriage finally slowed, the sun was rising. The village was small; Leo had visited it before on a royal tour. He made straight for the bakery, where he knew every villager must buy their bread. It took mere seconds to ask the baker about Evelyn. She usually spent the mornings down by the river, he informed Leo. Feeding the ducks.

Leo instructed the stable boy to pull over at the town square. As he exited the carriage, he rubbed his palms together, realizing they were sweating. He was still wearing his wedding suit. This was insane. Was he really about to see her?

At the thought, iron bars tightened around his chest.

So many mornings-he’d spent so many mornings sitting on the graveyard bench, waiting for Evelyn, hoping against hope that she would arrive. He’d never stopped loving her-never stopped praying she would show. Even as he fell for Tem, he’d still saved a piece of his heart for Evelyn. He couldn’t help it; there was something inescapable about his first love. Even Tem had known that his heart was in two places. It was why she’d sent him to find Evelyn. She had known, better than him, what it was like to belong to two people at once.

Leo traversed the path to the river slowly, his legs heavy. A combination of sick anticipation and wild hope fought for dominance in his mind.

The rush of the river washed over him. He was nearly upon it.

Would she be happy to see him? What if she’d found someone new and he was too late? It had never occurred to Leo to court someone else after Evelyn. He’d only done so because the elimination process had forced him to. His love for Tem had been a happy accident, one that now-in light of what he was about to do-he didn’t know how to contend with.

The river was loud; he’d reached the edge of the bank. Morning sunlight streamed into his eyes, framing the girl in front of him.

Evelyn.

Honey-blond hair. Just as he remembered it. The curve of her shoulder, the arch of her neck. She looked just as she did the last time he’d seen her. How long had it been? Months. A year nearly. He’d been robbed of a summer with her-robbed of the chance to see her skin tan, to see her hair lighten in the sun. They’d made plans to visit the sea together. Leo had never been, and neither had Evelyn. It was the first place they were going to go once they were free of the village-free of his father. Sand between our toes, Leo, Evelyn had said. Don’t you wonder what it would feel like?

Yes. He’d wondered. Perhaps now he would find out.

And yet Leo couldn’t move.

Something was holding him back, preventing him from taking even a half step in her direction. It was as if an invisible chain were wrapped around his ankles, bolting him to the ground. He needed to go forward. But going forward meant solidifying the gap between him and Tem. The moment he approached Evelyn, everything would change between them. The thought physically pained him. But Tem herself had told him to do this. So Leo stepped forward.

“Evelyn.”

Evelyn looked up at him, her lips parting in surprise.

“Leo?”

—-The End

---