Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
Tem couldn’t believe the agony in his voice. She had forgotten that underneath Leo’s bravado, he had a heart just like hers. A heart that was capable of want-of love. Leo’s ego shielded him from vulnerability; it was easy to forget how sensitive he was. But in moments like these, Tem understood him better than she understood herself. She knew what it meant to yearn.
“That’s…up to you, I suppose,” she said quietly.
The prince looked at her with such devastation she wanted to cry. “No, Tem. That’s up to you.”
Tem reached for him again, but he stepped away.
“Go to him,” he said.
“What?”
“You love Caspen,.” His voice was sharper than a knife. “So go to him.”
Tem flinched. “Leo, please-“
“Just. Go.”
Then he turned and was gone.
Alone at last, she let the tears fall.
There was no point in lingering. Tem ran from the castle, trying not to think about what would happen if Leo eliminated her tonight. First and foremost, her mother would never forgive her. The farm had only become more of a burden since Tem was away so often training for the prince. Her mother had taken side work to make ends meet-watching small children for the women in the village, tending to the neighbor’s cats when they were away from home. It was a lifestyle that wasn’t sustainable. Tem’s courtship with the prince was their only lifeline: the only thing that would save them. And now that was probably gone.
Go to him.
Leo’s words raced through her head over and over as she made for the carriages. Part of her wanted to obey-to go to Caspen and lose herself in his arms. Another part of her remembered the wave of rage Caspen had felt when Leo took her hand. What if that rage became directed at her? He’d already used the claw to hurt her tonight. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t do it again. But if she went home, she would have to face her mother, and Tem couldn’t stand the thought of telling her what had just happened.
“Where to, miss?” the footman asked as she climbed into the carriage.
“The forest.”
Tem spent the entirety of the ride with her head in her hands. Despite her distress, no tears came. Instead, she felt only an endless wave of adrenaline that set her teeth on edge. She was done waiting for answers from Caspen. It wasn’t fair that he withheld information from her the way he did; it wasn’t fair that she was constantly in the dark. Tem needed to know where she stood with him. She needed to know that in a single night, she hadn’t lost everything that ever mattered to her.
When the carriage arrived at the edge of the forest, the footman helped her out with an incredulous look.
“Wouldn’t you rather I take you home, miss?”
“No,” Tem said simply.
She walked quickly into the trees, keeping her eyes on the ground. The last time she’d been on this path, Jonathan and Christopher had assaulted her. Now they were harmless stone statues, frozen in the middle of the square. How things had changed.
The cave was dark, the fireplace cold.
Tem didn’t bother waiting for a welcoming committee. She dipped immediately into the shadows, traversing the passageway using nothing but her memory. When she reached the door to Caspen’s chambers, she paused. There was no telling what kind of mood he’d be in. Did he even want to see her? Both Caspen and Leo had discovered that the other meant something to her tonight. It seemed too cruel a punishment for her to lose them both because of it.
Without another second’s hesitation, Tem opened the door.
The fireplace was lit, but the room was empty.
Tem sat on the edge of Caspen’s bed and wondered suddenly if this had been a terrible mistake. What was she thinking, coming to his chambers without an invitation? What if he didn’t want to see her-or worse, what if he had sought refuge with someone else? Her stomach turned at the thought. She could hardly expect loyalty from Caspen when she herself was entangled with the prince.
The fire began to burn low.
What if he never showed? Tem had no idea where Caspen might be or if he even knew she was here. He could be somewhere deep in the forest, hunting in his true form. He might not return for hours. Tem stood, resolved to go back home. That was when she heard it.
“Temperance.”
Her full name.
Tem looked over to see Rowe in the doorway. He must have just returned from the castle. She was immediately aware of how vulnerable she was-alone under the mountain with a basilisk that wasn’t Caspen. The situation was far outside her control.
“I came to see Caspen,” she managed to say. “Is he here?”
“He is close by,” Rowe replied smoothly, tilting his head as if listening to something. “And getting closer.”
Tem’s heart picked up the pace. If Caspen was close, she was almost safe.
Rowe stepped into the room, and Tem instinctually stepped back. The basilisk chuckled at her retreat. “Are you afraid, Temperance?”
Tem said nothing. Rowe smiled, and her blood ran cold.
“Answer me,” he commanded.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m afraid.”
His smile widened. “As you should be.”
Tem raised her chin. It was the only thing she could do to defy him.
Rowe crossed slowly to the fireplace, keeping his eyes on Tem the entire time. He moved the way Caspen did, with the same unattainable grace.
“I must confess,” he said musingly, as if this were a casual conversation and not a deeply dangerous scenario, “I cannot understand Caspenon’s infatuation with you. You are not much to look at.”
Tem couldn’t muster the energy to be insulted. She knew there was no winning with Rowe.
“Of course,” he continued, “Caspenon has always been…sentimental.”
Tem reached desperately for Caspen with her mind, but the door between them was still shut tight. “He knows what he wants,” she said stiffly.
“That much is clear,” Rowe sneered. “Yet I doubt he knows the price he will pay if he gets it.”
“I don’t understand,” said Tem despite herself.
“No.” His eyes flicked down her neck to the little golden claw. “You would not.”
Tem fought to control the conversation. “If anything happens to me, Caspen will seek revenge.”
Rowe laughed darkly. “Do not speak on things you do not understand. Revenge is already mine to seek.”
For a moment, the only sound was the crackling of the fire.
Rowe glanced over his shoulder at the doorway as if he’d heard something. Then a sly smile pulled at his lips as he said, “But perhaps not tonight.” When his gaze returned to her, he looked her up and down one last time. “Until we meet again, Temperance.”
As if he were never there to begin with, Rowe disappeared.
Tem let out a long breath. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just dodged certain death. All the tears that had refused to come earlier now threatened to engulf her. Rowe was dangerous. There was no doubt about it. And clearly he had a personal problem with Caspen-one he was willing to use Tem to exacerbate. Revenge is already mine to seek. What did that mean? What had Caspen done?
Before she could dissect it further, she heard her name again. “Tem?”
This time, it was Caspen standing in the doorway. He crossed to her immediately, stopping just short of touching her. “What are you doing?”
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.