Filed to story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“Where?”
“My room.”
Tem rolled her eyes. “No, thank you.”
“Shame,” Leo sighed dramatically. “It’s been a while since anyone’s stayed overnight. Perhaps my seduction method needs tweaking.”
“Seduction method?”
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Leo’s eyes flicked to hers.
He seemed to sense he had an opening because he stepped closer, tilting his head so their faces were aligned. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I have a method. Would you care to hear it?”
She wanted to say no. But she couldn’t. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“I take a girl up to my room,” Leo continued as if she hadn’t said anything. “I pour her champagne.” He paused. “Then I draw a bath.”
Tem wrinkled her nose. “Seriously?”
“Yes.” Leo’s mouth twitched. “Girls love baths.”
Tem was getting a migraine from how often she was rolling her eyes.
At her reaction, Leo smiled, extending his hand to touch the bottom of her hair, twirling a wavy strand between his thin fingers. She should have pulled away. But she didn’t.
“We take a bath,” he continued. “We drink champagne.” Leo looked her in the eye. “And then we have sex.” He was still twirling her hair gently. For some reason, it gave her chills.
“And that works?” Tem whispered.
“Every time.”
They stared at each other, just the two of them, standing at the edge of the maze.
“And you, Tem?” he asked softly. “Would it work on you?”
He was far too close. But for once, Tem wasn’t pushing him away. There was something about Leo that was drawing her in. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but it was concrete and strong, and she couldn’t seem to resist him the way she usually did. But she couldn’t let herself give in either.
So she said, “I’m not really a fan of baths.”
Leo smiled. The muscles in his neck strained as he arched his head to look at the stars. “I’ll never get a straight answer from you, will I?”
“Probably not. But isn’t it more fun that way?”
“Yes,” he said. “It certainly is.” He looked down at her, the smile still on his face. “We could always skip the bath, you know.”
Tem shrugged. “I’m not really a fan of champagne either.”
He laughed outright at that. “In that case, I suppose I need a new method for you.”
“Let me know when you find one.”
The second she said it, victory flared in Leo’s eyes. “I shall,” he said quietly.
Tem rolled her eyes again, but it was too late. She’d let their banter go too far, and now Leo thought he had a chance. The worst part was he did. Tem didn’t know what it would take-certainly not a bath and champagne-but given the right circumstances, she would go to his room.
“You know,” Leo said, swirling the ice cube in his glass. “We’re meant to kiss tonight.”
Tem sighed. “I know.”
“Any preference on where and when?”
“Are you saying I have a choice?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Tem crossed her arms, looking incredulously up at him. “Do you have a preference?”
“Of course. But I’d rather hear yours.”
Tem couldn’t help but wonder what his preference was. She shrugged. “My preference doesn’t matter.”
“I beg to differ.” He sounded sincere.
Tem eyed him warily. “I’d prefer we didn’t kiss at all.”
She could barely get the words out. But she had to see how he would react. To her surprise, he smiled down at her, flashing his gold incisors in the moonlight.
“And I’d prefer you didn’t lie. But you knew that already.”
They held eye contact for a long moment. Then Leo swirled his glass once again before dumping the ice cube into the birdbath with a soft splash. His smile widened as he turned away.
“The night is young, Tem. Find me when you’re ready.”
Then he was gone.
Tem stayed outside until it became unbearable to do so. When she couldn’t take the cold any longer, she made a beeline for the closest table with food on it. She was just stuffing an unholy amount of cured bacon in her mouth when a familiar voice slid into her ear. “Don’t eat too much, Tem. You might get fat.”
It was Vera, of course, looking down her nose like she always did.
“The prince prefers a curvy girl,” Tem said around a mouthful of bacon.
Vera scoffed. Then she groaned, rolling her shoulders.
“What’s wrong with you?” Tem asked despite herself.
“Nothing, it’s just…” Vera’s mouth twisted. “My back is killing me.”
“Why?”
She scoffed. “All this sex, of course. You’d think we could at least do it in bed, like civilized people. Anywhere would be better than the floor of a dirty old cave. But I guess that’s all you can expect from a snake.”
Tem’s mouth fell open. Thankfully, at that exact moment, a girl in the crowd waved at Vera, and she disappeared.
Vera’s basilisk is having sex with her.
The bacon turned in her stomach. Maybe it was just Vera getting another jab in. Maybe she wasn’t actually having sex-she just wanted Tem to think she was. But Tem had to know for sure.
She spent the next hour tracking down each girl left in the competition, subtly steering the topic toward their time in the caves, the twist in her chest becoming tighter with each conversation. They were all having sex. Every single one of them. Which meant that Tem was the only girl whose basilisk wasn’t fucking her. It felt like the surprise elimination all over again, like she was the ugliest girl in the room-like she was the girl that nobody wanted.
Tem’s insecurities curled around her like vines, squeezing her stomach and compressing her lungs. How long had the other girls been having sex? Since the first night in the caves? But no-Vera had said that her basilisk didn’t even touch her that night. So at least they were equal in that. But it didn’t matter. They’d been unequal every day since, and Tem was once again the least experienced girl in the room. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She needed to get away from all these people, and she needed to do it now.